A horror game is only as good as its immersion. If you have scares, psychological effects, and a story that makes you feel like you're living the experience of your player character, then you know it's a successful game. It's even better when there are high emotional stakes or something you're fighting against that can outsmart or outmaneuver you as you try to escape it.
Related
Short (but scary) horror games worth playing
They may not take long to beat, but these short horror games are scary enough to be worth your time.
These games are already masterpieces, but the way they can affect you even after you finish them or stop playing them makes them even more iconic games. If a horror game leaves you with a sense of unease or lingering fear, that's actually a good sign.
10 Subnautica
This game is a beginner's guide to thalassophobiafear of the ocean Even though these creatures don't exist, this game will make you feel like they couldand that in itself is much scarier. Combine that with the sheer terror of all these creatures finding you as you explore, and you have a convincingly immersive underwater nightmare.
Subnautica masters the art of suspense in a sprawling world and doesn't confine danger to any one space. You feel like you are in your own underwater base, alone with the vast ocean in front of you.
9 Silent Hill
This game is apocalyptic, even without the creepy atmosphere and otherworldly monsters. There's enough downtime between the scares that there's a lingering sense of unease everywhere you go, especially with the fog, which is pretty much its own character in every Silent Hill game. The Silent Hill games are classics, and the emotional pull of the family-oriented storyline only pulls you further into the game.
Psychological horror mixed with an apocalypse scenario is a recipe for an amazing experienceeven if it's scary to play. The way the story pulls you in means the creatures feel more realistic and each chase has higher emotional stakes.
8 Layers of Fear
OpenCritic
- Top Critic Ratings:74/100 Critics recommend:53%
- Released
- February 16, 2016
- Franchise
- Layers of fear
- Publishers
- Aspyr
Descending into madness for your art is not something you often think about. However, this game perfectly shows what it would be like. Both Layers of Fear games have just enough subtlety in their horror to turn the scares and detailed graphics into an unsettling level that haunts you. even after you stop playing. Watching the story of a talented artist slowly but surely going insane is a unique experience that makes the game just as impressive.
Related
18 Best Story-Based Horror Games
Some games combine haunting with a strong story.
The games get creepier the longer you play, which is a common theme in horror games, but painting changes, especially the melting of paint, become more difficult to predictso the direction of the game changes for the complex. It's a descent into madness for you too.
7 Soma
OpenCritic
- Critics recommend:80%
- Released
- September 15, 2015
- Developers
- Friction games
- Publishers
- Friction games
- Metascore
- 84
This game redefined the fear of the unknown, especially in the depths of the ocean. Sci-fi horror is an elite sub-genre, and Soma's philosophical yet Lovecraftian story ensures that you won't forget this sub-genre in the sea of other horror genres. If you're looking for a horror game that will give you at least one existential crisis while playing, Soma is the game.
Even the atmosphere of the level design is unnerving, especially with the red lighting in some parts and the shadows that follow you wherever you go. If you've ever wondered about the intersection of psychology and philosophy, try Soma to be exposed to the more chilling parts.
6 Resident Evil: Village
OpenCritic
- Top Critic Ratings:84/100 Critics recommend:92%
The franchise is one of the most famous in the horror game genre, and this game is particularly iconic for good reason. Not only are the graphics high quality, but the emotional impact the story has on you is incredible. Between monstrous creatures, villains and a looming evil corporation, there is no shortage of danger and fear.
The adrenaline rush this game gives you, especially as the perspective switches between first and third person gameplay, is an experience worth fueling the nightmare of warped bioterrorism. The best part is that the villains have complex personalities, so you're immersed in their story along with your own.
5 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Survival horror
India games
Adventure
Action
Puzzle
- Released
- September 8, 2010
- Developers
- Friction games
- Publishers
- Friction games
The worst thing about a castle setting in horror games is the amount of hidden dangers that could be lurking around every corner. Amnesia: The Dark Descent has this kind of medieval setting combined with medieval concepts of pure evil lurking in the shadows. This game manages to tell a compelling story with a chilling environment and a hint of evil long before we even see the shadows that haunt you. throughout the game.
Related
The 15 Best Horror Games of All Time
Forefathers of fear and revolutionaries of insurrection, these games pave the way for horror.
The twists and turns in this game can keep you hooked after just minutes of playing. If you're a fan of psychological horror with roots in true crime, this is the game for you.
4 Still Wakes The Deep
OpenCritic
- Top Critic Ratings:76/100 Critics recommend:70%
- Released
- June 18, 2024
- Developers
- Chinese room
- Publishers
- Stealth mode
This game already sticks to the classics in the field of immersive horror. There's something about the ocean that's so alluring to horror game developers, and it's not hard to see why with the tension this game has in store. The fact that you are fighting to save your entire crew from a monstrous creature that has found your oil rig is much more intense.especially since you really have nowhere to hide from him in open water.
The graphics and fast-paced action in this game differ from the slower build-up of inland horror games, as all of your playtime is spent trying to avoid sinking and/or dying to otherworldly creatures of the deep in the process. It's intense but worth it.
3 Face
Face
OpenCritic
- Top Critic Ratings:78/100 Critics recommend:79%
- Released
- October 30, 2020
- Developers
- SadSquare Studio
- Publishers
- SadSquare Studio
This game is a spiraling psychological nightmare in its truest form. If being in an ominously long and dark corridor at the mercy of your own mind isn't enough for you, the corridor continues even after you leave it. However, unlike PT, Visage doesn't trap you in your own house with your own past. At least that's a small consolation. What is considerably less comforting is the sheer number of ghosts in this one house.
All the paranormal happenings and seemingly endless corridors lead to a sense of complete immersion and pure unease.. The fact that the game isn't just corridors saves it from being reminiscent of the Backrooms concept, but it's still a game you play with the lights on.
2 Ride out
OpenCritic
- Top Critic Ratings:77/100 Critics recommend:52%
- Released
- November 4, 2013
- Developers
- Red barrels
- Publishers
- Red barrels
Outlast is one of those games that you will remember forever. The game's ending isn't an escape like many horror game endings are, and it's not a happy ending for you or anyone else. The game ends with screams and you become so immersed in the story and the mystery that you don't fully realize the twist unless you're actively looking for it towards the end of the game.
Related
16 Best Free Horror Games
These are the best horror games you can play without spending a penny.
At the end of the day, there is no truly safe area anywhere in or even around the abandoned haunted asylum. Even if you become a master of stealth, the Walrider, an otherworldly entity, will still find you all. The only thing you can hope for is, ironically, to survive the monster.
1 Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation is utterly terrifying, no matter how long you play it. A monster AI that learns your escape strategies and maneuvers in order to hunt you down remains one of the most impressive concepts in the horror game genre.. Right from the start, it forces you to put yourself in your character's shoes and play as if you were actually trying to escape the aliens.
If you're looking for a space horror game that will rock you for better or for worse, play Alien: Isolation. It's a bad time for sure, and yet there's so much to love about it. The graphics, the creatures, the palpable fear – it's the whole package.
Other
Resident Evil vs. Silent Hill: Which horror game series is better?
Silent Hill and Resident Evil are the dominant horror franchises in the gaming world, but each has its strengths.