There are many things that we love abouthorrorgames, regardless of the franchise and when it came out. Whether it be the indescribable uncanniness in more modern games, or thefixed camera angles of yore, there’s something for everyone.
It also just so happens that some of these games may start with something relatively simple, and then proceed to blow your mind as you progress forward.
10 Highly Reviewed Horror Games That Are Overrated
These horror games are beloved for a reason, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t overrated.
In these horror games, they just get better as you go – not saying that they start off bad, but they definitely end on a much stronger note than how they began.
Either the fear factor is amped up, the story took a drastic turn, or something else entirely, these are games you want to play from start to finish, as you’ll genuinely miss out otherwise.
This article will contain spoilers for some of these games.
10Bloodborne
Horror? In MY Souls Game?
Bloodborne
Fextralife Wiki
Sure,Bloodborneisn’t a traditional horror game, but when you put it next to all the otherSoulsentries, it’s clearly meant to be the eldritch horror title of the bunch.
Yharnam is as unforgiving as thefolklore it’s based on, but that doesn’t mean that the game outrightdisrespects your time or intelligence. In fact, it’s with the game understanding your own abilities that make progress feel so much richer.
As you progress through the bosses (which only get more fun as you level up) and make your way through countless enemies (which also get easier over time), you’ll find so much lore that will add to your understanding of what’s going on. This isn’t even considering the DLC, and the absolute mastery of finally fighting Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower.
So, while no, it’s not labeled as a horror game, it’sthehorror Souls game, andit definitely continues to get better and better the longer you’re in the Dream.
Don’t Think Too Long About It
By the time you finish playingSOMA, you’ll end up stuck in your own head for hours, bordering on an existential crisis.
Tackling themes of humanity and what it means to possess a soul, SOMA is a slow-burnsci-fi horror gamethat is not afraid to stew in its own atmosphere. As you progress through the game and uncover hints and other details crucial to the plot, your perspective of everything starts to change – whichrears to a head when your real identity is revealed.
So by the time you make it to the end, everything is literally upended and everything you know is thrown right out the window. It’s a plot twist that sticks with you, and it makes replayability all the more intriguing, as each moment of foreshadowing is all the more prominent.
It’s anunderrated AA gamethat needs more love, especially with the roller coaster of emotions it shoves you through. By the end of the game, you have to just remind yourself not to think too long about it, otherwise you’re in for a nightmare of your own doing.
8Alan Wake 2
Vastly Superior to the Original
Alan Wake 2
If you liked the firstAlan Wakegame and theunique mechanics it brought to the horror genre, you’re going to love its sequel even more. It’s not only a game that gets better as you go, but its franchise overall.
InAlan Wake 2, Alan has been trapped in this alternate dimension of darkness for over a decade, and his only chance at escape is to write his way out. It just so happens Alan knows how to craft one hell of a narrative.
10 Best Survival Horror Games For Beginners
Want to get started in the survival horror sphere? These games are great for beginners to the genre.
Meanwhile, you also take on the role of Detective Anderson, who is investigating Alan’s disappearance –who both stumble their way into the Cult of the Tree.
Seriously, if you’ve not engaged with this story yet, give it a shot. It’s a treat from start to finish, but only continues to improve as you progress through the game. Plus, it’s anice beginner game if you’re new to survival horrorin general.
Dead Space (2023)
I love when horror games have a plot twist hidden in plain sight, and Dead Space is a great example of this. As you progress through the game, you see each mission title – but there’s a message hidden in those first letters.
Nicole is Dead.
It just further shows howthe entire crew of the Ishimura was doomed from the start, and that’s just the primary plot twist. As the game progresses,you go from being sure and confident in yourself and your crew to not being able to trust anyone– not even yourself.
It’s a literal descent into madness, which Issac only plummets in further after coming into contact with the Marker at the end of the game.
6Resident Evil 4 Remake
The Most Iconic in Survival Horror
Resident Evil 4
There’s no denying just how much of an impact theResident Evilgames have had on the survival horror genre, but none quite like that orResident Evil 4. RE4 is not only the most popular game in the franchise, but in survival horror as a whole, and theRemakecaptures that same magic perfectly.
One of the notable reasons behind its popularity is how it’s a blast from start to finish, if anything, getting more fun (and even returning to terrifying with the Regenerators) as you progress in the game. You’ll improve your weapons, upgrade your gear, and run into all sorts of enemies.
There are three main areas in the game: theVillage, theCastle, and then theIsland–each offering a unique experience as you move forward. This isn’t even touching on the story and the gripping tension that comes with it.
Either way, it’sa game that deserves all the hype it gets, and it’s worth playing for yourself to see exactly why.
5Still Wakes the Deep
A Desperate, Futile Attempt
Still Wakes the Deep
One of the key things that horror games do in order to invoke fear in players is taking their power away, making them feel as small and as helpless as possible. In the case ofStill Wakes the Deep,that helplessness continues to tighten until it snaps like a rubber band.
When an eldritch horror unleashes its wrath aboard the Beira D. Oil Rig, it’s up to you, the engineer, to try to save everyone. However, as you progress, you realize that there is no way that any of you are going to get out alive.
10 Criminally Underrated AA Horror Games
Not quite indie, not quite AAA, but definitely terrifying.
That terrifying, sinking feeling in your gut as this slowly starts to settle in is a masterclass in effective horror, perfectly putting the players in Caz Mcleary’s shoes and making itone of the best horror games released last year. So when you reach the end of your futile attempt at survival, your desperation can only be replaced with a deeply saddening hope.
Hope that this wasn’t all for nothing.
4Silent Hill 2 Remake
How Does It Get Scarier?
Silent Hill 2
Listen, it’s a given that theSilent Hillgames are terrifying, but when theSilent Hill 2 Remakedropped, I was terrified in ways that horror games haven’t done before. The thing is – it genuinely gets scarier as you progress forward.
Toluca Prison, for example, is without a doubt one of the scariest areas in the game, and you don’t get to it until towards the end. And this isn’t even considering howthe storyofSilent Hill 2continues to spiral into your literal worst nightmares.
The amount ofdetails and depth in this gameis insane, sparking asignificant amount of theoriesthat the fandom is still debating about to this day. You are nearly guaranteed to notice something new in each playthrough, as you go forward.
Just when you think it can’t get scarier, it does, and it’s absolutely excellent.
A Tragedy in Plain Sight
Being a high school teacher by day, I’m no stranger to seeing a troubled home life with children.Devotion, however, is acompletely unique storythat’s just as heart-wrenching.
The Du Family, on the outside, looks magnificent. Their beautiful daughter Mei Shin is auditioning to be a singer, just like her mother, while the patriarch of the family continues writing screenplays that rake in success. But in their little apartment in Taiwan, everything is wrong.
This is a game that takesordinary fearsand amplifies them tenfold, especially whenincorporating religioninto the equation. Thetragedy that befalls the Du Family slowly unfolds in front of you as you progressthrough the game.
And that’s when you realize the worst of the tragedy was hidden in plain sight the entire time.
2Doki Doki Literature Club
The Horror Begins in Act 2
Doki Doki Literature Club!
When playing through Act 1 ofDoki Doki Literature Club(DDLC), it’s easy to think that it’s not even a horror game, that other players might be confused. However, underneath all thecutesy anime graphicsis horror that aims right foryou.
You play as a generic protagonist attendingthe literature club in your high schoolgetting ready for an upcoming festival – but there’s something about Monika.It’s not until you make it to Act 2that you notice something is terribly wrong.
10 Best Horror Games With Short Runtimes
For those looking for a quick (but not cheap) scare.
It’sa relatively short horror gameall things considered, but it’s genuinely terrifying when Monika starts to interact with your files and with you, the player, directly. It’s an uncanny horror, and I am an absolute sucker for it.
It’s a game thatcompletely subverts all your expectations, and it just gets better from there.
1The Mortuary Assistant
Demonic Hauntings Get More Aggressive
The Mortuary Assistant
The Mortuary Assistantis uniquely terrifying, especially since it completelyrevolves around a puzzle that relies on you finding and exorcising a demon– choose wrong, and you’re damned without a soul.
It starts relatively straightforwardly, butthe demons get far more aggressive, with more frequent hauntings as you near the end of your shift.
Poor Rebecca can’t catch a break, especially considering the multiple endings based on how well (or poorly) you’re able to find and exorcise the demon. It’s an adrenaline rush that doesn’t quite go away, keeping you on your toes until you know that you’ve made it.
Or so you think.
We Need More Midwestern Horror Games
There is a distinct void of horror games (and video games in general) that take place in Midwest America – a void that needs to be filled.
