There is something distinctly terrifying about Japanese Horror. With its terrifying monsters and even more horrifying stories, Japanese Horror remains distinctly scary in ways other horror subgenres can’t compare.
In video games, Japan remains the master of survival horror, with iconic titles such asResident EvilandSilent Hillbeing released by Japanese developersCapcomandKonami,respectively.
These games don’t take place in Japan, though, and focus on a different aspect of horror.
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Some Japanese horror games are distinctly scary, following traditional J-Horror tropes and taking place in their own backyard. Incorporating classic folklore or modern culture, these games breathe a new life into the horror genre, however it manifests.
One thing is consistent with these games though: they are absolutely terrifying.
10Aka Manto
Being Chased By an Urban Legend
Chilla’s Art
Platform(s)
Release Date
July 09, 2025
There is a Japanese Urban Legend about a wrathful yokai (demon) called theAka Manto, literally meaning Red Cloak. Clad in red, the Aka Manto targets children – specifically in a school bathroom stall with no toilet paper. It will ask,“Red Paper or Blue Paper?”and a terrible death awaits either answer.
Chilla’s Artcreated a game based on this folklore titled After the Yokai.Aka Manto follows a girl who is dared to enter an abandoned elementary school, where she’s locked in and forced to find a way out. However, it’s not until players are met with the bleak realization that they’re not alone.
The fear of being stalked and followed is incorporated into every element of this experience, with running from the ghost being a key component of gameplay.
Even though it’s a relatively short game, it’s still terrifying, with the Aka Manto’s jump scare sending keyboards into the stratosphere.
Surviving the game is difficult, especially sinceit’s a Permadeath game– it turns the fear from a fear of death to a fear of losing progress, and it becomes frustrating at points, especially since the noise the Aka Manto makes is repetitive and loud. That said, the game is still eerie, and well worth a play.
A Feudal Ghost Story
PlayStation 5/4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Xbox One
July 28, 2025
The life of a Shinto shrine maiden (also known as a “Miko” in Japanese) is supposed to be quiet and relatively uneventful. They tend to the shrine, keep it clean and maintained while helping those who come by.
These would beNaoko’sresponsibilities in the gameIkai, if her shrine wasn’t suddenly haunted with ghosts and yokai. Suddenly, her job turns into having to protect the shrine as it becomes a playground for these spirits, all while navigating the intense superstitions ofFeudal Japan.
While the game’s jump scares come off as a bit cheap and basic, the atmosphere more than makes up for it on the fear factor. This game is tense and unsettling, inducing anxiety in ways that enhance the spooky mood.
A lot of Japanese horror revolves aroundghost stories, and fans of the genre would love Ikai for the experience of a haunted Shinto shrine. Plus, the puzzles and exploration add an entirely new tension now that demons are coming for you.
8Yomawari: Night Alone
Hide From Your Own Heartbeat
Nippon Ichi Software
PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, PC
August 14, 2025
Yomawari: Night Aloneis a top-down horror game thatlooks cute, but its narrative is anything but. Plus, with the scares and hostile environment, the adorable art style seems to add to the horror, giving an almost childish fear to the atmosphere.
It follows a little girl who gets separated from her dog in a near-fatal accident. When she asks her older sister for help, her sister agrees and goes out to search, but doesn’t return home.
The game then involves looking for this girl’s missing sister and dog, all while navigating a world that is suddenly a nightmare.
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This game utilizes a child’s fear by emphasizing how paralyzing terror can be. When near a ghost, the girl’s heartbeat will speed up, preventing her from taking certain actions or even running fast. This requires players to move carefully and keep an eye on their heart, hiding more often than not.
This is a freaky game with an even more terrifying gameplay loop, which is all the more rewarding as the town’s secrets are uncovered.
7Shadow Corridor
Haunted A.I. in a Cursed Noh Mask
Space Onigiri Game LLC
PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
July 03, 2025
Shadow Corridoris a constantly evolving experience, as each map is randomly generated in every single playthrough. Navigating through darkness and dimly-lit mazes, it’s not long before players realise that escaping is their only hope of survival — and they’re not alone.
Players are stalked by a sentient cursedNoh Mask, one witha more complex A.I.that learns from the player’s moves. It reacts to everything in the game, such as lights, the sound of the player’s footsteps, and other stimuli.
This is a genuine survival horror game that relies on gathering items and navigating maze-like maps to get out alive.
The Noh Mask isn’t the only malevolent spirit present, either, with terrifying monsters just around any randomly generated corner.
The randomness actually adds to the terror, since players never know what to expect in each playthrough. Combined with a creepy atmosphere and spectacular sound design, it’s a horror experience unlike any other.
A Paranormal Escape Room
Nimbus Games
PlayStation 5/4, PC
July 02, 2025
For horror fans who enjoy puzzles in their games,Chiyois an intense and terrifying experience. It’s a first-person survival horror game that plays like an escape room, but with an immersive story to follow up.
Players become Chiyo Idate, a paranormal investigator withsupernatural abilitiesin Japan’s Edo Period. She’s sent on her first investigation of an abandoned mansion, and from there, the secrets and horrors unfold.
This game is immensely fun and complex, with lots of mysteries to discover and even more to explore. Plus, its attention to detail to the Edo Period is remarkable, as it’s an era defined by superstition, and it manifests into the game wonderfully.
Plus, the puzzles are tense, keeping players on the edge of their seats in fear and anticipation while working through every step of progress. Seriously, theGeisha Mannequin Puzzlealone is able to scare players enough for replays.
A Child’s Worst Nightmare
Kazumi Studios
June 19, 2025
Walkis a very obscure title released in theHaunted PS1 Demo Disc 2021, a free-to-download collection of various demos, which, to this day, is still the only way that the game can be obtained and played. It follows a young girl walking home and hiding from an evil entity that will kill her.
While it’s technicallyconsidered a demo, it’s an open-and-close story, as are most of the games on the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc.
They’re more of a collection of concepts and short stories, ones that could be left as is or fleshed out and expanded into full releases. Unfortunately for Walk, there’s been no update about the latter.
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Walk is a genuinely terrifying experience, even though it’s a small game. If anything, it feels and plays exactly like a nightmare, especially through the eyes of a child.
Plus, the monster and sound design are genuinely freaky and unsettling, one that leaves players hungry for more.
It’s a fantastic retro-style game with an unbeatable tension so thick it could be cut with a spoon.
Ancient Horrors in a Kaidan Style
FromSoftware
PlayStation 2
July 20, 2025
A hidden gem inFromSoftware’sarchive,Kuonis a classical Japanesehorror from the PS2 eraset in the Heian period. It’s based on Kaidan, which is an old-fashioned ghost story with a similar connotation to ancient folktales – however, its modern method of storytelling breathes an entirely new terror into the story.
Kuon tells the story of three different protagonists as they enter a twisted estate haunted with Yokai. They come together to learn the mystery of the Kuon ritual, along with the evil deeds of someone who they thought was an ally.
In typical FromSoftware fashion, this game is tough to beat, and equally as tough to find a copy without paying a small fortune. Saving is done similarly to the typewriter save system from Resident Evil, which in and of itself can be a challenge.
Plus, there’s not a lot of explanation right away, which adds a level of connection and immersion with the protagonists — you’re both scared and confused together.
However, it’s an incredibly terrifying adventure once players get the hang of this game. With vivid imagery and an eerie art direction, Kuon feels like watching an ancient horror Kabuki; only this time, the audience is in control of everything.
3The Convenience Store
Worst. Job. Ever.
June 09, 2025
Chilla’s Art, time and time again, releasesincredible indie gamesthat bring out so much horror in the mundane, and there is no better example of this thanThe Convenience Store.
Playing as a college girl working a night shift at her local convenience store, things seem normal — dull, even. They restock shelves and deal with customers; it almost doesn’t feel like a horror game. That is, until haunting events happen, and things spiral from there.
Thisgame has multiple endings, encouraging replayability and careful analysis, and yet it still manages to be scary every single time. Some of the sequences feel like a genuine panic attack, with imagery that will sear itself into players' brains.
The Convenience Store is a slow-burn that’s masterfully done, as the horror continues to outdo itself as the game progresses. It’s a well-shaken cocktail of eerie atmospheres, modern societal fears, and even properly-timed jump scares.
2Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Develop a Fear of Taking Pictures
PlayStation 2/3, Xbox
June 04, 2025
TheFatal Frameseries is one of the most iconic horror franchises from thePlayStation 2era, but none of the entries linger the way Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly does.
To this day, fans swear by it being the best and the most frightening, withsome of the scariest levels in all of gaming.
Like much of Japanese horror, Fatal Frame is a terrifyingghost storywith unique gameplay. Instead of fighting the ghosts like in traditional survival horror games, players have totake picturesof the ghosts in order to defeat them, forcing them to get up close and personal with the monsters they’re running from.
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It’s a gameplay mechanic that is still beloved by horror fans, but that’s not all that people love about these games. They’re outright horrifying, with a compelling story and characters to back it up.
Players won’t be able to shake the ghosts out of their head, even when they close their eyes. Instead of just simply capturing the spirits in photos, it seems that they were captured into reality, where they still linger and haunt players until the end of time.
A Mastery of Horror that Rivals Silent Hill
Project Siren
June 28, 2025
When asking horror fans about theSirenseries (calledForbidden Sirenin the PAL regions), there would be much debate on which game is the scariest. Often, it’s tied between the first game andSiren: Blood Curse— which is basicallya remake of the first game.
They would describe it as difficult, but well worth the effort. Following the survivors of a natural disaster, players have to learn the reality of what’s happening and the secrets of the town ofHanudaitself. However, things just become more bizarre and fearful as things progress.
It has a terrifying atmosphere and gameplay that rivals the classic Silent Hill games, with intriguing puzzles and grotesque monsters to match. It was co-written and directed byKeiichiro Toyama, the original writer and director of the first Silent Hill game, so the vibes are immaculate.
Without a doubt, it’s one of the scariest games Japan has released, one that is worth a playthrough from all fans of horror.
Fans of Silent Hill tend to be hungry for more horrifying games similar in style — maybe with the fog not included.
