Nothing is scarier in gaming than a foe you cannot beat in combat.
If you can’t fight, you must hide instead, and great horror games make the most of these undesirable situations.
Here’s a list of titles that do it the best and where you can’t rely on a gun to do your dirty work.
8Hello Neighbor
Curiosity Has Consequences
Hello Neighbor
Hello Neighborhas a superb premise and offers a refreshing change from monsters and serial killers.
You play as a child who’sconvinced your neighbor is up to no good. You take it upon yourself to investigate, and much of the gameplay involves staying away from your neighbor who patrols the house.
While the game occurs during the day, thebasement sections are pretty unnervingand triumphantly stroll into Stealth Horror territory.
My only issue withHello Neighboris the muddled puzzles. It’s often tough to tell what the game expects you to do to progress. Many solutions are so random you can’t figure them out with logic.
If you don’t mind a few confusing sections, the title is unique enough that it’s worth checking out.
Silence Is Survival
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead
A Quiet Placeis one of my favorite horror movie franchises, so imagine my excitement when a game comes out based on it.
A Quiet Place: The Road Aheadis astory-drivenfirst-person adventure gameset in a post-apocalyptic future. Humans are no longer the dominant species, and monsters that hunt by sound roam the earth.
Everyone talks in whispers, and I love how the survivors have constructed walkways out of dirt to mask their footsteps.
Encounters with the creatures are wonderfully tense, and you can evenenable your microphoneso a sneeze or rustling bag can get you killed.
Thenarrative is a big part of the game, which may disappoint players who try the game purely for Stealth Horror thrills. I enjoy the story, but it may not be for everyone.
6Five Nights At Freddy’s
The King Of Jump Scares
Five Nights at Freddy’s
TheFive Nights At Freddy’s(FNAF) games have become anindustry phenomenonwith a passionate fan base.
Gameplay is relatively simple in the older titles, at least. You man a security booth with animatronic creatures roaming the nearby rooms.
The animatronics will try to get you, but you cansurvive the nightwith smart use of tools like timed doors as you frantically scan the security feeds.
FNAF isn’t a traditional stealth horror game, but the premise fits the bill, and you know you’ll meet an unfortunate end if you’re caught.
Stealth Horror Meets Multiplayer
Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylightis an incredible4v1 multiplayer horror titlewhere one of youplays as the monster.
The remaining players are survivors and must attempt to escape. If you’re a survivor, your greatest weapon is stealth and cunning, as you’re incapable of winning a 1v1.
My favorite part ofDead by Daylightis trying tooutwit a human opponent. Even the scariest games on this list have AI adversaries with predictable patterns.
There’s no such thing inDead by Daylight. You’re not safe because you found a convenient box to hide behind, and a good killer can and will bait you if you don’t stay one step ahead.
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4Alien Isolation
One Of The Finest Movie Adaptations
Alien: Isolation
Alien Isolationis a top-tier horror game and a shining example of what can be accomplished with stealth as the primary focus.
For the uninitiated,Alien Isolationis asci-fi first-person adventurewith dozens of nods to the movies.
The Xenomorphhunts you for most of the gameand is a terrifying adversary because you never know when it will appear. If you’re clumsy and alert the alien, you best find a hiding place if you don’t want to end up on the menu.
Alien Isolationdoes a fantastic job of ramping up the tension and letting you know your place in the food chain. The game isbuilt around stealth mechanics, and while it sometimes feels like the Xenomorph has ESP, it’s a legendary title and arguably the best Aliens game to date.
If you’re a fan, you’ll be pleased to learn thata sequel is in early development.
Alone In The Dark
Outlastis aclassic horror gameset in a horrific asylum where the freaks run the show.
You play as Miles, an investigative journalist, and it doesn’t take long for you to realizeyou’re in way over your head.
You’re not a fighter and must run and use stealth to survive. Hiding places range from lockers to gaps underneath hospital beds, and you’re in for a shock if you’re spotted running to your precious, safe space.
Another terrifying feature ofOutlastis the lights, or lack thereof. You must rely on yournight vision camcorderto navigate pitch-black hallways, and it’s unbearably tense when your camera batteries begin to fade!
2Phasmophobia
You Might Want To Mute Your Mic
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobiais a fantastic horror experience, as there’sreally nothing quite like it.
You’re not playing to capture or “defeat” a ghost. Instead, you’re out to identify it using the most high-tech equipment you may afford.
you’re able to’t attack entities, but that relationship doesn’t work both ways.Ghosts can trigger a “hunt"where they assault the team. At that point, you must turn off any equipment, stop talking, and hide.
You can often hear the ghost stomping near your hiding places, and it’s unbelievably unsettling.
Phasmophobiais great with friends, and while scary, it’ssuitable for horror noviceswith the right group.
1Amnesia: The Dark Descent
A Genre-Defining Horror Game
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descentis an early example of Stealth Horror and is still one of the best thanks to its unique setting and monster.
Amnesiais set in acreepy castle, and most events and story elements are left to you to figure out. As you probably guessed by the title, you have amnesia and have no recollection of how you got here or what you’re doing.
Monsters can’t be fought, so you must sneak around and hide if you want to survive.Amnesiaalso introduces “Sanity,“which depletes when you look at enemies or stay in the dark for too long. The mechanic makes light a precious commodity, and you’re always frantically searching for torches.
There are plenty of puzzles, but most aresurprisingly intuitive, and you shouldn’t get stuck anywhere for long.
The Dark Descent is thefirst game in the series and easily the best, in my opinion. I’ve not played every sequel, but the ones I have are still worth checking out, even if they don’t reach the lofty highs of the original.
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