These Games Aren't For the Faint of Heart
Horror video games experienced a boon in the 2000s. With titles like Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill 3, the market was flush with games you didn't want to play alone in a dark room. To some, this era was the apex of horror gameplay and ushered in the concept of games that focused on atmosphere and dread more than story. Here are the 20 most terrifying horror video games released in the 2000s.
Sergey Galyonkin from Raleigh, USA on Wikimedia
1. Silent Hill 2
This is widely considered to be the best psychological horror game ever released. It terrifies players with its atmosphere, use of fog, and elaborate monster designs that were utterly disturbing. Some of us still have nightmares about Pyramid Head.
Antonio Fucito from Terni, Italia on Wikimedia
2. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
This was the most chilling entry in the Fatal Frame franchise. It folliows twin sisters as they explore a cursed village. There are restless spirits, and players used the Camera Obscura to face ghosts in haunting showdowns. The unsettling story leaves a lingering sense of dread.
3. Resident Evil 4
This Resident Evil game offered more action than previous entries, but it still delivered the intensity and eeriness that has made the franchise such a hit. The spooky rural settings and frantic combat create a new type of horror and action blend that's schintillating to play.
Cozinhando Fantasias on Wikimedia
4. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
This video game shocked players with an insanely creative twist: you weren't able to fight back. Instead, you had to flee, hide, or simply go mad as you venture down dark corridors and evade disturbing characters. The sanity mechanics are top-notch and make darkness feel like a dangerous enemy.
5. Dead Space
Players were dropped into a derelict mining spaceship and had to deal with isolation, body horror, and aliens. The horror is unrelenting and the nail-biting suspense make long gaming sessions almost unbearable.
6. Condemned: Criminal Origins
This first-person shooter offers grit and frights by the handful. The psychological tension is a perfect match for the gruelling melee combat. The game is built around investigating crime scenes while being hunted by violent enemies. Let's just say that every encounter is terrifying.
7. Silent Hill 3
This video game follows a teenaged girl as she journeys to the living nightmare world that is Silent Hill. For whatever reason, the producers of this game decided to amplify the horror, including more body horror, and the surreal images.
8. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness let gamers experience "sanity effects" that messed with players via fake system errors, hallucinatons, and distorted visuals. This game is a trip into a horror hellscape and is a blast to play.
9. F.E.A.R
This game mixed supernatural horror with high-end tactical shooter gameplay and scared players in the process. The slow-motion gunplay and silent environments like hallways, create an unpredictable experience that is made more frightening with the use of flickering lights.
10. Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
This entry in the popular series returned to the camera-based combat that made previous installments a hit. The mingling of dreams and reality amped up the psychological horror elements and your characters had to tread lightly through environments dripping in dreadful atmosphere.
11. Siren
The horror magic behind this video game is the cryptic storytelling and nail-biting tension. Playing Sirens upon release in 2003 was one of the more chilling gaming experience ever. The sightjacking mechanics that let you see through your enemies' eyes was next level.
12. Doom 3
Doom 3 is considered more of an action game but it doesn't skimp on the horror. The claustrophobic environments and low lighting heightened every demonic ambush.
Bethesda, Copyright Microsoft on Wikimedia
13. Resident Evil
This GameCube remake turned the original Resident Evil into an even more frightening and memorable experience. The visuals were improved, the lighting was more atmospheric, and this remake introduced new enemies like Crimson Heads.
Salohiddin Kamolov on Unsplash
14. S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl
This shooter thrusts you into a world of survival horror and cool open-world exploration. The haunting and realistic version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone forces players to deal with mutants and rival factions. The attention-to-detail for the horror elements are still first-rate.
15. Manhunt
This game was released in 2003 and players were immediately disturbed by the supernatural threats and the gritty realism. You had to sneak through eerie environments while being hunted by brutal gangs. The only way to survive was by being stealth and using improvised weapons.
16. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft, this game let you investigate the town of Innsmouth where something mysterious is happening. Characters experienced hallucinations and visual distortions, and the dread was unavoidable.
Lucius B. Truesdell on Wikimedi
17. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Another Silent Hill entry finds its way onto this list and deservedly so. This one is a psychological interpretation of the original game that doesn't allow players to fight back. It adapted to your choices, altering monsters, environments, and story events based on your behavior.
18. Alone in the Dark
This 2008 video game reimagined the classic series with a more supernatural version of New York City. The shifting environments never lets players get comfortable or feel too safe.
19. Forbidden Siren 2
This sequel built on the frightening aspects of the original. It offered new characters trapped on a mysterious island plagued by undead Shibito. The fog, strange rituals, and atmosphere created an immersive horror experience.
20. Rule of Rose
This game was controversial upon release thanks to its unsettling story laced with trauma, abuse, and emotional manipulation. It follows a young girl trapped in a twisted world ruled by cruel children, and playing it is an incredible experience for horror gamers.
