The 20 Most Terrifying Video Games Ever Made To Play This Spooky Season
Games To Play In The Dark
Some people play games to relax and unwind... others play horror games. These are the ones that make you panic, turn your heart rate up, and leave you with a sense of existential dread. Dim the lights, put on your headphones, and prepare yourself to have a sleepless night: here are the 20 scariest games ever made.
1. Detention
Detention is set in an abandoned school in 1960s Taiwan. It isn't jump scare horror so much as a psychological, nightmarish adventure with repression, guilt, and ghosts.
2. Amnesia: The Bunker
Amnesia: The Bunker, the latest iteration in the beloved horror series, is set during WWI. You play as a French soldier trapped alone in an underground bunker with some sort of monster hunting you. It's a brilliantly unnerving game, full of raw, gritty realism, and a hopeless atmosphere.
3. Outlast
One of the most terrifying first-person horror games ever created, Outlast is set inside a neglected asylum. You play as an investigative journalist who sneaks in to expose a conspiracy, only to find that the inmates have taken control. You are armed only with a camcorder, and your only options are to run, hide, and record, giving you a chilling sense of vulnerability.
4. Resident Evil
Resident Evil is pretty much as terrifying a game about zombies should be. It's a slow, tension-filled nightmare set inside a mansion that puts players in a constant state of anxiety. It doesn't matter that the visuals are dated: this game defined the genre.
5. The Evil Within
From the same director of Resident Evil comes this bone-chilling, nightmarish journey. You play as a detective investigating a mass murder at a mental hospital, only to be pulled into an alternate reality. It's extremely disorienting and unpredictable, with each chapter feeling like a deeper layer of nightmare.
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6. Soma
Soma is an existential horror game from the same creators as Amnesia. It's set in a decaying underwater research facility that's overrun with malfunctioning robots, AI, and remnants of humanity struggling to survive after the apocalypse. This game's terror comes from philosophical dread, not jump scares.
7. Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2's terror comes from its psychological depth and suffocating atmosphere. It follows a man who receives a letter from his dead wife asking him to meet her somewhere, and what follows is a descent into his disturbed psyche.
8. P.T.
P.T. (Playable Teaser) was conceived partly by legendary horror director Guillermo del Toro. It's a teaser for the canceled Silent Hills, but it stands alone as an iconic piece of horror design. It traps players in a single looping hallway that transforms into a living nightmare.
9. Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation is a survival horror masterpiece. Set 15 years after the 1979 Alien film, you play as the main character's daughter investigating her mother's disappearance aboard the abandoned space station. You can't kill the alien who's relentlessly hunting you; you can only run, hide, and distract, which creates a sense of panic.
10. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly remains one of the scariest games ever made. It follows twin sisters trapped in a haunted village. They must exorcise the ghosts by photographing them, forcing terrifyingly close encounters.
11. Dead Space
Dead Space is set on a derelict mining ship. You play as an engineer investigating a distress signal, only to find the ship has been overrun with reanimated corpses. You must survive with limited ammunition and resources, navigating dark corridors where you might be attacked at any moment.
12. The Last of Us Part I
The Last of Us is a masterclass in survival horror, blending post-apocalyptic dread with emotional storytelling. You play as Joel, a hardened survivor, tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl who may hold the key to curing the deadly fungal infection that has all but destroyed humanity. The terror of the game comes from the hopeless atmosphere, psychological dread, and moral ambiguity more so than jump scares.
13. Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is a multiplayer ghost-hunting horror game where you and your friends take on the roles of paranormal investigators. The game's terror comes from its unpredictability and interactiveness, with ghosts able to hear your voice and stalk players individually.
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14. Layers of Fear
Layers of Fear plunges players into the mind of a deranged painter. You must navigate through a creepy, ever-changing Victorian mansion with flickering lights, twisting rooms, and appearing objects, keeping you off-balance at all times. In this game, psychological terror takes center stage, as the storyline revealed is just as disturbing as the environment.
15. The Medium
The Medium is a terrifying blend of supernatural horror and a deeply personal storyline. You play as a medium who can experience the real world and spirit realm simultaneously, creating an unsettling dual reality. You encounter twisted spirits and creepy atmospheres, but also trauma, guilt, and grief.
16. Until Dawn
Until Dawn is a cinematic horror game designed for lovers of classic teen horror. You control eight young people who are trapped in a remote mountain lodge. The game's terror comes from its unpredictability and interactive elements, as each decision you make can determine who lives and dies.
17. Visage
One of the most disturbing psychological horror games ever created, Visage is a slow descent into madness. It's set in a shifting, haunted suburban house that reveals tragic stories of former residents. It's terrifying for its unrelenting tension and hopelessness that wears you down.
18. Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy's is a minimalist game that redefined the horror genre. You play as a night security guard at a run-down restaurant with animatronic mascots that come to life after dark. You must survive five nights, powerless and trapped in one spot, with them inching closer every second.
19. Bloodborne
In Bloodborne, you're a hunter tasked with finding a cure to a mysterious plague. It's a relentlessly difficult game that terrifies through atmosphere, tension, and existential dread as you watch people devolve into grotesque monsters and uncover nightmarish truths.
20. MADiSON
MADiSON is a chilling psychological horror game that follows a young man trapped in his haunted childhood home. The game is full of twisted imagery and disturbing messages that make you feel uncomfortable, and stay with you long after you finish it.
