9 Scariest Horror Games Sure To Give You Chills
Creepy music, dark theme, spooky atmosphere, and a nerve-racking story are some of the ingredients for a great horror video game.
Some scary games rely on jump scares and terrifying visual effects, while some bank on gruesome combat, such as in the Resident Evil series. If you’re here, you either love these grotesque horror games or hate them enough that makes you come back to them; we all have been there.
But there’s more to horror games than just jump scares and gruesome violence. While visual effects are necessary, an engaging storyline and a smooth interaction of players with the environment are what make a great horror/ scary video game.
With this in mind, you’re sure to find some scary mainstream and popular games on this list, such as Amnesia and Outlast. But this list also include games that rely on different tactics to engage players and have their heartbeats racing.
Horror games you should not miss playing
1. Outlast
Outlast is a first-person survival horror video game set inside a psychiatric hospital. The game features found-footage gameplay with horrifying visuals and spooky audio, sure to give you a heart attack.
You play as an independent journalist who breaks into the facility to uncover the truth based on an anonymous tip. If you have an underlying itch to experience a near-death experience, this is a go-to horror game.
2. Condemned: Criminal Origins
If you play a lot of horror video games, you must have heard this one at some point. Condemned: Criminal Origins is a first-person survival horror video game with a dark environment. It was released way back in 2005, and the game is a cult classic.
Upon launch, Condemned brought a fresh approach to the horror video game genre with the game’s solid controls. The game’s engaging melee combat and jump scares make it one of the best horror video games ever made.
3. Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is an award-winning indie game that should be on the list of every horror video game fan. It is a 4 player online co-op psychological horror game. The game does a great job of incorporating paranormal activity into its gameplay.
Furthermore, Phasmophobia offers a VR experience to players seeking a thrill. If you’re keen on keeping yourself up all night, we recommend trying Phasmophobia in VR.
4. Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer horror video game that relies on its playable characters’ survival and killer instincts.
The players can play as the savage killer or as survivors trying to escape the horrifying killer and avoid being caught and ultimately killed. While the survivors play in third-person for better environmental awareness, the killer plays in first-person.
Dead by Daylight is a great game to play with friends and with comms on. While this might not be the scariest game on this list, it is sure to give you sweaty palms and a frightening experience.
5. Until Dawn
Until Dawn is another award-winning game, developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony.
It is an interactive horror game with a focus on the story. Players control eight characters who have to survive when their lives are threatened by an unknown killer. All playable characters can survive or die, based on the player’s choices.
Until Dawn features multilinear narratives woven together with a butterfly effect system that changes the story following the choices made by the players. The game incorporates spine-chilling jump scares and beautiful yet scary visuals.
6. Amnesia: Rebirth
Amnesia: Rebirth is probably one of the best survival horror games to be released in recent years.
It features an unforgettable atmosphere. Moreover, a dark theme mixed with spine-chilling music makes it all the way better. Amnesia: Rebirth is the third game in the Amnesia franchise and is a sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
To complete the game, players must avoid dark places in the game and solve puzzles. Amnesia: Rebirth also features an adventure mode for a less scary experience for the faint of heart.
7. Subnautica
Subnautica is an open-world action-adventure game that doesn’t fit into the horror category, but the jump scares and monsters it features make it a game that is engaging and can be scary at the same time.
The game is set on an alien planet where the players explore the ocean and collect resources to stay alive, and it’s not as easy as it sounds. If you’ve not played this classic, we suggest you start by playing Subnautica.
8. Little Nightmares 2
Little Nightmares 2 is a relatively new game in this list and features visuals that are both stunning and creepy at the same time.
It is a suspense adventure game with an excellent storyline progression; players play a young boy trapped in a world twisted by evil transformation.
9. The Medium
The medium is a psychological horror video game that features third-person gameplay.
The game is about Marianne, a medium that can traverse parallel worlds. It has a great atmosphere and a strong storyline. The Medium is a slow-paced game that focuses more on storyline progression.
Moreover, The Medium features dual-reality gameplay and uses a splitscreen to deliver this. Players need to focus on both worlds simultaneously and investigate and solve puzzles while evading evil spirits.
So these are top 9 horror games one should not miss playing, especially the horror genre fans. We might’ve missed some indie or popular horror games. Feel free to mention your favourite horror games in the comments down below.
