Pranob MehrotraNo other genre of games can give you the same hair-raising experience as a horror game, which makes playing horror games one of the most exhilarating experiences that you can have. The setting, the soundtrack and the unique enemies put horror games in a league of their own, making them quite popular among people around the world. If you’ve been on the lookout for some great horror games to play, you’ve come to the right place as we’ve compiled a list of the best horror games you should play right away:
Best Horror Games You Should Play
1. SOMA
The surface of Earth has been devastated by a meteor shower, and you, Simon Jarett, along with a handful of the last human scientists survive in an underwater research facility called PATHOS-2. The last thing you remember is a fatal car crash which landed you in a rundown medical lab for an experimental brain scan. The fear of the unknown, coupled with the misbehaving machinery in the facility that have a mind of their own, has got you by the heels. Explore the facility and look for clues to find a way out of this hellhole. SOMA is definitely one of the best horror games you can play on your PC.
Supported platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Price: $29.99
2. Doki Doki Literature Club!
I know what you’re thinking. That doesn’t look like it belongs in this list of horror games, does it? While I’ve already spoiled the suspense a bit by including it on this list, I wouldn’t go any further. Doki Doki Literature Club is a horror game in which you play as a male high school student who joins the school’s literature club and interacts with its four female members. Doesn’t sound like a horror game either, right? Well, why don’t you go ahead and play it then.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price: Free
Download Doki Doki Literature Club!
3. INSIDE
INSIDE isn’t your run of the mill horror game; it’s a puzzle-platformer in which you play as a young boy in a dystopic world. Hunted and alone, you have to keep moving ahead by solving mind-bending puzzles. Don’t make mistakes or take too long though, or you risk getting killed in some of the most gruesome ways you can’t even imagine. Oh and in case you’ve played Limbo before and liked it, I can assure you that you’re gonna love INSIDE.
Supported platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Price: $19.99
4. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a first-person survival horror game in which you play as Daniel who wakes up in a deserted and grim castle, with little to no memories of his past. Not only do you have to deal with the Castle’s dark and ominous corridors, you also have to deal with Daniel’s own troubled memories. Danger lurks around every corner, so be wary of your decisions or you might just end up dead.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Price: $19.99
5. Stalker: Call of Pripyat
Enter the cordoned off zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Stalker: Call of Pripyat – a hair raising action adventure which will surely give you the heebie jeebies. Play as Agent Alexander Degtyarev and investigate the disappearance of five military helicopters in the area, alongside stalkers – fortune hunters who search the area for unique artifacts. Not only do you have to be wary of the nuclear emissions in the area, but you also have to protect yourself from the mutated monsters which will definitely give you nightmares.
Supported platforms: Windows
Price: $19.99
6. Cube Escape: Paradox
Play as infamous detective Dale Vandermeer who’s trapped in two different universes without any recollection of his past (what’s with horror games and amnesia?). You’re trapped in an ominous room by an old enemy of yours and in order to get out, you have to solve increasingly complex puzzles which might also bring back your memories. Cube Escape: Paradox is more odd than it’s scary, but it does have some elements that might make you jump out of your seat.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS
Price: Free to play with paid downloadable content
7. The Last Door
You’d be surprised how scary a point and click game can be when you play The Last Door – Collector’s Edition. The game starts off with you controlling Anthony Beechworth, a man who is about to commit suicide and every single one of your click brings him closer to his death, with nothing that you can do to change his destiny. Following that, you play as Beechworth’s school friend Jeremiah Devitt as he explores his late friends’ estate after receiving a letter from him.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web
Price: $9.99
8. The Forest
The Forest is a survival game in which you find yourself in a mysterious forest following a plane crash. Being the sole survivor of the crash, you have to do everything by yourself to survive in the wild – build a camp, scavenge for food, and explore your surroundings. Sounds easy enough, right? A nearby society of cannibalistic mutants begs to differ. On top of that you can also experience The Forest in VR, which really takes things up a notch.
Supported platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
Price: $19.99
9. Alien: Isolation
Set 15 years after the events of Alien, the movie, Alien: Isolation puts you in the shoes of Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, who’s on a mission to unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. This survival horror game puts you up against an unpredictable and ruthless enemy, the Alien, with you having to scavenge for resources and doing whatever you can to succeed in your mission.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii
Price: $39.99
10. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Arguably one of the best Resident Evil games so far, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard goes back to its horror roots, laying emphasis on exploration and survival. You play as Ethan Winters who’s searching for his missing wife in a treacherous plantation which is home to the cannibal Baker family. Solve puzzle, fight enemies and do whatever it takes to survive in this jump scare packed adventure which will definitely give you the chills.
Supported platforms: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Price: $29.99
Buy Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
11. Outlast 2
Outlast 2 brings the found-footage genre of horror movies, popularized by films like Paranormal Activity, to a first-person survival game in which you play as Blake Langermann, an investigative journalist. While investigating the murder of a pregnant woman in Arizona along with his wife Lynn, Blake gets separated from her in a helicopter crash and stumbles upon a sect which believes that the end of the world is upon them. Will you be able to find your wife before the killer sect gets to her?
Supported platforms: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Price: $29.99
12. Dead Space 2
Set three years after the events of the first Dead Space game, Dead Space 2 puts you in the shoes of former engineer Isaac Clarke. As the game begins, Clarke arrives on the Sprawl – a space station built on the remnants of Titan, Saturn’s moon which was destroyed during a planet-cracking operation. Pandemonium strikes as a new Necromorph outbreak begins in the facility.
Supported platforms: Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Price: $19.99
13. Layers of Fear
Embody a deranged painter in Layers of Fear as he strives to complete his masterpiece. Set in a constantly changing Victorian-era mansion, the game is heavily focused on exploration and requires you to solve complex puzzles that will help you complete the painter’s Magnum Opus. Try as you might, completing the painting won’t be an easy task, especially with all the hallucinations.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Price: $19.99
14. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
A mysterious letter from Ethan Carter takes you, Paul Prospero a paranormal investigator, to Ethan’s hometown of Red Creek Valley, Wisconsin. Upon arrival you learn that Ethan has gone missing and start encountering signs of paranormal activity. Discover the secret of the Carter family and find Ethan before he’s killed by the Sleeper, a malevolent spirit that embodies Ethan’s older brother Travis.
Supported platforms: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Price: $19.99
Buy The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
15. Little Nightmares
Help Six, a 9 year old girl in a bright yellow raincoat, escape The Maw – a mysterious ship inhabited by corrupted souls. Even with its platformer style graphics, Little Nightmares is a rather unsettling game which demands players to be extra careful with each move they make to avoid certain death. The horror game is quite challenging and is filled with a variety of different monsters that will definitely spook you out.
Supported platforms: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Price: $19.99
16. The Evil Within 2
Another great third-person survival game on this list, The Evil Within 2 puts you, Sebastian Castellanos, in a simulated world called Union which has your daughter Lily, who you thought had died in a fire, at its core. The simulated world, called Union, has turned from an idyllic American town to a nightmarish realm and all of its inhabitants have either been killed or turned into mutant. How far will you go to save your daughter?
Supported platforms: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Price: $19.79
17. Slender: The Arrival
Helpless, clueless and armed with just a flashlight, Slender: The Arrival puts you in the shoes of Lauren as she investigates the mysterious disappearance of her childhood friend Kate. The familiar tall and faceless Slender Man is always on your tail, but he can only be seen through video cameras. Danger is lurking around each corner, be cautious or you might not be able to make it out alive.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii U
Price: $9.99
18. System Shock 2
Released all the way back in 1999, System Shock 2 is a first-person survival horror game that has some RPG elements. The game is based on a starship in a cyberpunk future, with the player assuming the role of a soldier trying to stop the outbreak of a genetic infection that has wrecked havoc on the ship. Often lauded as one of the best first-person combat and exploration games of all time, System Shock 2 is definitely worth checking out if you love the thrill of a compelling story.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price: $9.99
19. Penumbra: Black Plague
Trapped in a dark underground complex and surrounded by enemies on all sides lies Philip, the main protagonist of Penumbra: Black Plague. Play as Philip and explore your surroundings in search for clues to find the truth about a mystery that has haunted him for quite a while. Help Philip overcome his inner demons, solve increasingly complex puzzles, fend off enemies, and discover the truth behind his father’s disappearance.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price: $9.99
20. Lone Survivor
You’re an isolated survivor of an infection that has turned the city into dangerous mutants and you have to do all it takes to survive. Gather resources, weapons and look for other survivors in the city in Lone Survivor – a retro-style survivor horror game. Not only do you have to deal with the monsters while you scavenge for supplies, you also have to brave through odd hallucinations that will surely leave you scratching your head. Will you be able to escape the city? One wrong turn might cost you your life.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Wii U
Price: $14.99
What Are Some of Your Favorite Horror Games?
That rounds up our list of the best horror games that you should definitely try out if you’re a fan of the genre. Dead Space 2, Slender: The Arrival, SOMA and INSIDE are some of my favorites and I had a lot of fun playing them all by myself, with the lights out (you should try that as well). Do you have what it takes to beat these games without breaking a sweat? Which one do you plan on trying out first? Do let us know in the comments section below.
