Plenty of the best horror games are scary in the way they present players with dangerous situations that are clear to understand the terrors of, along with frightening enemies. For example, Resident Evil places players in a horrific situation where police members are trapped in a mansion and must face various zombies and other mutated creatures. Reality never bends, as that’s not the point of the horror.
The 10 Greatest Horror Games Of The Last 10 Years, Ranked
It may be past the spooky season, but this past decade’s worth of fantastic horror games are calling to fans regardless of the time of year.
The following games actively try to mess with players in several ways, which makes them more thrilling and frightening. Part of the fun is deciphering between what is real and what is fiction within these worlds. These trippy examples are among the best available, but to preserve the mystery, no spoilers will be included.
Alan Wake 2
Two In One
Alan Wake 2 is a third-person action-adventure shooter that follows a new character, FBI Agent Saga Anderson, who is investigating a murder near Bright Falls, Washington. Alan Wake is still in the game as well, trapped on the other side of reality, trying to find a way out. Players switch between both characters during the campaign, with Alan’s segments being more trippy, which makes sense as the other side is trying to scramble his brain. Players will bend reality by writing their way out of puzzles, thus changing the environment to move forward. Beyond that, Alan will switch between in-game exploration and live-action actors, which is something Remedy Entertainment loves to do.
One giant example involves a musical number, which is a highlight of the game without spoiling too much. As for Saga, she can go into her mind palace, which is essentially a giant corkboard she can manipulate to piece together the mystery. That’s already an odd power to have, but she, too, will have live action segments when talking to certain characters, including linking with Alan Wake. What’s interesting is that Remedy Entertainment’s graphical skills have gotten so good, players may sometimes question whether they are looking at a gaming segment or a live-action segment. With one giant cliffhanger, fans are eagerly anticipating the next chapter in the Alan Wake saga.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man Of Medan
We’re On A Boat
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is the first entry in this anthology horror series, which was set up as a spiritual successor to Until Dawn. It’s an adventure game that doesn’t ask players much in terms of input. They can walk around environments and inspect items, but players will never have to solve puzzles before moving on. The most active part of the gameplay is the Quick Time Events, and players have to act fast to make decisions, or else it may lead to one of the five playable characters dying, thus changing the story. This chapter follows five friends, Alex, Brad, Conrad, Fliss, and Julia, who initially go on a deep-sea diving voyage.
5 Horror Games With Surprisingly Wholesome Endings That Still Feel Disturbing
These tender horror endings are surprisingly wholesome for the genre, but they have some dark secrets lurking in the background.
Eventually, they come across a massive ship called the SS Ourang Medan and then climb aboard. On the ship, each character starts to see things that make them, and players, start to question reality. Based on what’s happening, it seems 100% likely that the ship is haunted, thus causing the characters to act irrationally. A ghostly spirit may force a character into a situation that ends their life, and it’s up to players to see through the deception. There’s an answer as to whether this game is science fiction, or if there is an explanation for the ghosts they see on the ship, but that won’t be spoiled here. Either way, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan deserves a high recommendation to horror fans looking for a good mystery.
Among Ashes
A Game Within A Wall
Among Ashes is a newer indie horror game that is set during the 2000s, when the Internet was still fairly new. Players assume the role of a mysterious character known only as “You” according to their computer’s chat interface. Players will start by playing a Doom-like shooter before they realize they are a person playing a video game on a computer. Their session will be interrupted by a message request from a man named Mark. After a brief exchange, Mark gives players a link to a game called Night Call, saying other players have seen weird stuff happen when they play.
The premise has a similar vibe to The Ring, except players are given a free game instead of a videotape. Regardless, Night Call is a fairly standard first-person horror game involving investigators sent to a house. Inside, they will discover secret rooms leading to labyrinths, along with the undead and ghosts roaming around to give players plenty of jump scares. What’s really eerie is that players will start to hear things going on in their apartment, shifting the focus briefly to exploring it. Is it all in their heads, or is something really going on with the video that is starting to haunt their apartment?
Catherine: Full Body
Dream Girls
Catherine was released in 2011 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 before getting a straight PC port in 2019. Also in 2019, an expanded version called Catherine: Full Body was released for the PS4, the PS Vita exclusively in Japan, and then the Switch got a port in 2020. Beyond a new character, the premise of the core game remains the same in this puzzle-based spiritual spinoff to the Persona series, which was developed by the same team within Atlus. Vincent is a young man in the middle of a crisis. His girlfriend, Katherine, wants to get married, but he is having second thoughts. One night, he wakes up next to a blonde named Catherine, making him think he cheated on his girlfriend.
8 Forgotten Horror Games That Deserve To Be Rediscovered On Steam
From recent horror that was overlooked to games from long past that are forgotten, Steam has a great variety of options to choose from.
What’s more, at night, Vincent will appear in a mysterious world, in his boxers and having grown horns. In this dream world, players will have to push blocks around to ascend a tower, but they will be chased by an entity in each major chapter, from a demonic version of Katherine to a haunting baby. He can talk to others in waiting areas in between puzzles that are actually sheep. Also, at the end of these trials, players will be presented with virtuous questions that will affect the story before Vincent wakes up. In the real world, players can talk to NPCs and answer texts, with the goal being to stay with Katherine, flirt with Catherine, or, in the expanded game, try to start a relationship with Rin. Also, Vincent has to figure out if his dreams are real and how they are affecting him.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
The Kojima Effect
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is one of the best games that is still stuck on the GameCube. It stars a woman, Alexandra Roivas, who appears to inhabit a mansion from her grandfather, who appears to have been murdered. As she investigates it, Alex will start to uncover the mysterious nature of her ancestors’ past, which can switch the perspective to different characters, including a Roman soldier. Beyond the switching between periods, players will also struggle to grasp reality because the game will actively try to mess with players via a system called Sanity Effects.
There is a meter that will tick down, and if it gets low, Sanity Effects will trigger. For example, controllers may appear to disconnect, the TV may start to have its volume adjusted, or players could fall into a state of death. At its core, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a classic survival horror game of this era, complete with puzzles and some action, but with the added twist of Sanity Effects, it is leaps and bounds ahead of its era, and there’s nothing else quite like it. Hopefully, it can get a port to the Switch 2’s online GameCube library sooner rather than later.
8 Games That Nail Atmosphere With Perfect Story, Sound, and Setting
Drink up these binge-worthy games because they offer something special with incredible stories, excellent sound design, and magical settings.
