Summary
- Dark fantasy games blend fantasy and horror elements for a grim and eerie gaming experience.
- Labyrinth Of The Demon King is an anticipated dark fantasy game set in feudal Japan with horror elements.
- Sorry We're Closed is an urban dark fantasy game with a unique twist on love, angels, demons, and convenience stores.
Dark fantasy typically refers to a genre of video games that combines elements of fantasy and horror. Take The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, for example, a game set in a universe where magic and fantastical creatures exist, but one that is also hardened by the grim reality of war and the often horrific nature of humans and monsters alike.
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Often, despite still being very present, horror takes a backseat to the fantastical elements of these games when, sometimes, players are looking for the inverse. The list below compiles some of the best dark fantasy games that are defined by their horror elements.
Honorable Mention: Labyrinth Of The Demon King
|
Release Date |
May 13, 2025 |
|---|---|
|
ESRB |
N/A |
|
Developer |
J.R. Hudepohl |
|
Genre |
Horror, Dungeon Crawler |
Although it has yet to be released, J.R. Hudepohl's Labyrinth of the Demon King is already shaping up to be an excellent addition to the dark fantasy catalog based on what players have seen in its demo.
Set in feudal Japan, players assume the role of a lone foot soldier as they embark on a quest to avenge their Lord by slaying the Demon King who murdered him. Chasing the demon into his titular labyrinth, players will find themselves lost in a fog-choked reflection of reality that, visually, looks to be a blend of the best parts of the Silent Hill franchise and the horror short film, My house walk-through.
8 Kuon
A Forgotten FromSoftware Horror Title
Kuon
- Released
- April 1, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Adventure, Fighting
FromSoftware has an entire catalog of video games. Each one, in the shadow of their crown jewel, Dark Souls, comes with a fanbase that would argue the title is overlooked.
Kuon is one such game, although it's a bit niche even among FromSoftware fans. Inspired by Kaiden ghost stories, the game follows three protagonists in an overlapping Resident Evil 2- style narrative where they must survive the cursed and monster-ridden Fujiwara Manor. Compared to today's standards, the game's combat feels somewhat clunky and tedious, but it's still worth revisiting for its engaging story and eerie setting. That is, if one can get their hands on a copy without forking over their life savings.
7 Alisa
Alice In Wonderland-Esque Nightmare
Alisa
Alisa is a classic late-90s style horror-themed action adventure game set in a fantasy universe inspired on the 1920s. You play as an Elite Royal Agent called Alisa. While she is chasing a wanted criminal, she ends up in an old Victorian mansion. She tries to find a way out while being haunted by materialized/mechanized doll-like humanoids. Can you survive the Dollhouse?
What's waiting for you:
- Classic Survival Horror gameplay
- Real Pre-rendered backgrounds
- Eccentric currency and item shop
- Dresses and Armours with unique player stats boosts
- Weapon load-outs
- A large variety of enemies and locations
- "Soulsborne"-difficulty
- Surprises around every corner
- A weird sense of humour
- A nostalgic trip to the late 1990s
Welcome!
- Released
- October 22, 2021
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Linux
Alisa sees the player taking control of its titular protagonist, who, being a Royal agent, is pursuing a wanted criminal. After chasing him into the woods behind a village, Alisa, in a twisted perversion of Alice in Wonderland, is dragged underground by doll-like creatures.
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Waking up in the Dollhouse, a subterranean mansion filled with similar doll-like monsters, the player must find a way out. The survival horror gameplay featured in Alisa is heavily inspired by both the visual and mechanical aspects of classic PS1-era horror titles. The game slots into the dark fantasy genre as it feels like a twisted fairy tale throughout its runtime, regularly making use of imagery that subverts the old tales players are already familiar with.
6 Lunacid
King's Field-Inspired Horror RPG
Lunacid
- Released
- March 15, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- nr
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Dropping players into the Great Well, a subterranean world of chaos and misery, Lunacid takes a page out of classic ARPGs like King's Field with its gloomy dungeon-crawling gameplay.
Wondrous as it is horrible, there are moments where players will be equal parts awed and terrified by Lunacid. Its strange, idyllic scenes of underground forests and mysterious ruins can quickly devolve into dark crypts infested with horrors. Part of the beauty of Lunacid lies in exploring its world for the first time, allowing oneself to get caught up in the undulating nature of its setting. For that reason, providing any more information about the game would risk treading into the realm of spoilers.
5 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Time Jumping Horror
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
- Released
- June 24, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Releasing not long after Fatal Frame and the GameCube remake of Resident Evil, it is no wonder that Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem went overlooked in the horror world. Though it has since garnered a cult following, with no talk of bringing the IP back, Eternal Darkness will likely only remain relevant in the minds of its most dedicated fans.
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4 Onimusha: Warlords
Samurai Survival Horror
Onimusha: Warlords
- Released
- March 14, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action
Overshadowed by Capcom's other horror franchise, Resident Evil, Onimusha: Warlords is another somewhat underappreciated game. Set in a demon-infested version of Sengoku, Japan, players assume the role of samurai Samanosuke Akechi as he attempts to save the princess Yuki.
Though still borrowing some aspects of the sub-genre, Onimusha is closer to a hack-and-slash game than a traditional survival horror. Yet its creepy, dark fantasy setting, monstrous enemies, and, of course, its fixed camera angles still earn it a spot next to its sibling Capcom franchise.
3 Bramble: The Mountain King
Twisted Nordic Fairy Tale
Bramble: The Mountain King
- Released
- April 27, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Dimfrosts' Bramble: The Mountain King is another game that feels like a dark fairy tale. Playing as Olle, a young boy in search of his sister, players will delve into the depths of a forest that is not what it seems. Taking advantage of the player's expectations, the game re-imagines a number of iconic folk creatures as nightmarish entities.
What makes these creatures even more frightening is the game's sense of scale. Similar to titles like Little Nightmares, players roam a land of giants, leaving them feeling small and vulnerable in a hostile world.
2 Fear & Hunger
Horrifically Brutal Horror
Fear & Hunger
- Released
- December 11, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Fear & Hunger is a game that thrives in the pits of degeneracy. Though perhaps not scary in the traditional sense of the word, the game will cross every line and inflict torment on its players like no other on this list.
Blending survival horror and JRPG mechanics, Fear & Hunger sees players controlling a party of adventurers as they descend into dungeons where gods struggle for power. Players looking to check out Fear & Hunger should come prepared, as the title emphasizes the "dark" in dark fantasy.
1 Sorry We're Closed
Urban Dark Fantasy
Sorry We're Closed
- Released
- November 14, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Sorry We're Closed is unique compared to other entries on this list, as it translates its dark fantasy elements into an urban environment. Players assume the role of Michelle, a woman working a dead-end job in a convenience store and still grieving a nasty break-up from three years ago. When she is cursed by the Duchess, a demon with some questionable ideas about love, Michelle delves into a world of angels and demons in order to save her own life.
While its punk neon aesthetic seems inviting at first, the game's initial color palette is soon contrasted with rusted-over and grimy locations reminiscent of Silent Hill's signature visual style. It's a design choice that works to express both the electricity and horror of love.
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