Summary
- Horror theme fits into any genre of gaming, even deckbuilding, leading to unique and fascinating gameplay experiences.
- Some of the best deck builders benefit from horrifying atmospheres, delivering chilling experiences without heavy visuals or jump scares.
- Deckbuilding games like "Do You Have A Moment To Talk About Our Lord And Savior?" Offer horror elements and unique gameplay mechanics.
Horror theme is so popular and exhilarating that it almost fits into any genre of gaming, even if the gameplay loop is supposed to be as simple as deck building, without any heavy visuals or jump scares.
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The fact that deckbuilding games have progressed enough that developers are now trying them with various themes is quite fascinating for the fans of card games. And it's no stretch to say that some of the best deck builders indeed benefit heavily from their horrifying atmosphere.
6 Do You Have A Moment To Talk About Our Lord And Savior?
When A Simple Job Becomes A Matter Of Life Or Death
- Developer: Worst Event
- Release Date: November 12, 2024
- Platforms: PC
It's easy to miss this hidden gem among the abundance of deckbuilding games on Steam, but Do You Have A Moment To Talk About Our Lord And Savior? Is a must-play for those who enjoyed their time with Inscryption. Not to say that the game reaches the same heights, but it is a great attempt with a pretty interesting concept.
The game puts the player in the role of a missionary who enters a mysterious man's house to spread the message. However, things don't go as planned when the mysterious man offers to play a card game with the missionary, telling him that he is only allowed to leave the house if he ever reaches Level 13.
The concept is quite chilling, and the game does deliver some horror elements during the card battles, though not much should be expected. The use of PSX retro visuals also gives the game a unique look while not damaging its overall quality of horror.
5 WAGON
A Survival Deckbuilding With Unique Visuals
- Developer: de_husk
- Release Date: April 30, 2025
- Platforms: PC
If Inscryption and The Return of Obra Dinn ever had a baby, that would be WAGON. The game inspires some ideas from both praised titles and also adds some of its own twist to the mix, and the result is already fascinating.
The quality of fear and horror in WAGON is not triggered by monsters, jump scares, or weird creatures, but rather it implies a fear of death that can catch the player off guard if they fail to manage the trip correctly or are not brave enough to make some tough decisions.
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While these games are quite challenging to overcome, players will have a lot of fun with them.
Similar to Inscryption, WAGON also features two-layered gameplay. The card game is the core part, but keeping the food on the table for everyone and using resources properly to survive is another part of the loop.
4 Deck Of Haunts
Become A Ruthless Villain And Haunt Humans
Deck of Haunts
- Developer(s)
- Mantis
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Deckbuilding, Roguelite
- Platform(s)
- PC
Another indie game with a brilliant and creative concept. Deck of Haunts gains inspiration from other praised deck builders and blends them all into its own formula.
While deck building is the core of the gameplay, Deck of Haunts also offers a compact type of city-building mechanic, allowing the player to change the shape of the game's world. This is an extra tool in the hands of the player to succeed, and also to make the game a lot scarier.
Deck of Haunts is where the player becomes the villain, slaying any visitor to their ever-expanding house or driving them to insanity. Players contribute to the horror experience of the game by adding more disturbing themes to each room, making visitors lose their minds.
3 Draft Of Darkness
Explore A Corrupted Dungeon Filled With Monsters
- Developer: Crawly Games
- Release Date: August 23, 2023
- Platforms: PC
Draft of Darkness should be a top priority for anyone who is a fan of Darkest Dungeon. The overall flow of the game is quite similar to that of Darkest Dungeon. Players begin by choosing a unique hero that comes with some special abilities, then they delve into the dungeon of darkness, fighting eerie creatures and other survivors.
Players may also come across friendly faces and recruit them into their squad to have a helping hand in the difficult parts of the dungeon. Similar to Slay The Spire, winning every battle will reward players with a new card to expand their options for the next engagements.
It's not all about inspirations, though. Draft of Darkness has a system of its own for categorizing the cards and limiting the player from using all of them at once. The game also comes with unique pixelated visuals, which give it a raw, horrifying look.
2 Shadow Corridor 2
Trapped In The Ever-Changing Corridors Of A Haunted House
- Developer: Space Onigiri Game LLC
- Release Date: March 29, 2024
- Platforms: PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
While all the games on this list are both horror and deckbuilding, it matters which comes as a priority for the developer. Shadow Corridor 2 is a game where horror is the primary element and deckbuilding comes next, but they both work together to give players some chills, and the result is quite satisfying.
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Shadow Corridor 2 is a first-person experience where the player is trapped inside a dark house with some eerie creatures and ever-changing corridors. As the player explores the house, they find some cards, which give them certain abilities or effects that help them confront the unknown beings inside the house.
The player cannot use all the cards, and they need to form a deck out of them, but more cards mean more options to find the best combo to survive the long night.
1 Inscryption
A Story-Driven Roguelike With Neat Puzzles
Inscryption
- Released
- October 19, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
It's the king of horror-based deck builders without a doubt. Although Inscryption borrows some elements from Slay The Spire, the game has its unique identity with a separate puzzle-solving mini-game next to its deckbuilding core that gives more depth to the horror theme.
In Inscryption, players need to play with a monster repeatedly and beat it each time to make progress in the game and find a way out of the room they're trapped in. The card game is not similar to any other titles on the market, as it comes with its own rules and twists to challenge the player.
Despite having a story to tell, Inscryption is a roguelike experience, which means the player needs to stick to the game and try their best if they want to discover all the secrets in the room.
