Best Gothic Games Of All Time, Ranked

The Gothic genre employs themes of degradation, horror, emotionalism over objectivity, and the supernatural to elicit wonder, suspense, and terror in audiences. From Ann Radcliffe to Mary Shelley, from Edgar Allen Poe to H.P. Lovecraft, from Bram Stoker to Tim Burton. Elements of the Gothic genre have fascinated creators and their audiences for two centuries, and video game creators are no different.

From these sensations, a distinct aesthetic and cast of reoccurring villains have emerged. Dracula in his Gothic castle, the werewolf prowling under the moonlight, the occult creeping up in isolated villages, the witch in her hut, the living scarecrow, and the zombie plague are all staples in the genre. While the best gothic games may not hit upon all these notes, they do more than enough to justify their presence as some of the best video games that do justice to this setting.

Updated January 17th, 2025, by Mara Cowley: Gothic games are not rare to come by these days. Over the years, many developers have worked hard to create games that explore dark gothic themes of horror and the supernatural, creatures of the night, stories of revenge, or even just invoke the aesthetic through their visuals. There is a final balance to strike between horror games and gothic video games, but there are those that toe the line perfectly, or even combine the two, resulting in a gothic horror masterpiece. Either way, players can't go wrong braving these games if they are looking for their next gothic adventure, with even more options included now.

23 Ghouls 'N Ghosts

A Classic Game That's Tough As Nails

Ghouls 'n Ghosts is a side-scrolling Gothic arcade game that introduced many players to the genre, as well as being the first game to do the genre justice. In Ghouls 'n Ghosts, players take on the role of Prince Arthur as he hacks down demons and monsters to save Princess Prin Prin from the devil. What most gamers will remember about this game is its insane difficulty.

Players get one life to beat the game. No saves, no resets, and two hits will kill them. And to top it all off, just when players think they've slain Lucifer, he laughs it off and sends players back to a revised version of Level 1 to do it all again. From its landscape to its plot, to its characters, Ghouls 'n Ghosts was the first to do it right and undoubtedly directly or indirectly inspired all those that came after it.

22 Layers Of Fear

The Painter's Sanity Slips Away With Every Step

Tragedy is an important aspect of gothic work, and this is present throughout Layers of Fear. Locked away in a Victorian mansion, the unnamed painter tries again and again to capture the beauty of his wife as he explores his house, where hallucinations bombard him around every corner. The layout constantly shifts as he turns his back, showing that his sanity erodes away with each step taken. The truth slowly reveals itself in that he himself is the villain of this story, driving his wife to take her own life.

Layers of Fear enlisted the artistic talent of Andrzej Dybowski for the paintings, a celebrated artist who helps invoke gothic horror in the paintings of the wife that slowly devolve into a mutation that barely looks human anymore.

21 Dredge

The Vast Ocean Hides Many Secrets

Cruising the ocean and catching fish to earn a small living; it sounds like a peaceful existence. However, it's anything but peaceful in the world of Dredge, as the ocean is filled not only with fish, but also secrets and danger.

When the sun sets, dangerous sea creatures come out to play, which could result in the destruction of a fisherman's ship. As if that isn't enough, there are also eldritch secrets to be found, and a twist ending that rivals Lovecraft's work. One would not imagine a gothic experience could emerge from a fishing game, but this is exactly what Dredge does, and it does it well.

20 MediEvil 1 / MediEvil Remake

A Dark Comedic Game Chock Full Of Gothic Creatures

It is right there in the name: MediEvil is just about as Medieval as it can get. The entire game is a cacophony of Gothic everything: Pumpkin Kings, dark sorcerers, witches and cauldrons, vampires, talking gargoyle heads, imps, mind-controlled villagers, zombies, demons, a monster-slaying skeleton knight, and the list goes on. This Tim Burton-inspired game somehow manages to fit it all into one cohesive story. Despite the dark content, the game is full of humor and never takes itself too seriously.

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MediEvil incorporates nearly every Gothic monster that comes to mind when people say the word "Gothic." One leap into the world of Gallowmere will show any gamer just about everything they need to know about the genre and its symbolism and creatures.

19 Darkest Dungeon

A Dark World Drained Of Hope

Darkness, death, madness, despair...these sound like themes one would expect to find in a gothic novel or movie, but it is also exactly what players can find while exploring the depths of the dungeons in Darkest Dungeon, a roguelike that certainly pulls no punches.

Returning to their ancestor's estate, the player sees that all manners of monsters and horrors have been unleashed from copious amounts of excavating beneath the mansion, and now they must recruit and train a group of adventurers to reclaim it from the beasts that stalk those unearthed hallways. Death is an inevitability, but not a finality. Players will come back again and again to face the encroaching darkness, as there is no escape or hope to be found here.

18 Alice: Madness Returns

A Gothic Take On The Classic Children's Novel

Alice in Wonderland is one of the most inventive and creative children's stories of all time, following Alice's her weird and wonderful trip down the rabbit hole, which takes more than a few curious twists and turns. Such a strange story is ripe for a darker overtone, which is exactly what American McGee did before Tim Burton got his hands on the franchise.

Alice Liddell has a background that may sound familiar to those who are deep into the gothic genre. She suffers from the trauma of losing her family in a fire, which has warped Wonderland into a twisted nightmare. The plot and the visuals of Alice: Madness Returns are very gothic in nature, where even everyday objects such as pepper grinders and teapots become destructive forces.

17 V Rising

Build An Empire Through The Blood Of Enemies

It doesn't get more gothic than brooding, bloody-thirsty vampire and dark looming castles, and these are both at the unbeating heart of V Rising. Players take on the role of an ancient vampire that has awoken from a long slumber, their strength eroded from the passage of time and no empire to call their own.

By clashing against enemies, enthralling humans, and cultivating their strength, their empire will grow, but it won't be without its risks. Enemy NPCs and players, and even the sun itself, all present threats to the player and their empire. They will have to spill their fair share of blood in order to see their goals succeed. As addicting as it is gothic, players won't be able to slake their thirst for V Rising.

16 Vampyr

Jonathan Must Balance His Bloodthirst And His Humanity

Dontnod Entertainment is one of the more interesting developers out there. They refuse to rest on their laurels, and make it a point to develop games that encompass a myriad of genres. While not all of their efforts reap the rewards they seek, other efforts result in Life is Strange, which shows the sheer amount of potential fun players can have from their titles.

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One such game is Vampyr, where players control a creature of the night who must keep his bloodlust under control while fulfilling his Hippocratic Oath as a doctor. Jonathan Reid, along with the many other characters in the game, are written brilliantly and add a lot to the game world. The game's unique twist is that, if Reid decides to satisfy his thirst for blood, he must kill and drink a main NPC, potentially closing off side quests or narrative paths by doing so, but gaining immense strength as a reward.

15 Dante's Inferno

Explores The Darker Side Of Religion

No Gothic games list would be complete without some reference to the best virtual adaptation of the quintessential epic that so much of the genre takes its inspiration. The game is based on the first book in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and does its best to include as much from the source material as possible.

In this action-adventure RPG, players take on the role of the crusader Dante as he willingly claws his way down the nine circles of Hell to save his beloved Beatrice from Satan. Filled with demons, the damned, and epic boss battles, Dante's Inferno is a must for Gothic lovers looking for a fast-paced challenge.

14 Fran Bow

An Exploration Of Psychological Trauma

This unique title can cite inspiration from stories such as Alice in Wonderland or even The Wizard of Oz, but the true horrors of Fran Bow run a little deeper. The titular protagonist is a young girl taken into psychiatric care after witnessing the death of her parents, but the institute may be doing more harm than good. The medicine administered causes hallucinations of a nightmarish other world, turning the hospital into something straight out of Silent Hill.

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But there may be some truth to these visions, as the horrors continue as she seeks to flee her imprisonment. The horror themes here are gothic in nature, as they present themselves as supernatural creatures such as skeletons and ghostly spirits. However, not all are bad, as the game turns some of these tropes on their heads in a clever and creative way.