Summary
- Horror and comedy can blend well in gaming due to shared elements of surprise and punchlines.
- The list includes games that fuse horror and comedy effectively, ranking them by quality and fusion.
- Lethal Company exemplifies the successful incorporation of laughs in horror settings through co-op features.
To everyone's surprise, horror and comedy really do work together. There's not that much difference between the surprise of a good joke and a terrifying scare, and both are all about the punchline, making them a surprisingly great combo for gaming.
8 Most Iconic Horror Game Settings, Ranked
Eerie towns shrouded in mist or cities plagued by a virus, these horror settings will live on as some of the most memorable in video game history.
Whether it's games that delve deeply into the patently absurd or a happy-go-lucky bubblegum aesthetic, there are plenty of great horror/comedy games out there. This list is ranked both by the quality of the game and how well they fuse horror and comedy together.
8 Shadows Of The Damned
Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?
Shadows of the Damned
- Released
- June 21, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Grasshopper Manufacture
- Genre(s)
- Action, Third-Person Shooter
Anyone well acquainted with video games will know about the mad genius of Suda51, one of the most beloved video game studios around, precisely because they do whatever they want and continue to do so, unbending to market pressures or critical reception.
Shadows of the Damned, the horror-action-comedy game that infamously has a section with a very long gun attached to the groin region is a textbook example of Suda51 irreverant genius. It's crude, creative, and endlessly entertaining, and a beloved if not underrated entry into the horror genre in the early 2010s that may well get a sequel soon.
7 House of the Dead 2
Mow 'Em Down
The House of the Dead 2
- Released
- September 9, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sega
- Genre(s)
- Light Gun Shooter
- Platform(s)
- Arcade, Sega Dreamcast, PC, Wii
At a certain point, the levels of gore in a horror film can become so over the top that it becomes funny again. The shambling zombies are less a threat and more walking sacks of meat just waiting to be exploded into a great big gory mess, which is exactly what The House of the Dead series does best.
While it's hard to pick an absolute favorite in the series, The House of the Dead 2 is the gold standard of great cheesy writing, fun levels, response controls, punchy gore, and expert pacing. It's an underrated game even today, and is well worth consideration for gamers who want their horror with a bit of cheesy levity.
6 MediEvil
Skeleton Crew
MediEvil (2019)
- Released
- October 25, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Other Ocean Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Hack and Slash, Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
The PlayStation brand is full of great IP, but a lot of it is forgotten too, which is a shame, because there are some great games hidden in the depths of Sony's catalog. The original MediEvil was definitely one of the best, fondly remembered by many, and with a 2019 remake, it has finally gotten its just deserts.
7 Best Forgotten Playstation Exclusives, Ranked
These Playstation titles may have slipped players' minds, but they're worth revisiting and playing even today.
In the game, players control the hapless Sir Daniel Fortesque, a resurrected skeleton knight, on his quest to stop an evil necromancer. The game pays loving homage to gothic and supernatural horror, never truly delivering big scares, but clearly enjoying its horror presentation. It's a cute game with a distinct sense of British humor.
5 Lollipop Chainsaw
Bubblegum Horror
Lollipop Chainsaw
- Released
- June 12, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Grasshopper Manufacture
- Genre(s)
- Hack and Slash
The gaming world is consistently oversaturated, and getting attention in the crowded market is a really difficult task. Yet, in 2012, Lollipop Chainsaw broke through into the mainstream by being so outwardly ludicrous that gamers couldn't resist giving it a try.
With an unconventional cheerleader protagonist wielding a great big bloody chainsaw cutting through hordes of zombies, the game fused everything great about the horror-comedy genre together. It remains a beloved genre classic with one of the most iconic horror protagonists ever, cemented further in a great remake full of secrets.
4 Lethal Company
Workplace Injuries
Lethal Company
- Released
- October 23, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
For a long time, horror games struggled to figure out a truly effective way of getting organic laughs into a horror setting. However, in the early 2020s, the rise of the co-op horror game solved the issues almost instantly. Proximity chat, procedural scares, and co-op gaming are perfect for hilarity.
Lethal Company may be one of the finest examples of this. Set in a wacky corporate hellscape dystopian future, players are tasked with exploring deserted ruins full of horrors better left undescribed. It's a hilarious adventure where players scream as much as they laugh, and a vibrant modding scene ensures the game always stays fresh.
3 Deadly Premonition
Twin Peaks Style
Deadly Premonition
- Released
- February 23, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
Sometimes, horror-comedy games can try a little too hard to force in the laughs, but the beauty of Deadly Premonition is that it's so idiosyncratic and singular that it reeks of authenticity from top to bottom. There's no way a boardroom approved this game, and that's why many gamers love it.
Clearly inspired by David Lynch's Twin Peaks, Deadly Premonition follows a truly strange FBI agent who navigates an even stranger town in search of a serial killer. Every character is bizarre, the world is nonsensical, and the deadpan wit and strangeness make simple conversations hilarious.
2 Phasmophobia
Be The Busters
Phasmophobia
- Released
- October 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Kinetic Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Puzzle
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
While it's hard to choose one game from the early 2020s boom of co-op horror games to define them all, Phasmophobia comes the closest to truly being the best. It embodies everything great about the modern co-op horror, and it produces the organic laughs to prove it.
Dead Rising: Every Playable Character, Ranked
The Dead Rising series is home to a collection of playable characters, but some are arguably a little more noteworthy than others.
In the game, players take on the role of ghost hunters sent into haunted locations to try to find one of many terrifying ghosts. It's genuinely scary, but with proximity chat, fake-outs, and the ability to mess with friends, it's always comedic, and each ghost-hunt is full of gut-busting laughs as well as brain-chilling scares.
1 Dead Rising 2
Viva Las Vegas
Dead Rising 2
- Released
- September 28, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Capcom, Blue Castle Games
Few franchises have truly made the horror-comedy genre their cornerstone, but Dead Rising does. This franchise has always been about mowing down hordes of zombies in increasingly bizarre and wacky ways, filled with strange characters, and truly outlandish plotlines.
Dead Rising 2 is the best the franchise has ever been. Set in a fictional version of Las Vegas, the game encourages constant experimentation with wild weapons, pouring on the blood, injecting countless comedy characters, and even having some truly great scares. It's the platonic ideal of the horror-comedy game, and a worthy topper of this list.
Best Zombie Comedy Games, Ranked
Not every game with zombies is necessarily a horror game, and for these titles they featured zombies in a more comedic or absurd scenario.