Best Horror Games Set Inside a Mansion

Settings are an important factor game developers need to consider when working on a title, as this can have a huge impact on the tone that is conveyed. A bright, colorful world will inject whimsy and wonder, while dingy, dark buildings instill dread and terror. That's why it is vital that studios working on horror games nail the location, as it is a key ingredient for the atmosphere.

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By  Cameron Pippin

Dilapidated buildings such as medical institutes, science laboratories, or even outdoor locations all serve as great settings for horror experiences, as they can deliver terror with the ambiance and lack of light. Even more unsuspected buildings, however, can also be used to deliver an effective horror experience if used well, including mansions. The large layout and expansive rooms can hold all sorts of untold terror and have players dreading opening the next door.

7 Withering Rooms

Each Playthrough Provides Unique Exploration

• Platform(s): PS5, Xbox Series S/X, PC
• Release Date: April 5th, 2024
• Developer(s): Moonless Formless
• Genre(s): Horror, Roguelike

Released in April 2024, this game might have flown under the radar of horror fans, who should definitely right this wrong and give this game a chance. Combining elements of horror and action roguelike gameplay in 2.5D graphics, players explore an abandoned, gothic Victorian mansion riddled with ghosts, undead, and all manner of other terrifying abominations.

What sets Withering Rooms apart from other mansion-based horror games is it makes this setting more unique by having it procedurally generated, completely refreshing the layout and locations of objects players might need. This adds a new challenging edge that can cause edge-of-the-seat anxiety, making each encounter with monsters all the more tense. Those brave enough should step inside the Mostyn House, and see if they have what it takes to overcome the horror.

6 Layers of Fear

The Mansion Twists as the Painter's Sanity Unravels

The minds of artists are hard to comprehend, as they can pull images from their minds and apply them straight to their chosen medium. When they create disturbing or eerie pieces, it does cause people to wonder what exactly they have experienced in their lives to allow them to conjure such images. The unnamed painter in Layers of Fear has endured his fair share of trauma, and this has only spurred him to finish his magnum opus.

Returning to his old and abandoned mansion, the painter explores the old ruined rooms of what must have once been a beautiful home, and the more he explores and comes closer to finishing his work, the more the mansion changes in a truly horrifying fashion, plaguing the painter with terrifying hallucinations.

5 Tormented Souls

Once a Hospital, the Mansion is as Eerie as They Come

There has been a slew of games over the past years that trace their inspiration back to famed horror titles such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or Alone in the Dark, but Tormented Souls is the most recent one that has left a lasting impression on the horror community. The fixed camera angles, the need to backtrack to complete puzzles, inventory management, and an implemented tank control scheme, even if it is optional, all harken back to the old-school days of survival horror.

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Best Games Like Resident Evil

Capcom's Resident Evil is the most well-known horror franchise, and fans are likely to enjoy these games.

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Set in a labyrinthian mansion, the main character Caroline Walker explores the twisting hallways and numerous rooms to uncover the truth surrounding the disappearance of two twin sisters. In true survival horror game fashion, the main character must contend with dangerous creatures and are confronted with a shocking twist.

4 Alone in the Dark

One of the Most Influential Horror Games Takes Place in a Haunted Mansion

The first Alone in the Dark title kick-started a series that would have some troubled follow-ups that never quite captured what made the first game in the series so captivating. In this classic title, players choose to explore the mansion either as Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood, solving puzzles and banishing the ghosts or other supernatural threats that haunt this Louisiana residence.

Inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft and Dario Argento, the game and the mansion are both dripping in supernatural mystery and intrigue. Though the game is aged, those who can look past the retro graphics can expect to enjoy a thrilling, haunted ride.

3 Fatal Frame

The Haunting Himuro Mansion is Anything but Picturesque

The ghost-busting video game series Fatal Frame sees a different protagonist, usually a young woman, fighting off vengeful, restless spirits with the Camera Obscura, an old-school camera with the supernatural ability to exorcise ghosts or derive clues for the less hostile undead.

In the first game, Miku Hinasaki travels to the Himuro mansion in search of her brother Mafuyu, who disappeared in search of his mentor Junsei Takamine. This mansion will serve as the setting for the entire game, and exploring this labyrinthian building is no small feat. The confusing layout and terrifying ghosts still stalking the hallways can stall players exploration. If they are not careful, Miku and Mafuyu could be the two next victims to fall in Himuro Mansion.

2 Clock Tower

Escaping the Barrows Mansion is No Small Feat with the Scissorman at Large

Clock Tower is one of the earliest and greatest survival horror games that had a huge influence on the genre. And with Clock Tower Rewind bringing the title to modern hardware, now avid fans of the genre can experience one of its defining titles.

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The PS1 was home to some of horror gaming's most iconic titles. It seemed like, every year, another great horror game was showing up on the PS1.

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The debut of the iconic Scissorman pits him against Jennifer, who is adopted by the Barrows family and taken to their mansion. With a dangerous and deranged villain on the loose, the player needs to guide her safely through the mansion via a point-and-click interface. Whenever the Scissorman makes his dreaded return, Jennifer enters into a panic, which can cause her to trip when fleeing to safety if her health is too low. Caution and care are a must when navigating the Barrow's mansion if the player has any hope of making it out alive.

1 Resident Evil

The Sprawling Spencer Mansion Hides Its Fair Share of Secrets

The first Resident Evil game kicked off the long-lasting survival horror franchise by continually bringing new and exciting releases, or re-releasing older titles with a fresh coat of paint and streamlined controls. But no matter how much the series has progressed and changed, fans fondly remember when they first entered the survival horror.

While investigating a string of murders that occurred on the outskirts of Raccoon City, Alpha Team is forced to seek refuge in a seemingly abandoned mansion from a pack of rabid zombie-like wolves. The Spencer mansion is anything but abandoned, as it houses an entire army's worth of zombies as well as other creatures, such as giant spiders, snakes, and Lisa Trevor. The mansion serves as an excellent location, with a confusing maze of rooms with as many puzzles as there are creatures to fight. It strikes the perfect balance between luxury and terror.

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