Summary
- Horror games rely on the perfect setting for suspenseful atmosphere.
- Linear maps and confined settings enhance horror gaming experiences.
- Outdoor environments in horror games can be just as terrifying as indoor settings.
Horror games need the perfect setting to craft the atmosphere they want to instill within their games, making every second of playtime dreadfully suspenseful, as without a good setting, the game is set up for failure. It needs to be the right companion to the story they wish to tell, and for whatever dangers lay in wait.
Scariest Horror Games Set In The Great Outdoors
These frightening horror games show that nowhere is safe—especially in the beautiful and atmospheric outdoor environments they take place in.
Most horror tends to take place in a series of interconnected indoor locations, or just one single setting, as horror works best with more linear maps. Even those that take place in town remain as concise and confined experiences, to better instill the sense that the player is trapped with whatever horrors also lurk in hiding.
8 Deadly Premonition
Hunt Down the Raincoat Killer Before They Strike Again
Deadly Premonition
- Released
- February 23, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
A love letter to Twin Peaks, Deadly Premonition is a wonderfully bizarre game with many surreal elements to it, almost over-the-top in its delivery. Playing Francis York Morgan, players delve into the town of Greenvale, on the hunt for a killer responsible for a murder that bears a striking resemblance to other murders across the USA.
Unlike other cities in horror games, Greenvale is actually a populated area many people live in, which makes it a more realistic horror game focusing more on the thriller and mystery side of the games as opposed to scaring the player witless. But with the strange enemies they face, and the rather frightening appearance of the Raincoat Killer, players are still in for an unsettling time during their stay in Greenvale.
7 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
Little Hope is Exactly What the Player Feels
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
- Released
- October 30, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Supermassive Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
The second installment in Supermassive's Dark Pictures Anthology took players into a small town by the name of Little Hope, as the bus a school group is taking on a field trip is diverted to Little Hope, but crashes upon arrival. The group is split on whether to walk into town to find help or wait by the crashed bus until help arrives. But when it turns out the fog doesn't allow anyone to return, they are left with no choice but to venture into the sleepy little town.
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Hopes of finding help are dashed when it turns out Little Hope is empty, all apart from a few terrifying apparitions that look like past versions of themselves returned from their early deaths, hellbent on killing them in this life. Little Hope is such an apt name for this small town, as its empty desolation doesn't leave any room for it, especially when players are confronted with the fact the school group didn't even exist, and the bus driver was all alone.
6 Chasing Static
Uncover the Mysteries of the Town and Past
Chasing Static
- Released
- October 14, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS1, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5
Chris Selwood has a rather hard time of it, as after attending his father's funeral in North Wales, he decides to stop by a roadside cafe on the journey home, only to find it is strangely devoid of any other people. He sets out into the nearby town by the name of Hearth, armed with a piece of equipment known as the Frequency Displacement Monitoring Device. Using, it, Chris can flick through radio signals to pick up echoes that can reveal more information about what has happened to the village.
It's a simple premise, but an effective one, especially with the eerily quiet small town known as Hearth. There are many places for the player to explore, and all are drenched in the eerie atmosphere only an empty rural town can deliver. There aren't any monsters preparing to ambush players, but it is still quite uneasy to walk around Hearth, as it is just too quiet, apart from the static the player must chase.
5 Outlast 2
The Village is in the Grips of a Fanatic Cult
Outlast 2
- Released
- April 25, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Red Barrels
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Whereas Outlast confined players to the asylum, Outlast 2 takes players outdoors, to a small rural settlement close to Supai in Arizona. Investigative journalist Lynn is accompanied by her husband Blake as the two of them are looking into the murder of a pregnant teenager, whose name is unknown. A light causes their helicopter to crash, and in the chaos, Lynn goes missing. Armed with his trusty camera, Blake sets off in the hopes of finding her.
The village question is definitely rustic, with plenty of farmlands, and a small church serving as their place of worship, definitely giving it a Southern-Gothic vibe. Ran by a cult of devoted zealots, Outlast 2 is definitely a test of courage as players cannot fight back against the dangerous cultists, with their only options being to run and hide.
4 Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
The Lost Village Should Never Have Been Found
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterly
- Released
- December 10, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M
- Developer(s)
- Tecmo
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox (Original)
Twins Mio and Mayu could never have been prepared for the horrors they will endure when arriving at Minakami Village after Mayu follows a crimson butterfly. Despite their reservations, the twins now explore the place, particularly Mio, as her twin Mayu is often led stray by butterflies, and Mio has to try and catch up with her, so the two can leave together.
Best Ghost Horror Games
Those brave enough to confront ghosts in video games are certain to appreciate what these horror titles have to offer.
Mio encounters many lost souls in the village and must use the series-famous item the camera obscura, to fend them off, which is also instrumental in learning more about this doomed village that has been built over the Hellish Abyss. Only a sacrificial ritual involving twins will appease the abyss, and two twins have just strolled right on in. Knowing what this village is built over is enough reason to fear the village, not to mention all the ghosts trapped here since the moment they died.
3 Alan Wake
Bright Falls Doesn't Quite Offer the Reprieve Wake was Hoping for
Alan Wake
- Released
- February 16, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Xbox 360, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
An author's worst nightmare is the dreaded writer's block, where nothing and no one can break through the mental barrier to produce anything more than a few words hastily deleted in frustration. This is the reason behind Alan and Alice's small vacation to the picturesque Bright Falls, where she hopes a psychologist can help Alan out of his years-long writer's block so he can return to work. In typical horror game fashion, the trip doesn't quite go as planned as Alice is dragged into the lake, and Alan must find a way to hopefully save her while fending off dangerous shadow monsters.
The small fictional town Bright Falls presents the perfect backdrop for the game, as during the daylight hours it is beautiful, certainly looking like an idyllic and romantic vacationing spot. But come nightfall, the place takes a rather darker turn, and not just from the lack of light. The forests look menacing, the water turns ink-black and unwelcoming, and the shadow monsters prowling around are terrifying to encounter.
2 Resident Evil Village
Ethan Must Explore the Snow-Swept Village to Save His Daughter
Resident Evil Village
- Released
- May 7, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Resident Evil Village concluded the Winters' storyline for good, with a tear-jerker of a finale leaving no doubt that it would be the least players see of Ethan. After settling down in Romania, reuniting with his wife Mia, and raising their infant daughter Rosemary, Ethan's life once more takes a nose-dive as his 'wife' is shot down, and Rosemary is pulled from his arms by Chris Redfield of all people. The van transporting her has been ransacked, leading Ethan into the secluded village in search of her.
The village in question looks as though it is taken right from a fairytale, but if it were, it would be a take by the Brothers Grimm. Lycans, vampires, talking dolls, and a horrid swamp monster all populate the snow village, and all stand in the way between Ethan and his family.
1 Silent Hill 2
A Once Idyllic Vacationing Spot Has Fallen into Nightmares
Silent Hill 2
- Released
- October 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bloober Team
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The titular town hunts the franchise, drawing the next unsuspecting victim into the mist for a nightmare they won't even forget if they find a way to escape alive. Silent Hill 2 is often praised as the best in the series thanks to the more intimate story of James, and the introduction of the iconic Pyramid Head, who remains one of the most beloved and feared video game monsters of all time.
For James and his late wife Mary, Silent Hill was a place of reprieve, as it was a favored holiday destination for the two of them. Three years after her passing, James is lured back by a letter seemingly penned by Mary, who is waiting for them at the Lakeview Hotel. But players will be forced to walk around the desolate town before then, which seems a far cry from somewhere one would go to relax and unwind.
The Best Open-World Horror Games
Open-world games are often thought of in terms of RPGs, but these horror games make excellent use of the open-world format.