Best Horror Games About Being Stalked

Summary

Horror games featuring stalkers create chilling experiences through relentless pursuits.
Some games focus on the fear of being followed rather than stalker enemies as obstacles.
These immersive games effectively evoke paranoia with creepy environments and uncanny narratives.

Stalking is a very real fear, not only because the very idea of being watched is creepy, but also because of concerns regarding the lengths the stalker will go to. Most horror gamers will be familiar with the "stalker" enemy - antagonists that relentlessly hunt the player down throughout the course of the game. Some popular examples include the Xenomorph from Alien: Isolation, Mr. X from Resident Evil 2, and Slenderman.

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Some games, however, rather than featuring stalker enemies as an obstacle to the player's objective, focus on the actual experience of being followed, incorporating disturbing cat-and-mouse plots. While it is not a crime to be taken lightly in the real world, it proves to be an extremely effective premise for horror games. Being hunted through dark alleyways, being left obsessive notes, and being threatened all contribute to the chilling experiences in these horror games about being stalked.

9 The Night Ripper

A PS1 Style Stealth Horror With A Relentless Serial Killer

Release: 2017
Developer: Puppet Combo
Platforms: Windows

The Night Ripper follows Rachel, a waitress who decides to walk home from her shift, despite warnings that the serial killer, "the Night Ripper," has already killed three girls that week. When she finds her house locked, she must find change to call her roommate on the payphone. However, she garners the attention of the killer, who is determined not to let her get home safely.

As the player is relentlessly hunted by car and on foot by the Night Ripper, turning each corner feels increasingly dangerous. The low poly and VHS style graphics also offer uncanny environments, with dingy alleys and interiors to match the grimness of the story. The game resembles very real instances of serial killer stalkers, with Puppet Combo crediting the New York Ripper as inspiration.

8 Welcome To The Game

Searching The Deep Web And Facing Dangerous Consequences

Release: 15 June, 2016
Developer: Reflect Studios
Platforms: Windows, macOS

Welcome to the Game is a puzzle-based horror game revolving around the deep web. The player's objective is to find the "Red Room," a deep web page that livestreams torture, by navigating the different websites to find keys. However, the deeper they search, the more dangerous the hunt becomes.

The player's guide, Adam, warns of "The Breather," a serial killer who finds his victims by picking up hitchhikers or browsing the deep web. Upon getting the hang of how the game operates, Welcome to the Game becomes extremely immersive and effectively plays on fears of being stalked and tracked down via the internet.

7 The Closing Shift

The Dark Side Of Being A Barista

Release: 19 March, 2022
Developer: Chilla's Art
Platforms: Windows

The Closing Shift is one of Chilla's Art's many games. Set in the suburbs of Japan, the player takes on the job of a barista at "Chilla's Coffee," where they must take orders to make and serve drinks. However, as different customers stop by with unnerving stories and rumors, they will begin to realize something - or someone - dangerous is afoot.

As the protagonist starts receiving obsessive notes at home and at work, nowhere seems safe. The Closing Shift does a good job of making the player feel unnerved and watched, even while in the presence of others. With unique characters and three different endings, this game proves to be much more than a cashier simulator.

6 Fears To Fathom - Norwood Hitchhike

Unnerving Graphics & An Even More Disturbing Story

Release: 6 January, 2022
Developer: Rayll
Platforms: Windows

Norwood Hitchhike is the second installment of the episodic game series Fears to Fathom. The player takes on the role of 19-year-old Holly, whose car breaks down on a 12-hour drive home from a gaming convention. Things get worse and worse once she hitches a ride to the Rodeway Inn motel.

On the first playthrough, certain moments and revelations might go under the radar, giving Northwood Hitchike significant replay value when piecing together the plot. Both the story and the VHS-style visuals make Norwood Hitchhike truly disturbing, emphasizing the dangers of traveling alone and reinforcing the timeless proverb: stranger danger.

5 Train Depart

A Short Traveling Simulator That Takes A Heavy Turn

Release: N/A
Developer: shipscaptain
Platforms: Windows

Train Depart is a shorter PS1-style horror game inspired by the Fears to Fathom series, and it follows a 16-year-old boy traveling alone on a train. Things take a turn when he falls asleep after drinking an open can of soda, finding himself the subject of a much larger operation.

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The events of Train Depart prove that not all stalking is a result of obsession, encouraging players to beware strangers who might make them the target for unsavory individuals. The texting and game-within-a-game mechanics and the range of interesting, interactive characters is certain to keep the player engaged as the story unfolds.

4 Fears To Fathom - Carson House

House Sitting Gone Wrong

Release: 9 January, 2023
Developer: Rayll
Platforms: Windows

Carson House is another game in the Fears to Fathom franchise. The player, as 18-year-old Noah, is house-sitting for his father's friend and media personality Roy Carson. When the power goes out, things get much more sinister, and Noah soon finds himself in a life and death scenario at the hands of an armed intruder.

While much of this game involves walking and exploration, it employs some engaging mechanics like mic activity detection, which alerts the stalker to the player's location in-game, and security cameras to monitor the rooms. Carson House also requires a degree of strategy and stealth. This combination makes for very tense gameplay that demonstrates the lengths some stalkers will go to.

3 The Stalked

Nowhere Is Safe, And No-One Can Be Trusted

Release: 28 March, 2024
Developer: Korvinrular
Platforms: Windows

In The Stalked, the player takes on the role of Kate. After her ex-boyfriend Liam breaks into her home, she escapes to her Grandpa's mansion an hour from the city. But the paranoia follows her when she starts to receive unusual notes about being watched by the previous mansion owner, and everyone at the local convenience store seems to be acting strange.

The Stalked has multiple unfolding plots that all wind up interlinking. It does a great job of evoking paranoia and making the player question who they can trust within the eerie, isolated, and oversized confines of the mansion. This game will certainly leave players checking that their doors are locked.

2 Parasocial

A Creepy And Cautionary Tale About Cyber Safety

Release: 26 August, 2023
Developer: Chilla's Art
Platforms: Windows

Another Chilla's Art game, Parasocial follows rising streamer Nina, whose face is revealed after installing a horror game at the request of one of her followers. As she starts receiving disturbing notes and texts, the player must decide who to trust and who to be wary of.

Despite the game being largely a walking simulator, Parasocial does a great job of making even the most innocuous places feel unsafe and should serve as a cautionary tale on too much information being revealed online and the risks of being a public figure. This game also features two endings for gamers to uncover.

1 Crimson Snow

The Gruesome Outcome Of Combining Christmas, Gore, And Obsession

Release: 29 March, 2023
Developer: Steppe Hare Studio
Platforms: Windows

Crimson Snow is a survival horror game set on Christmas day. The player takes on the role of Mark, who is planning to propose to his girlfriend. However, he finds himself in a precarious position as increasingly obsessive notes start appearing, and a vampiric woman shows up. The player must find a way to defeat her while avoiding the wrath of her superhuman violence.

Crimson Snow is about the jealousy, obsession, and possessiveness that leads to stalking. Despite the subject matter, there are also some fun elements to enjoy without the game being too challenging, such as the firework combat, optional puzzles, and multiple over-the-phone dialogue options that lead to four different endings.