Summary
- Certain horror games create an immersive stormy night experience that cannot be missed.
- Games like Silent Hill: Downpour failed to deliver impactful storm effects as expected.
- Games like Cold Fear and Stories Untold offer unique storm settings and narratives for a thrilling experience.
Despite taking place indoors, gaming can be a surprisingly weather-dependent hobby. A sunny day can summon a completely different mood from a rainy day. Snowy weather will make some players yearn for something cozy to offset the cold outside, whereas others will be driven towards a setting that epitomizes the wintry setting.
There are many games, not limited to just horror, that can be enjoyed on a stormy day spent inside. But some horror games create a particular atmosphere that is so evocative of the feelings of weathering a storm that the opportunity to play them as during one is just too good to pass up. Many of them also involve stormy weather in some capacity, and it's quite fascinating to see how different interpretations of the same concept can lead to such varied results. Some employ constant miserable rain, where others use an extravaganza of effects to make the storm a memorable set piece.
10 Games With The Best Weather Effects
Good weather effects can really make a game's environment feel real. These games really immerse you with their weather effects.
8 Silent Hill: Downpour
An April Shower
Silent Hill: Downpour
- Released
- March 13, 2012
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Vatra Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
This title lands amid the tier of pretty bad Silent Hill games, where nothing really lands quite right. Still, there is at least a quality of charm in the attempt to do things differently and make something unique, rather than going for what is known and popular. One of these ideas revolved around the idea that the weather of Silent Hill could be further involved in the gameplay experience, beyond the iconic obscuring mist that surrounds the town.
Suffice to say that this did not pan out. The so-called downpour itself is minimal, and the changes it brings are pretty unnoticeable. Despite this, there is a certain comfort to be found in the gray drizzle of this middling horror game.
7 Cold Fear
Turbulent Waters
Cold Fear
- Released
- May 17, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Darkworks
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Third-Person Shooter
With the entire first half of the game set on a ship in the midst of a raging storm, Cold Fear is something of an easy pick. It's the uniqueness of this extensively restrictive and atmospheric setting which is the main drive to give Cold Fear a shot despite its other more dated aspects. While the dedication to the setting is impressive, it's a bit dated by today's standards. It's fair to say that in other important factors for immersion, such as its story, the game is sorely lacking.
6 Stories Untold
A Tempestuous Text Adventure
Stories Untold
- Released
- February 27, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- No Code
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Indie Games
Stories Untold is a fantastic horror anthology game, comprised of several stories connected together by a throughline that becomes steadily more apparent. The first of these stories, The House Abandon, is the quintessential pick for anyone seeking a stormy night horror meta narrative.
For the duration of the short narrative, the player controls someone playing an old text adventure game, the titular "The House Abandon," in a dark room on a stormy night. But that is just the tip of The House Abandon's creepy iceberg.
5 Darkwood
A Dark And Stormy Night
Darkwood
- Released
- August 18, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Acid Wizard Studio
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Darkwood's whole gameplay loop could be said to revolve around weathering storms. Taking place in the scariest forest of all time, during the day the player must venture out to try and progress where they can whilst accumulating supplies to survive the deadly and terrifying night cycles.
10 Open-World Games With The Most Dynamic Weather Systems
Dynamic weather systems can work wonders for developers who are trying to make their open-world games feel more immersive and believable.
While there aren't cinematic storms full of detailed weather effects in Darkwood, the atmosphere of quiet dread punctuated with sudden pulse-racing encounters encapsulates the cycle of a storm that makes them so captivating. There is also a lake of perpetual storms and darkness to be found for the terror-hunting tourist.
4 Resident Evil 2 Remake
Raining Zombies And Lickers
Resident Evil 2
- Released
- January 25, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
Resident Evil 2 Remake's development team clearly paid attention to creating atmospheric moments when the player is outside the central location of the police station. It is constantly raining, and the weather even invades the interior sections in a way that was impossible in the original game.
The thundering rain can be heard against the walls. The wind howls through shattered windows and lights flicker and burst, all acting to invite the fearsome storm further in and eliminate any feelings of safety the player might feel behind such sturdy walls.
3 The Last Of Us: Part 2
A Violent Storm
The Last of Us Part 2
- Released
- June 19, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
A tale of revenge taking place in the desolate ruins of rainy Seattle is already a great set-up, which is only heightened as the days pass and the climax of the feuds taking place start to come to a head. Alongside this build-up of tension, a monster storm is brewing and is unleashed alongside the climatic explosion of violence between factions. The storm itself is a technical marvel and its presence is felt everywhere as the ruins of the city drown beneath the downpour.
2 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
A Stormy Mind
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Released
- August 16, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Ninja Theory
- Publisher(s)
- Ninja Theory
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Hellblade
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
The weather is a reflective element in Hellblade, often used to create a literally emotional landscape. It is used in good contrast with certain memories taking place in bright fields under sunny skies from which the player will be suddenly snatched away, forced to return to the present moment as Senua's journey into Hel takes its mental toll, and she continues to fight while storms rage around her. This aspect of magical realism in the weather allows it to shift along with the turns of the narrative, which can create some memorable moments, such as the first encounter with Hela.
1 Still Wakes The Deep
Let Slumbering Storms Lie
Still Wakes the Deep
- Released
- June 18, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Use of Tobacco, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- The Chinese Room
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
One of the greatest horror games in recent years and a brilliant portrayal of cosmic horror, Still Wakes the Deep puts the player in the role of a regular person without any hope of fully understanding what is happening around them. The game takes place on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland as stormy weather closes in and something deep beneath the waters awakens. Observing the raging sea beneath the rig is a thalassophobic treat, and the player will see all aspects of the storm play out as they are hunted by former crew turned horrific monsters.
10 Games Where Weather Impacts Gameplay
Many games have dynamic weather effects, but the weather in some games goes beyond visuals.