Over the last decade, indie horror games have become some of the biggest viral success stories in gaming. With the rise of social media and streaming platforms, these unique horror games have found large audiences, with some becoming successful mainstream franchises.
9 Horror Games That Make You Feel Defenseless
The sense of not being able to fight back can be a powerful feeling in horror games. These are some of the titles that do it the best.
While the big names in horror, like Resident Evil, continue to release popular titles, the indie scene offers unique gaming experiences that push the genre to exciting new places. Indie horror games have far smaller budgets than the larger studios, sure, but their originality shines through. These are games made with passion and creativity that move the horror genre forward, introducing new mechanics and monsters that can quickly become the new icons of horror.
5 Slender: The Eight Pages
A Short & Terrifying Horror Experience
Slender: The Eight Pages
- Released
- June 26, 2012
- Developer(s)
- Parsec Productions
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
This first-person survival title helped indie horror games gain wider recognition, with its emphasis on atmosphere and simple gameplay mechanics. Much like Amnesia: Dark Descent, players only have access to a flashlight that has a limited battery life. The goal is to find eight pages, scattered throughout a dark forest, while avoiding Slender Man.
The game is based on an infamous Creepypasta — a viral horror story shared online. The story of Slender Man quickly gained traction in online communities, with people expanding on the lore, creating new stories and content. Slender: The Eight Pages took this story into new interactive areas, becoming a cult hit for horror fans. The character of Slender Man has become a staple of horror gaming, with this original title standing as a benchmark for the many short indie horror experiences that came after.
4 Phasmophobia
A Terrifying Multiplayer Ghost Hunting Experience
Phasmophobia
- Released
- October 29, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Kinetic Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Puzzle
Phasmophobia quickly became a popular hit and spawned countless clones, looking to capitalize on its innovative gameplay and viral success. This immersive horror game allows up to four players to work together in various haunted locations. In each location, a randomly spawned ghost will appear, and it is up to the players to discover what type of spirit it is — before the spirit is able to kill them all.
8 Great Folk Horror Video Games
Folk horror video games are often based on real-world mythologies, with ancient tales of supernatural dangers being adapted to the virtual medium.
The game is filled with a creepy atmosphere. Random events will occur during a playthrough, from lights turning off, doors closing, and ghostly whispers. Players must find evidence of the ghost using different tools available to them. Proximity chat also plays a big role in the game, with the ghosts actually reacting to players’ in-game speech. Phasmophobia is the perfect game to play with friends. It found a huge following through its success on Twitch, with people loving the puzzle-solving elements in the game and how they mixed with its tense atmosphere. Phasmophobia has led the way in indie multiplayer games, with many developers now attempting to recreate its viral success.
3 Limbo
A Bleak & Terrifying Atmosphere
Limbo
Limbo is a critically acclaimed side-scrolling puzzle game in which players control a small boy trapped in a monochromatic nightmare as he searches for his lost sister. Giant, unsettling creatures lurk in the shadows, while environmental hazards block the way forward. The game features no combat, with players needing to solve various deadly puzzles to progress deeper into the haunting world.
Limbo’s bleak atmosphere and addictive gameplay made it a hit with fans and critics alike. It paved the way for small-scale indie horror games such as Little Nightmares and Bramble: The Mountain King, as well as its spiritual successor, Inside. Limbo remains one of the most original indie horror games available and is a must-play for fans of the genre.
2 Five Nights At Freddy's
The Start Of A Horror Franchise Juggernaut
Five Nights at Freddy's
Five Nights at Freddy’s has become one of the most popular horror franchises in the modern industry, with several sequels and even a movie adaptation. This original release was an innovative twist on the traditional point-and-click adventure game. Five Nights at Freddy’s takes place in Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant, where the night security guard is starting his shift.
Every Five Nights At Freddy's Game, Ranked
No matter how one feels about the original game and its many sequels, it seems fair to say that FNaF has forever changed the indie horror genre.
What should have been a normal night, turns deadly when the animatronic characters come to life and go on a murderous rampage. The game is set within the control room of the restaurant, where players control doors, lights, and cameras to stop enemies from getting in. The game became a cult hit and was instrumental in highlighting the creativity in the indie horror scene. It has spawned many sequels and become one of the most recognizable franchises in horror gaming.
1 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Fear The Unknown While Exploring Brennenburg Castle
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Released
- September 8, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Indie Games, Adventure, Action, Puzzle
Amnesia: The Dark Descent brings players into the mysterious castle, Brennenburg, filled with foreboding corridors, deformed monsters, and dark mysteries waiting to be unlocked. Players control Daniel, a man suffering from self-inflicted amnesia who is being hunted by the Shadow. As the game progresses, players will uncover more information on the dark experiments going on in the castle — and Daniel’s role in it all.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is one of the scariest horror games ever made and set a benchmark for all survival horror. It pushed the genre to new places by providing players with no weaponry and only a temporary lamp to light the way. In the game, darkness is the biggest enemy. While monsters haunt the many corridors of Brennenburg, Amnesia’s innovation comes with its dive into psychological horror. The longer players stay in the dark, the more twisted and scared Daniel becomes. This creates a constant sense of tension. As supplies dwindle and darkness closes in, the game feels claustrophobic and dares players to proceed further.
10 Best Third-Person Horror Games, Ranked
There are a lot of great third-person horror games out here that have stuck with players over the years.