The Best Lovecraftian Horror Games

When it comes to horror, H.P. Lovecraft could be called the father of cosmic horrors worldwide and the maker of the stuff of nightmares and madness. His stories are still told, spin-offs are still made, and people are still terrified by what is in the darkness. Games have become a great way for these stories to be brought to life, with more and more Lovecraftian horror games released every year.

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Some of these Lovecraft-inspired cosmic horror games are a little older than others but remain just as terrifying as those that followed. All of them all great additions to the Lovecraftian world. Players will not only have to leave the lights on while playing them but also make sure that nothing is lurking in the darkness once they are done.

Updated August 8, 2024, by Tom Bowen: Despite the author having lived and died almost a full century ago, the work of Howard Phillips Lovecraft remains just as relevant today as it's ever been. It's provided inspiration for countless movies since the author's death, and, in recent years, has even started to have a noticeable impact on the video game industry. Many indie developers have been inspired by the writer's work, as too have one or two big-name AAA developers. They might not be quite as terrifying as the books on which some of them are based, but the best Lovecraftian games are pretty scary nonetheless.

1 Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Steam Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (All Reviews)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent places players into the shoes of Daniel, a man who is investigating Brennenburg Castle. Not only does Daniel's health need to be monitored in this game, but also his sanity, with his fear of the darkness being something that can have serious consequences if players allow him to become overwhelmed.

Throughout the game, Daniel will have chances to avoid monsters, as he has no way of protecting himself, and opportunities to recover with laudanum. Despite being released in 2010, this is still a unique psychological masterpiece that continues to haunt players' nightmares. A sequel, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, was released in 2013.

2 Blackout: The Darkest Night

Steam Rating: Positive (All Reviews)

After a few minor delays and setbacks, Blackout: The Darkest Night was finally released in mid-2021. It's a non-linear fiction game set in a modern world in which players find themselves following a man who has lost himself in the city streets, not remembering anything.

Flashbacks start to reveal lost memories about the terrible events that occurred and what was seen, and choices are to be made on whether to dig deeper into the mystery or completely ignore it. This is a choice-based title where every decision will affect the ending of the game.

3 Bloodborne

OpenCritic Rating: 91

Bloodborne is dubbed a Soulslike game and is in the same ranks as Dark Souls and Remnant: From The Ashes when it comes to gameplay. A lot of the lore in Bloodborne is on par with Dark Souls in its complexity, and it has been cited as one of the greatest games of all time by critics.

There has been a card game and a comic book series based on Bloodborne, as well as a DLC expansion, The Old Hunters, which was released in 2015. It struggles to differentiate itself from the Soulslike tag, but, for most purposes, it's a unique game that most players will enjoy.

4 Call of Cthulhu

Steam Rating: Mostly Positive (All Reviews)

Call of Cthulhu is a semi-open world game that is all about surviving a Lovecraftian world's horrors and was one of the most highly anticipated games of 2018. This psychological horror experience, based on Lovecraft's most famous short story, is one that requires the player to be crafty in both stealth and investigative abilities while following Edward Pierce.

Edward is led into a world of horror unimaginable to the human mind while investigating a case. The game is based on the player's choices throughout the story, with dialogue, exploration, and events that will shape Edward's sanity in the end game while also determining the dialog choices that players get to choose from.

5 Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Steam Rating: Mixed (All Reviews)

Not to be confused with 2018's Call of Cthulhu, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a 2006 reimagining of Lovecraft's 1936 novella The Shadow over Innsmouth. The story follows a mentally unstable private investigator as he explores the titular town of Innsmouth, where all manner of unusual events have been taking place.

Although difficult in places and a little rough around the edges, it's one of the best Lovecraftian games out there, with many critics praising its faithfulness to the source material. Sadly, however, the game was a commercial failure, resulting in a planned sequel being cancelled and the game's UK-based developer Headfirst Productions declaring bankruptcy.

6 Conarium

Steam Rating: Mostly Positive (All Reviews)

When it comes to creating a dark and foreboding atmosphere, Conarium is up there with the very best. The tight narrow spaces that players are forced to navigate can at times be absolutely terrifying, while the dull, muted colors and encroaching darkness that surrounds them help to build suspense through the uncertainty that they evoke.

Had more time been spent working on the game's script and a bit more money on hiring voice actors, this could easily have been a fantastic game. Instead, it's one of those titles that is good in places but falls just short of crossing the greatness threshold despite its obvious potential. Even so, anybody looking for a solid Lovecraftian experience should be more than satisfied with what's on offer here.

7 The Consuming Shadow

Steam Rating: Very Positive (All Reviews)

Developed and published by Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw of Zero Punctuation fame, The Consuming Shadow combines rogue-like mechanics with survival horror themes in a minimalistic yet surprisingly effective way. It might not look like much, but the use of silhouettes contributes a lot to the game's atmosphere, and this, in turn, makes the game far more immersive than might first appear possible.

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Plenty of interesting ideas went into the game, and although they don't all land flawlessly, most of them do lead to a better experience for the player. Some of the game's many abilities do seem a little pointless, however, and the procedurally generated exploration areas can start to feel very repetitive after just a few hours of playing. Ultimately, though, it's a solid indie title that's well worth checking out.

8 Curse of the Old Gods

Steam Rating: Mostly Positive (All Reviews)

Curse of the Old Gods plays a lot like some of the classic point-and-click titles from the nineties and doesn't look too dissimilar either. It features some well-thought-out puzzles and a story that manages to create moments of real suspense while also keeping players engaged.

The writing is solid for the most part and the color palette contributes a lot to the overall aesthetic and the game's often jarring tone. It's a little on the short side at just over two hours long, although given that the game is free to play, it seems a little unfair to hold that against it.

9 Darkwood

Steam Rating: Very Positive (All Reviews)

It may have taken a while to get out of early access, but, when it finally did, Darkwood definitely didn't disappoint. This top-down survival horror game is truly terrifying at times and provides far more content than one might expect from a crowdfunded title. It looks great and uses lighting and color fantastically to create some incredibly intimidating atmospheres and plenty of chilling moments.

While the developers have gone on record to say that none of them had read any Lovecraft prior to working on the game, the similarities between Lovecraft and Darkwood are clear for all to see. Although not directly, it seems incredibly likely that some of the people and games that did inspire the devs had themselves taken some of their inspiration from the horror writer's work.

10 Dredge

Steam Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (All Reviews)

Released in March of 2023, Dredge is a fishing game with a dark secret lurking beneath its surface. Players are tasked with using their fishing boat to explore a mysterious archipelago, where they'll catch and encounter all manner of Lovecraftian monstrosities down in the water's depths.

The game is beautifully presented and manages to blend the fishing and Lovecraftian genres together surprisingly well. Gameplay is a lot deeper than one might expect too, with players really needing to work hard in order to fully master the mechanics of Dredge.