Summary
- Horror games are more frightening than movies due to immersive experiences like jump scares & tension.
- Doki Doki Literature Club surprises players with a genre twist, creating unnerving moments.
- Darkwood challenges players with survival in a nightmarish forest full of dread and danger.
Horror games can be more frightening than horror movies because they stimulate the player's senses in ways that can be hardly described. There have been plenty of iconic horror franchises like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, and although many of their games are fun, they are not always scary. Horror video games can be frightening for a variety of reasons. They can contain jump scares, tense moments, or other elements of horror.
The ones that surprise players the most are often the most terrifying. Facing their fears head-on is something few players have the strength to do. So close the blinds and turn the lights off. These are some of the scariest horror games ever.
VR-only games are not going to be included. The focus is also on single-player games.
Updated February 22, 2025, by Mark Sammut: 2025 has not produced any major horror games so far, although that should change over the coming months. In the meantime, players looking for horror should check out some of the scariest games ever.
18 Doki Doki Literature Club
Breaking The Fourth Wall To Horrifying Results
Doki Doki Literature Club!
- Released
- September 22, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Team Salvato
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Visual Novel, Horror
What starts as a cheery dating simulator escalates into a dark, twisted psychological horror game. 2017's Doki Doki Literature Club is a visual novel that starts fairly traditional, but eventually transforms into a genre-pushing project that constantly breaks the fourth wall.
The lightheartedness of the story's early moments should lull players into a false sense of security, allowing the horror elements to hit harder when they arrive. Being able to choose dialogue options to influence the results of the game makes Doki Doki Literature Club stand out from other horror games. Especially for those expecting to play a dating simulator, it can be unnerving.
Doki Doki Literature Club is nowadays so well-known that most new players will probably already know the "twist," which can hurt the game's overall impact. Nevertheless, it is still quite scary.
17 Darkwood
An Intense Top-Down Survival Horror Game
Darkwood
- Released
- August 18, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
If there's one thing that is more horrifying than a standard horror game, it's a horror game that tests the player's limits through survival. In Darkwood, the player must try their very best to endure in an incredibly distorted world. They must scavenge and explore the suffocating forest during the day when it's mostly safe minus a couple of monsters, but the real danger occurs during the night.
Hunkering down in their base, the darkness will surround the shack the player finds themselves hiding in. Barricading the doors to make their last stand as the nightmares of the forest emerge to see the player's end. With no way to see outside the room, the player finds themselves in, it can make every night a gut-wrenching experience.
16 Little Nightmares
A Surreal Nightmare
Little Nightmares
- Released
- April 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
There is just something extra unsettling about exploring a sinister world while in control of a small child like Six in Little Nightmares. Taking place on The Maw, the player will encounter various foes that will attempt to capture Six. As a small girl with nothing but her yellow raincoat, the player can only escape these situations.
Little Nightmares 2: 8 Things That Can Ruin Your Playthrough
Little Nightmares 2 is an amazing albeit challenging adventure. Here's a look at some things that could ruin your first playthrough.
With an interesting story and a slew of creative monster designs, Little Nightmares gets under the player's skin, putting them in a constant state of tension without relying on jump scares.
15 SOMA
An Underwater Nightmare
SOMA
- Released
- September 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Genre(s)
- Horror
Created by a developer team known for horror, SOMA excels in its world-building and atmosphere, all the while delivering several intense scares that should get the player's heart racing. Set in an underwater research facility, the story has a strong sense of mystery since both the protagonist and the player are completely in the dark about their present situation when they wake up in the seemingly abandoned Pathos-2 station. As always tends to be the case, they quickly learn that they are not alone.
Putting aside the story and writing, which are both great, SOMA's gameplay is fairly typical for the mid-2010s. Players are mostly defenseless, so they will need to hide and avoid enemies rather than directly confront them. This routine lends itself well to generating tension, and the campaign maintains a pretty consistent level of anxiety.
14 Alan Wake 2
Beware The Darkness
Alan Wake 2
- Released
- October 27, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Both Alan Wake games are scary in their own right, but the 2010 original's strong narrative is let down by repetitive gameplay that, eventually, hurts its fear factor. The long-awaited sequel is an improvement in every single way, and that extends to its presentation of horror. Unlike many titles in the genre, Alan Wake 2 does not try to constantly jolt players out of their seats, instead sprinkling in occasional flashes of terror. However, these moments are executed so flawlessly that they linger in the player's mind, causing them to be constantly on edge.
Although not devoid of conventional jumpscares, Alan Wake 2 is arguably at its most terrifying when nothing major is really happening. Stretches when Saga or Alan are trudging through dimly lit environments in search of the next clue, fully knowing that one wrong step into the dark could be their last.
13 The Forest
Survival And Horror Merge
The Forest
- Released
- April 30, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Endnight's The Forest is a rare example of a great survival AND survival horror game. While its sequel, Sons of the Forest, improves on the formula in several ways, an argument could be made that its predecessor is scarier. Part of that is due to most players likely starting with the 2018 original, so they should know what to expect when they get to the sequel.
However, The Forest features a far more poorly prepared protagonist, and Eric has no background knowledge that could help him navigate a dangerous island filled with intimidating caves and cannibals. This emphasizes the survival aspect, while also heightening the horror as both Eric and players find themselves exploring areas blindly.
12 Alien: Isolation
The Scariest A Xenomorph Has Ever Been
Alien: Isolation
- Released
- October 7, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Considering it debuted with one of the scariest sci-fi movies of all time, the Alien franchise rarely seems to focus on pure horror. Most of the cinematic sequels fall short of the original's high bar or lean into action, while the games are not much better. That said, Alien: Isolation is an exception. Inspired specifically by 1979's original, Creative Assembly captures the movie's sense of isolation, abandoning players in an unsettling space station that has a Xenomorph problem.
7 Space Sci-Fi Games With No Aliens
Surprisingly, these sci-fi games feature worlds without aliens in them.
Rather than focus on quantity, Alien: Isolation aims for quality. For the most part, players are just hiding from a single threat, albeit one that constantly stalks the station and utilizes advanced AI that makes them feel like a living, breathing entity. Eventually, the protagonist unlocks some offensive options; however, she is largely defenseless throughout most of the campaign. The player is the hunted, not the hunter.
11 P.T.
Short, Scary, & Gone Too Soon
P.T.
- Released
- August 12, 2014
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Platform(s)
- PS4
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
P.T. Was a playable teaser by Kojima Productions that was going to be titled Silent Hills if it were completed. It was planned to be a part of the Silent Hill game series. While not a full game, P.T. Accomplishes a lot with very little.
Concerning scariness, P.T. Exceeds expectations. This short playable teaser was scarier than most finished horror games. Not only are jump scares frightening, but it had some truly toe-curling moments due to how scary it is. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to play P.T. Due to it being removed from the PlayStation Store.
10 Visage
A Terrifying Trip Through History
Visage
- Released
- October 30, 2020
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- SadSquare Studio
P.T.'S unfortunate demise led to one positive outcome: indie games inspired by Konami's demo. Steam is flooded with these types of titles, and while most of them are just fine, a few releases stand out from the crowd. Visage is the scariest horror game to spawn from this movement, and it is far more than just a P.T. Clone. Set in a house that just seems to attract tragedy, the story is framed around a guy who is still struggling with his demons, and he is about to experience a lot more than just his own troubles.
Visage is split into chapters, with each one taking place in a different period and introducing different central figures, even if the protagonist is consistent throughout them. Dealing with various heavy themes and consistently shaking things up to ensure players never get too comfortable, Visage is the type of horror game that can make someone feel nauseous while playing, all the while not relying on gore.
9 Resident Evil Remake
A Refresh Of An All-Time Horror Classic
Resident Evil HD Remaster
- Released
- January 20, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Time and time again, the first Resident Evil remake is regarded as the scariest Resident Evil game in the series. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard has more horrific elements, but the spine-chilling rustic atmosphere of the first Resident Evil remake is unique in its own way. This remake was initially released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2002.
Since then, it has been ported to a variety of consoles including PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A constant feeling of seclusion is what makes the Resident Evil remake one of the most frightening games of all time.