The question remains: Will you be succumbing to madness or fear?
True horror can exist without the jumpscare and with the right sound design, ambiance, and tension, the best out there—including these seven horror games we’ve listed—will have you squirming and covering your eyes without anything happening on-screen.
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“Silent Hill 2” (remake)
Twenty-three years after its initial release on PlayStation 2, “Silent Hill 2” is back with a modern remake set to capture both new and long-standing fans. The game follows James Sunderland who goes to the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his supposedly dead wife. Unbeknownst to him, what awaits is no heartwarming reunion but a fight for survival against supernatural and psychological forces.
“Silent Hill 2” is currently available on PS5 and PC via Steam.
The “Fear & Hunger” series
Beware, this is no typical 2D pixel art casual game. This Lovecraftian dungeon crawler features a punishing JRPG experience that would test even the most devout gamers and combines it with survival horror elements and an unsettling plot and setting.
“Fear & Hunger” and “Fear & Hunger 2: Termina” are available on PC via Steam.
“Outlast”
The thing with horror and games is that survival typically hinges on eliminating the threat. “Outlast” completely eliminates that familiar element and places you in a mental asylum filled with unhinged doctors and patients with nothing but a camera.
“Outlast” is available on PC, PS5, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch.
“Dead Space” (remake)
What’s scarier than floating in the endless void of space? Floating inside a derelict space station stuck with monstrous once-human abominations. Though your character in this game is heavily armed compared to most horror game protagonists, you’d soon find yourself wishing you had even more.
“Dead Space” is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox.
“Resident Evil 7”
2017 was a turning point for the “Resident Evil” series when it pivoted from the high-octane action showcased in its fourth, fifth, and sixth installments in favor of first-person survival horror. The result? A return to form unlike any other.
“Resident Evil 7” is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox.
“The Mortuary Assistant”
Looks like even being hunted by a demon is not enough to warrant a day off from the morgue. There’s no choice when you’re “The Mortuary Assistant” as you’re only surviving by doing your work.
“The Mortuary Assistant” is available on PC, PS5, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch.
“P.T.” (Playable Teaser)
This playable teaser will likely go down as the best game to have never been made. “P.T.” was a taste of a 2014 psychological horror game being developed by Hideo Kojima and Konami. Unfortunately, after a falling out between the two, the game was ultimately canceled and any chance of ever playing the full game became zero.
“P.T.” is no longer available on PlayStation stores but a fan-made version can be played via Dreams on the PS5.
