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[Top 15] Indie Survival Horror Games

albertomrn15 — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 19:04:58 +0000

It seems like nowadays, triple-A horror games are somewhat hard to come by. With the revival of Silent Hill on the horizon and the return of one of the masters of survival horror, Resident Evil, there’s not much in the way of new horror games from big name studios. But, if you’ve been hanging around the indie scene, you’ll know that there’s a plethora of survival horror games. Indie horror games have been carrying the torch for new and innovative gaming experiences in the survival horror genre. Today, we’ll take a look at fifteen of some of the best indie survival horror games that you should be playing right now.

15. We Happy Few - 2016 (PS4/Xbox One/PC)

WE HAPPY FEW Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 Full Game - No Commentary (All Acts 1-3)

In Wellington Wells, you’re either cheery and living in denial or you're one of the three main protagonists of We Happy Few, who have decided to take the red pill and see the world for what it really is. But be careful, rebelling against conformity will cost you. Dearly.

Why We Happy Few Is Good

We Happy Few isn’t outright terrifying. The real terror comes from the unsettling discovery that you have been living in delusion. The people in Wellington Wells aren’t happy as they are drugged in perpetuity. In We Happy Few, you’ll be crafting various weapons, tools, and supplies to keep you alive while attempting to stealthily escape the town.

The enemies—called wellies—will see to it that you are taken care of. That is of course, if you decide to go sober and not take, Joy, a pill that transforms the world around you into a colorful, dreamy, wonderland. By not taking the pill, you’ll see the town in all its dilapidated glory and be labeled a “downer”. The game is enhanced by also having procedural generated worlds, so that way no one experience is the same.

Since its launch, We Happy Few has included three modes, each one focusing on the three pillars of gameplay. One is centered solely around survival, another made for combat and another for you to freely explore Wellington Wells. If you’re a fan of games like Don’t Starve and combat from The Forest, you’ll be right at home here.

Fun Factor: 70/100

Nothing abnormal here.

14. Call of Cthulhu - 2018 (PS4/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch/PC)

Call of Cthulhu | 4K 60fps | Longplay Walkthrough Gameplay No Commentary

Horror games have always taken inspiration from the master of cosmic horror, H.P. Lovecraft, but for the longest time there hasn’t been a video game adaption of the author’s stories. That is until, Call of Cthulhu was released. Call of Cthulhu is an adaptation of the titular short story, which sees you play as a private investigator who goes to the fictional city of Darkwater, to uncover the mysterious death of the Hawkins family. Upon arriving at Darkwater, you soon realize… not everything is as it seems.

Call of Cthulhu Is Worthy Of Your Time

Developers Cyanide should be applauded for realizing the world that this classic H.P. Lovecraft tale takes place in. If for nothing else, exploring Darkwater and all its lore, is the sole reason for playing Call of Cthulhu. You won’t find compelling gameplay here like you would in other games, but that doesn’t seem to be its intention. Call of Cthulhu has a hauntingly beautiful world for players to retreat into. You’ll find yourself second guessing what you might or might not have heard while exploring. The sections in which you’re armed with nothing but a lantern to light your way, are especially intense. Call of Cthulhu might be the only game of its kind that has attempted to capture the essence of the same short story and for that, it’s worthy of your time.

Fun Factor: 65/100

P.I. Edward Pierce looking out into the endless sea.

13. Scorn - 2022 (Xbox Series X and S/PC)

SCORN Full Gameplay Walkthrough / No Commentary【FULL GAME】4K UHD

Scorn might be the most unique survival horror game on this list. You play as an unnamed protagonist who awakens in a hellish world, with the sole intention of finding a way off the alien planet. Throughout your tortuous journey, you’ll come across disturbing contraptions and otherworldly creatures.

What Makes Scorn Unique

Scorn seems to be the result of a group of highly obsessive fans of H.R. Giger. The game is advertised as a first person horror adventure with light shooting elements. And I mean, light. For the majority of your playtime, you’ll be completing some of the weirdest puzzles in video games. But that’s not why you should play Scorn.

Scorn’s art style oozes through the Xbox Series X and S, and with their being little to no score, you’re left with a terrifyingly oppressive game that has no problem with crushing you under the weight of its insane, alien world. The sound design is also hair raising and the imagery will reduce you to a child, covering your eyes until the cutscenes are over. The game also features unique weapons that would make Hellraiser blush. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

Fun Factor: 72/100

Yes. That's a gun.

12. MADiSON - 2022 (PS4 and PS5/Xbox One and Series X and S/Nintendo Switch/PC)

Madison 4K Full Game Playthrough

Developed by Bloodious Games, MADiSON is a first person survival horror game with an emphasis on psychological horror. You are Luca, the unfortunate soul forced to carry out a bloody ritual by a demonic force. Throughout the story, Luca will find out he’s just a big part of the ritual. He just doesn’t know it yet.

MAD with HORROR

MADiSON isn’t for the faint of heart. Clearly inspired by games like Amnesia, P.T. and films like Insidious and The Conjuring, what makes MADiSON such a thrilling experience, is Bloodious Games’ understanding of what makes survival horror a popular subgenre to play in. The pacing feels blisteringly fast, though you can take your time if you’d like. You’re not gonna want to, with an unnerving sound design and beautiful graphics that almost resemble real life, you’ll feel inclined to blaze through it… or not play it all.

This won’t be the last game on this list of this caliber of horror, but MADiSON’s unique mechanic of using your flash camera to reveal secrets and solutions to a puzzle–sometimes using it as your only line of defense between you and the various demons that will come after you–is what makes this game stand out.

Fun Factor: 82/100

Nope.

11. Uncanny Valley - 2015 (PS4/PS Vita/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch/PC)

Uncanny Valley Full Playthrough + No Commentary

Uncanny Valley is about Tom, a night guard with the sole duty to watch over a robotics facility. Of course, things aren’t so simple and neither is being a night guard. I mean just ask Ben Stiller. But unlike Night of the Museum , the only thing you have to worry about are the shadowy figures that come after you during your shift.

Welcome To Uncanny Valley

It’s easy to dismiss Uncanny Valley as another short horror experience with pixelated graphics and a cheap price tag, but for those who are willing to give it a chance will be treated with a good horror story, despite its glaring setbacks. Uncanny Valley begs you to replay it multiple times in order to get a full picture of its story and though the first playthrough may be frustrating, with cuts to pivotal story details, the world that is set up in the first few minutes will still have you intrigued as to what happens next. Uncanny Valley feels like a game that belongs in a flash game website, with its light action and puzzle solving, and sometimes that’s all that you need to have a spooky good time.

Fun Factor: 60/100

I don’t think you’ll have enough ammo to handle these guys.

10. Choo-Choo Charles - 2022 (PC)

Choo Choo Charles Gameplay Full Walkthrough

Choo-Choo Charles shouldn’t exist. But it does, and in it you’ll play in an open world attempting to fight off the titular spider train with a train of your own and a machine gun mounted on the back. It sounds metal now that I describe it, actually. It’s a simple concept made interesting when you throw exploration to find materials to upgrade said train, and characters to interact with to further flesh out the game’s world.

Why Choo Choo Charles Is Actually A Lot Of Fun

Sometimes you want to play a survival horror game with rich mechanics or an engaging story. Then there’s Choo-Choo Charles. Funnily enough, it’s rather simple gameplay loop of scrounging for upgrade materials and fighting off a spawn of satan on spider legs, is pretty fun. As you progress through Choo-Choo Charles upgrading your own busted up train, you can feel that you are creating a moving machine of death, leading up to an inevitable confrontation between you and Charles. Even if there is some jank in it, it’s a game that you should play at least once. Or twice.

Fun Factor: 70/100

Charles with that unkillable rizz.

9. Lone Survivor - 2012 (PS3 and PS4 and PS Vita/Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Wii-U/PC)

Lone Survivor Walkthrough | Expert Difficulty | White Ending

Lone Survivor carries the torch for Silent Hill, playing as an unnamed protagonist wearing a surgical mask and backpack during what is seemingly a post apocalyptic world, you’re tasked with simply leaving the confines of your apartment to find supplies to last you just that little bit longer.

What Makes Lone Survivor A Good Survival Horror Game

Lone Survivor has what you’d expect out of a traditional survival horror game. Limited resources and ammunition. Terrifying creatures that will kill you quicker than you can take them down, and a mysterious plot for you to uncover and interpret for yourself. The 2-D side scrolling graphics sets it apart from other indie survival horror titles that try to recapture the spirit of 90’s survival horror games, and what’s more impressive is that it was developed by one person. The amount of love and work poured into this project shines from the music, sound design, and the awkward and unsettling dialog between you and various other enigmatic characters. While you wait for the Silent Hill 2 Remake, give this one a shot.

Fun Factor: 88/100

Our unnamed protagonist is about to regret leaving his apartment.

8. Amnesia: The Dark Descent - 2010 (PS4/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch/PC)

Amnesia The Dark Descent Full Playthrough

Arguably one of the most popular indie survival horror games in recent memory, Amnesia: The Dark Descent centers around Daniel, a man with an erased memory, who comes to inside of a castle, with only a note written to himself warning that he is being stalked by a nightmarish creature, with your sole objective being to descend further into the castle and find a way to kill what’s stalking you.

Why Amnesia Is One Of The Best Indie Survival Horror Games

Amnesia took the gaming community by storm when it was originally released back in 2010, if its wide release on nearly every platform is any indication. And there’s a good reason for it. Amnesia: The Dark Descent features puzzles fairly reminiscent of games like Half-Life 2, where its physics based engine is used to great extent to open doors to new areas. On top of this, the player must take care of their sanity meter, adding to the stress-inducing experience. Light sources, such as lanterns and lighting up matches, will reduce your sanity meter and allow you to freely explore–physical dangers aside–and complete your objectives.

What truly makes Amnesia a terrifying game are the iconic chase sequences between Daniel and The Gatherers, where you must run for your life and maybe make sure you have some lavender oil on standby, or some kittens to pet afterwards. After Amnesia’s release, other horror games attempted to replicate its success, to varying degrees. But nothing will come close to this horror masterpiece.

Fun Factor: 95/100

Well, hello there.

7. Little Nightmare Series - 2017/2021 (PS4 and PS5/Xbox One and Series X and S/Nintendo Switch/PC)

Little Nightmares Gameplay Walkthrough

Both Little Nightmare games have been highly regarded by critics and fans alike and though on the surface there isn’t much that would terrify you, trust me when I say that the Little Nightmares series is sure to give you sleepless nights. A puzzle platform horror game, you take control of Six in the first game and Mono in the second, along with the first game’s protagonist. Both children must escape nightmarish settings and equally nightmarish beings.

Little Big Horror Games

If you haven’t seen some of your favorite YouTubers play this game, allow me to clue you in on what makes Little Nightmares a great survival horror game. Though most scenarios see you defenseless and as a result without much in the way of combat, it’s the clever puzzles and its visceral imagery that will surely imprint itself into your memory. The developers managed to balance the horror well in these games, to the point where it can feel unrelenting, but rest assured that when you do get a moment of rest, it feels so satisfying. Its gameplay structure is one that is yet to be done much in other survival horror games, which makes this particular series stand out in its own league.

Fun Factor: 85/100

Cover art for Little Nightmares I & II

6. State of Decay 2 - 2018 (Xbox One and Series X and S/PC)

Juggernaut Edition is here! To Providence Ridge! (SoD2 Juggernaut Edition NIGHTMARE Zone Episode 1!)

I was a huge fan of the first State of Decay game, primarily for its heavy emphasis on survival and collecting supplies and resources to better defend yourself against mobs of the undead. The second entry followed suit by making everything bigger and better. There isn’t much in the way of story here, but we’ll get into what makes this an excellent indie survival horror game.

Why State of Decay Is One Of A Kind

State of Decay 2 pits you against waves of varying infected, inside of a harsh world where one fatal mistake will cost you your entire life and a backpack full of valuable resources. The main attraction with State of Decay 2, is its exploration and infiltrating buildings that house precious materials that you can use to better defend your homebase. With these resource items, you can build things like a sleep quarters for you and your NPC friends. Watchtowers to guard the perimeter of your base, to invaluable facilities like a medical bay.

But chasingthese resources comes at the cost of putting your life on the line, each time you go out into the world. Oftentimes, you’ll find yourself playing the game in its quieter moments, when you are scavenging abandoned buildings and shops, with the constant dread that you may be attacked by a horde of zombies at a moment’s notice. But that’s the allure with State of Decay 2, and who doesn’t want to live out their Walking Dead fantasy?

Fun Factor: 87/100

Be careful not to lose all that precious loot.

5. Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion: HD Renovation - 2014 (Nintendo Switch/PC)

Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion: HD Renovation - Full Games Walkthrough

Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion, as the title suggests, isn’t for people who are prone to jumpscares and being chased by SCP creatures. The story is rather simple. A mansion has sprouted itself on the crest of a hill, overseeing a nameless town. With little to no info about its origins, you play as a history buff intent on exploring the seemingly abandoned mansion, with the hopes of finding out its mysterious background.

Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion Is A Spooky Good Time

Don’t let the simplistic controls and its rather innocent looking art style fool you, the deeper you explore this haunted mansion, the more things spiral out of control. Its creatures start out looking rather harmless, before things begin taking a hellish design. Your sole objective is to make it through its one thousand randomly generated rooms, without getting killed. As you progress, you’ll be given a single weapon–an ax–to defend yourself, but other than that you are on your own.

Some might find Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion too simplistic and as a result, a dull experience, but I’d argue the appeal of this indie survival horror is seeing what lurks behind the next room. There are tidbits of lore here as well that give you a glimpse of the horrors that take place inside the haunted mansion and are eerie, as they are well written. You can tell from the start that this is a game that was developed with a labor of love, and it shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Fun Factor: 75/100

This is only the beginning.

4. Five Nights at Freddy’s - 2014 (PS4 and PS5/Xbox One and Series X and S/Nintendo Switch/VR/PC)

Five Nights at Freddy's Gameplay and Commentary

This list would not be complete if I didn’t bring up this massively popular indie survival horror title. Five Nights at Freddy’s pits you against a legion of deadly animatronics. You, as a lowly night security guard, have no way to defend yourself other than using electronic equipment that controls the doors inside your rather cramped office. Your only task… make it through five nights inside a pizzeria and its treacherous shifts.

Why FNAF Is A Terrifyingly Good Time

Now I know there are multiple titles in this franchise, but I’m simply going to highlight the first entry, as I feel it is the most terrifying and in my opinion, still the best in the series. When it initially launched, I–and I’m sure many others–couldn’t see the hype around the game, especially when it came to its nearly non-existent gameplay. When you think of survival horror, you think of games like Resident Evil, where you must manage your resources like ammo and health, while backtracking to find key items. FNAF’s only resource here is your battery and how brave you are to not look through the multiple security feeds to make sure the animatronics aren’t creeping closer to your location, in order to conserve energy.

This is what makes FNAF such a brilliant game and whether you like it or not, it managed to spawn multiple sequels and an upcoming film. The charm of this game is seeing how far you can muster the fear of awaiting a nasty jumpscare. If nothing at all, FNAF challenges you to build up the courage to withstand the stress of potentially getting killed by some rather spine chilling looking robots. Scott Cawthon (the game’s creator), understood that less is better with this game and absolutely knocked it out of the park.

Fun Factor:85/100

What is that you say? Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing.

3. Visage - 2018 (PS4 and PS5/Xbox One and Series X and S/PC)

Visage Full Game No Commentary

Visage feels like a what if scenario. What if we did get P.T., otherwise formerly known as Silent Hills? Visage would be that game. Of course we won’t ever know what a Hideo Kojima Silent Hill game would look like, but Visage gives fans a taste of what could have been. You are Dwayne Anderson, the owner of a home with a sinister past. After a graphic and shocking opening, you must figure out a way out of this demonic home while uncovering its troubled past, and your connection to it.

Why You Should Play Visage

I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to play this title. In my opinion, Visage is the scariest video game I have ever played. Through its six to eight hour playtime, there’s no fun to be found here. The game–and in turn, its developers–aren’t interested in giving you a happy ending or beginning for that matter. The game’s only goal is to scare the living crap out of you. And it does it masterfully.

As you explore the home, you won’t find peace. Even in its quieter moments, you will be haunted by random paranormal events such as, lights flickering or going out completely, radios and T.V. 's turning on by themselves, to even more aggressive things like being stalked by one of its frightening spirits.

You have no weapons. You rarely have any light sources and if you do, it barely illuminates your path, and you will always be on the brink of going insane. To counter this, you’ll have to take pills that keep your insanity at bay as well as the demonic ghosts that haunt the hallways and rooms of the home. If MADiSON was an appetizer, Visage would be the main course.

I can’t tell you how many times I jumped in my seat while playing Visage. I got very familiar with it’s pause screen, that’s for sure. But never did I find Visage dull. Frustrating? Sure. There are moments where a ghost will be unrelenting in its chase, to the point where you are unable to progress and are forced to restart, seeing the same death animation over and over. But with that and some minor critiques on the UI and the controls, Visage is well worth every penny. Just be ready to curl up in a ball afterwards.

Fun Factor: 90/100

Just one of many terrifying images from the game.

2. Cry of Fear - 2012 (PC)

Cry of Fear Full HD 4K/60fps Playthrough

Starting out originally as a mod from Half-Life 2, Cry of Fear eventually saw its release as a standalone game and was popularized by famous YouTubers. This survival horror title has you playing as Simon, who after getting struck by a car, wakes up and begins making his way back home, when he is suddenly attacked by monsters. The more the story progresses, the more demented the world around you becomes.

What Makes Cry of Fear A Good Game

Cry of Fear has a great blend of action and horror, with the game forcing you to face off against enemies quicker than you and tougher to take down. With a limited inventory (you can only carry up to six items at a time), it can feel like the developers are intentionally trying their best to kill you at every turn. Hell, the game doesn’t pause for you when opening up the inventory screen. Health items can restore your health bar, with the trade off of blurring your vision overtime when you inject yourself with morphine syringes.

Above all else, Cry of Fear drips with atmosphere, with environments ranging from everyday locations, to a hellish world like that of Silent Hill’s otherworld. Another inspiration taken from Silent Hill, is its enemy design, which ranges from humanoid monsters, to monsters that can only be created in nightmares. Cry of Fear will test your ability to combat its various enemies and if you’re willing to push through to the end, will reward you with one of the best indie survival horror games to date.

Fun Factor: 92/100

It only gets worse from here.

1. Dusk - 2018 (Nintendo Switch/PC)

Dusk: Full Longplay (No Commentary)

What do you get when you combine survival horror elements of many games on this list and Doom? You get Dusk. Dusk opens up much like old school first person shooters of the past, dropping you into its world the moment you boot up the game. Waking up in a secluded home and prying yourself off a meat hook, you arm yourself with a collection of badass weaponry, with one objective. Survive until dawn.

Why Dusk Is A Masterful Indie Survival Horror Title

The moment you start Dusk, you are thrown into the deep end, starting with hooks as your only line of defense and working up to dual shotguns, assault rifles and even a rivet gun by the end. Though it isn’t deathly terrifying, Dusk seeks to capture the spirit of games like Blood and Doom, where it’s you versus some pretty insane looking creatures, set behind a horror movie’s wet dream for atmosphere. From cultish backwoods to sprawling factories, there’s no shortage of awesome level design. Enemies range from hooded cultists, chainsaw wielding maniacs, to Silent Hill looking monsters.

If you’re brave enough and skilled enough to crank the difficulty up a notch, you’ll find the gameplay loop striking a perfect balance between resource management and fast paced action that can only be found in indie video games. If there’s one game you walk away playing after reading this list, let it be Dusk. You won’t regret it.

Fun Factor: 100/100

Kill 'em all.

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[Top 15] Best Indie Horror Games for PC

AwestruckSquid — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 23:39:43 +0000

Ready to face the fears that lie within your own mind?

Everyone needs a healthy dose of fear now and then. It keeps us...sane. Maybe you enjoy blood and gore. Psychological or survival horror might be more your style. Personally, I enjoy psychological horror that also has that survival element.

Here I will countdown the top 15 best indie horror games you can play on PC and beyond! Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride. Some of these games take an unexpected turn and will leave you scared senseless!

15. Doki Doki Literature Club (PC)

Doki Doki Literature Club Gameplay

The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write your way into their heart? This game is not for children or those that are easily disturbed. You have been warned.

In Doki Doki, you take the role of a male high school student who joins the school Literature Club. You will interact with four female club members in a classic dating simulator with anime-style characters!

Will you try to win the heart of your sunny childhood friend, Sayori? Or maybe you like the pink-haired, spirited girl, Natsuki. Smart and mysterious Yuri may be more your style. You might fancy Monika, the popular leader of the club! Any of these cuties could be yours as you try to create moving poems and say all the right things to win their affections.

Why did such a kawaii game make it on my list? Well, you’ll just have to play it and find out..it’s even free in the Steam store, so why not give it a try and see for yourself?

Natsuki sure knows how to make delicious cupcakes.

14. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location (PC/PS4/XBOne/Switch/Mobile)

FNAF: Sister Location Gameplay

Welcome to Circus Baby’s Pizza World, where family fun and interactivity go beyond anything you’ve seen at any other pizza place. Now hiring: Late night technician. Must be fine with cramped spaces and be comfortable around active machinery. The company is not responsible for any bodily injury, death or dismemberment that may occur from the job. Applicants with good insurance plans preferred.

In Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, you take on the role of the person who took the job of late night technician. Your job is to check on the animatronics every night to be sure they are in good, working order and provide routine maintenance. This is a point-and-click survival horror game, much like the others in the Five Nights at Freddy’s series.

This game introduces new animatronics, such as the ballerina, Ballora, and the star of the show, Circus Baby. This game also introduced the ability to move between rooms, each with its own objective to fulfill. The animatronics are not too happy about being locked underground, and may uh, "demonstrate" their agitation as you progress!

This game, like the others in the series, is full of suspense as you carry out your nightly “duties”. There are moments of comedic relief that break up the suspense (Anyone in the mood for exotic butters? Maybe casual bongos?). Jumpscares are common and you must be good at multitasking, as with the former Five Nights at Freddy’s games, you will go between checking your monitor, your surroundings, listening for threats, and doing whatever job is required.

Dancing Queen: The Player checks on Ballora.

13. LIMBO (PC/XB360/XBOne/PS3/PS4/PSVita/Switch/Mobile)

LIMBO Gameplay

Uncertain of his sister’s fate, a boy enters Limbo. This game appeared on another of my indie games list, and I believe it belongs here, too. Limbo is a puzzle platformer game, with lots of horror elements that make any mistake or misstep deadly as you struggle to overcome the puzzles.This is a 2-D game that is completely in black and white.

Limbo stars a little boy, waking up in a barren forest. The game gives you no indication of who you are, how you got there, or where you’re going. In this forest, as you advance, you come across puzzles, and if you aren’t careful, you will die (a lot) in horrifying ways. For example, being decapitated by a bear trap! How many games have you played where this happens to a small child?

A lot of trial and error goes into solving the puzzles, the developers describe it as “trial and death” to figure out each obstacle. If you make a wrong choice or don’t pay attention, you get to watch your player die in shockingly gruesome ways, almost instantly. Thankfully, this is not a roguelike game, and you get to start over before the obstacle that killed you rather than start from the beginning of the game.

The game advancement is very interesting, in the first half, you encounter bizarre monsters and other children who try to attack you, however, in the second half, there are no other life forms to be seen, and the puzzles get harder to overcome. (It’s lonely in here!) It seems the game strays further and further from reality the more you progress, which is an interesting concept.

The horror element may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and I will admit I don’t usually like the blood and gore. What drew me to LIMBO is the mystery surrounding the game’s story, and the limit to information given about it. This is a game you should play yourself so you get to experience all the mystery as you unravel the story.

Just “hanging” out.

12. The Coma: Cutting Class (PC/PS4/XBOne/Mobile)

The Coma: Cutting Class Gameplay

You are just an average, every day Korean student. You had just sat down for your final exams, exhausted after an all-night cram session. The result of all your preparation, all those grueling hours spent studying was dozing off in the middle of the first test.

You awaken to pitch darkness. Nobody bothered to wake you up when class was over. Due to the fact that it’s night time, you decide to head home…

The Coma: Cutting Class is a 2-D side-scrolling survival horror adventure. You try to make your way through the now abandoned high school, riddled with haunting sights and dangerous traps. If that wasn’t enough, your classmates and teachers have warped into frightening ghosts, who will stop at nothing to hunt you down.

In this surreal situation, your objective is clear: figure out how you got here and get the hell out! Unfortunately, the school’s ghastly inhabitants have other plans for you.

This game made it on my list for the story, and there’s just something great about Korean horror. This may be one of the lesser-known games, but I believe it’s worth a play for the shocking scenarios that you encounter.

My teacher sure is acting strange...

11. Detention (PC/PS4/Switch/Mobile)

Detention Gameplay

Detention is an amazing atmospheric horror game set in 1960’s Taiwan under martial law. It incorporates religious elements based on Taiwanese/Chinese culture and mythology. This game provided players with unique graphics and an unforgettable gaming experience.

Greenwood High School, located in a remote mountainous area, two students find themselves trapped and vulnerable. The place that was once so familiar has warped in unsettling ways, haunted by evil creatures. To escape, they must explore the mysterious campus filled with ominous objects and puzzles. How will they survive this threatening environment? Can they return safely in one piece?

The art style in the game is phenomenal. The mix of soft-colors, realistic drawings, and the grainy textures that are common in many horror games give it an uncomfortably authentic feel. There are few games that look like this one, and the art style alone makes this game so iconic.

This game, like so many on this list, is intriguing because of its story and horror elements. The incorporation of history, and the mixing of Asian religions and cultures like Buddhism, Taoism and mythology, tell an unique and terrifying story. This is a game you won’t soon forget and will leave a lasting impact on your very being. That may be because the events of the 1960s White Terror is a very real point in history.

Lingering demons and murky hallways.

10. BonBon (PC)

BonBon Gameplay

BonBon is a short horror story about your childhood. No, really...in BonBon, you play as a toddler, who experiences events beyond their capacity to understand. This game is all about taking time to experience the objects and events around you. As your parents increasingly demonstrate their absence, your child mind tries to compensate, I would assume, by inventing an imaginary friend. A large, overbearing “friend”…which leads to an overwhelming sense of unease as you carry out your mundane childhood chores.

BonBon is an incredibly short game, and plays more like a short story than a game. You play as a toddler, who goes around collecting and putting away toys because your mommy told you to. What was really creepy is that the child can “talk” to the toys in a really unsettling distorted voice. This game is only number 10 because although interesting and a unique concept, it’s difficult at times to locate objects and can get frustrating as your puny child self often drops toys or falls down. Still, it’s a fast game that tells a deep story and the ending is what you make of it. I think we all can relate to the tragic undertones of a child trying to process trauma and domestic abuse the only way they know how.

As a victim of childhood trauma, this game resonated with me on a deep level and I had to include it in my list. It’s worth a play and will only take 20-30 minutes to finish, but will leave you unraveling the meaning behind the story for much longer.

“Hello, Wobbly Dog…”

9. INSIDE (PC/XBOne/PS4/Switch)

INSIDE Gameplay

Hunted and alone, a boy finds himself drawn into the center of a dark project. INSIDE is a dark, narrative-driven platformer perfectly combining intense action and challenging puzzles. It’s been critically acclaimed for its dark and moody art style, ambient soundtrack and generally unsettling atmosphere.

If this game looks familiar, that’s because it is a follow up to another favorite of mine- yes, LIMBO! From the makers of LIMBO comes a new adventure, INSIDE. This game is beautiful, shocking and terrifying, sometimes all three at once.

INSIDE has numerous rave reviews on Steam, praising how great it is and eluding to the surprise ending. Like LIMBO, this game is best experienced going in blind to fully experience the story. The beautiful artwork and soundtrack will draw you in to this immersive platformer, and you likely will become a fan too after experiencing the masterpiece of INSIDE.

Just smile and wave: You try not to get caught.

8. The Forest (PC/PS4)

The Forest Gameplay

As the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest fighting for survival against a society of cannibalistic mutants. You will build shelters, explore, and try to survive in this terrifying first person survival horror simulator.

What I love about The Forest is the survival mechanic. You actually have to chop down trees to collect lumber to start a camp or make a fire to stay warm. You have to scavenge and hunt for food to prevent yourself from starving. All while fighting for your life against your unusual and hostile neighbors. You also have plenty of choices in how far you are willing to go to survive. Will you just live off the land and scavenge to survive, or resort to going native and cannibalizing the cannibals? That choice is up to you.

During the day you will be busy collecting resources to build a simple camp up to an impenetrable fortress. You can craft and lay traps and defenses to keep your perimeter safe. At night, you must defend your base.

In most horror games, the enemies are gruesome monsters that you wouldn’t feel guilty about offing. However, in The Forest, enemies have their own families, beliefs, morals, and appear almost human. You can either fight them off with crude weapons made of sticks and rocks, or try to use stealth to sneak around and evade them to avoid bloodshed. The most intriguing thing about the enemies is this game is their ability to make decisions- their behavior changes depending on several factors. Sometimes they will just follow you at a safe distance and check you out. If they feel like they have you outnumbered, they may charge, then stop short if you don’t back down. It’s unpredictable what they will do, making the game all the more interesting.

I really enjoyed the “just survive” part of this game. Of course, the encounters with the mutants scared the life out of me, pulling me out of my happy foraging for food and connecting with nature, but building up a giant fortress with traps and a wall to defend my base was a lot of fun. Your friends can even join you to make these tasks easier. Spending the day exploring the forest, hunting, and collecting resources reminded me of the less scary games I love so much, like Harvest Moon.

Offense is the best defense.

7. Visage (PC/XBOne)

Visage Gameplay

Visage is a first-person psychological horror game. You will explore a mysterious, ever-changing house in a slow-paced, atmospheric world that combines uncannily comforting and horrifying realistic environments, making this game a genuinely terrifying experience. As you explore the house, you will uncover fragments of the house’s history, and learn of the terrible things that have transpired there.

The focus of this game is exploration, that slowly builds tension to create a deeper and more meaningful gameplay experience. The story of the game is revealed through surreal imaging and subtle environment details. The developers admit that this game is difficult in “unconventional” ways.

This game is so high on my list because I feel that the best type of horror is the psychological kind. Especially when it’s realistic, such as in this gem of a game. I can do without copious amounts of blood and gore, they don’t necessarily mean “scary” for me. Games like this that present mind tricks and building suspense with small details are far more frightening to me.

House of horrors: Now, this old house has “character”!

6. Layers of Fear 2 (PC/PS4/XBOne)

Layers of Fear 2 Gameplay

Layers of Fear 2 is a first-person psychological horror game with an emphasis on exploration and story. The player will control a Hollywood actor who heeds the call of an enigmatic director to take on the lead role in a film shot aboard an ocean liner. Beware, for all may not be as it seems.

When I first heard about this game, I thought the concept of you being an actor and shooting a film on a luxurious ocean liner sounded like a great story. I wasn’t expecting what was about to transpire, however. This game is far more terrifying than I originally expected.

Layers of Fear 2 follows your character’s slow descent into madness, and as the captain of your own destiny, you must decide what is real. Your director gives you but one command: “Act.” There is no script, no character that you have to become. To any actor, this may sound ideal. However, as the game progresses, the scenes on the ship become increasingly more terrifying.

As you take on these roles and act out the scenes, you will uncover details about your past and why, exactly, you were cast for this film. What part will you play?

This game is number 6 because as you see by now, I love the psychological horror and the character slowly descending into madness. To me, this kind of horror is the most realistic, and therefore, the most terrifying. It’s been stated before- the real monsters sometimes come from the human mind.

The mannequins are set up as if they are acting out a scene...

5. Outlast (PC/PS4/XBOne/Switch/Mobile)

Outlast Gameplay

Hell is an experiment you can’t survive in Outlast, a first-person survival horror game developed by some of the biggest indie franchises in history. You play as investigative journalist Miles Upshur, exploring Mount Massive Asylum and trying to survive long enough to uncover it’s terrible secrets.

Outlast offers an immersive, detailed world for you to explore. Like many horror games, fighting is not an option, you must run, hide, and use your stealth to survive. You also won’t have any way of knowing when or where the asylum inhabitants will catch up to you, adding a whole new layer of heart-gripping suspense as you constantly look over your shoulder. This game is downright terrifying, with all kinds of morbid things going on in the asylum that you get to discover.

An interesting fact about Outlast, and one reason it’s so high on this list, as the events and settings of the game are inspired by real asylums and cases of criminal insanity. Unlike many horror games where the events of the game couldn’t possibly exist in reality, this game has that possibility, showing us that sometimes, the most terrifying monsters come from the human mind.

Beware of the asylum inmates...

4. Blair Witch (PC/Switch/XBOne/PS4)

Blair Witch Gameplay

Inspired by the cinematic lore of Blair Witch, experience a new story-driven psychological horror game that studies your reaction to fear and stress. Fear and stress do take a toll on you in Blair Witch, sometimes blurring the lines of reality between what is real.

In Blair Witch, you take on the role of Ellis, a police officer with a troubled past. To try to right his wrongs, he sets off to join the search for a missing boy in the Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville, Maryland. The good news is that you aren’t exploring this terrifying forest with a witch in it alone...you get a faithful companion, Bullet the former police dog! You can command Bullet to seek an item or clue, and he can show you where to go. Bullet may be the only thing that helps Ellis cling to the little sanity he will have left as he explores the creepy forest.

This game is set two years after the film, and incorporates the found-footage subgenre that is also incorporated in the film itself. Using these footage tapes is important to progress the story, as well as making use of Ellis’ cellphone, flashlight, Bullet, and a camera. Even with all the tools at your disposal and your loyal friend, this game is far from easy, especially as Ellis strays farther and farther away from what is real.

Most important part: You can pet the dog.

3. SCP: Containment Breach (PC/PS5/XBX)

SCP: Containment Breach Gameplay

SCP: Containment Breach is an indie supernatural/survival horror game in the first-person perspective. In the game, you play as a Class-D personnel (a fancy word for a “test subject”) in an underground research and containment facility run by the SCP (Secure, Contain, Protect) Foundation. You will try to escape, amidst a total security breach of the hazardous anomalies that are the SCPs.

What are the SCPs? They are a hard item to name, but range from dangerous creatures to unusual phenomena. For example, perhaps the most dangerous SCP you will face is “The Sculpture” which is a concrete statue that can only move when not observed by the naked eye. It also has a terrible habit of snapping people’s necks when they aren’t looking.

As mentioned, your main goal is to use the chaos to escape, however, you have the various SCPs and guards to contend with. How do you escape? You must explore the facility and collect key cards using any means necessary to acquire them.

SCP: Containment Breach is on my list because it’s scary. Some have said it’s the scariest game they have played. Also, I really admire the creativity of the community that have come up with these SCPs. That’s right, the game is based on the deep fictional web stories of the SCP Foundation website. I could spend hours reading all of the many SCP stories, although not all of them appear in the game. I find the concept of the SCPs fascinating, and getting to see them in action in a terrifying game is just perfect. You’ll get the chance to revisit or experience this game as the release for the PS5 and Xbox X series is to be announced!

Don’t Blink: The Sculpture will get you.

2. SOMA (PC/PS4/XBOne)

SOMA Gameplay

From the makers of Amnesia: The Dark Descent comes a sci-fi horror set below the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. You will struggle to survive in a strange, hostile world that will leave you questioning your very existence!

The radio is dead, the food is running out, and the machines are starting to think they are people. The underwater facility PATHOS-II has suffered an intolerable isolation and tough decisions have to be made. What can be done? What is left to fight for? What makes sense?

In SOMA, you will face the horrors that lurk beneath the ocean waves. Explore locked terminals and find secret documents to uncover the truth behind the chaos. Seek out the survivors and take part in the events that will eventually shape the fate of the entire station. Be careful, as danger lurks behind every corner: corrupt humans, twisted creatures, insane robots and even an omnipresent A.I. program. There is no fighting back, you either outsmart your enemy or be prepared to run for your life.

This game is immersive, as you would come to expect from past games like Amnesia. It is thought-provoking, and will have you question what is wrong and what is right. What does it mean to be human? These are the questions you will ponder long after the game is done and the PC is shut off.

People are the real monsters here.

1.Amnesia: The Dark Descent (PC/PS4/XBOne/Switch)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent Gameplay

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is an immersive first person survival horror game about discovery and living through a nightmare. This game is an experience that will chill you to the core.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent puts you in the shoes of Daniel, as he wakes up in a desolate castle, not remembering anything about his past...as the title may allude to. You will explore the eerie pathways, taking parts of Daniel’s troubled memories along the way. This game is a beloved but disturbing odyssey into the dark corners of the human mind.

Is that dragging feet you hear? Or just your mind playing tricks on you? This game features a sanity meter, representing Daniel’s slow descent into insanity. If your sanity drops from witnessing disturbing events, staying in the darkness for too long, or staring at enemies, you may start to “see” things that aren’t really there. The environment around you becomes more surreal, dangerous, and disturbing the lower your sanity is. Keeping your sanity is even harder when the only thing you can do to protect yourself is hide, run or keep your wits about you as you explore the terrifying, dark castle.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is number one because I believe it (and I’m not alone in this opinion due to the overwhelming positive reviews on Steam, Youtube, and elsewhere) to be the best, most immersive survival horror out there. Do you have what it takes to survive?

Hello darkness, my old friend...

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[Top 15] Best Indie Games for PC

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10 Things Every Horror Game Needs To Be Good

Zombiesatemymailbox — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 20:29:11 +0000

Check out the 10 things every horror game needs to be terrifyingly amazing

Who doesn’t love great horror games? There’s nothing like spending hours in the dark, glued to your TV, and wondering if that sound you heard was just your imagination or if something’s about to slice into your virtual (or maybe actual) head. Check out what makes the horror games we love so great and find why we are always coming back to them for some good scares.

10. Unpredictability

What’s truly horrifying is not knowing what’s lurking around you. For all you know in a moment Alien will pop down from the ceiling and rip right through you. That tension is painful.

The consistent unpredictability of a game is what separates good horror games from the bad. When you can’t memorize the enemies and their patterns you’ll always be on edge for a fatal strike. Once a horror game becomes predictable it becomes utterly boring and isn’t likely to scare you. A great game will reduce predictability by introducing new enemies and game play elements.

These creeps are ready to pick you off at any time

When playing a horror game for the first time you have no idea if the next door you open, item you pick up, or puzzle you solve will trigger a slew of enemies or other unsightly horrors. Many games will create fear through their enemies. A good set up will make an enemy introduction truly terrifying. A great horror game will build up the anticipation of an incoming horror with subtle sounds or images, rather than throwing it right at you.

Your mind will make everything that you can’t see scarier. The player’s greatest power in games is their knowledge of the game’s environment and enemies. Without this knowledge players are weak and vulnerable.

9. Puzzling Solving

Puzzling solving probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about great horror games, but it is a staple.

Puzzles force players to interact with the world they are in. These puzzles might give players a must needed break from the deranged creatures after them, or just tick them the heck off (get some Silent Hill 1 piano puzzle flashbacks). There’s also the stress of not knowing if completing the puzzle will thrust you into a hellish monster battle if correctly completed, or impale you to death on some spikes.

This puzzle destroyed lives

Players might also have to backtrack throughout the game to find any items or codes they might have missed to solve a puzzle. Fleeing from room to room won’t do players any good when there’s puzzles to be solved. Puzzles don’t care that you just sprinted from a horde of zombies across the map, missing key items and codes.

Don’t let puzzles stop you from making progress because you’re too anxious to throw yourself back into a realm of horrors.

8. Isolation

What is scarier than being split from your group and left alone with a bunch of nightmare inducing terrors? Not much. Isolation is a great and simple method for increasing terror in players.

Alien loves that you’re all alone

We find comfort in the presence of others and when we become isolated it’s natural to feel scared. Imagine exploring a rundown hospital by yourself like in Outlast or Silent Hill. The grime, rust, and decayed environment will keep players on edge. Knowing that players will have to face the monstrosities that lurk in these buildings by themselves is nerve-racking.

Many modern games feature cooperative game play, like with Resident Evil 5 and 6. Your gaming experience becomes way less scary with someone at your side. That is unless you’re playing with pretty incompetent AI and you’re scared that they’ll make you game over.

7. Threatening Scares

If the player can dismiss a game’s disturbing sounds, images, and enemies easily than that game is lacking. A good horror game needs actually threatening scares that make players worry.

Being forced to walk down a blood stained hallway or seeing enemies drag away and brutally kill NPCs is an indicator of what’s to come for the player. When seeing these things the player knows that they’re in for something awful.

The Keeper has no problem ripping his own head off, forget yours

What else could be more threatening than being trapped with Pyramid Head and his giant sword in a too small room? Knowing that he can end your horrified character’s life in one swing isn’t going to relax ny player.

Even the most hardened of horror gamers know a real threat when they see one and don’t underestimate it.

6. Vulnerability

When you’re all powerful in a game, what do you have to fear? But when you’re vulnerable, everything is immensely dangerous.

Vulnerability is a great tactic that good horror games utilize. In games that lack combat like Amnesia and Outlast, players don’t have any weapons to depend on. The player’s only chance for survival is running and hiding from whatever is out to get them.

The worst game of hide and seek

Games with very limited ammo like Silent Hill will keep players scared. However, modern Resident Evil games are practically over following with ammo and firearms, giving players tons of comforting resources.

Playing alone, with no weapons or extremely finite ammo, will keep any player wholly absorbed in the game so no baddy stabs them up.

5. Atmosphere

A surefire way to keep a player uneasy is through a game’s atmosphere. An unnerving atmosphere will flood players with the feeling of dread.

Everything looks cozy

What would Silent Hill be without the town’s iconic rust, metal, gore, and decay? A lesser town for sure. When the Silent Hill games take a visual shift from a normal creepy town to the traditional nightmarish atmosphere of the horrific Silent Hill, this is a terrifying change that shakes players to their core.

The game’s atmosphere sets the tone of what is to come for the player. A nice field of flowers is going to freak out players far less than an abandoned mental hospital will. Playing a first-person game will make things even more intense for players as they are forced to look through the eyes of the character and directly face the game’s terrors.

4. Tension

If a player is comfortable and confident as they play a horror game then this game has failed to be scary. But if a game creates enough tension the player will constantly be on edge.

Video games create tension in players through mental or emotional strain. This tension can be created in tons of ways. A game might have low resources, like heath and ammo, but is crammed with tons of dangers.

Think you’re safe up there from all those zombies?

Players will need to constantly search the game’s environment for supplies putting themselves at risk. It’s a tough call when deciding to open a door that might lead you to items you desperately need or a monster you’ll need to spend your last bullets on.

Perhaps a game will make players dump items due to limited inventory space. It’s not easy deciding if you should drop weapons, ammo, health items, or a key item by mistake. Forget about too few save points, one bad move and you’ll lose hours of progress. This is what nightmares are made of.

3. Iconic character

When we think of amazing horror games we’ll also be thinking about their iconic monsters that terrorized us in every game play session.

Our good old pal Pyramid Head

Iconic characters will leave a lasting image of the game in player’s heads. When we think of Silent Hill we are bound to think of Pyramid Head and his massive blade. Bioshock will bring back imagines of hulking Big Daddies. Alien: Isolation makes us cringe at the thought of hiding from the scariest creature in all of space.

These characters become figure heads of their respective games for players. Our time with these iconic baddies might have left us scared, but they’re what we love about our favorite horror games.

2. Promise of a good story

What good is a game if it lacks a decent story? Great graphics and combat can only support a horror game for so long.

This great story might just scar you for life

The promise of a good story will keep players sucked into any horror game. Many players will put up with lackluster combat and graphics if they’ve committed themselves to the game’s story. The need to progress from chapter to chapter to get a step closer to solving the mysteries in the game will keep players hooked.

Coming closer to figuring out what caused the game’s world to fall into chaos and to see what will remain of our characters once we reach the game’s end will have any player pour themselves into a game.

1. Psychological Horror

The scariest thing we face off with in video games might not always be a grotesque monster dripping with blood, but something that preys on the fears in our minds.

After tons of gory game play sessions we often get desensitized by most of the graphic violence. To keep the scare factor up great horror games will utilize psychological horror to scare players to their core. Horror games can create this discomfort in players by exposing common fears like self-doubt, distrust, and paranoia.

Ready to discover your biggest fears?

Psychological horror games focus on mental conflict. These games will build tension through atmosphere, creepy sounds, and exploitation of ours and our character’s fears. Psychological horror can exist in a game that deals with supernatural entities, but will generally keep the monsters hidden. Our innate sense of fear will create plenty of horrors.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a game that plays on our fear of the unknown, and rightfully so. We never know if the sounds we hear are an indicator of what’s to come or are from our character’s failing sanity. This uncertainty is what makes Amnesia excel, a constant state of unease will warp players’ minds as we transverse the game.

Agree with the list or do you have different criteria that you look for in great horror games? Comment below with that makes your favorite horror games amazing and check out the following horror articles!

10 New Horror Games to Scare Your Pants off in 2015

11 Most Terrifying Video Game Monsters

Don’t Turn Around: 5 Horror Games We’re Waiting For

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10 Best Scary Games to Play in 2015

MichaelLogarta — Sun, 10 May 2015 13:57:19 +0000

The best scary games, all in one list. Dare you read on?

What makes a video game scary?

Is it the blood-drenched, tentacled abomination lurking just around the corner? The ravenous zombie shambling towards you?

Or is it the sense of powerlessness that comes with finding yourself alone, shrouded in darkness, with nothing but a dim flashlight and a dinky blade to defend yourself from horrors unseen?

Horror games are a special kind of peculiarity in the gaming industry. While other games are equipping you with laser swords and arm cannons, horror games strip you of confidence and the means for self-preservation, introducing you to uncomfortable concepts such as uncertainty, isolation, and vulnerability. And this is what makes a good horror game scary – the sense that everything is meaningless, and nothing you do can save you.

Listed here are our top picks for the 10 Best Scary Games to Play in 2015 – scary games we believe will disturb, startle, and frighten even the bravest of gamers.

10. Slender: The Eight Pages

Descent into madness

Born in the darkest corners of the internet, Slender Man’s presence in popular culture has grown exponentially to become a figure of folklore. He has taken up residence in our minds, where he continuous to watch… and wait…

Slender: The Eight Pages tasks you with finding eight pages scattered across an isolated woodland area. It’s dark, and all you’ve got is a sputtering flashlight. Slender Man, the tall, faceless creature of myth, is stalking you. Occasionally appearing in your peripheral vision, stare at him too long, and you’re dead. Take too long to find those pages, and you’re dead. And as the night deepens, the closer the Slender Man comes to wrapping his long, spindly arms around you…

It’s this lesson in helplessness that earns Slender: The Eight pages rank #10 on our list of best scary games to play in 2015.

Our rating – 4/5

9. Five Nights at Freddy’s

Peekaboo!

Something’s going on at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Rumors of horrid deaths and unusual accidents abound. It turns out the restaurant’s animatronic animal mascots like to roam around at night, and they’re in the habit of forcibly stuffing employees into a spare mechanical costume – to horrific, bloody effect.

As a night shift security guard, your only protection includes the two doors keeping the robot monsters out of the room you’re stationed in, as well as the cameras you use to observe their behavior. Problem is, operating those things requires power. Which you don’t have much of. And there are still three hours to sunup…

Will you survive to see another day? Or will you end up another casualty in the restaurant’s ever-evolving legend? If you’re up for a nerve-wracking, jump-scare-heavy experience, Five Nights at Freddy’s is your game.

Our rating – 4/5

8. The Evil Within

Buckets of viscera

House of slaughter

From the mastermind behind the Resident Evil series comes The Evil Within, a third person survival game where gore and madness go hand in hand.

Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his colleagues are called to investigate a gruesome massacre. But upon arrival at the crime scene, things go immediately downhill. Pursued by ghastly creatures known as the Haunted, Castellanos must fight not only to survive, but to keep himself from going insane.

Praised for its horror elements, including its monster designs and a world in constant, supernatural flux, The Evil Within is at spot #8 on our list of best scary games to play in 2015.

Our rating – 4/5

7. Outlast

Found footage horror

Murder most foul

Outlast deposits you in an abandoned psychiatric hospital that’s been overrun by – you guessed it – deranged mental patients. As an investigative journalist biting off more than he can chew, you’re armed with nothing but your camera, whose green infrared mode allows you to see in the dark. Of course, using the camera leaves you vulnerable to dangers skulking around you. The gadget is also in constant need of batteries, so you’ll have to scrounge around for them unless you’re fine with groping around in the shadows.

The game has wowed critics and fans alike, thanks to its eerie, “found footage” atmosphere, and its pervasive sense of creeping dread.

Our rating – 5/5

6. Alien: Isolation

If this ever happens, you're as good as dead

Stalking nightmare

You are trapped in a sprawling, mechanical labyrinth. No friends, no weapons – just your wits, and the cold enveloping shadows.

But you aren’t alone. And in space, no one can hear you scream.

Alien: Isolation is as Alien as an Alien game can get, featuring visual and sound design directly inspired by the movies. Playing as the daughter of Ellen Ripley, you’re lost in the derelict space station, Sevastopol. Hot on your heels is the iconic Xenomorph – an unstoppable force of nature that knows nothing but to butcher all that crosses its path.

Isolation is survival horror in the truest sense of the word. The Xenomorph is a relentless hunter who will appear when you least expect it, and gets smarter as the game progresses. You’ve got limited items to help you, such as the motion tracker and a mostly useless gun. The best you can do is hide, and hope the beast hasn’t picked up on your proclivity for concealing yourself in closets...

Definitely one of the best scary games to play in 2015.

Our rating – 5/5

5. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Ghostly mirage

These old walls hide the darkest secrets...

Horror adventure game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter takes inspiration from classic tales of the macabre. As a detective with the supernatural gift to see a crime scene as it happened in the past, you wander around a large, open world in search for clues regarding the eponymous character’s disappearance.

It’s a game steeped in the occult, one that will have you communing with the dead, and exploring some of the spookiest, most beautifully disturbing environments in gaming. It sits cozily at #5 on our list of best scary games to play in 2015.

Our rating – 5/5

4. Alan Wake

Peaceful and beautiful by day...

... A shadowy hunting ground by night

Inspired by the books of horror master Stephen King, Alan Wake stars a writer who retreats to the mountain town Bright Falls to deal with his writer’s block. Only things take a turn for the tragic, and he wakes up a week later with parts of his memory erased.

To solve the mystery, he returns to a town now ruled by dark forces. The night comes alive with specters driven to kill Wake. They have one weakness: light.

As Alan Wake, your best defense against the Taken is your flashlight. By shining its beam at them, you burn away their coating of darkness, leaving them vulnerable to conventional weapons.

Thanks to its unique gameplay that centers on the power of light against the darkness, and an unsettling ambiance that will chill you to the core, Alan Wake is one of the best scary games to play in 2015.

Our rating – 5/5

3. Resident Evil HD Remaster

Murder mansion

A taste for flesh

The ghoul has seen you; it is dragging its feet towards you, it arms raised, the fingers grasping, ready to tear at your flesh. You pull away, only to find your back against the wall. You are cornered.

You raise your gun, stare down its sight at the monster lumbering towards you.

In Resident Evil HD Remaster, you are trapped in a gargantuan mansion infested with zombies and an assortment of other nightmarish creatures. As either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield of the S.T.A.R.S. police force, you’ve got weapons and ammunition to defend yourself with.

But nothing lasts forever, and evil is a rising tide – relentless and immovable.

Will you take the shot, and save yourself now? Or will you take your chances and save the bullet for later, knowing that the worst is yet to come?

The game that started the survival horror craze, now in glorious HD – easily deserving of rank #3 on our best scary games to play in 2015 list.

Our rating – 5/5

2. Amnesia: The Dark Descent

The light won't save you

Windows to hell

You awaken, with no memory of your past, in the shadowed halls of an enormous castle.

You are literally weaponless in Amnesia: The Dark Descent, with nothing but your lantern to chase away the suffocating darkness. But be cautious as you plumb the depths of your prison and uncover its many, bloodcurdling secrets; there are things prowling the corridors seeking your blood.

Sound plays an important factor. Make too much noise while opening that door, and they will know where you are. The interplay between light and shadow is also another key feature. Stay in the darkness for too long, and your sanity drops, drawing the monsters to you; but keeping your lantern lit can also attract the attention of those same monsters. It’s a lose-lose situation, further homing you in on the reality of your hopelessness.

A surreal atmosphere thick with Lovecraftian undertones, and the feeling of total impotence in the face of implacable evil; The Dark Descent masterfully combines both elements, earning it spot #2 on our list of best scary games to play in 2015.

Our rating – 5/5

1. P.T.

Corridor to hell

A house that's not as empty as it looks...

Silent Hill is one of the most terrifying, psychologically harrowing series in the history of gaming.

Enter P.T., the playable teaser for the now defunct Silent Hills.

It starts off simply enough. You’re in an empty house filled with lonely corridors. There are portraits on a table. A telephone. Normal, everyday stuff.

Then you hear the whisperings. You see the shadows taking on human shapes. And the doors that you thought were leading you nowhere? Oh, they’re leading you somewhere, all right. The question is: will you like where they take you?

The game includes a puzzle so complicated it took the entire internet to solve. Together with unnerving lighting effects and sound design, creepy fetuses rotting in bathrooms, a gradual descent through hell, and one heck of a tortured soul, P.T. wins itself rank #1 on our list of scariest games to play in 2015.

Our rating – 5/5

So, will you spend the night curling up with one of the games on this list? Which horror games have you played, and which do you think deserve to be on this list? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Things that go bump in the night...

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Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs

James Lightning — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 08:15:56 +0000

Oswald Mandus is a wealthy industrialist who has recently returned from a disastrous expedition in Mexico. After waking up from a fever, he finds himself in a large, empty house, hearing the voices of his sons calling out to him. As Oswald follows the voices, he discovers terrifying creatures stalking the very halls he is in.

Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs takes players into a world of horror reaching both into the stinking floors, and into the depths of corrupt minds, as players find a sinister machination, and fight to put an end to it.

Year Released:

2013

Genre:

Survival Horror

Platform:

PC-Games

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System Requirements:

OS: Windows 7
Processor: High-range Intel Core i5 / AMD FX CPU or equivalent
RAM: 4 GB RAM
Memory: 5 GB
Graphics: High-range NVIDIA GeForce 400 / AMD Radeon HD 6000"

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Rating:

7.5/10

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Developer:

The Chinese Room

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Latest Rank:

Average Vote:

76.00

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Amnesia: The Dark Descent

James Lightning — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 07:26:44 +0000

In 1839, Daniel is a young man from London, trapped in Brennenburg Castle, with no memories of who he is, or how he got there. With instructions to descend into the Inner Sanctum and kill the Baron, Daniel picks up a lantern and goes exploring. With no means (or abilities) to fight, Daniel must escape from the horrific abominations that stalk the halls of Brennenburg, and the strange growth that follows his progress.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the horror game that changed the face of the genre. With realistic graphics and masterful horror mechanics, Amnesia traps players in a castle with no means to defend themselves other than to escape and to hide. The question is, how long will they stay sane?

Year Released:

2010

Genre:

Survival Horror

Platform:

PC-Games

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System Requirements:

OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: 2.0Ghz
RAM: 2 GB
Memory: 3GB
Graphics: Radeon X1000/GF 6

Releasing status:

Rating:

8.6/10

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Developer:

Frictional Games

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Latest Rank:

Average Vote:

79.00

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