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There are some incredibly scary games out there, many of which are undiscovered or unpopular options that you overlooked. The ground rules are that these games can’t rely purely on jump scares, and if jump scares are in the game, the environment does a good job of adding to the scares. Here is the list of the best horror games on Steam and beyond.
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation starts off slow. You’re fighting other humans for a good few hours, but it uses this time to make you feel unsettled and unsafe. When the Alien finally shows up, you’re already nervous. To make things worse, the Alien is impossible to kill, so you need to hide and sneak around to remain undetected. If it does detect you, you’re most likely dead.
The heavy, metallic thuds of the creature moving through the vents above you, or right behind you, create an unbearable level of claustrophobic tension. The Xenomorph AI is really smart, which makes this entire video game as terrifying as the movies, Alien and Aliens.
Dead Space
What’s interesting about Dead Space, specifically the original and not the remake, is the entire mystery. Your character, Isaac, is stranded on the USG Ishimura with literal nightmares called necromorphs. You’re tasked with trying to find your girlfriend, stopping what could be causing these creatures and getting off the ship. Everything in the game feels so hopeless and lonely.
Dead Space is a true old-school survival horror experience, where you need to conserve your ammo. You’re also just some guy. Isaac is an intelligent engineer, but has no combat experience. The real time menus also don’t pause the game, so you’re open to attacks.
BioShock
BioShock isn’t a horror game in the traditional sense, and as far as shooters go, it’s pretty easy for most players. It’s the world around it that’s terrifying. Like Dead Space, this game thrives on the mystery of it all. While in Rapture, you’re asking yourself why the people are sick, why the Big Daddies and Little Sisters are corrupt and who the culprit of all of this is.
If you don’t know the ending, you could play the remastered version of this game. The writing is exceptional, and there’s never a dull moment. Anyone who has a fear about being underwater would find themselves shaking at the thought of this underwater city collapsing.
ZombiU
The Wii U’s library was pretty barren, but it hit gold with ZombiU. While you can play ZombiU on other consoles, the Wii U has the best version thanks to its inventory system. The inventory was only available on the gamepad, so you had to physically look down to check your items, and you couldn’t pause. The game feels like a zombie sim where one mistake means death.
ZombiU is difficult to play and navigate, but that’s a positive. You’ll die a lot and more and more often at the beginning, but the farther you get, the farther your character has to travel to get their items back. It’s cliché at this point, but it’s the Dark Souls of zombie games.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
This game is so scary, even today, because it perfectly evokes that feeling of helplessness and despair. In Amnesia, you have no way to defend yourself. Even in Alien: Isolation, you get a gun. Here, you’re powerless. There’s also the sanity mechanic. Staying in the dark drains your character’s mental state, and you start to hallucinate, making the game more terrifying.
The game relies on a slow-burn buildup rather than jump scares, but it messes with your mind in its own way. Creaking doors, distant footsteps and minimalist audio design keep you constantly guessing if a threat is real or just your imagination.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
Five Nights at Freddy’s had a massive cult following due to its lore and mystery. But it’s deserved. While the first three installments are scary in their own right, the 4th one uses atmosphere and terror in such a way that the jump scares don’t feel cheap. Without spoiling too much, you play as a boy having nightmares about a traumatic experience.
As the nights go on, the game gets harder, and new mechanics are introduced. The gameplay is fast in the later nights, and you need to rely on your hearing to survive. The anxiety felt while playing may make you want to stop, but keep moving to learn about the Bite of ‘87.
P.T.
A demo that achieved cult status, P.T. can barely be called a game. Even so, it’s one of the best horror experiences you’ll ever have. Your character walks through a house that changes based on what you find. Beating the demo gives you a scene for a Silent Hill game that never happened. But the scares in this hour experience are worth it if you can get your hands on it.
Technically, you can’t get P.T. anymore unless you already owned it, as the demo was removed from the PlayStation Store. There are still ways you can play it. For example, you could play it at your friend’s house if they have a copy, or you could play Visage, its spiritual successor.
Clock Tower 1995
The last three on this list are niche, starting with Clock Tower, the 1995 Super Nintendo version. It’s hard to believe that a game this old could be this scary, but its terror comes in the gameplay. It’s a point-and-click game, so you have to slowly and desperately guide Jennifer, the young child protagonist, through danger. You also have nothing to defend yourself with.
As you play, you’re stalked by the Scissorman. Once he’s introduced, he continues to pursue you. He can pop out of ceilings, closets, behind curtains, through windows… literally anywhere. If he gets you, you’re dead, and you have to revert to your last save. Truly horrifying.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is based on a short story by Harlan Ellison in which an AI computer named AM enslaves the last five humans on the planet to torture them. The short story is very scary, but the game is worse. In the game, back stories are fleshed out, there are multiple endings and you understand AM’s motives better. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Another point-and-click, but not as action-oriented, this game feels more like a visual novel. Just keep in mind that this game tackles very severe subject matter, including abuse, insanity, paranoia, genocide and more. And you’re very unlikely to get a good ending.
Eternal Darkness
If you want a sleeper GameCube horror hit that makes you feel the fear of the game, try Eternal Darkness. This game is a true psychological experience that makes full use of fourth-wall breaks. From fake technical errors to volume and audio tricks, you feel like you’re constantly being messed with. If your sanity meter is really low, it’ll tell you it deleted your memory card.
Beyond the psychological tricks, the game relies on H.P. Lovecraft-inspired cosmic horror. The story spans two thousand years of history, showing ordinary people slowly driven mad as they fight ancient, god-like evil entities they cannot possibly comprehend.
Get Your Horror Fix This Halloween Season
What a person finds scary is pretty subjective, but at least one of these games on this list should give you a fright. You could also try the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series if you want more action. Want something hard? Try Fear & Hunger. And if you ended up liking P.T., experience Visage. It was created specifically because the director loved that demo. Either way, your Halloween horror nights will be filled with scares.
