To be completely honest with you, I have never played a horror video game from start to finish. My own personal experiences with horror involve getting really sweaty hands, then watching as a jumpscare sends the controller flying from my sweaty, sweaty hands, and straight into my friend’s face.
I am, however, an avid watcher of horror games, because horror is such a fascinating genre of game. Through games, we experiences horrific situations and concepts in ways that we can’t in other forms of media, and I think that while that does run the risk of creating dumb, campy content, it ultimately fosters really interesting, creative, and pants-wettingly spooky content.
Therefore, in choosing which games to add to this list, I’m going to go off a variety of factors: the gore-to-scare ratio, the creep factor, the writing, and so on. In no particular order, these are our top picks for scariest horror games.
Soma
Although Soma also shares a developer with the infamous horror game Amnesia, I always thought that Soma dealt with heavier, more horrifying elements than its sibling. While Amnesia went for the easy frights with its monsters and environment, Soma managed to be atmospherically unsettling while also strapping you with some unsettling lingering fears. And who needs those, right?
What makes it really and truly frightening for many players, though, is that it combines a fear of the ocean with a fear of technology running amok. It asks a lot of “what if’s” and then executes them brilliantly, making for an experience that is almost upsetting in what it presents to you.
Rule of Rose
Stories that deal with the suffering of children is, in my opinion, some of the darkest, most horrific kinds of stories you can tell. Rule of Rose leaned into this so hard, it didn’t even get released outside of Japan initially, and the studio had to bypass some publishers in order to see it released in the West.
It tells the story of a group of orphans who turn on their new “sister” in order to survive, while this “sister” truly only has her dog for companionship. The sick and twisted games they play on each other, not to mention the things they endure in the orphanage themselves, are incredibly disturbing to witness, yet I wouldn’t recommend this game if it wasn’t a well-told horror story.
Alien Isolation
You’d think that only having to really avoid one enemy would make this game significantly less scary, but think again! I did actually play this one, in the dark, under a blanket, while my friend Kevin watched from a distance after goading me into taking over. I was doing fine until the controller literally slipped out of my hands because they were so sweaty, and that happened to be the point when the alien found me. Thanks a lot, KEVIN.
The suspense is real, though, and the hoops you have to hop through in order to avoid the alien make this one of the most tense survival horror games out there. I mean, good lord, the alien learns what your playstyle is, so it can better hunt you down. Yikes!
Outlast
My god, is this game grotesque. Thank god we have Conan O’Brien to add some levity to this game, because I otherwise wouldn’t be able to think of it without wincing.
While yes, stories about “zomg crazy lunatics in insane asylums!!” are somewhat archaic, and for good reason, they do fit the horror genre to a T, and Outlast is the pinnacle of such a story. It’s absolutely disgusting. The things that the player character has to witness and endure are nothing short of pants-bricking scary, and I honestly can’t imagine playing this game with anything less than a stiff upper back.
Dead Space
Some might argue that this game is less scary than it is grotesque, with the way the aliens are designed, and I wouldn’t be inclined to disagree. This is the sort of horror that’s actually a bit more palatable for some gamers, since the protagonist is largely unfazed by everything and there are many easy ways to kill the aliens.
However, you must also consider: jesus christ the lights are off and we’re stuck in space and what just moved at the end of that hallway oh my god alien zombies exist those exist we’re stuck on this broken spaceship with alien zombies?????
I think I’d rather take regular zombies over alien zombies, thanks.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
When considering the scariness of Resident Evil games, I almost didn’t include any because they’re scary in a fun way. They’re pretty damn campy, deliberately so, and they feel more like action-adventure titles with horror elements than straight-up horror.
But Biohazard really leaned more into the horror element because its protagonist is literally just some guy. Ethan couldn’t be more of a “just some guy” type of guy if he tried. He has no knowledge of Umbrella, Raccoon City, or anything at all other than data entry and his wife. And HE’S the one stuck in a gross, moldy house full of possessed bayou white people!! I’ve heard only terrible things about the VR experience and how that makes the game even scarier, and let me tell you, that’s one thing I’m okay never experiencing.
Silent Hill 3
Okay, yes, I’m cheating by essentially capping off this list with (technically) three Silent Hill entries. But really, can you blame me?
Silent Hill 3 makes the cut because it deals with a very specific kind of horror: the horror of being a teenage girl. And it does so accurately. Some of us are very well-acquainted with the fear of being assaulted by a stranger and ending up pregnant way too soon, while others will never have to experience such pain and terror, ever. In either case, this game brings those fears to life, unsettling the initiated, and providing nightmare fuel to the uninitiated.
To make matters worse, Heather has nobody to rely on. It’s just her own tough self out there, while everyone else either wants something from her, or bumbling around uselessly. The desperation to survive is palpable.
Silent Hill 2
It’s difficult describing this game as “scary,” because it’s also incredibly beautiful. But it’s deceptive that way, right? You remember Silent Hill 2 for its beauty, but then you go back to play it, and you’re met with foggy streets, horrifying monsters, abandoned buildings, and too many metaphors for your little gremlin brain to handle. No, I don’t want to think about Angela’s boss monster, get outta here with that.
It’s a masterpiece for a reason, and I don’t play it for a reason. Get yourself a friend who’ll play it for you while you watch.
P.T.
Eugh. This game is so scary, I don’t even like to think about it.
You know those nightmares where you can’t escape a building, and you just end up retracing your steps, over and over again, while something somewhere out there is chasing you? This game is that nightmare brought to life. And everyone knows it, even non-horror-fans.
It’s just a half-hour excuse to wear a diaper. Get your Pampers ready, fellas, we’re on the hunt for a PS4 that still has PT.
(Featured Image: Capcom)
