10. Until Dawn
Until Dawn plays like a love letter to classic horror movie tropes. It’s an interactive drama, dependent on decision branches and quick-time events, as well as third-person exploration and puzzle-solving. You’ll play as several characters over the duration of the game - a small group of teenagers, who all share responsibility for the sudden disappearance of two of their friends. Even if you’re a lover of action survival horror, you’ve gotta give Until Dawn a shot. The interactive drama mechanics make the story incredibly engrossing, and the plot is genuinely fantastic - all the better thanks to the branching decision system, which means you can play through this game several times and always have a different story.
9. Call of Cthulhu
Based on the tabletop RPG of the same name, Call of Cthulhu is the game to play to get your hit of cosmic horror. Taking place just after WWI, you play as an army veteran tasked with investigating a mysterious fire that took place on the island of Darkwater. Like Professor Layton’s gothic cousin, this game combines satisfying deduction and puzzles with a truly oppressive, gloomy atmosphere. Fans of Lovecraftian horror cannot miss this game.
8. Vampyr
One of the more nuanced horror titles on this list, Vampyr is a hidden gem that deserves your attention. Putting you in the role of blood transfusion specialist turned vampire, you have to wrestle with your morals and new desire to consume human blood. With a great story, solid gameplay and enough player autonomy to get you truly invested, this is one game that definitely doesn’t suck!
7. Back 4 Blood
The highly-anticipated spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood throws you into a team of four to survive and thrive as wave after wave of zombie hordes are thrown at you. Sounds dark, but the game’s comedic tone comes out in every element of the gameplay. Just like its predecessor, Back 4 Blood is best enjoyed with friends but an excellent game to play solo too.
The highly-anticipated spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood throws you into a team of four to survive and thrive as wave after wave of zombie hordes are thrown at you. Sounds dark, but the game’s comedic tone comes out in every element of the gameplay. Just like its predecessor, Back 4 Blood is best enjoyed with friends but an excellent game to play solo too.
6. Alien Isolation
The original Alien movie was pitched as ‘Jaws in space’, and Alien: Isolation keeps that spirit well and truly alive. You play as the daughter of series lead Ellen Ripley, being chased around by the rarely seen, but always threatening Xenomorph. All you’ll be able to do is run and hide from this unstoppable killing machine, as you won’t be able to take it down with conventional weapons. And with one of the smartest enemy A.I.s in gaming, this is easier said than done.
The original Alien movie was pitched as ‘Jaws in space’, and Alien: Isolation keeps that spirit well and truly alive. You play as the daughter of series lead Ellen Ripley, being chased around by the rarely seen, but always threatening Xenomorph. All you’ll be able to do is run and hide from this unstoppable killing machine, as you won’t be able to take it down with conventional weapons. And with one of the smartest enemy A.I.s in gaming, this is easier said than done.
5. Those Who Remain
Those Who Remain see you play as Edward, who on the surface is a very unsympathetic protagonist. We find him wallowing in self-pity and the guilt of having an affair with a woman named Diane, his desk strewn with whiskey bottles and a gun. After you head to a motel to call it off with Diane, things start to get weird. It’s creepy and haunting without resorting to cheap jump scares and puts you in uncomfortable positions that are more wince-inducing than any monster. The puzzles are satisfying, and we just really enjoyed the whole aesthetic, from the ethereal nature of the world to the twisted ‘50s vibe. If you’re looking for a quick, tasty bite of horror, we can’t recommend this game enough.
4. Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight isn’t a traditional horror game like most of the other titles on this list are. It’s a 1v4 multiplayer survival game. One player takes on the role of a killer, trying to kill the other four players or ‘survivors’. Featuring survivors and killers from famous horror franchises like Scream, Saw, Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and more, it’s an absolute staple for any horror fan to have on their games shelf.
3. Resident Evil Village
Following in the footsteps of Resident Evil Biohazard, Village is a first-person horror survival experience that will keep you on the edge of your gaming chair. Taking the role of Ethan Winters, it’s up to you to unravel the violent mysteries of the Village and rescue your baby daughter from those in power. Expect the fantastic story and the haunting themes to stay with you for a long time.
2. Resident Evil 2
The original Resident Evil 2 was an absolute cult classic, and in the remake, a lot more is being updated in this game than the graphics. This legendary survival horror game has only gotten better. Little bugbears like fixed camera angles and clunky controls are long gone, but they’ve perfectly preserved what made RE2 great. It’s such an extensive recreation that you can understand why they’ve omitted any ‘remastered’ subtitle.
1. Doom Eternal
The best horror shooter by a country mile, Doom Eternal takes everything that made what came before so good, including the original 90s games, and builds upon it to make for the most refined, and in our opinion best game in the franchise to date. It balances mindless power fantasy with satisfying, rewarding gameplay in a way that no other game does, and we would urge anyone with even a passing interest in FPS games to give it a go.
