What are the perfect horror video games on PC? Scary video games have a tendency to show conventional motion ideas on their heads, forcing you to run and conceal out of your enemies. They depart you feeling weak somewhat than empowered, and greater than most, they’re the gaming experiences that hang-out you lengthy after you play.
In fact, there’s far more to the perfect horror video games than leap scares and gore. So whereas we now have included a couple of apparent picks, like Outlast and Amnesia, zombie video games and shooters, you can too anticipate finding video games that use totally different ways to lift your heartbeat and get your palms sweating. Whether or not that’s a dread-inducing ambiance and cautious pacing or unpredictable multiplayer recreation antics, this listing of the perfect PC video games within the horror style are certain to get your coronary heart racing.
One of the best horror video games to play on PC are:
Silent Hill 2
It goes with out saying that Silent Hill 2 is without doubt one of the greatest horror video games round. Fortunately, it’s now simpler than ever to play the basic on PC due to the 2024 Bloober Workforce remake.
Positive, there was some trepidation when the remake was first introduced. Does it want a remake? What if a beloved paragon of horror gaming is ceaselessly ruined? Are Bloober Workforce up for the duty? As you’ll be able to learn from our Silent Hill 2 remake assessment – and each different one, for that matter – sure, they had been. The Silent Hill 2 remake in some way takes most of what was made the primary recreation so iconic and makes it accessible for a brand new viewers, so if you happen to’ve by no means performed it earlier than, achieve this now. When you’ve got, we are able to’t say that the remake matches the expectation from the unique, however that was a Herculean job, and what Bloober has executed continues to be price a playthrough.
Mouthwashing
Mouthwashing is a small indie marvel, and probably the greatest horror video games to come back out of 2024. Stranded upon an ill-fated spacecraft, you might be a part of a crew remoted in area with minimal sources and a metaphorical ticking clock counting all the way down to your demise. Not like, say, Alien Isolation, there are not any actual threats on this horror recreation, the one hazard is your deteriorating thoughts. And what you’ll think about doing to remain alive.
The Outlast Trials
This prequel to the Outlast sequence casts again to the occasions previous the basic horror video games, as hopeful candidates who tick all or one of many packing containers (misplaced, lonely, poor, confused) are taken to a secret facility to be unknowingly experimented on in thoughts management and brainwashing.
To flee the power, you could full the trials, a set of story-driven remedy periods and challenges created to check your stealth capabilities and teamwork. The Outlast Trials is a co-op recreation with as much as 4 gamers, however you’ll be able to play solo if you want, and you must put together your self with our The Outlast Trials preview if you happen to’re unsure what to anticipate..
Reveil
The primary-person narrative horror from Pixelsplit trades within the cutesy aesthetic they’re greatest identified for and delves intro the eerie Reveil. Although it’s not as scary of horrifying as among the different video games on this listing, it does have its moments from leap scares to lengthy, darkish corridors, and issues lurking behind hidden corners.
Reveil has been in comparison with PT and the early Resident Evil video games, so you’ll be able to anticipate puzzles, supernatural happenings, and collectibles. For those who’re getting caught in, try our guides on the answer to the prop chest puzzle and all Reveil collectible places.
Alan Wake 2
Ambiance is a big deal for horror video games, and whereas many play along with your notion, Alan Wake 2 tap-dances on high of these expectations, significantly throughout these sequences the place you information Alan deeper into The Darkish Place. Our Alan Wake 2 assessment highlights that whereas it’s been 13 years because the unique, Treatment hasn’t missed a step in making a disturbing horror recreation properly well worth the wait.
Must you resolve to delve deeper, there are some things try to be conscious of, reminiscent of the perfect Alan Wake 2 Phrases of Energy to get early on, the places of all Alan Wake 2 weapons, and simply how one can get the Alan Wake 2 lighthouse key, provided that it’s not close to there in any respect.
Deadly Firm
Deadly Firm is a horror recreation greatest skilled with an in depth group of associates, and whereas it’s nonetheless in early entry, it’s already captivated many people right here at PCGamesN. You and your group of courageous explorers should collect scrap to promote to the Firm, and also you’ll solely try this by hopping between deserted moons. Nevertheless, simply because the bases are lengthy since devoid of human exercise doesn’t imply you’re really alone.
You’ll must work collectively to assemble sufficient junk earlier than the unusual and various Deadly Firm monsters get your group to satisfy your quota and hold your lives. Even within the relative security of your spaceship, although, don’t get too complacent. When you are navigating your teammates by way of deserted bases, it solely takes a second of carelessness to get jumped on by a monster masquerading as a pleasant. With fixed updates including new threats, maps, and extra, our solely suggestion is to maintain speaking and grip that shovel tight. They’re your solely dependable methods to defend your self.
Dredge
Typically, the best horrors lurk within the briny depths. Dredge has you discover an archipelago stuffed to the brim with aquatic creatures and hold your tiny fishing trawler protected as you collect your catch and full requests from the residents of every island. Nevertheless, risks is lurking within the fog, and nighttime brings out the massive beasts, nibbling at your ship’s hull to get at your tasty fish.
Followers of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos will see many parallels between the deep sea monsters swatting your ship with their overwhelmingly sized tails. It turns midnight expeditions out to see right into a determined battle for survival. It was probably the greatest indie video games of 2023 and is an intense journey from the get-go.
Signalis
A tense and thrilling survival horror a couple of humanoid robotic looking for her good friend on an remoted and deserted moon base. Add in a mysterious virus and a few mutated and bloodthirsty murderers, and Signalis makes for a terrifying and lonely expertise. The stress slowly mounts, and as you’re frantically looking recordsdata and fixing puzzles, there’s an inescapable realization that the top aim gained’t be good. We even thought Signalis ought to have been extra prevalent among the many TGA winners of 2023.
Scorn
Scorn’s grim aesthetic of mutilated physique elements and fleshy, dingy corridors make this probably the greatest horror video games we’ve performed. Although it lacks in jumpscares, it greater than makes up for in gory goodness, and it’s straightforward to see the inspiration of H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński work in Scorn’s skeletal constructions, blood-veined flooring, and mechanisms product of appendages.
Scorn makes use of gore to create moments of unease as an alternative of shock as you progress by way of a non-linear path fixing puzzles in virtually close to silence (aside from the odd squelch). There are many abominations to battle (or disguise from) alongside the way in which, however like a quiet scream, Scorn turns into more and more extra unhinged as you begin to unearth its remoted world’s secrets and techniques.
Useless House Remake
It’s lengthy been on this listing, however the current Useless House Remake did such a great job with a fan-favorite sci-fi horror recreation. However whereas the Useless House Remake assessment highlights the extra fashionable tweaks that make it particular in its personal proper, a lot of the reward ought to go to the unique. Just like the horror recreation adaptation of Occasion Horizon that by no means was, Useless House is the story of a enjoyable cabal of ne’er-do-well cultists who deliver a deep area mining ship to its flickering, malfunctioning knees.
You’re a mechanic armed with a laser cutter able to strategically dismembering the legions of already malformed alien creatures who now infest the ship, however regardless of your highly effective weaponry, you might be by no means near being comfy. Like all the perfect horror video games, Useless House’s model of horror is disturbing and sometimes lashes out at your psyche, subtly mixing violence and paranoia to create an atmospheric and unrelentingly bleak miasma of despair. If you end up misplaced within the Remake, then our Useless House weapons and Useless House go well with upgrades can supply some safety from the terrors hiding within the vents.
Phasmophobia
Though Phasmophobia is primarily a horror recreation, you could possibly have a look at it as a co-op detective recreation as you and as much as three different investigators discover a haunted location to infer what sort of ghost is spooking out the premises earlier than reporting again. It requires teamwork, your greatest detective hat, and regular nerves to navigate the darkish, tight corridors and eerily quiet rooms.
Utilizing tools, reminiscent of ouija boards, a spirit field, a crucifix, and smudge sticks – you and your group want to analyze the haunting and full duties reminiscent of taking an image of soiled water, or asking the ghost questions. Watch out, although, all of your prying will seemingly upset the ghost, and also you don’t wish to be round when it begins searching.
Useless by Daylight
Uneven multiplayer horror video games don’t come higher than Useless by Daylight. You play as both a lone killer or certainly one of 4 human survivors determined to flee the map. The survivors can’t do a lot to battle again, however working as a group can misdirect, bait, and frustrate the killer whereas making ready for his or her escape. It’s a delightfully easy format that performs host to among the greatest scares in gaming, and since it’s all player-driven, you’ll be able to by no means actually predict what’s across the nook.
However Useless by Daylight’s actual energy is in its continuously increasing lineup of playable killers. Developer Behaviour Interactive has added virtually each horror icon you’ll be able to consider to its roster, from basic slashers like Ghostface and The Form to gaming’s most feared, together with Resident Evil’s Nemesis and Silent Hill’s Pyramid Head. Every of them boasts a singular set of skills that displays their type of homicide and malice, and it’s as much as survivors to adapt to whichever killer they’re being stalked by. Be sure you seize the newest working DBD codes. You’ll be able to try or Useless by Daylight killers tier listing for tips about who to select.
Amnesia: The Bunker
Not because the first Amnesia recreation have we seen any of the follow-ups be as thrilling to play. Whereas we didn’t assessment it upon launch, Nat summarized what makes it such a particular and terrifying expertise, calling it WW1 poetry in movement.
As for the sport itself, Amnesia The Bunker is six hours of relentless survival horror set through the First World Conflict. It additionally lately bought extra content material by way of the Halloween replace if you happen to’ve already accomplished the primary recreation. In fact, if you wish to delve into the horror for your self, we now have particulars on the Amnesia The Bunker map and the steps for save the Amnesia The Bunker prisoner.
Oxenfree 2: Misplaced Alerts
How do you comply with up Oxenfree? That’s the massive query for a lot of going into the indie basic, however as our Oxenfree 2 assessment factors out, it does so by casting “off adolescence in a bid to discover the trials and tribulations of maturity, that includes genuine dialogue that packs an emotional punch”.
Persevering with 5 years from the place the unique left us off, Oxenfree 2: Misplaced Alerts improves a lot of the earlier video games’ shortcomings, reminiscent of the dearth of skipping vital dialogue. It additionally boasts a far larger island and a deeper thriller to unravel that can take all of your crafty. For those who had been a fan of the primary story, the second half gained’t disappoint. We simply so occur to have the Oxenfree 2 letter places if you happen to get caught.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Ever since Resident Evil 2 bought its stellar remake a number of years in the past, it was virtually inevitable that Resident Evil 4 would get an identical therapy. Nevertheless, few of us had been ready for simply how significantly better it may very well be than the unique. In his Resident Evil 4 Remake assessment, Ed says that it “improves the moment-to-moment expertise of probably the greatest video games ever made”.
From up to date boss fights, the removing of QTEs, and even some alterations to the story, Resident Evil 4 Remake is its personal beast. The Separate Methods DLC additionally makes itself greater than only a retread of Leon’s journey with one other character. For those who get it and wish to problem your self, listed below are all of the Resident Evil 4 S-Rank necessities, in addition to a listing of a very powerful Resident Evil 4 unlockables yow will discover.
Slay the Princess
Slay The Princess offers you one easy job: kill the woman on the backside of the basement of a log cabin within the woods. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, who do you belief? The Princess, who’s chained up and helpless, or the sport’s narrator egging you on. A lot is unknown, however on this visible novel, your decisions matter significantly, and with a number of endings, there are such a lot of methods for issues to finish badly.
With minimalist pencil artwork and splendidly creepy performances from its lead actors, Slay the Princess is as well-written as it’s deeply unsettling. It is likely to be tempting to see extra of it earlier than taking part in, however we extremely advocate that you just don’t actually have a look at something past the Steam web page. It is because you run the danger of spoiling this recreation’s twisted narrative and the various choices you could make alongside the way in which.
The Mortuary Assistant
Engaged on cadavers is much from the same old premise for a videogame, however The Mortuary Assistant provides a supernatural twist to the process. Throughout a late-night embalming session, it quickly turns into obvious that these our bodies aren’t regular, and shortly, a name with the native mortician confirms it: rumors of demonic possession are true, and also you now can’t depart.
To purge these heretical spirits, you could follow occult rituals to establish the demons, banish them by gathering clues, and in some way carry out your common duties of embalming the corpses. This primary-person horror recreation will take a number of playthroughs so that you can see every little thing, however in order for you a style of the terrors inside, you’ll be able to obtain the demo from the Steam web page and see why that is an underrated horror gem.
Little Nightmares 2
Heading off the residents within the unique Little Nightmares was powerful sufficient, however Little Nightmares 2 has Six, who’s now carrying a paper bag, rescue a brand new companion Mono. Along with his assist, she hopes to make sense of the Sign Tower that corrupts the land. Along with the platforming and instant-death traps, there are new assailants to flee from, together with the Instructor and the Hunter, and so they’re simply as terrifying because the assailants from the primary recreation.
With extra environmental puzzles that require cooperation between the 2 youngsters, this can be a worthy sequel to probably the most intense horror video games of current years. We advocate taking part in the primary half earlier than the second because it’s a direct continuation of the story, however if you happen to fancy seeing what the sequence is all about, Little Nightmares 2 comes with its personal demo on the Steam web page if you happen to want to strive it beforehand.
Inside
Much like Little Nightmares, our Inside protagonist should escape a darkish world, the place he’s hunted and alone, transferring by way of lethal obstacles and avoiding detection. Utilizing a thoughts management helmet, he can management the hapless, unwitting crowds of individuals discovered huddled all through to assist him transfer objects and resolve puzzles. You’ll additionally most likely die loads, and like its predecessor Limbo, all of the methods you’ll be able to die are graphic and cruel earlier than the display fades to black.
Inside’s artwork type makes use of monochromatic backdrops and sporadic flashes of coloration to create a really unsettling expertise, together with the sparing use of sound and ambient lighting – this sinister, narrative-driven platform recreation is a horrifyingly haunting experience.
Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus is numerous video games packed into one inviting post-apocalyptic slice of Russia: it’s a story-focused household drama as a lot as it’s a Wolfenstein-esque, heavy metal-scored FPS. Nevertheless, there are many spine-tingling horror recreation sequences creeping en path to the climactic Metro Exodus ending.
4A Video games’ irradiated outing means that you can select whether or not you need Artyom’s journey to be a guns-blazing assault or a stealthy affair shrouded in darkness, due to the sport’s day/evening mechanic. However, if you happen to sleep by way of the daylight to creep up in your opponents in pitch darkness, anticipate a a lot scarier expertise. Human enemies is likely to be on the again foot, however the chill of a howling Watchmen or the cost of a Humanimal is excruciatingly unsettling.
But, as we identified in our Metro Exodus PC assessment, this can be a recreation that’s at its most terrifying when it modifications the foundations. The sport’s early levels train you to extinguish the sunshine and grasp the shadows. Then, within the spider-infested bunkers beneath the Caspian Sea, it turns into your weapon. Your arachnid foes are fatally weak to gentle, in order that they skulk about in any dimly lit crevice they will discover. As their disgusting, furry legs scrabble madly towards the partitions, it turns into obvious that, in Metro Exodus, you’ll be able to by no means let your guard down.
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation is a horror recreation about being caught on an area station with a (spoiler) massive scary alien, which, due to some devious AI and degree design, is extra terrifying than it ever has any proper to be. As we found whereas writing our Alien: Isolation assessment, this horror recreation is successfully a first-person hiding simulator – your monstrous stalker can’t be overwhelmed, shot, or bashed into submission.
One of the best horror video games make you are feeling totally powerless, and in Alien: Isolation, it’s your wits, your knack for crawling underneath desks and into lockers, and a wide range of distractions that can prevent from the hulking, Gigerian horror. A lethal creature who can seem at any second, unscripted and with out warning: what extra might you ask for from a horror recreation antagonist?
Outlast
Using the ‘discovered footage’ type of up to date horror cinema, Outlast is a first-person exploration recreation set inside an deserted psychiatric hospital. Like all deserted psychiatric hospitals in horror video games, this one is populated by a forged of deranged sufferers and merciless workers, whom you could keep away from to outlive with all your guts nonetheless inside your physique. These tropes is likely to be properly and really lined in cinema, however horror video games can take advantage of out of those clichés, and Outlast is the proof.
With a view to discover your manner round Outlast’s darkish corridors, you could cautiously peer by way of your camcorder’s green-tinged infrared mode. This offers Outlast a distinctly eerie visible id whereas leaving you feeling weak to baddies creeping up behind you. Your digicam’s batteries solely final a couple of minutes, so it’s a small mercy that the hospital you might be exploring is stuffed with batteries that match the precise make and mannequin of your digicam. Phew.
SOMA
Soma is a sci-fi horror from the creators of Amnesia: The Darkish Descent takes the creepiest components from the hit horror and creates a complete new darkish journey deep beneath the ocean. Stranded after an experiment goes mistaken in an underwater facility, you could resolve puzzles, pore over paperwork, and unlock hidden passages to uncover the horrifying secrets and techniques onboard PATHOS-II.
In fact, like all horror from Frictional Video games, you’ll be able to anticipate loads of scares, lurking monsters, and the fixed concern that one thing follows.
System Shock 2
System Shock 2 kicked a selected taste of first-person survival horror video games into gear. It boasts an open-ended construction with an countless maze of decks and quarters that promote exploration and discovery. It’s a lot like being caught in a haunted John Lewis, besides with psychic demise monkeys.
The faster-than-light Von Braun is a persistent world that seems to exist and unfold even whereas your again is turned – constructing a heightened sense of place aboard the scarcely populated starship.
However it’s corrupted synthetic intelligence SHODAN who makes System Shock 2 one of many best horror video games to have ever graced our honest platform. Proper up there with HAL 9000 within the soothingly voiced but subtly evil pc stakes, she torments and tips you endlessly, reworking an already terrifying survival RPG into an isolationist horror basic. Few area video games match System Shock 2’s sense of isolation.
Apsulov: Finish of Gods
Now we have three phrases for you: Future. Viking. Horror. That’s proper, Offended Demon Studio’s Apsulov is an absolute must-play for Norse mythology fans in all places.
In Apsulov, you awaken in a analysis facility that’s been constructed to open gateways to the 9 realms and exploit them, whereas housing a strong, historical artifact. Whereas humanity has benefited significantly from the worlds of Yggdrasil, it might have forgotten that portals are a two-way avenue… Now, armed with the Jarngreipr, a prosthetic that has the means to channel the ability of this artifact, you’ll need to contest with the evil powers past Midgard to forestall your world from being consumed.
Hollowbody
Hollowbody is a real love letter to horror royalty, spliced with its personal distinctive spins on what made the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill so iconic. Created by solo dev Nathan Hemley, Hollowbody sticks you in a slick tech noir machination of a British metropolis with loads of puzzles to unravel and ghoulish creatures to batter.
Certainly one of our resident horror aficionados, Ed Smith, was significantly impressed with the sport’s design, and you’ll learn his ideas on how Hemley completely deploys ‘non-mechanical’ area to emphasise Hollowbody’s destitute setting and create indifference to the participant right here.
That’s all from us, the easiest horror video games out there on PC. For those who’re in want of a bit of R&R, why not try the perfect card video games or constructing video games on PC? It’s okay; you’ll be able to come out from behind no matter piece of furnishings you’ve been cowering behind; that actually is every little thing – we’re not going to throw an inexpensive leap scare into the credit or something like that.