It’s almost Halloween! Leaves are starting to fall, “Midnight Mass” is trending on Netflix, and the nights are getting a little bit colder. As a gamer, this is my favorite time of year to play. Cuddling up with a big blanket and hot cup of tea is the best way to play games…especially if they’re scary games (although if you jump at scares, maybe hold off on the hot drinks). For some personal context, I hate being scared. I’m the kind of person who will sleep with the lights on for two weeks after watching something scary, sprint up the stairs after turning off the downstairs light, and keep every limb inside of the covers and safe from demons, no matter how hot it is outside. And yet, despite the heart-stopping fear that will surely give me an ulcer at some point in the future, I love horror games.
And so, with Halloween right around the corner, I thought now was the perfect time to collect a list of the best horror games to get you in the spirit of the season. Spirit…because ghosts? Get it? Anyway, here’s the list of the Top 5 Best Horror Games of All Time (in my humble opinion, of course).
5. PHASMOPHOBIA
Coming in at Number 5 is Phasmophobia. And before you scroll away, hear me out. Phasmophobia in the grand scheme of all things “scary” isn’t as bad as some others. But it is one of the best, purely for the cooperative mode. Playing with friends already adds a sense of tension to the game (albeit fun tension), especially if everyone isn’t the same skill level, or fear level. Clues help you identify which type of ghost you’re facing – whether it’s a Wraith, Yokai, or Demon, just to name a few. As soon as you identify and summon the ghost, you have to survive the “hunt.”
Craziness ensues when you have a haunted house filled with a bunch of people that are all scared and all trying to accomplish the same goal. Different clues might hint at different types of ghosts, meaning that arguing and convincing your teammates is also on the table. The clues also add to the building of suspense, and players will begin to fear certain types of ghosts after a few playthroughs. The replayability of this game is fantastic, not only because of the wide variety of creatures you face off against, but because of co-op mode specifically. The possible combinations of players-to-creatures is nearly endless, and will leave you entertained, and scared, for weeks on end.
The fact that this game was one of the most popular games on Twitch in 2020 means that Phasmophobia deserves its place in important horror games, bringing new players into a genre they might not have otherwise tried.
4. SUPERMASSIVE GAMES & THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY
There are so many things I love about Supermassive Games’ horror titles, and so many things that make them underrated in the horror game genre. The nods to various pop-culture phenomena, like 1980s Slasher Flicks in Until Dawn, to using 3D character models that look like the actual voice actors (Hello Rami Malek and Will Poulter), the game combines real life and psychological horror so well that, in the end, the game is really only as scary as you make it.
Even though Supermassive Games has published multiple titles, for this article specifically I am only going to focus on Until Dawn and Little Hope, as I personally believe those are the scariest of the series.
What I found most disturbing about Until Dawn, is the fact that your own fears are placed directly into the story. At certain checkpoints, you meet with a psychologist in a Victorian-era library that asks you questions about your fears. Whatever you answer, spoiler alert, will be put directly into the game and used against you later on. For example, when asked whether I found clowns or zombies scarier, I chose zombies and had to endure jumpscares from the brain-eating undead at many points during the rest of my playthrough.
The other thing that really makes this game scary is the fact that your answers directly determine what happens to the characters. Want your characters to survive? Better not mess up the Quick Time Events. Want Chris to save Ashley from being attacked by some unknown scary monster in the snow? Better make sure you didn’t accidentally piss him off with your dialogue choices. Every decision you make matters, and what seems like a simple choice could directly determine who lives and who dies. Couple that pressure with various jumpscares and the slow insanity of being stuck in a cabin in the woods and you’ve got yourself a horror game you’ll be glued to all night long.
Little Hope is similar in that it still relies on the Butterfly Effect in order to determine how the game ends, but is different in that it leans much more heavily on the psychological aspect of horror. The basic summary is this: a bus driver swerves to avoid hitting a mysterious girl in the middle of the road, tipping the bus and leaving a cast of community college students stranded in an unfamiliar part of town. With no cell phone service, the only option is for the gang to head to nearby Little Hope, a town plagued with bad luck since the era of the Witch Trials. The cast then begins to deal with flashbacks from the past, seeing reincarnations of themselves spanning multiple centuries, and ghost-versions of themselves continually trying to kill them in the same way that they were killed. Toss that in with a little old-fashioned religious trauma, and you’ve got yourself a story that won’t make complete sense until the twist at the end.
The replayability of both of these games is fantastic, as you can make different decisions each playthrough to see what different outcomes you might get. Want to kill everyone? You can. Want to try and save everyone? You can. Supermassive Games combines stereotypical horror themes with the “choose your own adventure” vibe to create hours of thrilling and unique gameplay.
3. AMNESIA: THE DARK DESCENT
Amnesia was first released in 2010, and my earliest memories of it were watching YouTubers play through it. An eternal scaredy-cat, but especially so back then, I watched the whole thing through the slits in between my fingers, and knew I had to try it out someday. The basic plotline follows Daniel as he explores Castle Brennenburg. The player must be aware of Daniel’s health, as well as his sanity, which is where the scares begin to come through. Daniel is afraid of the dark, and Castle Brennenburg has plenty of it. Staying in the dark or looking at monsters for too long causes low sanity, and low sanity causes visual and auditory hallucinations which increases the chance of more monsters entering the fray.
The first person element of the game already makes it scary enough, as there is nothing standing in between you and the horrors Daniel is facing. But the scariest part is easily the fact that you have absolutely nothing to protect yourself with. Daniel cannot fight against the monsters, and can only run away until they are out of sight and stop chasing him. Amnesia is also terrifying because of the sudden flashbacks and visions while you discover more and more of Daniel’s past. These cutscenes are jarring, and honestly just as scary as the monsters lurking within the castle.
Another interesting element that Amnesia employs is that it doubles as a puzzle-game. And if you’ve never tried to solve a puzzle while continually being afraid that something is going to jump out at you, then have you really even lived?
Even though the game is not as pretty visually (take this statement with a grain of salt, as it is being judged with 2021 eyes), the slow discovery of why the game is titled Amnesia and the inability to fight against the creatures plaguing you, really make you feel as trapped and scared as Daniel is. It is because of this lingering fear that Amnesia deserves spot number three on this list.
2. SILENT HILL
Oh Silent Hill…if I haven’t said it enough already, I get scared easily. I watched the Silent Hill movie for the first time my freshman year of college, and nearly half a decade later I can’t go into a public restroom without worrying about that thing tied up in chains on the toilet coming after me. If you know, you know.
As far as the games go, Silent Hill is an easy pick. It’s on almost all of the top horror tier lists that exist, and rightfully so as it is one of the original games of the genre. Not only has it evolved graphically since it’s initial release in 1999, but the story has grown up with it’s audience. The series starts out with Harry Mason and his adopted daughter Cheryl, and moves on to many other protagonists – all with growingly worrying backstories.
The game is classified as a survival horror game, meaning your own fight or flight instinct kicks in alongside with the protagonist of the game, and has sold millions upon millions of copies since its release. The game is also not blind to the genre it comes from, and Silent Hill 3 has easter eggs hidden throughout the game that many horror fans will appreciate.
Iconic characters like Pyramid Head and the nurses are horror staples. Recurring characters allow that initial horror feeling to fester – especially as they are improved upon year after year, creating even scarier iterations of themselves as graphics progress. The town itself is also terrifying. Stuck in the mist, unable to escape, and abandoned are three words that create the perfect classic horror setting. Anything at any time can jump out at you, but there’s no way to get away from it. This feeling calls back to one’s fight or flight response, and Silent Hill balances the feeling of suspense with intermittent action perfectly. Combine that with demonic possession, a behind-the-times isolated town, and you’ve got yourself the perfect recipe to terrify generations of gamers.
1. RESIDENT EVIL
If Silent Hill is the grandfather of horror games, then Resident Evil is the creator and master of the genre. First released in 1996, Resident Evil is one of the biggest and most anticipated horror games for decades of gamers.
Resident Evil is the master of combining action and horror, making you feel as though you are able to combat the scares in the game while at the same time you are always on edge as you wait for them. The series is also founded in realism, as it deals with biological weapons and viral incidents – in familiar settings. This especially hits in 2021, making it the perfect game to play this Halloween season. The familiar setting is most notable in Resident Evil 2 Remake, which takes place in a more urban landscape. This allows you to feel more connected to the setting, constantly looking over your shoulder at the possibility of seeing a zombie crash through your yard’s picket fence.
Zombies are the prevalent “villain” that you are fighting against throughout the series, although Resident Evil: Village employs vampires as well (Lady Dimitrescu, anyone?). However, the scariest part of the game is arguably in its niche within the genre. Resident Evil is a survival horror game, meaning that every bullet you shoot and every move you make counts. The heightened feeling of anxiety is one of the primary feelings in a successful horror game, and running out of ammo while trying to fight off a zombie hoard succeeds at that exact feeling.
Resident Evil deserves its spot at the top of this list, due to succeeding at so many classic horror themes that can otherwise be deemed cheesy if done incorrectly, as well as the sheer popularity of the series. There’s a reason why this series is on nearly every list of “Top __ Horror Games of All Time.” It blends survival horror, shooting games, and classic monsters in a world that could really be the one we are living in. It also has something for everyone. Like third person shooters? Cool, try Resident Evil 4. Like first person, so-up-close-you-can-nearly-feel-zombie-guts? Cool, Resident Evil 7 will be your jam. There is just something for everyone within this franchise, making it the perfect game to suggest to any of your horror-loving friends.
There are so many great games that it was nearly impossible for me to narrow down the list. Layers of Fear, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Bloodbourne are a few that make my “honorable mentions” list, but I suppose for horror fans it’s a good problem to have too many games to choose from. However, I sincerely believe that this list encapsulates the best of the best of every niche within the horror genre.
Agree with me? Disagree? Let me know! Tag me on Twitter, either @EsportsArena or @stephybcosplay. I’d love to hear your recommendations and thoughts! Have a very safe and spooky Halloween.