The best horror games on PlaySation, PC, Xbox, and more

I’ve always had a conflictive relationship with horror.

The other is that I am passionate about the genre. Growing up, I read Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe. Many nights have passed since then. Pet SemataryAnd the GoosebumpsTelevision show. I’ve always been fascinated by it. The problem is that I’m easily scared. Whether it’s a dark, empty room waiting for me to step inside, a creature chasing me down labyrinthine corridors, or the mere sense that I’m being watched, horror games, by definition, can demand a lot from the player.

Even so, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of a well-crafted horror game, whether it’s geared toward survival, jump scares, or creeping terror. What’s more, the genre is coming into yet another burst of promising titles: Resident Evil 4And Dead SpaceNext year will see a lot of remakes. Scorn, The Callisto Protocol, Saturnalia, The Dark Pictures Anthology – The Devil in Me, Alan Wake 2., SignalisPlease see the following: Slitterhead are only a few of the dozens of games we’ll be seeing this year and the next. With all of these projects on the near horizon, along with Halloween itself, now is as good a time as any to take a wider look at one of video games’ most intense genres.

This list largely focuses on 13 horror games that you can play now (plus one more that most of you probably can’t) to get you in the right mood for Halloween. Turn off your lights and grab your headphones. Lock the doors. Make sure that you have plenty of batteries. (And if you need a break at any point, head over to our Polygon’s Halloween Countdown: 31 Days of Horror for the internet’s best spooky movie recommendations.)

Isolation of Alien

Image: Creative Assembly/Sega

Before PSX-like graphics P.T.Clones started to appear in horror films, and it was all about the chase. Amnesia, OutlastPlease see the following: SomaThese are some great examples of how terrifyingly simple things can be. Isolation of AlienHowever, it is undoubtedly the best.

It doesn’t matter how acquainted you are with the Alien universe — exploring the Sevastopol space station is a haunting experience. It is easy to wander off-track through endless hallways and corridors. There are only a few tools and weapons that will help you get out of danger.

Before starting to play Isolation of Alien, I didn’t consider the Xenomorph design to be all that scary. (I was stomping on it, dancing to BTS Fortnite probably doesn’t help.) But like the (good) films of the franchise understand, it’s about the crescendo of suspense, and the terror of awaiting something you can’t see, while the vents rattle above your head, and your motion sensor beats faster and faster. Sevastopol’s chase is constant.

Isolation of Alien It is compatible with Mac, Windows PC and Nintendo Switch..

Vivo is Lost

Kira

A simple premise is often the best foundation for horror games. For example, Vivo is LostWhile out walking in the rain, suddenly your service dog gets caught up in a clogged sewer. It’s a simple matter of rescuing them from the sewer pipes below. You will find all kinds of bizarre people down there.

Inspiration from the likes Silent Hill, Vivo is LostThis is an old-school horror movie that focuses on claustrophobia. Most interestingly, while it shares a love for puzzles, inventory management, and backtracking with those classics, it doesn’t use jump scares to frighten the player. Instead, it’s the environments themselves, and the foes therein, that create a sense of dread, and stick with you long after you’ve exited the game.

(Fun fact: If you’re looking for a break from the terror, boot up the game at midnight in your local time zone.)

Vivo is LostIt is also available for Windows PC.

Paratopic

Image by Arbitrary Metric

If you’re looking for an eerie experience that takes less than an hour to see through, ParatopicThe answer is here. Despite its modest length, however, it’s an unsettling trek through uncanny locales.

Obsessed in VHS tapes, sudden camera cuts and obscure dialogue choices. ParatopicYou will be able to see the lives of three different characters, including a hitman and a smuggler. All three characters encounter strangers and have even more strange sightings while they explore otherwise routine locations like a diner or gas station. It is a game that subverts familiarity, making it feel both dreamlike and repelling.

Paratopic Available on Mac, Windows PCs and Xbox One..

Resident Evil 2 Remake

Capcom Image

Slowly but surely, the Resident Evil series has reclaimed its spot in discussions about survival-horror video games. Although Resident Evil VillageThe action-oriented side is definitely more prominent (House Beneviento, however), Resident Evil 7: BiohazardFranchise entered its first-person era, with an eccentric family living in an intoxicating atmosphere. But it’s Resident Evil 2 Remake, despite not being wholly original, that felt like the series’ true return to prominence.

Exploring a modern vision of the Racoon Police Station over the shoulders of Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield makes for a terrifying trip — one filled with nostalgia, but unafraid to take risks. Exploring the station can feel isolating at times, particularly when resources are limited. It is a stark reminder of the greatness that made this series so special.

Resident Evil 2 Remake Available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One (Xbox One), and Xbox Series X. Nintendo Switch will soon have a cloud version. One pointIn 2022.

Silent Hill 4, The Room

Image: Team Silent/Konami

Silent Hill 4, The Room, Team Silent’s send-off to their time with the Silent Hill games, is possibly the most divisive of the bunch, standing as the black sheep that took several risks and, honestly, didn’t quite land all of them. Yet, its refusal to follow tradition and presentation of one of the smartest premises in this genre remains admirable.

If The Twin Victim (the iconic enemy that features two baby heads on a massive body) isn’t enough to scare you, returning to Room 302 to save your game, which gradually becomes a living entity that you need to protect yourself from, surely will be. It’s enough to be haunted by the thought of being locked inside your apartment. When mundane objects turn hostile and make your house a living horror, it becomes an endless loop of terror.

(If you’re surprised about the omission of Silent Hill 2, in this list, that’s because the game is in abandonware status, meaning that you can’t PurchaseYou can’t find it online at this time. However, you can always find the PC version if it is still available. Silent Hill 2: The Enhanced EditionIt is essential to have a project.

Silent Hill 4, The RoomIt is also available for Windows PC Through GOG.

GTFO

Picture: 10 Chambers Collective

GTFOYou may not have heard of, a co-op horror video game released in the latter part 2021. You might be put off by the fact that matchmaking is often slow and can lead to mixed results. But whether you visit the game’s official Discord server in search of players or recruit a couple of friends to tag along with you, it’s an experience you shouldn’t miss.

Standing apart from the likes Left 4 DeadOder Killing Floor, GTFO is a punishing, brutal experience in which you’re likely to die because of a tiny mistake. You might be able to alert an enemy with a flashlight, or waste ammo in an initial encounter. It’s the scarcity of resources and the necessity of sound tactics that feed into the replayability and camaraderie — even if the odds may not always be on your side.

GTFOIt is also available for Windows PC.

Criminal Origins Condemned

Monolith Productions/Sega

Criminal Origins Condemned This is often thought of as F.E.A.R.’You can find it here It is less well-known than its cousin because it was released a few months later, and because both were made by Monolith Productions. But the two couldn’t be more different. Although F.E.A.R. This has a greater focus on weapons, including bullet time, at times. Condemned is known for its melee combat — and after all of these years, no other game has quite matched its weight, rhythm, and impact.

You are assigned to follow the trail of serial killers. This involves exploring decaying homes and sewers, as well as investigating crime scenes. In the moments in between, however, you’ll be using pipes, shovels, and anything you can get your hands on to defend yourself. Although the A.I. is less powerful than in previous years, it’s still quite effective. isn’t as strong as in F.E.A.R.,It keeps you alert, even though it isn’t easy to find ways to keep you afloat in the midst of all that destruction.

Although the idea of an FBI agent helping homeless people is a terrible one, it gradually becomes more supernatural. It is important to still enjoy F.E.A.R. if you haven’t, but its younger sibling definitely deserves a spotlight.

Criminal Origins Condemned It is also available for Windows PC and Xbox One via backwards compatibleity. If you’re playing on PC, we recommended you install the DirectInputFpxFix — here’s a GuideThe Steam Forums will provide instructions on how to do it.

Fearful Cries

Image: Team Psykskallar

There is a lot to be said for the PSX aesthetic, but there’s something haunting in the Source engine. Fearful CriesThe free horror game ‘The Sum of All the Right Elements’, which started out as a Mod and was released in 2013, shows how frightening the combination of all the right elements can make an engine almost twenty years old.

This campaign is playable with either one player or up to four. Fearful CriesSome of the most creative enemy designs and encounters have been seen to date. This story is fairly straight forward and takes you through all the typical suspects (a forest, an asylum or apartment complexes). There are five possible endings depending on how you choose to interact with characters along the journey. It has been able to continue the game without any mod support, thanks in large part to its unique atmosphere and solid foundation.

Fearful CriesIt is free for Windows PC users.

The Evil Within 2

Image: Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks

Was ist das? The Evil Within 2It makes up for it in terror with its inventive approach to condensed but enticing mini-open worlds. Tango Gameworks is the developer behind this game. Ghostwire: Tokyoearlier in the year), concocted an original art style that distinguishes this sequel from its predecessor.

Even if you (like me) haven’t played the first game, The Evil Within 2 This book does a good job at introducing the basic concepts without being tedious. It also quickly takes you on an excruciating journey through a city that has seen a serial killer go off. An artist who captures your dying moment with a camera, and then makes it available for all to see is the main antagonist. Open-world allows you to discover different places, with their own unique challenges and encounters. And the story, while fueled by the simple premise of searching for the protagonist’s daughter, is surprisingly compelling. But it’s in its boss encounters, and some particularly impressive sequences that lean into its survival-horror nature, that The Evil Within 2It leaves its mark.

The Evil Within 2 This feature is also available on Xbox One and Windows PC..

Mundaun

Image: Hidden Fields/MWM Interactive

This hand-pencilled craft is Mundaun is enough to peak anybody’s interest at first glance. Stay for a while in this black-and-white Alpine valley, and you’ll find an experience that deploys myths and an otherworldly landscape to haunting effect.

The game tasks you with managing an inventory and solving puzzles as you investigate your grandfather’s death. What’s more, the characters you meet speak Romansh, which is Switzerland’s fourth national language. Not only does this accentuate the flavor of the game’s setting, but also the strong influence that local folklore had on the project. It’s hard to talk about MundaunIts charm is not lost, however it can be used in conjunction with other Indonesian-based companies. DreadOut series, it’s a living example of how regional stories unknown by global audiences can become sources of horror.

MundaunIt is now available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch..

Obscure

Image: Hydravision Entertainment/Mighty Rocket Studio

Today, cooperative horror games are quite common, but they were not as popular back when the PS2 was released. ObscureIt stood out. Featuring a group of high schoolers that were subject to permadeath if you weren’t helpful, a clever use of darkness as a mechanic, and an opening that kicked off with ‘Still Waiting’ from Sum 41, it’s the perfect encapsulation of the 2000s B-horror genre.

From dusk to dawn, the story unfolds at Leafmore High School. You are assigned to investigate the disappearance of some students, one of which is your friend. The best defense against school creatures is light. Alan WakeYou need to make sure they are weak with your flashlight before you can do actual damage. You can also destroy windows so that the sun shines through them. Nighttime is when things become more challenging and you need to look for other opportunities to defeat the bugs.

You will find discs all around the game. ObscureThis is the reason why it’s still so memorable. But it’s the seamless co-op aspect, which allowed the second player to drop in and out at any time, that has always stuck with me. In an era when horror games were only possible with other people by sharing the controller, the ability to share the experience with friends raised the stakes and didn’t compromise the intensity.

ObscureIt is also available for Windows PC.

Visage

Photo by SadSquare Studio

If you enjoyed P.T., you’ll probably appreciate the puzzle-solving and exploratory horror of 2020’s haunted-house thriller Visage. While the experience kicks off with a simple premise — you’re tasked with walking around rooms and hallways that slowly shift over time — it doesn’t take long for the story to take shape. There are many horror tropes and locations. Sometimes you’re being chased. In other scenarios, you’re constantly encountering haunting presences in a fast, almost aggressive manner, leaving little room to breathe.

From the start, it is clear that this horror game was heavily influenced by first-person horror. But Visage avoids clichés. It’s a game that understands where it comes from, and meticulously toys with pacing, enemy design, and visual effects to prove that there’s more to be afraid of, despite all of the examples that precede it.

VisageIt is now available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC..

Devotion

Red Candle Games

DevotionIt is about a house, a family and a history. It’s a reminder that horror games aren’t there just to frighten us, but to elicit empathy as well. Devotion The game combines a sad tale about a family that has died with an innovative structure in which players revisit the same place over different times periods. It’s not just the notes or items you can pick up that tell the story, but the space itself. Sometimes it’s a preparation for a birthday party or a TV show that sets the scene, hinting at better times — but it doesn’t take long for these memories to become corroded, drenched in marital frustrations and a tragedy surrounding the family child.

It is a chaotic house. Things move all over the place. There are many things that can be cried at and laughed at. Its story is one of resistance, using horror to push back each time us unwanted guests make a breakthrough in the family’s story, and to the nature of the house. You can also contact us if you have any questions. Do push through, you’ll encounter one of the most visually enchanting and eloquent stories that the genre has to offer.

Red Candle Games’ legacy will forever be marked by its controversy. The game has been available publicly for some time now. We’re glad it is, so you should book your visit. Keep an eye out for your back.

DevotionAvailable on Mac and Windows PC.

Honorable mention: P.T.

Image: Kojima Productions/Konami

The inexorable onlineness of our lives prevented us from doing so. P.T.They are far from being the urban myth Hideo Kojima might have dreamed of. His team included him. expectedThe game would require players to play for two months. The final puzzle was solved in two days. This led to the revelation that the game had been canceled. Silent Hills.

It is hard to overestimate the value of the playable teaser. It not only invigorated the genre, but also showcased new ways in which to toy with the player’s mind when they’re subject to a first-person perspective. The genre will forever be scarred by the inability to witness the collaboration Kojima promised with top talent like Guillermo del Toro or Junji Ito. Its legacy is still on the PlayStation 4 consoles’ hard drives, even though it cannot be played on PS5 – but that doesn’t mean the genre will ever die. recent jailbreakAllows players to bypass the PSN Store Blacklist to get it), has achieved that original vision in an unexpected manner. Although it may not have been the urban legend Kojima wanted, it was a great addition to his collection.