Happy Halloween
Eleven years ago we rounded up a handful of the scariest games of that past decade, and now we’re here to do it again. This time, we’re upping the ante to a grand total of 28 games, because why not?
Some of these are proper Triple-A titles that will keep you busy for hours, whereas others are simple indie games you’ll finish in no time. Some deserve their praise; others are only here because of their inexplicable community love (it’s Halloween and horror combined, so it would only be fitting to create an equally horrific list).
Nevertheless, this list is full of shooters, puzzle-solving games, and point-and-clicks, taking place in fantasy, sci-fi, or realistic settings – surely there’s something here for everyone, so long as you’re into scary stuff that involves psychological horror, jump-scares, suspense, or just plain old gore.
So, without further ado, here is the list in no particular order at all. Happy Halloween!
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2010 – Amnesia, The Dark Descent
If you ask us point-blank to mention a horror game, we’ll comfortably say Amnesia, The Dark Descent. In this game you play as Daniel. As the game's title suggests, your memory was erased, and you’re now exploring the creepy Brennenburg Castle while an evil being tries to hunt you down.
Staying in the darkness drains your sanity, so you’ll do your best to light fires and avoid looking at the monsters. You can’t attack them, and looking them straight in the eyes spells your doom. Amnesia – The Dark Descent draws its scare from the environment, its surreal sound effects, the gameplay, and not as many sudden jump scares as you find in many other horror games, making it a unique experience.
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2008 - Dead Space
In Dead Space you take the role of Isaac Clarke, a mechanic who investigates the derelict USG Ishamura. In the process, he and his fellow crew members discover the Necromorphs, re-animated and mutated human corpses that can only be killed by removing their limbs.
Unlike most third-person shooters, the game doesn’t feature a traditional heads-up display. Instead, it shows the player all the critical information through Isaac’s suit in the form of lights on his back to signify health and holograms to show waypoints on the map and communications with other characters. The result is an immersive and rather gory space sci-fi horror shooter that never fails to keep you on your toes.
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2010 – Alan Wake
Alan Wake is a psychological thriller wherein you witness the nightmares of the terror-writer protagonist of the same name. During the day, you’re presented with the peaceful town of Bright Falls in Washington, but at night things quickly change. Shadow-based figures attempt to kill you, but with the power of light (as well as a handy shotgun or pistol), you'll fight the forces of darkness in order to save your wife Alice.
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2009 – Silent Hill: Homecoming
The first Silent Hill game was released in 1999 for the PlayStation, however the series did make it to other platforms, including the PC, in later installments. Silent Hill games are survival horror games that involve tons of combat, puzzle solving, and story elements.
In Silent Hill: Homecoming you step into the shoes of Alex Shepherd, and you return to your hometown only to find your younger brother missing and the town in shambles.
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2010 – Metro 2033
Although some would argue that Metro 2033 isn’t a scary game, it certainly makes a good case for a first-person survival-horror shooter. Following a nuclear war, residents of Moscow now live in the city's subway system. However, they aren't safe from rogue survivors and mutated creatures. To make things even worse, you have a small amount of ammunition at your disposal so you'll have to scavenge each area for more bullets, or take out enemies with stealth in order to survive the horrors of post-apocalyptic Moscow.
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2009 - Resident Evil 5
The Resident Evil series has been running since 1996 and is still going strong. Over the last decade Capcom outed a solid handful of games in the series, and it appears to be showing no signs of slowing down. What’s it about? Well, if you know what the Umbrella Corporation is, and know about the T-Virus, and what zombies are, you’ve got a pretty good idea: think survival horror.
Resident Evil 5 is about the events surrounding Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar, who are investigating a terror threat in Africa. Originally, the game was released in 2009 for PC, Xbox, and the PS3, but Capcom remastered it for the PS4 and Xbox One earlier this year, too.
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2017 - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Horror fans are familiar with the Resident Evil series. The franchise encompasses many games (and many remakes of those games) as well as a blockbuster film series. But recent installments lost their way—instead of scaring the pants off people, recent entries focused more on straightforward action. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a return to roots. There are some action sequences to be found, sure, but otherwise this game is survival horror through and through.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard puts you in the shoes of Ethan Winters, a man desperately hoping to find his wife, who vanished after taking a babysitting job three years prior. The hunt takes him to a seemingly abandoned house in the bayou, and there he finds a family that seems to thrive on bugs, garbage, and language as foul as their surroundings. The rest is up to you to discover.
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2009 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
As the title suggests, this survival-horror game takes place in the post-apocalyptic city of Pripyat, as well as two additional areas. As you traverse through the area near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, a.k.a. the Zone, you can trade, upgrade weapons and participate in single- and multi-player modes. In addition, you'll gather supplies, fight mutated beings, hunt for artifacts, and deal with the area's many factions.
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2016 - DOOM
The 2016 DOOM, developed by id Software and published by Bethesda, delivers a fast-paced first-person shooter with heaps of enemies, guns, and maps. You take on the role of a marine that takes on the horde from Hell on the planet Mars. The fast-paced action means that you'll act first and think later as you take out scores of demons with weapons and executions.
In addition to the single-player experience, you can also participate in competitive multiplayer with different modes. You’ll also have the opportunity to make your own maps with the SnapMap tool, and play your creations in multiplayer with your friends. Is it scary? Depends on who you ask. However, it sure is gory and keeps you pumped with adrenaline.
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2014 - Alien Isolation
Alien Isolation is based on the 1979 film Alien, where you take the role of Amanda Ripley in the space station. Your goal is to survive by avoiding an Alien creature, whom you track using a motion tracker or your flashlight. Be careful, though: the tracker’s sounds or the flashlight’s light may help you spot the alien, but they will also draw it towards you, too.
Although you can get weapons like a shotgun and flamethrower, the game forces you to stay away from the alien creature rather than killing it. Fight or flight? Pick flight.
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