13 Horror Video Games
Turn the lights down low, grab a controller, and brave your way through 13 of my favorite horror video games. From SNES to PS5, horror video games have provided me chills and thrills for decades. Here are 13 games to play when you want some horror in your day.
1. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)
Super Nintendo was my first gaming system. I, like many 90’s kids, started out with Super Mario World (still a classic) and then quickly went on to search for other games suited to my horror tastes. Zombies Ate My Neighbors was released in 1993, published by Konami for SNES and Sega Genesis. The minute I saw the box art, I knew that I had to try it!
This game is for 1-2 players, with two characters to choose from: Zeke & Julie. The premise is simple: the mad scientist, Dr. Tongue has unleashed a horde of monsters within a suburban community, terrorizing the inhabitants. It is up to two unlikely heroes to save their neighbors and ultimately defeat Dr. Tongue. Over the game’s 48 stages you will battle a menagerie of classic horror characters: zombies, werewolves, underground monsters, blobs, mummies, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, evil dolls, and a giant baby – just to name a few. Each level you try to save 10 of your neighbors – unless any die, then the number will slowly dwindle. If all your neighbors die, the game is over.
This game has a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor for horror fans and nail-biting action. It is fun to play time and time again.
2. American McGee's Alice (Computer)
With box art featuring a brown-haired Alice with a bloody knife and a skeletal Cheshire cat, 13-year-old me took one look at this game and knew that I had to have it. Fun fact – immediately after buying the game, my Dad and I realized that my little laptop was not powerful enough to play it, nor was his work computer. So, I read the asylum casebook story pamphlet that came with the game dozens of times and mounted a relentless campaign to get a better desktop computer so I could finally play it. Within a couple months I got my first desktop computer so I could finally try it.
Based on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, the game centers on Alice Liddell. After her family dies in a house fire, she spends several years in a catatonic state in an insane asylum. Eventually she returns to her childhood fantasy of Wonderland, but it has become twisted by her broken mind. Alice must defeat the Queen of Hearts and her minions to restore her beloved Wonderland – and her sanity.
This game truly started my obsession with horror video games, and the fantastic worlds they could create. I played through it again when it was re-released in 2011 along with the sequel Alice: Madness Returns. While the graphics don’t hold up as well – especially compared to the sequel’s beauty – the story is still solid. Both games are worth a playthrough for their unique spin on Wonderland and its inhabitants.
3. Silent Hill 2 (PS2 / PS5)
Silent Hill 2 (2001) was my first introduction to the franchise. I never really liked the cult aspect of the first game (and certain sequels), but this one intrigued me. Silent Hill is best when it is not just a place, but a representation of an inner purgatory & Hell.
In this game, players control James Sutherland has he searches the monster-filled town of Silent Hill in search of his dead wife, Mary. Along the way he encounters a handful of other tormented souls – Angela Orosco, a teenage runaway looking for her mother; Eddie Dombrowski, a man-child with violent tendencies; and Laura, a bratty little girl who befriended Mary at the hospital. He also encounters Maria, a sultry woman who looks strikingly similar to Mary, causing James to wonder if she is real or just another apparition.
The monsters are chilling and embody the inner demons of James (and, in the case of the “Abstract Daddy”, Angela). As you learn more about the characters and their back stories, the monsters become even more horrific, as you realize exactly what they represent. Each character has turned Silent Hill into their personal Hell, and whether or not they choose to work through their trauma will determine if they will make it out alive.
I highly recommend the 2024 remake for anyone who has not yet played this masterpiece.
4. Fatal Frame (PS2)
Released in the U.S. in 2002, Fatal Frame sent players to explore an abandoned Japanese mansion, with only an old camera for protection against the evil spirits within. Set in 1986, the game centers around Miku Hinasaki, who ventures into the haunted Himuro Mansion looking for her brother, who disappeared after entering the house to search for his missing friends. Unfriendly spirits lurk around every corner and the only way to combat them is by taking their picture with the Camera Obscura. Beware – film is limited and the way to do the most damage is by letting the ghosts get uncomfortably close.
I remember many nights playing this game with the lights off and sound turned up. There were quite a few jump scares and tense moments!
The game spawned two sequels – both of which are just as scary and worth checking out. For those who find the old graphics cringey, the remake of Fatal Frame II: The Crimson Butterfly just came out in early 2026.
5. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (XBox)
Okay, I am going to admit that this game isn’t scary in the slightest, but it is one of my favorite games that uses horror iconography nonetheless. In 2005’s Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse, the player controls Edward “Stubbs” Stubblefield, a zombie who has risen from the dead in a retro-futuristic version of 1959. Stubbs battles various silly villains – my favorite of which are the “Bodyguards Quartet” aka “Internal Security Quartet”, who sing while you fight them – all while eating brains and growing an undead army. There is also a sweet love story, as there always should be with a zombie as the lead.
Aside from the campy humor and fun storyline, this game has a special place in my heart because of the amazing soundtrack. Popular alt rock bands did covers of 50’s and 60’s songs, with Phantom Planet adding a modern zombie-themed track as well. The lineup included Death Cab for Cutie, Oranger, The Dandy Warhols, Cake, and more.
6. Rule of Rose (PS2)
I bought “Rule of Rose” on a whim when it came out in 2006, knowing nothing but what was written on the back cover.
“A story too cruel – too beautiful – to go untold… Set in 1930’s England, the game follows the terrifying tale of a young girl, Jennifer, who wanders unknowingly into a bizarre world not governed by rational adults, but by misguided children. Innocence can give rise to absurd rules and cruel behaviors, as poor Jennifer soon discovers. The children’s desire to preserve their secret society quickly leads them down the path to the unthinkable. How did Jennifer end up in this surreal world? Will the nightmare ever end? The unimaginable truth gradually comes to light as forgotten memories are violently awakened…”
The subject of a moral panic in England prior to its release, this game does deliver on disturbing themes and imagery. It does not shy away from violence and cruelty among the children, but at the same time it maintains a dark fairytale feel – harkening to the morbidly grim tales from long, long ago. The storyline is unnervingly chilling.
Be warned, however, gameplay can be extremely frustrating. The controls are clunky with melee combat, and Jennifer is quite weak both attacking and in health. Much of the time in between cut scenes is spent walking from one area to the next, fighting a few enemies to grab an object to bring back to a location. It gets repetitive a little quickly. But the reward for powering through these annoyances is a compelling story that leaves the player with much to think about and reflect on.
7. Until Dawn (PS4)
Have you ever wanted to be part of a horror movie? In Until Dawn, players helm a group of young adults who must survive in a remote mountain area until they can be rescued at dawn. From a masked killer to mysterious creatures, the narrative twists and turns – and changes depending on your choices. The game features a butterfly effect system, in which your choices affect the character relationships and plot. None of the eight main characters are safe – any of them may die by the game’s conclusion depending on the player’s decisions. And with a strict auto-save, players cannot just easily go back and try again. The story progresses until the conclusion whether a particular character lives or not.
Supermassive Games does a wonderful job of making a playable horror movie that is both tense and challenging – though not impossible for uncoordinated gamers like myself.
Fans of Until Dawn will also enjoy the company’s Dark Picture Anthology series. While the horror video games of the series are shorter than Until Dawn, they utilize the same butterfly effect system. Each game features a different horror subgenre, with fresh scares and scenarios.
8. Detention (Steam)
Released in January 2017 by Red Candle Games, Detention is a 2D atmospheric horror side-scroller set in 1960’s Taiwan, during the White Terror period. Two students, Wei and Ray, find themselves trapped in their high school on a stormy night. They must evade the evil creatures that lurk in the empty halls as they unveil the dark mysteries of their past.
The game incorporates Taiwanese culture and mythology, as well as historical elements from that time period. Its horror is not just from the monsters and spirits, but of political repression and authoritarianism.
9. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark (PS4/Nintendo Switch/Xbox One)
As I mentioned earlier, I am not the most coordinated gamer. So, when I saw the horror visual novel adventure game, Spirit Hunter: Death Mark (June 2017), I thought it looked like a fun dose of horror without any challenging controls.
Set in H City, Tokyo, the game follows Kazuo Yashiki, an amnesiac who is cursed with “the Mark”, a scar caused by encountering a spirit. Bearers of the Mark die at dawn. Yashiki joins forces with other Marked individuals to find and purify spirits, with the hopes that he will be able to end the curse.
Most of the story is told in standard visual novel format with elements of puzzle solving and item collection. Throughout the game players encounter timed challenges, where they must answer questions correctly or risk losing health (a.k.a “Spirit Power”). Lose all your Spirit Power and you will face a game over screen. At the end of each stage, battle the enemy spirit from that area. If the spirit is successfully purified, your companion characters are saved. If the spirit is not purified, a companion will die and the story will continue without them.
The artwork is extremely creepy and unsettling. This is a great game to play alone at night, with all the lights off.
10. Home Sweet Home (PS4 / Xbox One)
I love experiencing horror video games from around the world. Each region approaches spirits and folklore differently. That is why Home Sweet Home (2017) intrigued me – I had never played a Thai horror game before and was excited to learn more about their folklore.
In the game players control Tim, a man distraught over the disappearance of his wide. He wakes in an unfamiliar location pursued by evil spirits. As he evades the monsters, he begins to uncover the mysterious truth behind his wife’s disappearance and the place he believed to be a “home sweet home”.
The game focuses heavily on stealth and hiding from enemies, which starts tense and scary – but over time can become frustrating. Much of the story is told through diary pages and articles, slowly unraveling the game’s mysteries and introducing players to the lore.
11. Little Nightmares II (PS4)
This 2021 sequel to 2017’s Little Nightmares, builds upon the original’s disturbing imagery and takes players on some heart wrenching twists and turns as they navigate the horrors of the Pale City and discover its dark secrets.
In the game players control Mono, a young boy with a bag over his head. After waking from a strange dream in The Wilderness, he frees Six, the little girl in a yellow raincoat from the first game. The two face monstrous beings and dangerous entities as they try to stop the signal tower, whose broadcasts seem to be twisting and distorting all residents of the Pale City.
The game’s scariest antagonist, The Thin Man, has some genuinely terrifying sequences. His entrance by crawling out of the television screen is nightmarish and each encounter with him is tense.
Each new area offers new scares and creepy settings. Despite a lack of dialogue, you truly come to care about Mono and his survival. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that the game’s ending has stayed with me for a very long time.
12. Silent Hill F (PS5)
Silent Hill F combines my favorite parts of the Silent Hill franchise with Japanese culture. Set in the fictional town of Ebisugaoka in 1960’s Japan, you play as high school student Hinako Shimizu, navigating monster-filled streets engulphed in Silent Hill’s signature fog. The game also takes players to a dark shrine with a mysterious (and attractive) man in a Fox Mask. As with all Silent Hill games, the monsters take on unique and creative forms – all metaphors for Hinako’s subconscious fears. The settings are creepy and some of the cut scenes are truly disturbing.
In order to unlock the full story and complete Hinako’s character arc, players must complete the game four times and make certain choices while playing. It is best to have a walk-through guide handy on subsequent playthroughs to make sure you achieve the ending you want. Or, if you don’t have the patience, just play through once and then watch the different endings via a gaming streamer. Each playthrough features slight changes in the dialogue, some differences in the cut scenes, and different end battles, but large swaths of the game are mostly the same.
13. Subliminal (Steam)
With an Episode 1 release date of March 31st, 2026, this is the most recent game on this list, but I have been obsessed with it. I love liminal horror. Familiar settings are made alien through unnatural stillness, unending pathways, and impossible architecture. Liminal horror games have been around for years, using the Unreal Engine to make photo-realistic settings. Exploring these settings can be creepy for a time, but too many games fall short of the horror aspect by a lack in monsters or any real gameplay. Subliminal is the first liminal horror game I’ve played that truly delivers on both setting and horror.
In the game you play as Caleb, a man who apparently needs to work through an unknown trauma. Guided by Caleb’s subconscious (voiced by the amazing Max Howarth), you venture deep into his mind to relieve some of his most treasured and sacred core memories. As you venture through his childhood basement, a water park, a play place, and more, you’ll start to get a rotting feeling that something is not quite right. Be careful of what lurks in the darkest corners of the mind.
Episode 1 has four possible endings, with multiple paths making repeat gameplay unique and enjoyable. The exploratory gameplay and random puzzle combinations kept everything fresh and exciting. The controls can be a little clunky, however, and I did experience a few glitches during my playthroughs in early April – sometimes having to restart a section to fix the issue.
Overall, I think that Episode 1 is intriguing and offers a unique gameplay worth trying. I can’t wait to learn more about Caleb and what lies in his subconscious in Episode 2!
What Horror Video Games are You Playing?
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