10 Must Play Horror Games This Spooky Season
The time is nigh, and this month I’m sure a lot of readers will be playing or streaming their favourite horror games this month. But have you played all of these?
The time is nigh, and this month I’m sure a lot of readers will be playing or streaming their favourite horror games this month. But have you played all of these? In no particular order, we present to you…
10. Alien: Isolation
Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror set in an atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger.
Alien: Isolation is a truly unique experience. Developed by Creative Assembly, who weirdly you might know from the TOTAL WAR games, who successfully managed to single-handedly revitalise the ‘Alien’ franchise when they created this masterpiece.
Isolation has coined many a copy cat since it’s launch but none have managed to capture the essence of survival horror quite like this.
- A must play for any Alien fan
- Immersive audio design that keeps you on your toes
- Tense atmosphere’s throughout
- A steady difficulty curve
9. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Fear and isolation seep through the walls of an abandoned southern farmhouse. “7” marks a new beginning for survival horror with the “Isolated View” of the visceral new first-person perspective.
Since 1997, Resident Evil has created many memorable moments for horror, but I don’t believe any have been better executed since it’s ‘relaunch’ with Resident Evil 7 in 2017.
‘7’ gave us a fresh new way to experience Resident Evil, opting for first person with emphasis on ‘survival’.
- A thrilling story
- Well executed level design
- Good jump scares
- The Baker family are horrendous
- A good game to get into Resident Evil
8. Until Dawn
When eight friends are trapped on a remote mountain retreat and things quickly turn sinister, they start to suspect they aren’t alone.
Gripped by fear and with tensions in the group running high, you’ll be forced to make snap decisions that could mean life, or death, for everyone involved.
Until Dawn is a truly unique horror experience, giving the player FULL control over the outcome of the story. With branching story outcomes due to a large array of dialogue options, you’ll always find yourself questioning your choices.
Ultimately, Until Dawn delivers an amazing story, grizzly deaths and tension like you never thought you could experience in such a way.
- Solid acting from cast
- Graphically amazing, even for a 6 year old PS4 game
- Grizzly deaths
- Haunting baddie
- Beautiful environments
7. Detention
Detention is an atmospheric horror game set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law. Incorporated religious elements based in Taiwanese/Chinese culture and mythology, the game provided players with unique graphics and gaming experience.
Not the longest game in this list, but certainly one of the most disturbing. You will slowly unravel the mystery of the story, ultimately drawing your own conclusions by the end.
Wander this lonely, off-quirk school in an almost Metroid / Castlevania side scrolling manner – solving puzzles and finding items along the way to make it to the end. And what an end it is.
Detention delivers phycological horror in a way that can only be compared to Silent Hill.
- Eerie audio design
- Satisfying puzzles
- Creepy mythological monsters
- Surreal story
- Amazing environments
6. Alan Wake
A Dark Presence stalks the small town of Bright Falls, pushing Alan Wake to the brink of sanity in his fight to unravel the mystery and save his love.
Alan Wake is a classic psychological horror video game and one that stands the test of time. It carries a truly unique way of handling horror, something that would seem a mere copycat by comparison.
Bright Falls is a wonderfully eerie environment for Alan to adventure, with strong emphasis on light. And with the recent remastered version of this game, there has never been a more perfect time to play it as a new player, or go back in and see it with fancy new textures.
- Beautiful environments
- Light is used very well here
- Psychological horror has you trying to piece the story together as you play it
- Ties into the larger ‘Remedy’ lore (with the likes of following games such as Control)
5. Observer: System Redux
The year is 2084. In a dark cyberpunk world shattered by plagues and wars, become a neural police detective and hack into the jagged minds of others. Make use of anything they felt, thought, or remembered to solve the case and catch the elusive killer.
Featuring the late and great Rutger Hauer, Observer delivers a horror experience unlike any other. Set in a very dark cyberpunk world with incredible detail, you’ll be solving puzzles, stealthily escaping monsters and hacking peoples memories.
The concept of hacking into a mentally disturbed individual to piece together the murder of a loved one sets the table for an incredible horror experience that you’ll remember for years to come.
- Beautiful world
- Amazing performance by Rutger Hauer
- Incredible set pieces
- An amazing remake of the 2017 classic
4. Dead Space
You are Isaac Clarke, an engineer on the spacecraft USG Ishimura. You’re not a warrior. You’re not a soldier. You are, however, the last line of defence for the remaining living crew.
Dead Space is a remarkable experience, so much so – it’s getting a full remake in the next 1-2 years to bring the experience to a whole new audience.
The original (2008) however, still remains a true horror experience and one that you shouldn’t pass on, regardless of it’s age. Especially with the PC version showing far superior effects and control.
- Fast paced
- Set the benchmark for science fiction survival horror
- Extremely violent
- Incredible atmosphere
- Very tense
3. Silent Hill 2
James Sunderland has arrived in the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his wife, Mary, despite that she had died from an illness three years ago. The letter states that Mary is waiting for James in their “special place,” but this confuses James as the whole town of Silent Hill was their special place.
It’s near impossible to think of the landscape of horror video games without thinking about Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
In my opinion, Silent Hill 2 is a probably the strongest of the original trilogy and a perfect entry into the franchise. It goes to show, survival horror games don’t need to be modern to be good. A must play.
- Silent Hill is an eerie location
- The story evolves in a very clever way
- Alarming psychological horror
- Strong adult themes
- Fixed camera angles and audio queues still work well
2. Amensia: Rebirth
A first-person horror adventure. Uncover your past and survive the Algerian desert. Fear is your enemy; stay calm to not succumb to an illness threatening you and your loved one. Avoid darkness, hide from monsters and solve puzzles. Adventure Mode available for a less scary experience.
Amensia is a truly strong survival horror game franchise, with “Rebirth” being the most modern and the most graphically powerful title.
Delivering a horrifying story, leaning heavily on survival horror – you’ll find yourself watching around every corner and slowly but surely screaming along the way.
- Lack of player ‘death’ mechanic, frees the developer to lean more heavily on the horror component
- Multiple endings
- Ability to be scared without relying on cheap jump scares or splatter effects
- Oppressive atmosphere
- You always feel vulnerable
1. P.T. (Silent Hills)
P.T. centres on an unnamed protagonist who awakens in a concrete-lined room and opens a door to a haunted corridor, in which he can only walk through a hallway which continuously loops and redecorates itself.
I don’t think I have ever played something so sinister, so ‘on the edge’ as P.T. – the interactive demo designed and directed by Hideo Kojima in conjunction with horror filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro.
Released under the synonym “7780s Studio” and published by Konami in 2014, P.T. served as a teaser for a new Silent Hill game, revealed as Silent Hills by the end of the demo that was eventually cancelled by Konami and removed from the PlayStation store which prompted an incredible amount of fan criticism and support for being able to re-download and install.
- A very clever way to tease a new video game
- Strong environmental storytelling
- Very powerful atmosphere
- Clever use of puzzles to reveal story elements
And that’s it! There are 10 horror video games that should try and play this Halloween season. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out our other posts such as this week’s free pc games.
Until next time. Stay spooky. 👻🎃
