A lot of video games of different genres are released every year, but horror games deserve special attention. There is no genre that makes you feel more alive than horror games. They attract a large number of fans and there is a reason for that: players have a chance to feel like their hearts are jumping out of their chests from fear and need to act in order to survive.
Not all horror games are characterised by bloody scenes – there are games with creepy visuals and that is enough for a lot of gamers. A ghost, a fantastic creature or a zombie are as dangerous to the main character as other people.
No media can scare as much as horror video games. The interactive part of this genre means that players will have to face fear, they will be immersed in a terrifying world that has been created by the developers.
Video games have been scary since the early 1980s. Today, the genre is rapidly evolving and fans of tickling their nerves find favourites for themselves.
The List of the Scariest Games
Horror games have become more terrifying over the years and in recent years they have been some of the scariest games in the history of the industry. This list includes:
- Fear Before Fear (2021-2022), an episodic horror game. The first episode is about a home invasion. The second episode is about a creepy hotel. Here, the player will have to hear a knock on the door while watching a stranger through the blinds.
- The Killer House (2020) is a slow-paced game with tension building to an unrelenting level. Here the killer is presented as the Easter bunny. Seeing him in the dark hallway, the blood starts flowing fast in your veins.
- White Day: A Labyrinth Named School (2017) – The player will have to explore a haunted high school. This exploration will not be easy. You have to avoid a janitor with a baseball bat along the way. But that’s not the worst part. There are plenty of ghosts in the hallways, which are divided into evil and not so evil. Some may just turn off lights or make noise, while others may suddenly appear in front of the main character to terrify him.
- Iron Lung (2022) is a creepy horror game where players must control a submarine and take pictures of different places underwater. The atmosphere is perfectly conveyed here. Scary noises are heard from time to time near the submarine.
- The Watcher (2017) is a psychological horror game that uses a cyberpunk atmosphere. A frightening set of gadgets is provided for the player to solve crimes.
- Deaf in the Night (2020) – The scene takes place in a hotel with a creepy view. There is a psychopathic killer roaming around. The main character should avoid him.
- Welcome to the Game 2 (2018) – The villain is hiding in an apartment, and the player should find the hidden passages to save the woman.
- Predictive (2022) – the player should do a lot of mystical investigations using different tools. The safety of the main character is threatened by a malevolent entity.
- Song of Horrors (2019) – the game is scary from start to finish. It is based on collecting items and solving puzzles. The anxiety is caused by avoiding horrible enemies in your path. The main character, when he becomes a victim of one of the assassins, dies, and you have to choose a new character to continue the game.
- Visage (2020) – The character is in a dark and sinister country house. He needs to solve the mysteries of the past. He encounters supernatural things along the way.
- Northbury Grove (2019) – the player should run as hard as he can, as a killer is following him. It is very difficult to outrun the demon in a confined space, so it would be best to hide.
- Bloodshed (2021) – the trip to the laundry room will prove to be a dangerous adventure for the player.
- Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019) – the player takes on the role of Officer Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who are setting up a zombie epidemic in Raccoon City. You can learn more about this game series in Britannica.
- Layers of Fear (2019) is an ambitious horror game that will take the player aboard a cruise ship with a disturbing story that revolves around a pair of ticketless passengers.
These games have been out for the past five years. In that time, they have become a favorite for many gamers in the genre. Quality graphics, modern technology, stylish sound and visual effects quickly attracted a large number of users.
And the worst video games of all time are presented in the table:
| Eternal Darkness (2002) | The game offers a different gameplay experience. |
| The Last of Us (2013) | Spectacular game design elements raise the stakes along with the player’s heart rate. |
| PT (2014) | One of the scariest games where a character wanders down a winding corridor and a cursed ghost appears each time and scares him to death. |
| Silent Hill (1999) | The game remains creepy throughout its 20 years of existence. |
| Amnesia: Dark Descent (2010) | The game throws you into a creepy castle where you must complete horrible puzzles. |
| The Evil Within (2014) | It’s a horrible survival game. It gives no time for a break. |
Fans of casino games can also find a collection of mystical and terrifying games on the sites. The nice free bonus slot machines give you the opportunity to keep playing your favorite game and enjoy your time.
A large list of video horror games is also available on the Wikipedia page.
Reasons Why People Play Horror Games
Horror games, both games and movies, are always associated with stress. Everyone has enough excitement and tension in everyday life. However, people still like to visit a horrible old house full of ghosts and scares in their spare time.
There may be several reasons why people play scary games:
- lack of emotion in real life – some people like to get adrenaline, while others like to get a thrill, and third ones are distracted from their problems;
- people struggle with personal fears – they avoid real fears and come to fictional ones; trying on images of a victim, saviour or murderer;
- presence of hidden aggression – it is a way for some people to let off steam and aggression;
- interest in the topic of death – realistic video games help some people get a taste of life to the fullest.
And there are people who don’t need a reason to play their favourite game. They just open it and proceed to pass the levels. Without fear, excitement or prejudice. Wild screams, flashing lights, afterlife sounds, creaking old doors only increase the desire to pass such a game to the end.
