Best horror games to play today

Horror is a genre that has video games of all shapes and sizes. Some of the most iconic franchises and characters in all of gaming have come from a very dark place, and the list of classic titles spans more than two decades, going back almost as far as the medium itself. As sequels and remasters become more and more popular, many gamers are turning back the clock and revisiting some of the older games in the genre, many of which had a huge impact on the development and establishment of the best IPs in the business.

However, many of these games are borderline or completely unplayable, whether due to terrible date control schemes, poor platform accessibility, or being completely removed for purchase or download. Despite this, there's definitely some fun to be had, especially for horror fans who prefer a more historical feel, and gameplay aside, it's hard to appreciate some of these titles for the impact they've had on the genre, leaving legacies that have outlasted mainstream attention.

8

clock tower

Pioneering early horror design

Description:

• Helpless hero with real fear

• Expensive originals and slow mechanics

original clock towerAnd the sequels that followed, too, helped define survival horror long before the genre's true breakthrough, introducing players to a world full of constant stickers with no real ways to fight back. Scissorman remains one of horror gaming's most iconic antagonists, creating tension by existing in the same space as the player and scaring many fans to this day.

Unfortunately, the game has fallen into obscurity, but time has also shown its age. The original Super Famicom release never officially left Japan, and later ports are rare and expensive, and even on the PC version, the point-and-click interface is painfully slow by modern standards. Also, there are a lot of unclear interactions and trial-and-error deaths that feel more frustrating than scary, so without a quality-of-life update or a complete re-release, the game will remain in the past as an important relic that, unfortunately, could not stand the test of time.

7

sweet home

Resident Evil Ancestor

Description:

• A blend of RPG mechanics and eerie atmosphere

• It is impossible to come from the border line

of Capcom sweet home is a game that most horror fans have never heard of, but without it, Resident Evil The bus simply will not exist. Its haunted environment laid the groundwork for the early entries in the Umbrella Saga, and many systems were decades ahead of their time, such as the moral choice system and fairly deep RPG mechanics.

Today, however, the game is nearly impossible to play legitimately. It was never released outside of Japan, never remastered, and remains locked on the NES, meaning that even diehard fans will struggle to find it. Even cloned versions struggle with archaic menus and a punishing design philosophy involving permadeath that serves as a primary disappointment for those brave enough to try it.

6

Alone in the dark

Genre-defining in its early days

Description:

• Fixed camera and puzzle-driven exploration

• Tank control and awkward combat

alone in the dark is a name that players may have come across many times over the years, and for good reason. The first in the series was a revolutionary experience that featured fixed cameras and a heavy emphasis on puzzle exploration, aspects that would later be adopted by a large number of horror games in the 2000s and beyond.

Those same elements that made it groundbreaking now make it incredibly difficult to play. The tank controls are dull for some but incredibly frustrating for others, and the combat is far from fun, hampered mainly by camera angles that become more of a problem than the enemies.

5

Friday the 13th

Equal parts infamous and impressive

Description:

• An open-ended structure ahead of its time

• Deceptive design and relentless difficulty

NES Friday the 13th It has become notorious for its confusing design, obscene difficulty, and lack of clear objectives that leave even veteran players scratching their heads. Despite its reputation, it was an ambitious experience that featured multiple playable advisors and a very open-ended structure that was quite unusual for its era.

For those who want to dive in, the game is playable on PC sites and, of course, the original NES, players should have access to one, but even with a big name attached to it, the whole experience feels closer to a kind of twisted torture than an actual fun gaming session.

4

secret world

Another gem lost to live service decay

Description:

• Lovecraftian mythos is woven into the MMO

• Original game taken offline

secret world Blending Lovecraftian myth and real-world folklore into a series of compelling and deeply unsatisfying questlines, it delivered one of the most intelligent horror stories ever seen in an MMO. Tone was very unique in the space, offering what many players asked for, and delivering on almost every front.

The original game saw relative success, but it was eventually replaced by Secret World LegendsThat eliminated many systems and simplified progress, ultimately doing more harm than good. Today, players are no longer able to experience the game as it was designed in 2012, and many consider what remains to be a mere shadow of something far more spectacular and a reminder of how fragile live-service games can be.

3

D

Cinematic horror frozen in time

Description:

• A disturbing story told through cinematic sequences

• Brutally dated by today's standards

D It was a bold attempt to incorporate cinematic sequences into the world of horror gaming, telling a disturbing story through pre-rendered environments and timed exploration that was unlike anything else made before. The unsettling imagery and psychological themes left a strong impression on early PlayStation players, with many placing it among other cult-classics within the genre.

In the end, though, time was the game's worst enemy, and today, it feels brutally dated thanks to slow pacing and clumsy interactions that create more tension than real tension. Also, its storytelling relies heavily on shock value rather than intelligent narrative devices, making it feel more like an awkward interactive movie than a game.

2

Enemy Zero

To hear is to see

Description:

• Invisible enemies that created tense moments

• The PC version has been abandoned, and the only other port was for the Saturn

Enemy Zero One of those games that is remembered for some very interesting ideas and innovative design, but otherwise has been completely forgotten in later years. Invisible enemies take center stage, forcing players to focus on sounds more than ever before, creating a truly terrifying experience for those playing it for the first time.

All these years later, though, much of the game's charm has sadly faded. The primary mechanics rely heavily on accurate audio signals that modern audio setups often distort, and when factoring in the tight controls and punishing combat, the whole experience becomes quite a chore, with too many issues that heavily overshadow any potential positives.

1

PT

The greatest horror that no longer exists

Description:

• Modern horror design reshaped

• Removed from store after canceling Studio

It's hard to mention horror without bringing it up PTAs such, despite only being released in demo form, many players consider it one of the most important and influential games in the entire genre. With Kojima at the helm, the game sought to deliver an incredibly unsettling and deeply psychological experience, a contrast within a space otherwise filled with copycats and familiar faces.

Initial acclaim was stellar, but in the end, the game was canceled and removed from the PlayStation Store, preventing anyone who wasn't lucky enough to download it from playing it. Countless other games have tried to capture some of its elements and feel, but there has yet to be a successor that manages to deliver the same terrifying horror and nail-biting tension. These days, it stands as one of the rarest games on the planet, found only on a few lucky consoles by people willing to keep the game around much longer than it actually existed.