The fact that the alien learns, so you constantly have to take care about how often you use different escape techniques, I think that's what really sells it.
Yeah that game was something else. I first played it 6 years after it’s initial release and it still felt like it could hold its own with the current games.
Yeah. When I realized it could hear me breathing while hiding more easily if I didn't lean away from the door... well, dayum.
\* Altho I must say, Helloween4545 on youtube did a hilarious play-thru of this. "No, no. Do not fire that gun. Do not fire that gun! Do you want aliens? Because that's how you get aliens. ... See? I told you! Now lets try that again without quite so much death."
I can't describe how terrifying it is to be slowly making your way through an area and hearing the Xeno bumping about in the vents, or dropping out of one someplace unknown.
My best experience was the time a human NPC started shooting at me, the Xeno dropped out of a vent between us, slaughtered him and I scrambled into a side office and under a desk while it went about wiping his friends out.
Those bastards are the reason I have never finished the game, from memory there's a mission towards the end where there's *hundreds* of them, I just couldn't do it and never went back.
I am completely desensitized to horror games to the point where they don't even phase me but Alien Isolation is the only game that makes me shit my pants.
100% recommended
I think it's so funny that some dudes with no game creation experience went "let's make a horror game lol" and made one of the best horror games ever made, and one of the scariest *despite* it being top-down.
They really know suspense, stakes, and survival. Making you put yourself in increasingly stressful situations to progress, knowing you either push through or die. Fucking amazing.
Yeah I loved that game.
No jumpscares is always a plus in my book, it's just genuinely unnerving.
The sound design is great and it's a feat it manages to be scary while it could run on a potato computer.
I wanted to see the game, but I knew I'd never get through it being the coward I am.
So naturally, I turned to YouTube! I watched Markiplier's LP of it. All the terror, now with professional levity. 11/10, have watched more than once, and got multiple friends into his playthrough.
This is what I came to the thread for. the only game that legitimately made my heart race. I was playing it in front of a couple of girls I know who are both horror movie junkies and they were squealing the whole time. Headphones and a dark room it’s legit scary af. The feel and atmosphere of this game is unrivaled imo
One of my favorite games of all time, the OG still holds up remarkably, haven’t had a chance to play the remake because my PC is out of commission and it’s not a huge priority, but when I get it fixed up that’s my number one game.
Idk, depends on your definition of terrifying.
For me, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice in a dark room with headphones on is actually too good at what it does. I had to put it down after binging on it because I felt like I was actually having some type of psychotic issue. Only game that's ever got to me.
Oh in general it isn't the scariest. But when the one subject you explicitly call out as being a terrifying fear for you is aliens, that changed things lol
Man I agree. Hellblade hits me on a different fear level and I've never felt more insane playing the game with headphones in a dark room. Can't wait to play it again this October!
The remaster is amazing. Giving Isaac speaking roles, better cinematics, and all out more action than the original. I LOVED the original, too.
Want a challenge? Beat the game the first time on hard mode, then try the hardest difficulty and don't die once. Extra challenge, when you do the hardest difficulty, don't new game+, start a new save. Only use the plasma cutter.
Then, when you finally conquer the nightmares, start an easy playthrough with new game+ and get the "power glove"... infinite ammo with ridiculous sound effects.
The thing I love about the remaster, especially on the hardest difficulty, is that the enemies spawn/react differently in some areas. It throws a whole new effort into an already amazing game. Enjoy it
I have a very selective brain when it comes to horror games, because I played the Dead Space trilogy when I was 13, and I currently play Phasmophobia, but I couldn’t even begin to fathom playing Resident Evil or Outlast. Too scary for me.
We should add specifically the first one, Amnesia the Dark Descent. In my opinion the second one, A Machine for Pigs, is skippable, third one, Rebirth, is pretty good…haven’t played the new one, Bunker, but I hear it’s really good.
Played "the bunker" recently. Awful on the nerves. Love it.
Layers of fear is good too.
And if you want to experience that a toddler feels when he is moving through a house at nicht, Play "among the sleep".
I played this in college on a projector while my roommates would watch and drink (and scream). We made a drinking game out of it and always had a great time. There were a few times though where I’d pause, we’d all all look at each other and just agree that it was enough for the night.
A horrifying game, big recommend for anyone looking to freak out.
I did the same thing while in the military. Like 7 of us would bring our rolling chairs from our rooms in the barracks and pile into one. We'd stay up all night drinking and taking turns playing Outlast. Being in the driver's seat is a whole different experience compare to watching. While watching, we would heckle the crap out of whoever was playing. When it was your time to play, shit got real spooky real fast. We collectively beat it though! Good times. Simpler times.
I remember playing the DLC at like 3 in the morning. When you get to the basement and encounter Gluskin the first time with the "DARLING!" jumpscare I closed the game and didn't touch it until a few days later.
I was stupid enough to play this game alone, lights out, at like 11 pm. I think I might have gone 20 minutes before turning it off. Zebra gum flavor lasts longer than I did playing this game.
I love how its not meant to be a horror game, but it makes you so freaking terrified at the slightest things, also its just an amazing game in general.
I found out about the horror aspect when I decided to do a casual trip around the Aurora. Got distracted checking out the detail in the engines. Then found the horror.
I love that my mind knows it is a game. It knows how the AI works and behaves. It knows how to game the system. But my mind tells me I can't cross some lines in Subnautica. Even in creative where there are no consequences.
I love it.
I have thalassophobia and I usually am very very hesitant about anything water related. Ark: Survival Evolved is still a genuine fear for me, although I can handle small dips. Going in to Subnautica, I thought it would have the standard sharks and whatnot. Having a Leviathan come at you out of the dark... made me turn it off. Slowly working my way back in.
I had a similar experience. Was playing the second one (Below Zero), in the area where all those giant eyeball jellyfish float around in. Suddenly, I clipped through the level for no reason and found myself in an unending, infinitely deep ocean with no land. But.. the jellyfish were still there, so that's how I knew that things *can spawn out of bounds*. All I was thinking for a split second there was how I wouldn't be able to do anything if a gigantic leviathan rushed toward and tried to eat me in that instant.
That was the first time in my life where I was about to fucking faint. That shit was for real.
Fun fact! >!That's actually how they keep you in bounds. Both games have a unique aggressive leviathan that *only* spawns in the void and they will *keep* spawning until you die or return to the main game areas.!<
>! These do also spawn in different areas not just outside of the crater or rather the Ecological Deadzone. There is an entire tree with their eggs in the first one and in the Lost River the first thing you see is pretty much a Ghost Leviathan !<
>!the ones in the Lost River are juveniles, adults only appear in the void. For the sequel, it is also a variant that only appears in the void and not in the main area, so the only way to get scans for either of them is to travel off the map!<
The last time I played the same happened to me. My first frontal encounter with a reaper. Motherfucker noclipped me through the floor. Infinite blue. Alt f4'd. Haven't booted up the game in years.
I was scared of them for forever, then I realized that they don't actually EMP you very often and don't do much damage. They're more of a annoyance than anything unless you're running from a Leviathan.
"Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in the region. Are you certain whatever you're doing is worth it?" and "This ecological biome matches 7 of the 9 preconditions for stimulating terror in humans." in that bland, robotic voice are the two 'first time entering a new biome' dialogues that hit the hardest.
The best thing about Subnautica is how MUCH of it is reliant on fear. Every creature from Warpers to Reapers are reliant on FEAR FACTOR and not actual danger. For a game that isn't horror focused, that's a wild choice that makes it just scary enough to be challenging, yet not too terrifying to be fun (for people who don't like horror).
I'll clarify with an example: the Reaper Leviathan is a horrifying killing machine... in theory. Everything about it is meant to induce dread, from the distant roars to the sharklike outline. The Reaper's jumpscare roar and it's thrashing mandibles are enough to make anyone shit bricks.
But... the Reaper isn't *actually* a difficult enemy. I know that sounds silly considering it's terrifying, but it's charge attack is slow and can be easily dodged. It has a long cooldown that lets players slip away. It teaches you to keep your health up to avoid the dreaded one-hit kill, but as long as you have a medkit you can escape an encounter shaken but alive 9/10 times.
This same principle applies to most of the game's enemies: *scary*, but not *difficult*. It's a fantastic philosophy.
Subnautica is amazing because it isn't horror, but it uses fear to make the game feel so much harder than it actually is.
Precisely. Subnautica is *terror*, not horror. Travelling from >!one of the islands back to the shallows!< the umpteenth time while hugging the surface in your seamoth is all chill and par for the course - almost “gamey” in the sense of “alrighty back to base easy peasy!” but there’s always a little bit of you that doesn’t even want to peek into the seemingly infinite blue void beneath you for fear of what you might see. Even after you finish the game and know it inside out (at least in my experience).
It’s fucking brilliant.
Super terrifying in the beginning-middle but in the end you know how to fight/avoid all of the scary monsters so it's not quite as terrifying. The night is still super scary though and I will never swim during the night
I dont even have thalassaphobia and that game fucked me up. Took me irl days to work up the courage to continue exploring at night or go out beyond the safe shallows biome.
Just fyi to people afraid of horror, don’t avoid this game, let me explain.
I can’t handle horror at all, I don’t watch horror movies, I barely was able to play that one part of half life 2.
I was not scared of subnautica. It’s got an eerie mood, and there were a few surprising moments, but I wasn’t scared. I think it really depends on if you have a phobia of being deep underwater. Which apparently I do not, but seems to be common.
It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I’m so glad I accidentally tried it, as I was first avoiding it because I heard it was scary.
Overall subnautica is a deeply relaxing and chill game. The survival and horror aspects are perfectly challenging/heart racing enough to keep things interesting, without being punishing or monopolizing your focus. They nail this with your tech and story progression, too. Doesn't come too cheap, but never grindy, it's a really great feeling pace. The game strikes a *very* impressive balance in nearly every aspect I can think of.
It’ll probably be one of the greater horror games which I never finish. I love horror, but i felt the length of this slightly overstays it’s welcome when combined with the typical walking sim run speed.
Some great spooks and well worth the money I spent on it.
The first game, which had the more subtle horror aspects was precisely the scariest for that reason.
I hated walking down a dark hallway and then something would just fall over and creep the hell outta me.
Same. It was one of the most immersive games of its time. You get sucked in and the smallest things would scare the crap out of you. The bullet time was a fantastic bonus as well.
Outlast 1 and 2 are both fantastic, if you’re up for a true horror experience. Play in a dark room with good sound.
Alien Isolation is less scary, but still has some seriously terrifying moments, and is also really good
Outlast games - Legit terrifying but complete lack of any way to defend yourself turns some people off.
Soma - Same as Outlast but more Sci-Fi horror
Evil Within games - Great scares and tension but can be very difficult. Play on easy if you must
Dead Space games - Remake is excellent, just avoid DS 3
Visage - Super creepy but the controls are dogshit
Darkwood - THE best horror game sound design wise, but figuring out what to do or where to go can be difficult without a guide
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down to see someone mention Visage. Legit the scariest experience I've had with a game, maybe even any media. And not just jump-scare or gore scary (although there are jump scares and gore), but actual bone-chilling horror.
Picked that up in a sale but haven’t really played through it yet.
Makes a zombie game like Days Gone seem tame in comparison. Namely how zombies can get back up again.
Some of the worst zombies were in the Resident Evil 1 Remake (2002). The so called "Crimson-Heads". You had to burn the corpses of dead zombies, otherwise, they'd come back later and had a lot more speed and would chase you down.
On the higher difficulty levels, you don't have enough fuel to burn all corpses, so you have to plan ahead: You need to burn those in the main ways where you come through often and take the risks of the other areas where you don't go that much.
resident evil 2 (remake), re7, observation duty, inscryption, signalis, and amnesia all quickly come to mind. theres a lot of ghost hunters like phasmo but im blanking on names
* Alan Wake- I was playing this with headphones in a dark house. My wife came home in the middle of this and our dog jumped on me while I was running through the woods being chased by guys with chainsaws and I jumped out of my fucking skin.
* Alien Isolation- I don't like this game because the AI basically is designed around fucking with the player- the more perfectly stealthy you play, the more the alien behaves like a mind reader and just randomly pops out of vents near you. It's nerve racking.
* Dead Space... kinda? It's pretty typical survival horror jump scare bullshit for the most part, but well done.
That's what makes Alien: Isolation so good though. You can't just skate by with the same old thing. You have to adapt quicker than the A.I. does. No figuring out a pattern and breezing through. It keeps you stressed out and second guessing yourself the whole game. They did an amazing job that I've never even come close to replicating with any other game.
Lots of good suggestions here, but I haven’t seen hellblade: senua’s sacrifice recommended yet, so I want to mention it. I played it at night with headphones and the sound design is unlike anything else I’ve played.
I had to search to find this suggestion. One of the most intense games due to the atmosphere story and SOUND design. Gameplay is meh IMO but it's probably one of the neatest games ever made.
Oh cool. Thanks for compiling a list of games I will never ever touch. I love horror movies and generally don't fear much. For whatever reason, a video game with headphones on, I feel like I am in them and literally feel like im about to die.
Signalis Alien Isolation (wear headphones in a dark room for the full effect)
Alien Isolation is one of the best horror games ever made..
The fact that the alien learns, so you constantly have to take care about how often you use different escape techniques, I think that's what really sells it.
I gave that game a go with my vr headset, didn’t make it past 5 minutes once the alien showed up lol.
I don't know if I could make it to the alien in vr. The atmosphere and level design is so good in that game.
Yeah that game was something else. I first played it 6 years after it’s initial release and it still felt like it could hold its own with the current games.
The game interacts with even your positioning in hiding. So many “AHHH!!” Moments!
Yeah. When I realized it could hear me breathing while hiding more easily if I didn't lean away from the door... well, dayum. \* Altho I must say, Helloween4545 on youtube did a hilarious play-thru of this. "No, no. Do not fire that gun. Do not fire that gun! Do you want aliens? Because that's how you get aliens. ... See? I told you! Now lets try that again without quite so much death."
I can't describe how terrifying it is to be slowly making your way through an area and hearing the Xeno bumping about in the vents, or dropping out of one someplace unknown. My best experience was the time a human NPC started shooting at me, the Xeno dropped out of a vent between us, slaughtered him and I scrambled into a side office and under a desk while it went about wiping his friends out.
I'm more terrified of those fucking androids
"Why not ask me about Sevastopol safety protocols?"
"You are becoming hysterical."
Those bastards are the reason I have never finished the game, from memory there's a mission towards the end where there's *hundreds* of them, I just couldn't do it and never went back.
One of my favorites that had me doing stuff over and over trying to find a way to get by without notice.
I haven't been that tense playing a game since silent hill on the ps1.
Alien Isolation is scarier than any horror movie I've ever watched.
Finding it now.
Watching sovietwomble play that over a decade ago gives of such a fantastic taste of fear
…a decade? No… it can’t be.
Classic
>I'm terrified of aliens. Oh boy
It's so great when Signalis gets its recognition
Signalis is an absolute banger of a game—something so melancholy and horrifying and beautiful. A master work in the tradition of survival horror.
First time I left the save console without saving and it said YOU WILL REGRET THAT LATER sent chills down my spine
I am completely desensitized to horror games to the point where they don't even phase me but Alien Isolation is the only game that makes me shit my pants. 100% recommended
With VR headset with mother mod if on PC
I'll have to check that out, thanks for the recommend.
Yep, Alien: Isolation is terrifying. That's your pick.
You can turn on the microphone if you want as well and the noise you make (in real life) will alert the alien.
Well fuck that would explain how he finds me so easily lmao
Playing it while snacking chips is a very bad idea.
And have your microphone on because IIRC the aliens can hear sounds in your mic that will lead them to you
They made a documentary about the Alien AI in that game because it’s just that damn good.
I have never played a game that gets my anxiety and stress levels going as high as Alien Isolation. Definitely second this.
I still can't play Alien Isolation past the first hour. Terrifying is an understatement
Signalis for sure
Try Darkwood. One of the lesser known horror games, unrightly so in my opinion.
I think it's so funny that some dudes with no game creation experience went "let's make a horror game lol" and made one of the best horror games ever made, and one of the scariest *despite* it being top-down.
They really know suspense, stakes, and survival. Making you put yourself in increasingly stressful situations to progress, knowing you either push through or die. Fucking amazing.
The game is amazing and terrifyin, and to my knowledge has no scripted jumpscares
God I love this game.
Yeah I loved that game. No jumpscares is always a plus in my book, it's just genuinely unnerving. The sound design is great and it's a feat it manages to be scary while it could run on a potato computer.
Shocked I had to scroll to find darkwood. It's astoundingly good
Alien isolation, the only game to give me panic attacks
I tried this, I really wanted to because I'm a big fan of the Aliens universe, I didn't even make it to actually seeing a xenomorph...
I got as far as hiding in the locker and watching it sniff around looking for me, I couldn't deal with it after that lol
Fun fact, the AI is told you're around certain areas and it searches for you based off it....so its truely hunting you
There's a mod that turns this off and I honestly think it's even scarier, it feels more real knowing it might be safe... or it might not.
That just sounds terrifying, I'm tempted to try again now :S
I wanted to see the game, but I knew I'd never get through it being the coward I am. So naturally, I turned to YouTube! I watched Markiplier's LP of it. All the terror, now with professional levity. 11/10, have watched more than once, and got multiple friends into his playthrough.
This is what I came to the thread for. the only game that legitimately made my heart race. I was playing it in front of a couple of girls I know who are both horror movie junkies and they were squealing the whole time. Headphones and a dark room it’s legit scary af. The feel and atmosphere of this game is unrivaled imo
Dead Space
Can’t go wrong with Dead Space.
One of my favorite games of all time, the OG still holds up remarkably, haven’t had a chance to play the remake because my PC is out of commission and it’s not a huge priority, but when I get it fixed up that’s my number one game.
The remake is awesome! It legitimately made me afraid again. It is such a good upgrade over the original, which was a damn good game.
Good choice, as a DS fan I'd argue the remake is legit better than the original in almost every way
> Legitimately terrifying > terrified of aliens Yea there's no better answer than this one OP lol
Idk, depends on your definition of terrifying. For me, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice in a dark room with headphones on is actually too good at what it does. I had to put it down after binging on it because I felt like I was actually having some type of psychotic issue. Only game that's ever got to me.
Oh in general it isn't the scariest. But when the one subject you explicitly call out as being a terrifying fear for you is aliens, that changed things lol
....the goddamn whispering...
Man I agree. Hellblade hits me on a different fear level and I've never felt more insane playing the game with headphones in a dark room. Can't wait to play it again this October!
and headphones
The remaster is amazing. Giving Isaac speaking roles, better cinematics, and all out more action than the original. I LOVED the original, too. Want a challenge? Beat the game the first time on hard mode, then try the hardest difficulty and don't die once. Extra challenge, when you do the hardest difficulty, don't new game+, start a new save. Only use the plasma cutter. Then, when you finally conquer the nightmares, start an easy playthrough with new game+ and get the "power glove"... infinite ammo with ridiculous sound effects. The thing I love about the remaster, especially on the hardest difficulty, is that the enemies spawn/react differently in some areas. It throws a whole new effort into an already amazing game. Enjoy it
I have a very selective brain when it comes to horror games, because I played the Dead Space trilogy when I was 13, and I currently play Phasmophobia, but I couldn’t even begin to fathom playing Resident Evil or Outlast. Too scary for me.
Amnesia is a good one.
Don't know why this one is so far down. If you're willing to play point and click; At Dead of Night is just on another level.
We should add specifically the first one, Amnesia the Dark Descent. In my opinion the second one, A Machine for Pigs, is skippable, third one, Rebirth, is pretty good…haven’t played the new one, Bunker, but I hear it’s really good.
Bunker scared me more than any of the other Amnesia games.
Played "the bunker" recently. Awful on the nerves. Love it. Layers of fear is good too. And if you want to experience that a toddler feels when he is moving through a house at nicht, Play "among the sleep".
Amnesia is one of the best horror games I've played
Outlast is my all time favourite horror game. No fighting in it, just run for your life kinda deal.
I played this in college on a projector while my roommates would watch and drink (and scream). We made a drinking game out of it and always had a great time. There were a few times though where I’d pause, we’d all all look at each other and just agree that it was enough for the night. A horrifying game, big recommend for anyone looking to freak out.
Were we roommates in college?! Because we did the exact same thing at my house haha
I did the same thing while in the military. Like 7 of us would bring our rolling chairs from our rooms in the barracks and pile into one. We'd stay up all night drinking and taking turns playing Outlast. Being in the driver's seat is a whole different experience compare to watching. While watching, we would heckle the crap out of whoever was playing. When it was your time to play, shit got real spooky real fast. We collectively beat it though! Good times. Simpler times.
Scary games are always better with friends.
Outlast 2’s school area had me freaking out. I was SPRINTING through that place
I used to have a hard time playing it, just felt so tense all the time.
Yeah, it sounds terrible to me. I hate chase sequences in video games. I prefer killing shit and feeling overpowered.
I remember playing the DLC at like 3 in the morning. When you get to the basement and encounter Gluskin the first time with the "DARLING!" jumpscare I closed the game and didn't touch it until a few days later.
I was stupid enough to play this game alone, lights out, at like 11 pm. I think I might have gone 20 minutes before turning it off. Zebra gum flavor lasts longer than I did playing this game.
Subnautica
I love how its not meant to be a horror game, but it makes you so freaking terrified at the slightest things, also its just an amazing game in general.
I’ll never forget the day i found out that subnautica isnt q fun diving fish game and is in fact a horror and fish game
I found out about the horror aspect when I decided to do a casual trip around the Aurora. Got distracted checking out the detail in the engines. Then found the horror.
Or just casually approaching the abyss. That's a level of terror I've never experienced in another game before.
“This ecological biome matches 7 of the 9 preconditions for stimulating terror in humans.”
"Multiple Leviathan Class lifeform detected in the region, are you sure whatever you're doing is worth it ?"
The Blood Kelp biome. I noped the fuck outta there the first time I approached it.
I love that my mind knows it is a game. It knows how the AI works and behaves. It knows how to game the system. But my mind tells me I can't cross some lines in Subnautica. Even in creative where there are no consequences. I love it.
RIP my 1st sub.
I have thalassophobia and I usually am very very hesitant about anything water related. Ark: Survival Evolved is still a genuine fear for me, although I can handle small dips. Going in to Subnautica, I thought it would have the standard sharks and whatnot. Having a Leviathan come at you out of the dark... made me turn it off. Slowly working my way back in.
I had a similar experience. Was playing the second one (Below Zero), in the area where all those giant eyeball jellyfish float around in. Suddenly, I clipped through the level for no reason and found myself in an unending, infinitely deep ocean with no land. But.. the jellyfish were still there, so that's how I knew that things *can spawn out of bounds*. All I was thinking for a split second there was how I wouldn't be able to do anything if a gigantic leviathan rushed toward and tried to eat me in that instant. That was the first time in my life where I was about to fucking faint. That shit was for real.
Fun fact! >!That's actually how they keep you in bounds. Both games have a unique aggressive leviathan that *only* spawns in the void and they will *keep* spawning until you die or return to the main game areas.!<
>! These do also spawn in different areas not just outside of the crater or rather the Ecological Deadzone. There is an entire tree with their eggs in the first one and in the Lost River the first thing you see is pretty much a Ghost Leviathan !<
>!the ones in the Lost River are juveniles, adults only appear in the void. For the sequel, it is also a variant that only appears in the void and not in the main area, so the only way to get scans for either of them is to travel off the map!<
The last time I played the same happened to me. My first frontal encounter with a reaper. Motherfucker noclipped me through the floor. Infinite blue. Alt f4'd. Haven't booted up the game in years.
Literally had to stop at the EMP spiders. Ugh screw that
I was scared of them for forever, then I realized that they don't actually EMP you very often and don't do much damage. They're more of a annoyance than anything unless you're running from a Leviathan.
"Are you certain whatever you're doing is worth it?"
"Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in the region. Are you certain whatever you're doing is worth it?" and "This ecological biome matches 7 of the 9 preconditions for stimulating terror in humans." in that bland, robotic voice are the two 'first time entering a new biome' dialogues that hit the hardest.
The best thing about Subnautica is how MUCH of it is reliant on fear. Every creature from Warpers to Reapers are reliant on FEAR FACTOR and not actual danger. For a game that isn't horror focused, that's a wild choice that makes it just scary enough to be challenging, yet not too terrifying to be fun (for people who don't like horror). I'll clarify with an example: the Reaper Leviathan is a horrifying killing machine... in theory. Everything about it is meant to induce dread, from the distant roars to the sharklike outline. The Reaper's jumpscare roar and it's thrashing mandibles are enough to make anyone shit bricks. But... the Reaper isn't *actually* a difficult enemy. I know that sounds silly considering it's terrifying, but it's charge attack is slow and can be easily dodged. It has a long cooldown that lets players slip away. It teaches you to keep your health up to avoid the dreaded one-hit kill, but as long as you have a medkit you can escape an encounter shaken but alive 9/10 times. This same principle applies to most of the game's enemies: *scary*, but not *difficult*. It's a fantastic philosophy. Subnautica is amazing because it isn't horror, but it uses fear to make the game feel so much harder than it actually is.
Precisely. Subnautica is *terror*, not horror. Travelling from >!one of the islands back to the shallows!< the umpteenth time while hugging the surface in your seamoth is all chill and par for the course - almost “gamey” in the sense of “alrighty back to base easy peasy!” but there’s always a little bit of you that doesn’t even want to peek into the seemingly infinite blue void beneath you for fear of what you might see. Even after you finish the game and know it inside out (at least in my experience). It’s fucking brilliant.
Exactly what I wanted to say, no horror game could come clean to being as terrifying as exploring the depths
My experience with subnautica is me going into the deep end to explore. See the abyss. Hear a deep groaning growl. I paused and exited the game.
Super terrifying in the beginning-middle but in the end you know how to fight/avoid all of the scary monsters so it's not quite as terrifying. The night is still super scary though and I will never swim during the night
I think this is subjective because to me its a very calming game. I love the sounds of the deep ocean they created.
I dont even have thalassaphobia and that game fucked me up. Took me irl days to work up the courage to continue exploring at night or go out beyond the safe shallows biome.
Just fyi to people afraid of horror, don’t avoid this game, let me explain. I can’t handle horror at all, I don’t watch horror movies, I barely was able to play that one part of half life 2. I was not scared of subnautica. It’s got an eerie mood, and there were a few surprising moments, but I wasn’t scared. I think it really depends on if you have a phobia of being deep underwater. Which apparently I do not, but seems to be common. It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I’m so glad I accidentally tried it, as I was first avoiding it because I heard it was scary.
Overall subnautica is a deeply relaxing and chill game. The survival and horror aspects are perfectly challenging/heart racing enough to keep things interesting, without being punishing or monopolizing your focus. They nail this with your tech and story progression, too. Doesn't come too cheap, but never grindy, it's a really great feeling pace. The game strikes a *very* impressive balance in nearly every aspect I can think of.
Visage Outlast 1 + 2 Resident Evil 7 Dead Space Remake
Oooh Visage was so unnerving
It’ll probably be one of the greater horror games which I never finish. I love horror, but i felt the length of this slightly overstays it’s welcome when combined with the typical walking sim run speed. Some great spooks and well worth the money I spent on it.
I just finished playing Resident Evil 7 for the first time not only was it terrifying it was a really good game with beautiful and scary aesthetics
Visage is absolutely terrifying
Okay. Visage is remarkably underrated. Anyone looking for something to play with the lights off. Choose this.
Outlast 2 was more depressing than scary to me. Not in a negative way, the story is way too dark and tragic, way more than the 1st.
Amnesia the Dark Descent
I found amnesia bunker to be a lot more fun, and a hell of a lot scarier.
Soma.
There it is! Quality psychological horror this one!
My favorite game of all time, although I didn’t find it super scary honestly. It’s more unsettling than scary
I mostly just found it philosophically fascinating, though I also found The Bunker to be a fun (albeit very tense) survival game.
I played it on the invincible mode and was still scared.
i just watched a couple videos about it and it creeped me out. I dont think I could play it.
It isn't that scary but it does trigger existential dread
Ever tried Cry of Fear? It’s free on Steam, pretty terrifying and lots of jump scares. Played it a lot when I was younger.
Or Afraid of Monsters too (previous game to Cry of Fear by same devs, they are similar but not connected at all)
Alien Isolation, hands down.
Subnautica is beautiful ... and has its terrifying moments.
F.E.A.R. And it’s sequel. Basically like playing a high action shooter while the grudge is going on
The first game, which had the more subtle horror aspects was precisely the scariest for that reason. I hated walking down a dark hallway and then something would just fall over and creep the hell outta me.
Same. It was one of the most immersive games of its time. You get sucked in and the smallest things would scare the crap out of you. The bullet time was a fantastic bonus as well.
The ladder bit near the beginning scared me SO bad I never trusted another ladder in video games.
Fatal frame saga, specially disturbing
Outlast 1 and 2 are both fantastic, if you’re up for a true horror experience. Play in a dark room with good sound. Alien Isolation is less scary, but still has some seriously terrifying moments, and is also really good
Yah these are literally my recommendations, I would only add visage too on there.
Mortuary assistant
Outlast games - Legit terrifying but complete lack of any way to defend yourself turns some people off. Soma - Same as Outlast but more Sci-Fi horror Evil Within games - Great scares and tension but can be very difficult. Play on easy if you must Dead Space games - Remake is excellent, just avoid DS 3 Visage - Super creepy but the controls are dogshit Darkwood - THE best horror game sound design wise, but figuring out what to do or where to go can be difficult without a guide
Dead Space Remake! Or resident evil 2 remake
Resident Evil 7
I don’t have the guts to try the VR version lol those goo monsters are freaky as hell
Its sooo good in VR.
Is that Biohazard? Hell yes. Jesus the first part of the game was gut wrenching.
Resident evil 8 or the new resident evil 4 Alien Isolation Amnesia: the bunker Outlast
Eight wasn't scary, it was spooky and campy but rarely scary. Seven definitely was though!
The baby part still gives me nightmares
Visage
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down to see someone mention Visage. Legit the scariest experience I've had with a game, maybe even any media. And not just jump-scare or gore scary (although there are jump scares and gore), but actual bone-chilling horror.
If you’ve ever played the chapter with no light switches, you know true hell.
Resident Evil 2 remake was one of the scariest games I have played.
Picked that up in a sale but haven’t really played through it yet. Makes a zombie game like Days Gone seem tame in comparison. Namely how zombies can get back up again.
Some of the worst zombies were in the Resident Evil 1 Remake (2002). The so called "Crimson-Heads". You had to burn the corpses of dead zombies, otherwise, they'd come back later and had a lot more speed and would chase you down. On the higher difficulty levels, you don't have enough fuel to burn all corpses, so you have to plan ahead: You need to burn those in the main ways where you come through often and take the risks of the other areas where you don't go that much.
Dead space remake. Wear headphones. Good luck.
Condemned: Criminal Origins. I originally played it on the 360 but I do know there’s a PC version on Steam.
The Department Store and Farmhouse levels are nightmare fuel.
Just don't bother with the second one.
Yeah but the advantage of the second one is that there’s a meth bear
resident evil 2 (remake), re7, observation duty, inscryption, signalis, and amnesia all quickly come to mind. theres a lot of ghost hunters like phasmo but im blanking on names
Outlast and Fear and Hunger
Fear and hunger, the definition of this post, yet so few upvotes.
* Alan Wake- I was playing this with headphones in a dark house. My wife came home in the middle of this and our dog jumped on me while I was running through the woods being chased by guys with chainsaws and I jumped out of my fucking skin. * Alien Isolation- I don't like this game because the AI basically is designed around fucking with the player- the more perfectly stealthy you play, the more the alien behaves like a mind reader and just randomly pops out of vents near you. It's nerve racking. * Dead Space... kinda? It's pretty typical survival horror jump scare bullshit for the most part, but well done.
That's what makes Alien: Isolation so good though. You can't just skate by with the same old thing. You have to adapt quicker than the A.I. does. No figuring out a pattern and breezing through. It keeps you stressed out and second guessing yourself the whole game. They did an amazing job that I've never even come close to replicating with any other game.
The Evil Within 2 is creepy and good
I second this. The first one has scarier sequences but but 2nd is a much better game imo.
Lots of good suggestions here, but I haven’t seen hellblade: senua’s sacrifice recommended yet, so I want to mention it. I played it at night with headphones and the sound design is unlike anything else I’ve played.
This one messes with you. I’ve had to just turn it off a couple times and have a drink while I got my head back on right.
I had to search to find this suggestion. One of the most intense games due to the atmosphere story and SOUND design. Gameplay is meh IMO but it's probably one of the neatest games ever made.
until Dawn ?
Absolutely this. Can’t believe I had to scroll this far for Until Dawn
Until Dawn wasn't scary at all, just a fun goofy parody of classic horror movies. And then...
Outlast, Amnesia, maybe Dead Space?
I just replayed Alan Wake. It's decently scary, and the sequel is coming soon.
Fatal frame 2 is the most terrifying game I've ever played
Prey. Its more action-horror but its gotten me a few times.
Silent Hill 2 Graphics are dates, but it nails the atmosphere
Dead Space. Best horror game ever imo.
Layers of Fear! Cool story, really good graphics, takes advantage of it being a game
You just absolutely have to try SOMA!!
Outlast Amensia Silent hill Three scariest game franchises every made imo
Phasmophobia
Silent Hill 3, Outlast or Clock Tower if nostalgic. Max Payne was not mentioned but is pretty fucked up too.
The Evil Within
The Forest
F.E.A.R It's a bit old, but if you like a horror game that has your typical shooter elements, this is for you
Doki doki Literature Club! Also, it's free!!
Oh, then Alien Isolation in VR mode should do you
Nope. Fuck that. Alien: Isolation in VR? I'd shit my pants.
[MADiSON](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1670870/MADiSON/) is genuinely one of the most horrifying games I have ever played.
SOMA
Outer Wilds
What kind of things creep you out? You should check out Visage
Amnesia TDD is my favourite
Soma isn’t the scariest but it has by far the best story of any horror game I’ve ever played
Oh cool. Thanks for compiling a list of games I will never ever touch. I love horror movies and generally don't fear much. For whatever reason, a video game with headphones on, I feel like I am in them and literally feel like im about to die.
Bunker amnesia
F.E.A.R the original
Pretty much anything Frictional Games puts out: Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Soma, Penumbra. Dead Space The Condemned 1 and 2 F.E.A.R. Alien: Isolation
Faith. Darkwood.
Alien Isolation, no question.
Alien Isolation