Horror and survival go hand in hand in video games. Many horror games feature a terrifying survival aspect, where resources are scarce and danger is ever-present, often with insurmountable obstacles. Another aspect present in this genre are games in which there is actually no combat, with players instead having to rely solely on stealth to get through each level.
Head cut off is a game created by many former members of the team behind silent Hill and takes players on a horrifying excursion through a story of grotesque creatures that begin preying on humans. The residents begin to fight back, with the game’s protagonist actually being a spiritual life form and capable of taking on the forms and characteristics of various other residents of Kowloon City. Like the Slitterheads in Cutter, Horror games come in many forms, and below are ten notable examples for players to sink their claws into.
10 Left 4 Dead 2 has countless fans
One of the best zombie games
The term “cult classic” is often thrown around, and Left for Dead 2 is often associated with this nickname. However, this game has a huge fan base that has cemented its place at the forefront of zombie games, multiplayer games, and even many “best games of all time” lists. It’s a fantastic title to dive into, especially for fans of action-heavy horror games like Head cut off. The game pits up to four players against waves of the undead, with a cast of mutated variants thrown into the mix for good measure.
Related
Slitterhead’s Story Explained: What’s Happening in This Dark Survival Horror Game?
Slitterhead is a new survival horror game from the creator of Silent Hill. Here’s a look at its dark and shocking story.
Left for Dead 2 is not quite a survival horror game in the conventional sense. Healing items are somewhat limited, but plenty of ammo and firepower are available in each level. The survival elements come more from the large number of undead that players must deal with. Large hordes can quickly overwhelm players after an alarm goes off, especially when a large mutated tank-like zombie catches them off guard. And then of course, there are the witches. By far the scariest element in the game, these crying zombies will scream, chase players, and can take them out instantly, regardless of their health level.
9 Day Z leans more on survival than horror
Fight zombies and find clean water
- Day Z was originally released in 2013 but has gained popularity. In 2023, the game saw a record number of players.
While Left for Dead 2 has limited survival mechanisms, DayZ is built around them. This game puts players in the shoes of a survivor, starting with just the basics. From there, they must survive as long as possible by scavenging in abandoned places with almost no supplies. Players must traverse thick forests teeming with hostile wildlife, endure harsh weather conditions, fend off diseases, and deal with injuries that significantly affect gameplay. All of this is difficult enough without the added threat of deadly undead roaming the map and other players. These players may appear friendly but are often hostile, attacking on sight to claim additional supplies.
DayZ has been around for yearsbuilding a massive player base on PC before eventually making its way to consoles. This game adds a unique survival element: the more equipped a player is, the more intense the fear of losing hours of progress. While the game may not be the most visually striking, its sound design more than makes up for it. When players are spotted by the undead, the zombies let out a terrible scream, attracting anyone nearby. While hiking through the woods, you’ll also have the chance of being blinded by the howls of wolves echoing through the trees.
8 Amnesia The Dark Descent is certainly not forgettable
It’s a classic survival horror game
While Amnesia: The Dark Descent It feels like it’s been a staple of the gaming world forever, having only been released in 2010. Since then, the game has become a genre-defining title, immersing players in a setting shrouded in darkness and Lovecraftian horror. At the same time, they are taunted and hunted by truly terrifying creatures. Located in a Prussian castle in 1839, The dark descent follows Daniel, a man with no memory of his past who only knows that someone – or something – is relentlessly pursuing him.
The idea was basically that darkness itself must be an enemy. – Thomas Grip, game designer of Amnesia: The Dark Descent
In Amnesia: The Dark Descentplayers are armed only with a lantern and limited powder magazines. They must hide and flee from the horrors encountered throughout the castle. Although it may seem like hiding in the shadows would be an advantage, that is not the case. A unique feature of the game is that the player character is afraid of the dark and prolonged exposure to it negatively affects his mental health. If this meter is depleted enough, it will cause visual and audio hallucinations.
7 Bioshock has a lot of horror moments
It’s a game that asks “Would you like?” »
- Around 11 million copies of Bioshock were sold all over the world.
Bioshock is a deeply immersive action-adventure game that only gets better with age. It takes place in a claustrophobic and largely abandoned underwater city called Rapture, filled with scary and bizarre enemies. Players step into the shoes of Jack, a passenger who finds himself stranded and explores the strange corridors of this city after a plane crash. However, it soon becomes clear that his arrival was no accident: it was part of a larger plan, as Jack is revealed to be the illegitimate son of Andrew Ryan, the mastermind behind Rapture.
The underwater setting of Bioshock makes it one of the most unique worlds in the survival horror genre. Terrifying enemies include the Splicers, who leave a lasting impression from their first appearance. The Splicers are the remains of Rapture’s residents, transformed into grotesque monsters by their addiction to ADAM, a volatile substance that rewrites their genetic code. And then there are the Little Sisters. While they could potentially serve as allies, these strange little girls wandering the halls only add to the unsettling tone of the game.
6 Evil Within 2 takes psychological horror to a new level
It offers a bloody and gruesome experience
The evil within 2 takes place in a connected subconscious world created by a medical device and brings back the original game’s protagonist, Detective Sebastian Castellanos. This game is a perfect blend of psychological horror, gore and action. The evil within 2 also uses common survival horror mechanics, like limited resources, to great effectwhich makes each fight even more important. The story is equally dark, revealing that the detective’s daughter, long thought dead, is actually alive and connected to the sinister device known as STEM.
Related
The Evil Within 2 was ahead of its time
The Evil Within 2 may not have been beloved in its time, but it’s a survival horror game that feels just as modern today as it did when it released.
The game received very positive reviews and clearly took inspiration from classics like silent Hill And resident Evil– both of which are difficult to admire. However, The evil within 2 these franchises do proudly, offering a deeply engaging and unique storyline to the gaming world. The twisted subconscious setting, which can be tweaked and changed at any time, is fantastic for a survival horror game. Since there is virtually no way to receive outside help and no friendly helicopters swooping in to save the day, Sebastian is limited to whatever he can find.
5 Layers of Fear has a fantastic concept
A thrilling first-person horror experience
Layers of Fear is by far the most underrated survival horror game on this list. It’s a brilliant psychological horror title that takes players inside the broken and tormented mind of a tortured artist struggling to complete his next masterpiece. Instead of focusing on gore or monsters, the game offers a traditional haunted house atmosphere, with spooky hallways, jump scares, and even the occasional monster made from books. The story features multiple paths and puzzles that all affect the world around the player.
The action takes a back seat in this game. While there are a few scares, the chases and fights are mostly replaced by unsettling events in the game’s environment. Yet traversing the damaged mind of an artist and his past and present tragedies is a truly haunting experience.. Layers of Fear has three endings: one where the painter is trapped in an endless loop, another where he paints his lost family before burning them, and a final ending where he creates a self-portrait and finds his artistic fulfillment.
4 Outlast has taken the gaming world by storm
Survival is tricky in an asylum filled with monsters
A classic of modern horror gaming, Survive quickly became a huge hit, spawning both a sequel and a prequel. However, the original title remains the foundation of its spooky legacy. Players take on the role of investigative journalist Miles Upshur, who enters the Mount Massive Asylum with nothing but a camcorder. The asylum was overrun by its inmates and transformed into a maze of horrors. Without combat mechanics, players must rely solely on stealth to survive the incessant jumping and nerve-wracking chases that define the game.
Throughout the game, Miles is pursued by terrifying enemies called “variants”. These include a pair of cannibalistic twins, a towering patient, a delusional priest with schizotypal personality disorder, and a burned-out former executive turned sadistic doctor. As the story unfolds, players discover that these patients were subjected to dream experiments that drove them to madness – experiences tied to the infamous MKUltra trials. SurviveThe incessant tension of . can only be overcome by hiding under bedsinside the lockers or blending into the shadows, making every moment a test of the nerves.
3 Last Of Us Part 1+2 is a PlayStation must-have
It has received numerous awards, reissues and a television show
The two payments in the Last of Us The franchises are rightly considered some of the best video games ever created, with the developers creating a world that was also adapted into a hugely successful television show. The games follow Joel and Ellie on a mission across a post-apocalyptic American landscape in search of a cure for the dreaded Clickers. This scenario is approached with more realism than other games of the genre. Enemies are tough, supplies are limited, and stealth is strongly encouraged.
Related
What the success of The Last of Us TV adaptation means for gaming
Fans of The Last of Us have been thrilled to have a front-row seat to its recent rise in popularity and are excited for what’s to come.
This remastered version gives gamers who have yet to experience these titles the perfect opportunity to do so, now with improved graphics. It’s also the perfect time to dive into this gaming universe, because the success of the games and the TV show means more Last of Us projects are on the horizon to satisfy this insatiable hunger for the undead.
2 Resident Evil 7 took the series to the horror extreme
Survival horror in the house of horror
resident Evil is a series that has undergone many reinventions in different gameplay genres. The original games had fixed camera angles and placed a heavy emphasis on survival horror elements. Resident Evil 4 took a more action-oriented approach, introducing an over-the-shoulder camera and placing more emphasis on combat. Although this continued for the next few games, Resident Evil 7 brought the series back to its horror roots. This episode is played from the first-person perspective of Ethan Winters, a man searching for his wife who has been missing for three years.
How Resident Evil 7 Became the Best-Selling Game in the Series
With over eight million copies sold, Resident Evil 7 is now the best-selling game in the series. But how did this title get to the top?
Ethan is taken to a farm in Louisiana, where he meets the terrifying Baker family. This family stalks Ethan throughout the house. They are seemingly invincible and pose an extremely terrifying threat. The game removes the combat strategies from previous entries in the series. Although Ethan is armed and can fight back, it is often in vain, leading to even more harrowing scenes. Resident Evil 7 also features several DLCs, one of which shows players chained to a bed, trying to escape while avoiding the matriarch of the Baker family. She enters the room randomly, noticing any changes. If it spots something out of place, it attacks, spitting insects down the player’s throat.
1 Resident Evil 4 is an iconic title in this series
This game, remake or original, is legendary
Not only is it one of the best survival horror games ever made, but both the original and the remake of Resident Evil 4 could easily claim the title of best game of all time. Players take on the role of Leon Kennedy, sporting his iconic 1990s haircut, as he goes on a mission to save the president’s daughter, Ashley, from a cult in a remote village in Spain. The cult, known as Los Iluminados, uses a mind-controlling parasite called Los Plagas and plans to infect Ashley to manipulate the U.S. government.
The original and the remake incorporate classics resident Evil survival horror mechanics. This is especially evident in the scarcity of advanced ammo, forcing players to make every shot count and strategically save more powerful bullets for tougher enemies. The game delivers true horror in several areas, featuring grotesquely mutated enemies, chainsaw-wielding villagers, and a disturbing group of hooded cult members.