Horror games don't have to be just zombies or ghosts to scare you! To prove it, we brought you the 70 best games of the genre of all time, with the most varied types of scares and horror. From spirits to undead, you have in this list games for the most diverse styles of gameplay and for the most diverse platforms!
1. Resident Evil 4 (2005)
- Platforms: GameCube, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Wii e PC
Resident Evil 4 deserves the top spot for every reason: dark setting, smart zombies and even that weird merchant that appears everywhere. Since 2005 few games have managed to mix action, puzzle solving and little heart-stopping moments when enemies appear out of nowhere.
2. Layers of Fear (2022)
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One e Nintendo Switch
Layers of Fear brings classic horror elements. It is in first person, and you must explore an old mansion in which you are the only living resident. As you walk through rooms, rooms and different rooms, you will discover the hard way that you are not alone. And the worst part is that you can die at any time.
3. Alien: Isolation (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 e PS4
Alien: Isolation is a survival horror masterpiece. Running away from the Alien is one of the coolest and scariest things in the world, as there is literally no way to know where the xenomorph comes from. So my friend, put on the headset, prepare the scream and explore the spaceship trying not to face death.
4. P.T. (2022)
- Platforms: PS4
PT is only a few minutes long, but it's already considered by many to be the scariest game ever made. So much so that even its creator, Kojima, is afraid of the game! In it, you explore an "empty" house, but discover a deadly entity that will do anything to kill you.
5. Resident Evil 2 (1998)
- Platforms: PC, PS1, GameCube, Dreamcast, N64, PS4 (remake) e Xbox One (remake)
Resident Evil 2 was so good it got a remake. Leon and Claire Redfield team up against the creator of the G-Virus, something even more powerful than the original T-Virus. The game is of very high narrative quality, with good combat and outstanding puzzles, and each of the protagonists has a different story and objectives.
6. Silent Hill 2 (2001)
- Platforms: PS2, Xbox e PC
Silent Hill 2 is still one of the best horror games of all time. Inspired by movies and books, the plot sees the player return to the ghost town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his dead wife. Solving puzzles and exploring environments full of enemies, your mission is to survive a hostile, dark environment full of surprises.
7. Resident Evil 7 (2022)
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
Surviving the Baker family is not for everyone. You are in search of your wife, Mia, who would be trapped in an abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere. As you might expect, this is all a big trap, and now your mission is to make it to the end of the game alive and escape the clutches of the lunatic villagers.
8. Outlast 2 (2022)
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
You and your wife are two journalists who are looking for clues about the disappearance of a pregnant woman. Your helicopter crashes and your wife disappears. Now the objective is to find her, but for that you will have to survive a village full of worshipers of a demonic sect. Heavy!
9. Until Dawn: Rush Of Blood (2022)
- Platforms: PS4 VR
Until Dawn is great, but Rush of Blood is even scarier as it's in VR. There are 7 levels where you have to dodge, explode and try not to have a heart attack when enemies come your way. There are several paths in each stage, and you can choose the themes that scare you the most, whether spirits, clowns, zombies, among others.
10. SOMA (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One and PS4
In SOMA you'll try to survive an underwater scientific facility, where the enemies are machines with human consciousness. There are no weapons, just your wits and strategy to not get caught. Each monster that appears has a unique characteristic, and it's up to you to adapt.
11. Dead Space (2008)
- Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360 e PC
In Dead Space you see an alien virus invade a mining spaceship. This virus contaminates the crew and turns them into enemies. Can you survive this? Worst of all is that each enemy has a way of killing, so it will require a lot of patience on your part!
12. Bloodborne (2022)
- Platforms: PS4
In Bloodborne you visit the city of Yharnam, which holds a powerful medicine. All travelers who sought this remedy were turned into monsters. Your objective is to end this curse, in a beautiful RPG game with elements of action and exploration.
13. Until Dawn (2022)
- Platforms: PS3 and PS4
Until Dawn puts a group of teenagers to survive in a cabin in the mountains for a late night. Your choices in gameplay define the course of the characters, being able to save them all as well as letting them all die. Absurd tension from start to finish!
14. Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010)
- Platforms: PC
Another masterpiece, where you don't even have a weapon. You must use your intelligence, speed and logical thinking to survive a castle full of monsters and darkness. To make it more difficult, contact with creatures can make him lose his sanity, which leads to his death.
15. Alan Wake (2010)
- Platforms: PC, Xbox e Xbox One
Alan Wake looks like a TV series, with 6 episodes. Alan Wake is a writer, who is looking to solve the disappearance of his wife. You have human and non-human enemies, and each has a different way of being faced. If you like, you can still download DLCs, with additional content that continues the narrative.
16. Little Nightmares (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One and PS4
A very cute puzzle game that puts the player in control of Six, a girl who must escape from a boat full of enemies. Without weapons, your only way to get out alive is to outsmart the creatures, solving puzzles and finding safe paths.
17. Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (2003)
- Platforms: PS2, PS3 e Xbox
In this magnificent game, you control Mio Amakura, who, together with her sister, explores a ghost town. The spirits are your enemies, and the only way to kill them is to photograph them, as this causes them to lose power. But imagine shooting multiple ghosts at once, with the pressure of getting killed? Keyed up...
18. Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
- Platforms: Xbox 360 e PC
First-person game, focused on collecting clues and evidence. The combat system is quite interesting, as the weapons tend to kill with just one shot. The problem is that enemies can also kill you this way. Exploration, puzzle solving and intense combat are the hallmarks of this game that makes you a bizarre crime investigator.
19. F.E.A.R. (2005)
- Platforms: Xbox 360, PC e PS3
FEAR is an organization of agents who fight spiritual enemies with firearms. Strange or not, the game is very good, having an intense and frenetic combat, accompanied by a really scary setting.
20. The Last of Us (2022)
- Platforms: PS3 and PS4
The Last of Us is not exactly horror, we know, but it is a game that gives good scares. Besides, being one of the few survivors in an apocalypse is not the easiest thing in life. That's why this game deserves this spot on the list, as it's heavy enough to keep players on edge.
21. Lone Survivor (2022)
- Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita e Wii U
Lone Survivor is a survival horror that puts the player in the shoes of a simple civilian who must follow his hallucinations. There are several possible endings, according to your interaction with the game world, which is quite large. The character can die from lack of food, from illness, from sleep or, of course, killed by enemies.
22. The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners (2020)
- Platforms: PS4 and PC
All we can say about this Walking Dead is that the VR experience gives players one of the best games about the series ever made. Killing zombies with the virtual reality goggles is a lot of fun and, of course, tense. And you never know where more zombies are going to spawn, so it's good to play in an open space, so you don't drop anything when you get scared!
23. Metro Exodus (2022)
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Google Stadia e PC
Metro Exodus places the player in an abandoned Russia, full of mutated and human enemies. It's a bit reminiscent of Fallout in some ways, and it still has a very interesting weapon crafting system. Although it's more action than horror, you can get some epic scares when the mutated creatures appear out of nowhere.
24. The Evil Within 2 (2022)
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
The Evil Within sequel manages to be even scarier. Rescuing the protagonist's daughter when descending into the world of Union is super difficult in Casual mode, but if you go to Nightmare mode, you certainly won't be able to survive the first few minutes of the game. So if what you want is difficulty, this is the perfect game.
25. Paratopic (2022)
- Platforms: PC
Paratropic is very short, but it has a very heavy narrative. Talks about smuggling, murder and other illicit things, in a retro 3D setting, focused on dialogue and exploration. It's really worth it mainly because it costs less than R$10 on Steam.
26. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994)
- Platforms: Mega Drive
Bloodlines is not the best Castlevania ever released, but it is a game with a very cool theme, as it puts the player and Dracula in the real world, involved in the First World War. Taking on the vampire and his monster henchmen while chasing him around the world is a lot of fun.
27. Parasite Eve (1998)
- Platforms: PS1
Parasite Eve is a survival horror RPG game. It's a PS1 classic, featuring a police officer who discovers strange facts about her past. Although the horror elements are subtle, they appear in the game in a very interesting way.
28. Resident Evil 3 (1999)
- Platforms: PS1, DreamCast, GameCube e PC (remake para PS4 e Xbox One)
Resident Evil 3 is an old acquaintance of the gamer community. Whether it's the original or the remake, let's agree that it's amazing to have to run away and face the terrible Nemesis, who literally appears out of nowhere when you least expect it.
29. Super Ghouls ân Ghosts (1991)
- Platforms: SNES, Sega Saturn, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox, GameBoy
Very cute game, more childish, but with a very well built medieval story. You control the knight Arthur, looking to save Princess Prim-Prim from a horde of demons.
30. Yume Nikki (2004)
- Platforms: PC
A unique indie game that puts the player to explore different dream worlds of the protagonist. The problem is when dreams turn into nightmares...
31. Oxenfree (2022)
- Platforms: PC e Android
Oxenfree places players on an island, with a group of teenagers. After supernatural events, they decide to unravel the secrets of this place, embarking on a journey full of mysteries and some very memorable scares.
32. Limbo (2010)
- Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Mobile
Limbo scares much more because of the theme and setting than necessarily because of the enemies. The game is dark, in a forest, with puzzles that challenge your speed and intelligence to avoid falling into the claws of spiders or the deepest abysses.
33. Inside (2022)
- Plataformas: PS4, Xbox One, PC e Nintendo Switch
Inside is basically Limbo, but with more colors. The premise is the same: explore an environment, solve puzzles and survive enemies. The difference is that the enemies are spirits.
34. Granny (2022)
- Platforms: Mobile
Granny was very successful in 2022 and 2020, as it is a survival game for Mobile that preaches a lot of scares. Taking on the old immortal while looking for a way out of her crumbling mansion is one of the funniest experiences available on mobile.
35. Left 4 Dead 2 (2009)
- Platforms: Xbox 360 e PC
Left 4 Dead 2 is almost a retelling of The Walking Dead. The mission is to survive with a group of allies the zombie apocalypse. The fun thing is that the mechanics available for survival are varied, allowing you to build a unique style of play.
36. Devotion (2022)
- Platforms: PC
This game is quite bizarre, with a confusing and unconventional plot. It mixes elements of Taiwanese and Chinese culture, bringing spirits for the player to face. It reminds a bit of PT, mainly because it's a game focused on exploring different environments.
37. The Binding of Isaac (2022)
- Platforms: PC
The Binding of Isaac is a top-down, two-dimensional sprite game focused on dungeon exploration. This roguelike has its mechanics inspired by The Legend of Zelda, and the objective is to explore 8 floors of the dungeon. You face a variety of enemies, including bosses, in a narrative partially inspired by the Bible.
38. Anatomy (2022)
- Platforms: PC
Game with multiple endings, lasting only 45 minutes, but with a lot of horror. You explore a house, collecting cassettes, to try to understand what is going on. The horror is in the ambiance, the soundtrack and the sound effects that make you afraid to walk.
39.Doom (1993)
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- Platforms: PC, Arcade, SNES, Game Boy e PS1
Doom is a classic that never gets lost. In 1993 it was much scarier, with its demons, heavy soundtrack and setting in hell. Today, without such a strong horror attachment, it remains a great shooter for those who like old games.
40. Pathologic 2 (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One and PS4
Pathologic 2 is a survival game, in which you have to take care of the character's basic needs: hunger, thirst, fatigue, among others. The goal is to survive 12 days in the game. Spoiler: It's almost impossible to do this without dying.
41. This War of Mine (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Mobile, PS4, Xbox One
This War of Mine has a more psychological horror, as it is a legitimate survival. You can die of hunger, sadness, disease or being wounded by enemies. Try to survive the horrors of war by building a shelter and scavenging for supplies and resources in various nearby locations.
42. Five Nights At Freddyâs (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Mobile, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One e PS4
Five Nights At Freddy's is a bizarre survival game in which you must survive 5 nights in a pizzeria as a night watchman. That's why you can't let the robotic dolls see you. Otherwise they will kill you.
43. Splatterhouse 3 (1993)
- Platforms: Mega Drive
In Splatterhouse 3 you will explore a mansion with your family, trying to find the way out of the house. There are 4 different endings, only 1 of which is the ending that everyone gets along with. So take it easy to save your family from the demons.
44. Dead by Daylight (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Mobile, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One e PS4
Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer in which a creature must kill humans as they try to escape. The cool thing is that all the assassins are based on characters from the movies and books, and each one has its own unique power.
45. Eternal Darkness: Sanityâs Requiem (2002)
- Platforms: GameCube
This game features 12 playable characters, each with different strength and energy levels. The mechanics are the same as in the first Resident Evil, with a focus on exploration, collecting items for the inventory and solving puzzles. The narrative is well constructed, centered on a family and their past.
46. Friday The 13th: The Game (2022)
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One e PS4
The name itself already indicates what to expect from the game: Jason Vorhees against the survivors. Choose your side and try to triumph in the most diverse maps of the game, facing your biggest fears.
47. Clock Tower (1995)
- Platforms: SNES
Clock Tower is a narrative game, where the terror is in the fear of being captured. You can't attack enemies, just run away. Using the environment around you is essential to survive, mainly because it contains the resolution of each puzzle that allows you to reach the end of the game.
48. Fatal Frame III: The Tormented (2005)
- Platforms: PS2 and PS3
Fatal Frame III isn't as good as the first two, but it does have a lot of scares for players. Now you can control up to 3 protagonists, who, with the Camera Obscura, must photograph the spirits to defend themselves.
49. Imscared (2022)
- Platforms: PC
First-person game, which puts you in front of the Creature, who follows the protagonist through all the scenarios. The objective is to escape the maze of corridors and escape the enemy before he reaches you.
50. Cyberqueen (2022)
- Platforms: PC
Cyberqueen is a text horror game in which you receive instructions from the machine as it tells the player a story. It's almost like a virtual tabletop RPG, where the horror is in your ability to immerse yourself in the narrative.
51. Echo (2022)
- Platforms: PS4 and PC
Echo is a game where you face yourself. The game makes copies of your playstyle and sends these clones as enemies. Every 5 minutes there is a blackout and new enemies come, with a new way of fighting, to face you. All this while you try to escape the place where you are.
52. Siren (2003)
- Platforms: PS2
In this game you can control several characters, each with a different story. The game takes place in a Japanese village, during a curse that lasts for 3 days.
53. Haunting Ground (2005)
- Platforms: PS2
It didn't have the success it deserved, but Haunting Ground is pretty good. You advance through the levels as you solve puzzles and overcome enemies. The problem is that each creature has the power to cause panic in the character, which makes it difficult to beat them if you don't have a strategy.
54. Killer7 (2005)
- Platforms: PS2, GameCube e PC
Killer7 is not a horror game, but it has a very psychological theme. You are an assassin who has 7 personalities, each with very unique powers. It's almost like a Ben 10, only more adult!
55. Duskers (2022)
- Platforms: PC
In Duskers, you are a drone controller who must scour a giant map to understand why practically all of humanity has disappeared. The answer is pretty scary...
56. System Shock 2 (1999)
- Platforms: Dreamcast e PC
Your biggest enemy here is a computer system that is genetically modifying people. The terror is in the fact that you don't know who your enemies are.
57. Anchorhead (1998)
- Platforms: Browser e PC
This interactive fiction game is one of the best ever made. You must investigate an old mansion inherited from your ancestors. Based on a short story by HP Lovecraft, the game hides many very interesting secrets.
58. Cold Fear (2005)
- Platforms: PS2, Xbox e PC
Your great enemy and terror here is a parasite, which turns the crew of your boat into zombies. The game's mechanics are pretty convincing for the time, but it fell far short of expectations, mainly because it was released almost at the same time as Resident Evil 4.
59. Slender: The Arrival (2022)
- Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch e PC
In this simple but very tense game, your main mission is to escape from Slenderman, although there are other enemies chasing you. The game is described by critics as one of the most harrowing experiences in horror games.
60. Penumbra Overture (2007)
- Platforms: PC
You lost both parents, but the father sends you a letter even though he is supposedly dead. Following several clues, you'll get involved in a supernatural plot, with bloody creatures ready to devour you.
61. Among the Sleep (2022)
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch e PC
You control a 2 year old baby who wakes up in the middle of the night after a nightmare. Her mission is to explore a house full of ghosts and illusions, trying to survive the limitations of being just a helpless child.
62. Hunt: Showdown (2022)
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
This first-person shooter puts you in the shoes of a bounty hunter, who must kill a mythological creature and get out alive. Along the way you will encounter dozens of mythical and supernatural enemies, including mutants and zombies.
63. Dino Crisis (1999)
- Platforms: PS1, PS2, Xbox e PC
Dino Crisis is another classic, the Resident Evil of dinosaurs. In fact, the mechanics are the same as those of the first games in the zombie franchise, but your mission is to survive huge prehistoric creatures that try to grab you in every corner of the map.
64. Manhunt (2003)
- Platforms: PS2, Xbox, PC e PS4
Manhunt consists of 20 levels, in which you take command of a serial killer. The game is focused on violence and the most varied styles of murder that can be committed.
65. Observer (2022)
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch e PC
This game is quite different, where you are a detective who can hack people's minds. The horror is in the things you discover, so it's a very psychological game.
66. Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004)
- Platforms: PS2, PS3, Xbox e PC
For the first time we don't see Silent Hill, but the city of Ashfield. The objective of the game is to escape from the protagonist's apartment, who faces, in addition to his visions, a supernatural serial killer.
67. The Suffering (2004)
- Platforms: PS2, Xbox, Wii e PC
In The Suffering you are a prisoner who supposedly killed your family. You are in a maximum security prison, where you witness supernatural events. Your mission is to escape with your life and uncover the real truth behind your family's murder.
68. The Forest (2022)
- Platforms: PS4 and PC
The Forest puts you as a survivor in a forest filled with wild dangers. In addition, you will find a tribe of cannibals that can either be your mortal enemy or leave you alone. Everything will depend on your choices and the way you deal with these humans.
69. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (2009)
- Platforms: PC
STALKER: Call of Pripyat takes place in Chernobyl after the nuclear accident. This post-apocalyptic game is a Ukrainian version of Fallout, as its enemies are radiation, human factions and, of course, some creatures modified by the power plant explosion.
70. Dying Light (2022)
- Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Dying Light is a first-person survival game set in an apocalyptic setting where you must escape and kill hundreds of zombies. The open world is huge, and it has many resources at your disposal so that you can equip yourself in the best possible way.
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