Summary

  • Horror games rely on atmosphere to create tension and suspense for a memorable experience.
  • Some underrated horror games like Alone in the Dark series offer rich Gothic horror atmospheres worth exploring.
  • Games like Alan Wake 2 and Resident Evil 7 excel at building immersive atmospheres with sound, lighting, and storytelling.

There are countless fantastic horror games out there for you to enjoy. You could go for some sღpooky multiplayer games to play with your friends, or 🌌you could dip your toes into an intense solo experience. There are horror games for every genre, tone, and playstyle, b🐼ut something that is always vital within a horror game is its atmosphere.

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There are plenty of ways to get you trembling as you play through a horror game. Some rely on jump scares, but you also really need to build a lot of tension and suspense with an immersive atmosphere. Here are some horror games that have managed to master that feeling of dread and unease, creating aಌ spec♔tacular atmosphere for you to experience.

Updated on October 18, 2024, by Dennis Moiseyev: There's really no other feeling than when you play a horror game that's oozing with a rich and immersive atmosphere. It creates such a memorable experience that you both dread playing but also can't get enough of. As the horror genre of gaming expands, the atmospheric titles get more cinematic and masterful. Here are a couple more to choose from!

19 Alone I♚n The Dark Series 𒐪

Alone in the Dark
Survival Horror

Released
March 20, 2024 ▨
Developer(s)
♈ Pieces Interactive
Engine
🦹 unreal engine 4, unreal engine 5

Alone in the Dark often gets discarded as a good horror game series because of its bad apples like the 2𝕴008 game and 2015's Illumination, but the original 1992 game, 200🌞1's The New Nightmare, and even the 2024 remake all have a wonderful Gothic horror atmosphere. They're all highly underrated games you must check out if you're a horror fan, even though the older titles may be more challenging to play with tank controls.

The original Alone in the Dark brings you 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:to the iconic Derceto Manor, where dual protagonists Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood investigate some sinister necromancy and Lovecraftian nightmares. The New Nightmare tells an all-new story with sound design and story🦋 moments way ahead of its time. 2024's Alone in the Dark brings tꦰhe series to a modern vision with high-end graphics and visuals and voice acting from David Harbour and Jodie Comer.

18 Mouthwashing 𝔉

Mouthwashing spaceship cockpit lit up in red with bloodied seat and monitors all showing an eyeball.

Released
🎐 ꩵ September 26, 2024
Developer(s)
🌳 Wrong Organ
Publisher(s)
✨ Critical Reflex ꦯ
Platform(s)
PC

Who knew that a hygienic act such as mouthwashing could have a horror game premise based around it, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a sci-fi horror game no less? Mouthwashing is set in outer space and follows the crew of a crashed spaceship called the Tulpar as they try to survive while their resources are dwindling. The one thing they're not running out of any🐷time soon? You guessed it. Mouthꦓwash.

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The Best Indie Horror Video♔ Games Of All💙 Time, According To Metacritic

Indie horror video games have carved out their own niche in thಞe industry. According to Metacritic, these are the b♐est ones on the market.

1

It's one of the most original and unusual first-person horror games you'll encounter, with a story, setting, and atmosphere that takes inspiration from films like Event Horizon, Alien, The Thing, Sunshine, and even Pandorum𒐪. This is one horror game you shouldn't underestimate for its retro aesthetics and pixel art style.

17 🦂 Until Dawn

Until Dawn close up of a Wendingo grabbing Sam's face.

Released
🅺 August 25, 2🐎015
Publisher(s)
Sony
Engine
Decima
Platform(s)
PS4

Until Dawn's Blackwood Mountain brings you a litany of horror atmosphere. You have a snow-covered forest, an isolated chalet lodge where a killer lurks, derelict mines tied to a darker, more supernatural history, and an old sanatorium to explore. The weather and the locations make everything into the perfect winter horror game, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:and you ♒should play with the lights off to enhance the atmosphere.

While this game initially launched back in 2015 as a PS4 exclusive, less than a decade later, you'll now find the remake on PS5 and PC, and both versions are phenomenal, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:✅with the remake altering things slighౠtly. It's a Supermassive game, so whetheওr characters survive the night rests on the choices you make, and the game is incredibly immersive and cinematic; like an interactive horror fi🦂lm.

16 🀅 Alan Wake 2

Saga Anderson sees the Slow Roaster Ferris wheel in the distance as she approaches Coffee World from the northern Watery woods in Alan Wake 2.
5.0/5

Released
O🤡ctober 27, 2023 ꦫ
Engine
Northlight Engine 🅷

Thanks to the eerie 🤡vibe of the Dark Place and the areas of Cauldron Lake and Watery, Alan Wake 2 is more atmospheric than ever. The chilling phantoms of Shadow Taken that follow you around the map, not revealing whether they're truly just shadows or hostile Taken masquerading as them that can attack you before it's too l🧜ate, create some of the best unease not seen since the Silent Hill games.

Then, you also have the brilliant lighting, level design, sound design, and jump scares that make you want to constantly use the quickturn feature. The sequel tells an eﷺven more superb 𒁃horror narrative, with dual protago🍎nists Alan Wake and FBI Agent Saga Anderson entwined in the story as a result of Alan's new book, which hopes to put an end to the evil doppelg💟anger, Mr. Scratch.

15 St🌜ill Wakes The Deep 🌜

Still Wakes The Deep Caz swimming underwater toward a ladder.

Released
June 18, 2024 ꦑ
Developer(s)
The Chinese Room ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤🐻⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ
Publisher(s)
Secret Mode ✱
Engine
ꦆ Unreal Engine 5

There's nothing more atmospheric than being stuck in the middle of the sea on an oil rig where crew members have turned👍 into horrifying creatures born from an otherworldlꩵy infection. Whether you're inside the abandoned halls of the Beira D peering at the waves through a window, down in the Pontoons, or outside on the deck, Still Wakes the Deep creates a gripping and suspenseful atmosphere in every environment.

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What especially adds to the horror atmosphere is the stealth gameplay, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:where you're completely defenseless and have to distract th🌱e mon🧔sters with objects to sneak past them. All of this is propelled by a compelling voice cast and some very emotional story moments.

14 The Mor♔tuary Assistant 🎉

The Mortuary Assistant - Hallway with an eerie message scrawled in blood.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网: The Mortuary Assistant
Indie Games
Adventure
Simulation

Released
August 2, 2022 𓄧
Engine
Unity
Platform(s)
Microsoft Windows, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nintendo Switch
Developer
DarkStone Digital😼 ꩲ
Publisher
Dread XP

The Mortuary Assistant is an unnerving experience that takes place at night in a creepy mortuary. You play as an apprentice who has been asked to do some late-night embalming. While you attempt to get on with your job, you must soon deal with the demonic hauntings that terrorize the rooms. 168澳洲幸运5❀开奖网:There are a𓄧lso multiple endings to unlock if you're brave enough to play through the game more than once. The more you play, the more of th𝐆e mystery you discover.

The concept of working with the dead is already an uneasy thought, but the addition of a demonic entity messing with you keeps you constantly alert to your surroundings. There will be subtle changes whenever you glance away from the body yo🔯u’re dealing with, a spooky ambiance surrounding you, and, of course, a few jump-scares too. Everything about the game's atmosphere is perfectly curated to terrify you time and time again. So, what’s stopping y🅘ou from applying to work at the Mortuary?

13 ꦫ Amnesia: The Dark Descent ൲

Daniel holding a lantern on top of a box as a Kaernk enemy splashes nearby in Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Survival Horror
Indie Games
Adventure
Action
Puzzle
10.0/10

Released
✤ September 8, 2010
Developer(s)
ꦆ Frictional Games
Publisher(s)
Frictional Games ༒
Engine
HPL Engine, HPL 2 Engine ♉

Waking up with Amnesia is a scary thought all on its own, but Amnesia: The Dark Descent builds upon that unease and creates an even more terrifying atmosphere with it. You begin the game in the depths of a sprawling, dark castle and must desperately🎶 attempt to find a way out while also dealing with the hints of your character’s mysterious past.

Of course, you are not alone in this castle. One of the most terrifying aspects of Amnesia's atmosphere is knowing that, at any moment, a monster could be behind you,🅰 ready to chase you down. In first person, you can never fully tell what's around you, so you must rely on the gripping sound design for warning signs. Your mind will ওoften play tricks on you during the experience, with footsteps in the distance and creaking doors. Your best bet is to run and hide, creating this endless fear for survival.

12 ꦦ Little Nightmares Seri𝓰es

Little Nightmares 2 screenshot of the kids in front of the hospital furnace.
Little Nightmares 2
Survival Horror
Puzzle
Action
4.5/5

Released
🎀 February 10, 2021 ಞ
Developer(s)
Tarsier Studios, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Supermassive Games
Publisher(s)
ꦺ 🧸 Bandai Namco Studios
Engine
⭕ Unreal Engine 4

The Little Nightmares games offer a compelling experience that quickly draws you into their creative worlds. 168澳洲幸运🍸5开奖网:Both games fall into the cuteꦕ but creepy category but will still have you on edge throughout your playthrough. The games have a beauti🐟ful art style, immersing you in the setting. Often, you'll b🐓e in dark, shadowy sections, relying on light sources and avoiding terrifying foes. Both games have fantastic world-building that ensures the atmosphere has you enthralled at all times.

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The first game has you attempting to escape 🔴the Maw, a corrupted entity eager to make you its next meal, as you venture through a prison-like dollhouse. The ꦫsequel follows a new protagonist trapped in a strange world distorted by a far-away tower. Little Nightmares and its sequel are well worth spending time on, offering plenty of horror encounters and spooky puzzles to solve. You'll undoubtedly be in for an unforgettable experience no matter which one you dive into.

11 Bramble: The Mounꦐtain King

Bramble The Mountain King - Olle Looking At A Horned Mythological Creature In The Middle Of A Dark Forest.
4.0/5

Released
💮 April 27, 2023
Developer(s)
Dimfrost
Publisher(s)
Dimfrost, Merge Games Limited 🐽 𝔉
Engine
Unreal Engꦐine 4

ܫAre you keen to explore some Nordic folklore horror? Then Bramble: The Mountain King is a great pick. The game s🍷tarts quite tranquil and peaceful as you explore a beautiful grassland full of cute little creatures, but before long, the story begins to take a dark, twisted turn as you set out to save your sister from one of the many sinister monsters lurking in this world.

Bramble: The Mountain King is 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a surreal, strange, and creepy game that will truly terrifyꦇ you at times. It is full of heart-pounding moments that are incredibly tense. The shift in tone from the beginning of the game is fantastic, which means you are never quite sure what to expect next. This short but scary game will not disappoint, from thrilling chase sequences to battles in the dark. It’s a unique experience well worth checking out.

10 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard 🃏

ethan winters aims a shotgun at marguerite baker as she elongates her arms to attack him through a hole in a wooden wall in resident evil 7.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Survival Horror

Released
🧔 ꦅ January 24, 2017
Developer(s)
Capcom
Publisher(s)
Capcom
Engine
RE Engine

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard took the series in a new, creepy direction. Although💟 Resident Evil: Village does continue the story, Biohazard is primarily a standalone experience, which w𓆏orks wonders for its atmosphere. With the shift to a first-person perspective and a feeling of not knowing what to expect from the game, you are left feeling anxious the entire time.

You play as Ethan Winters, who is more of an everyman rather than the unstoppable Leon Kennedy. This gives you a sense of helplessness as you stumble through the Baker house, knowing that, for the most part, running away is your best option. There are countless memorable moments and set pieces that play up the horror, from creepy found-footage tapes to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a very gruesome family dinner. But it's the moments between the big fights and encounters that give this game an incredible atmosphere. The house is full of unsettling details and decay that have you feeling o🐼n edge with each step.