The best horror games on PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch
Goosebumps guaranteed: games that work with atmosphere, tension and the unknown.
How to find games that really suit you: Select up to 5 games you have played and enjoyed. Playalike compares 20 traits such as combat, story and atmosphere and suggests games that hit exactly the same spot, even across genres.
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1 The Last of Us
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Lavish presentation
- Action-packed real-time combat
Joel and Ellie cross a fungus-ravaged America in a tense survival adventure of scarce resources, brutal stealth-shooter encounters, and one of gaming's most affecting, character-driven stories.
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2 Bloodborne
- Action-packed real-time combat
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Challenging difficulty
A fast, aggressive Soulslike set in a gothic nightmare city, where you win by staying on the offensive instead of hiding behind a shield, and the story slowly turns into cosmic horror. Interlocking levels, brutal bosses and cryptic lore make it a genre landmark.
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3 The Last of Us Part II
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Lavish presentation
- Action-packed real-time combat
A brutal, emotionally harrowing revenge story in a ruined world that uses two perspectives to question the cycle of violence. Tense stealth-survival combat meets outstanding cinematic presentation and performances.
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4 The Walking Dead
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Choices with consequences
- Distinctive, stylised art style
An episodic narrative adventure where Lee protects young Clementine through a zombie apocalypse, forced into agonizing timed moral decisions. The bond between the two makes it one of the most emotionally powerful games of its kind.
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5 Inside
- Distinctive, stylised art style
- Lavish presentation
- Puzzles and brain teasers
A wordless, oppressive puzzle-platformer in which a boy slips through a bleak dystopia, controlling bodies with his mind along the way. Masterful atmosphere and a disturbing finale make it unforgettable.
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6 Limbo
- Distinctive, stylised art style
- Puzzles and brain teasers
- Lavish presentation
A wordless puzzle-platformer rendered in stark black and white, following a boy through a hostile shadow world full of deadly traps learned through trial and error. Its oppressive atmosphere and minimalist art make it a haunting, memorable experience.
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7 Dead Space
- Sci-fi setting
- Action-packed real-time combat
- Lavish presentation
As engineer Isaac Clarke, you fight through the derelict mining ship USG Ishimura, strategically dismembering grotesque Necromorphs limb by limb. Its diegetic HUD-free interface, scarce ammo and oppressive sound design make it a landmark of sci-fi horror.
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8 Silent Hill 2
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Lavish presentation
- Puzzles and brain teasers
A landmark of psychological horror where James's search for his dead wife through fog-shrouded Silent Hill becomes a harrowing confrontation with guilt and grief. Oppressive atmosphere, symbolic monsters and multiple endings make it unforgettable.
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9 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Lavish presentation
- Strong, story-driven narrative
A claustrophobic first-person reboot of the series that traps you in the rotting Baker family estate in Louisiana, scraping by on scarce ammo while stalked by relentless hosts and solving puzzles. It trades action spectacle for intimate, grimy dread.
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10 Metro 2033
- Action-packed real-time combat
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Lavish presentation
A claustrophobic first-person shooter set in Moscow's post-nuclear metro tunnels, where scarce ammo, gas mask filters and darkness turn every encounter into a fight for survival. Hidden moral choices quietly shape which ending Artyom reaches.
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11 The Walking Dead: Season Two
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Choices with consequences
- Distinctive, stylised art style
You play as Clementine, now forced to survive on her own in a brutal zombie apocalypse, and make tough moral calls that shape relationships and fates. It's a bleak, emotional narrative adventure with a comic-book look.
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12 Little Nightmares
- Distinctive, stylised art style
- Lavish presentation
As tiny Six you sneak through the Maw, a nightmarish vessel full of grotesque giants, solving environmental puzzles while evading capture. Its dollhouse-like, unsettling art style and wordless storytelling make this short adventure unforgettable.
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13 Outlast
- Lavish presentation
As a defenseless journalist armed only with a night-vision camcorder, you creep through a nightmarish asylum where hiding and running are your only options. Relentless, unfiltered terror with no way to fight back.
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14 Soma
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Sci-fi setting
- Lavish presentation
A harrowing combat-free horror journey through a ruined deep-sea research station that confronts you with unsettling questions about consciousness and identity. Its philosophical story lingers long after the credits roll.
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15 Reanimal
- Distinctive, stylised art style
- Lavish presentation
- Co-op or multiplayer
From the makers of Little Nightmares, a brother and sister brave a grotesque, monster-infested island, solo or in co-op. Expect oppressive atmosphere, environmental puzzles and tense chase sequences.
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16 Diablo
- Fantasy setting
- Action-packed real-time combat
- Strong character progression
The genre-defining hack-and-slash: you descend floor by floor through randomized catacombs beneath Tristram all the way into Hell, chasing ever-better loot. Its oppressive gothic atmosphere and iconic soundtrack remain legendary.
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17 Silent Hill
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Distinctive, stylised art style
- Puzzles and brain teasers
As ordinary father Harry Mason, you search a fog-shrouded town for your missing daughter and slip into a nightmarish otherworld. Oppressive fog, unsettling industrial sound design and cryptic puzzles make this a defining psychological horror classic with multiple endings.
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18 Silent Hill f
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Lavish presentation
- Action-packed real-time combat
Silent Hill f moves survival horror to 1960s rural Japan, where young Hinako fights through a town overgrown by crimson flowers. Ryukishi07's story explores social pressure and transformation across multiple endings, backed by melee-heavy combat built on dodges and counters.
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19 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Puzzles and brain teasers
Defenseless in a gloomy Prussian castle, you hide from monsters, ration lamp oil and fight to keep your sanity instead of fighting back. A genre-defining horror classic built on physics-based puzzles and relentless dread.
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20 Silent Hill: Townfall
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Lavish presentation
A standalone Silent Hill entry that relocates the series' dread to mid-90s Scotland, where exploring the fog-bound town of St. Amelia blurs the line between reality and delusion.
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21 Hellblade II: Senua's Saga
- Lavish presentation
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Fantasy setting
A stunning, film-like journey through mythic Viking Iceland that renders Senua's psychosis through remarkable binaural audio. Light on gameplay depth, but heavy on atmosphere, weighty one-on-one duels and perception puzzles.
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22 BioShock
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Action-packed real-time combat
- Distinctive, stylised art style
An atmospheric shooter set in the decaying underwater city of Rapture, blending Plasmid powers and weapons into creative combat. It is celebrated for its iconic Art Deco setting and a story with a legendary twist that questions free will.
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23 The Evil Within
- Action-packed real-time combat
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
Shinji Mikami's brutal survival horror sends detective Sebastian Castellanos through a shifting, nightmarish world. Scarce ammo, deadly traps and grotesque monsters keep the tension constantly high.
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24 Silent Hill 3
- Strong, story-driven narrative
- Lavish presentation
- Puzzles and brain teasers
Heather is dragged into a nightmarish otherworld where a mall, a subway and a hospital rot into rust, flesh and blood. Disturbing imagery, Akira Yamaoka's oppressive soundtrack and cryptic puzzles carry the game, while clumsy, desperate combat keeps every encounter tense.
What matters with Horror games
Horror games work because they take control away from you in small, deliberate ways: scarce ammo, dark corridors, enemies you can't simply outgun. The genre covers a lot of ground, though, so it helps to know what kind of fear you're after. Some games lean on helplessness, others on atmosphere, others on story and loss. Before picking, think about how much combat you want, whether you enjoy hard challenges, and whether you'd rather play something short and unsettling or a long, emotional campaign.
If you want pure, defenseless terror, Outlast gives you only a night-vision camcorder and leaves hiding and running as your only options. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the pick for claustrophobic first-person dread, with scarce ammo and puzzles inside the grimy Baker estate. Players who like a steep challenge should try Bloodborne, a fast, aggressive Soulslike that slowly turns into cosmic horror, but expect brutal bosses. For story-first horror, The Last of Us pairs tense stealth and scarce resources with a character-driven journey, while The Walking Dead focuses on timed moral decisions instead of combat.
If you prefer something shorter and more artistic, Inside, Limbo and Little Nightmares are wordless puzzle-platformers that build unease through art style and atmosphere rather than jump scares. They're also a gentler entry point if you're new to the genre.
Frequently asked questions
What is the scariest horror game on this list?
Outlast is the most relentless, since you can't fight back at all and must hide or run. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a close contender thanks to its claustrophobic first-person view and stalking enemies.
Which horror games are good for beginners?
Little Nightmares, Inside and Limbo are approachable puzzle-platformers that rely on atmosphere instead of difficult combat. The Walking Dead is also easy to get into, as it centers on story and choices rather than reflexes.
Which horror games have the best story?
The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II are known for their emotional, cinematic storytelling and strong performances. The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Season Two build their stories around Clementine and tough moral decisions.
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