Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- #20 The Last of Us Part II Remastered
- #19 Kona
- #18 Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
- #17 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- #16 Chernobylite
- #15 Ghostwire: Tokyo
- #14 Layers of Fear 2
- #13 Dead Secret
- #12 Blair Witch
- #11 Outlast 2
- #10 Visage
- #9 Layers of Fear
- #8 Dying Light 2
- #7 Outlast
- #6 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- #5 Observer
- #4 Resident Evil Village
- #3 Soma
- #2 The Forest
- #1 Alien: Isolation
Horror games really do come in all shapes and sizes, from your classic monster games to the psychological ones, and 2003’s Manhunt created a genre all of its own, there really is an impressive number of titles that are made to scare. This modern-day era has also challenged the genre into being something more, attempting to shift focus toward the unsettled nature of slow burners with a creepy atmosphere, rather than the usual maniacal killer or zombie horde game. But that being said, there are a whole host of games for the PlayStation 5 that cover all the horror genres fantastically and deliver many a memorable game that will go down in horror folklore. So, let’s look at the best first-person horror games available for PS5.
#20 The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Platfrom: PS5
Release Date: January 19, 2024
You might think that since we’re talking about “horror,” we’ll mention the newly released The Last of Us Part II Remastered because of the Clickers, Bloaters and other infected you’ll meet in the game. And, to be fair, they are quite scary.
But we’re bringing this up because the sequel to Naughty Dog’s original classic shows how the real “horror” in this world is the people who are trying to survive within it. Not to mention the two “leading ladies” who have let revenge cloud their judgment, leading them to do terrible things.
So you tell us, what’s more horrible than a person driven by a bad cause?
#19 Kona
You are detective Carl Faubert, and one day you get a job via a millionaire who lives in the small village of Kona. He hires you to investigate the acts of vandalism that are going on in the town, but when you get to the village…everyone is gone. What’s more, a mysterious snowstorm has trapped you in Kona.
So now, you have two jobs. You have to go and survive the freezing elements, and you must explore the village in order to find out what in the world is going on…if it’s something from this world at all…
Search for clues, get supplies so you can survive the storm, and figure out the truth.
#18 Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
Released in December 2021, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach became quite a well-loved title in the series. This is the ninth main installment and the thirteenth overall. It is a really fun game that has great, quirky visuals, with an eerie atmosphere and the game is actually very original at times as well. But those technical bugs… wow, they are hard to get passed if you truly want to enjoy this game to its fullest. There is honestly a myriad of technical faults and design issues that mar the whole game, so good luck trying to ignore them all you horror game enthusiasts.
#17 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is one of many special horror games within this franchise that is meant to terrify you, while also showing you a unique kind of storytelling.
In this case, you’ll play as Daniel, who wakes up in a castle with no true memory of what happened to him, or even who he is.
As a result, he’ll have to endure the castle in all its forms and terrors as he tries to find out the truth. Amnesia: The Dark Descent plays on the concept of atmospheric storytelling, and from the moment you begin the game, everything that happens to you will be explored in real-time. No cutscenes or such events to stop the flow. Whatever happens, you’ll have to experience it firsthand…and try to survive it…if you can…
#16 Chernobylite
Chernobylite is a title for those who want a deep experience as well as the terror that often comes with it.
In the game you’ll play as Igor, a man who must venture into the exclusion zone of Chernobyl in order to figure out what happened to his fiancé 30 years prior. But doing so won’t be easy. There is military personnel there that aren’t your allies, other “stalkers” who roam the zone, and even supernatural terrors!
You’ll need to build a team to take on the zone, and with each day that passes, you need to keep them alive, and keep them outfitted with everything they need to fight what’s out there. The story of the game is yours to mold, and as such, every playthrough will be different.
#15 Ghostwire: Tokyo
Ghostwire: Tokyo is one of the latest titles from the umbrella of Bethesda via Tango Gameworks, and headed up by one of the legends of the video game industry!
In it, a mysterious force has taken everyone out of Tokyo in an instant, but you survive due to being possessed by the spirit of a detective. What’s more, your sister has been taken for unknown reasons by the force to bring forth a greater evil.
Now, you and your new “partner” must work together in order to figure out what’s going on, all the while dealing with monsters from Japanese folklore and myth! Will you be able to use your newly acquired magical abilities to beat them back? You’re about to find out!
#14 Layers of Fear 2
If there was a list for the worst sequels in gaming, then Layers of Fear 2 would be quite high on the list. So, with it being at the bottom of this first-person horror games list too, it kind of says everything you need to know about this game as well. It falters on everything that the first game succeeded at; it lacks a coherent story, there is an alarming shortage of scares, and the atmosphere and the aesthetic all feel well and truly off. It seems incredibly odd that you could mess up a game so bad when they had a wonderful blueprint that was readymade for what works, and then just didn’t execute any of it.
#13 Dead Secret
Dead Secret had the promise to be one of the better first-person horror games, with its subtle story, the cramped environment that figuratively closes in on you, the slow-paced narrative that burns away ever so slowly – all sounds great, right? Well, it was quite the let-down, that’s for sure. The atmosphere is superb, but the game is far more suited as a mobile VR game than it does as a console one. It really struggles to implement the same magic for PS5, often feeling outdated (the graphics don’t look right at all) which contributes to the game’s downfall. However, with a few tweaks here and there, a future remake of this could turn into a very solid game for next-gen consoles.
#12 Blair Witch
We all know The Blair Witch Project from 1999, we all screamed (come on, admit it now), and we all had nightmares for some time afterward. This game is set in the same universe as the film and attempts to situate the player in the shoes of the man with the cam recorder, so it should be a winning formula, you’d think. Blair Witch received mixed reviews upon its release in 2019; the atmosphere, the graphics, and the incredibly eerie sound design were shining lights for the game. Oh, and you had a little dog companion as well, which is always a winner in our eyes. However, the gameplay was very buggy and the difficulty… well, it was a little bit easy to be honest, which is not what you want.
#11 Outlast 2
Outlast 2 was a first-person horror game that was met with generally positive reviews upon its release in 2017, with most of the praise being targeted toward the game’s graphics, the eerie sound design which is full of tension, and an atmosphere that you could cut with a knife. But like most games on this list, there was an awful lot of criticism that came with it: the general story is a bit inconsistent, and the difficulty will put a lot of people off as well, but the main thing that let this game down was the amount of gore included in it (especially one of the earliest scenes). We’re all for violent video games but there’s got to be a limit, surely?
#10 Visage
Visage is a first-person horror game that relies on psychological warfare when trying to entice its players. The mental challenge this game gives is one of its most effective tools, and the audio-visual design coupled with that atmospheric tension throughout elevates the film to an impressive level. But what brings it crashing back down to the depths once again? That’s right, cumbersome gameplay, countless technical bugs, and an inventory so limited you might as well just use your pockets to carry items. However, it’s not all bad because you can actually look past the game’s faults and have a really enjoyable playthrough, it’s just becoming a bit of an annoying occurrence on this list, isn’t it?
#9 Layers of Fear
A far superior game to its successor, Layers of Fear is a superb example of when the story and the atmosphere work together perfectly – that sequel really could have learned a thing or two from this game. Layers of Fear nails its goals of instilling genuine terror into the player instead of overly trying to be scary like the sequel does. In Layers of Fear, the player controls a psychologically disturbed painter who is trying to complete his masterpiece, the artwork he will be known for. He must navigate a Victorian mansion whilst uncovering secrets about his past. This is a really good horror game and a must-play for horror fans everywhere.
#8 Dying Light 2
Everyone knows the issues that surrounded Dying Light 2 upon the release of the game earlier in the year; the countless bugs, the gameplay issues, and the inconsistencies that have laden the game were enough to turn people away. However, Techland has gone above and beyond to try and fix all the issues since its release and has slowly but surely ironed all the problems out, allowing the game to be playable for once. Now that you can actually play it without going insane, Dying Light 2 is one of the better first-person horror games with countless enjoyable aspects. But the troubled period the game faced will live long in the memory of most.
#7 Outlast
This first-person survival horror game is one to remember, and another game on this list that is far superior to its successor. The game revolves around a freelance journalist (sounds ominous) who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, which is located deep in the mountains of Lake County, Colorado. This is a PS4 game that can be played on PS5, and straight away you will appreciate the amazingly authentic horror atmosphere, all the horror elements are brilliant in fact, and the gameplay is as smooth as silk. But again, what is it with sequels on this list falling way short of their predecessors?
#6 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The Resident Evil series is a beloved collection of horror games; consistently delivering excitement, great stories, and horrific villains that are incredibly memorable. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was a great addition to the series when it was released in 2017 for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch (an official next-gen version is planned for release this year). This installment returned the series to its survival horror roots instead of a more action-orientated game. It also took inspiration from the film The Evil Dead (1981), scaling back the game to one location and using the first-person perspective to immerse players. This really is one of the better games in the series, with superb gameplay, its use of virtual reality for added immersion, and how innovative it was compared to previous games.
#5 Observer
The first cyberpunk-like first-person horror game on this list is the brilliant Observer. This is a horror game that is effective in everything it sets out to achieve; it’s genuinely scary, very difficult to master too, the aesthetic is hypnotic (like most cyberpunk-like games), and the atmosphere is chilling but electric at the same time – who knew that to be even possible? It also stars Blade Runner’s late star Rutger Hauer as its protagonist, which is enough to propel the game to great heights on its own. Originally released in 2017, an upgraded and expanded version called Observer: System Redux was released in November 2020 for PlayStation 5, and that is the one you’ll want to test out.
#4 Resident Evil Village
The sequel to Biohazard, Resident Evil Village is the latest installment in the series and was highly acclaimed when it was released last year. Village maintains survival horror elements that its predecessor focused on, with players needing to scavenge all the different environments for items and to manage resources. However, it did change back to a more action-orientated game, with higher enemy counts and a greater emphasis on combat (which isn’t a bad thing by the way). But the game is excellent – an action-packed horror game laden with monsters and violence. It still had some negatives like a few performance issues (like every other game on this list it seems) and certain puzzles were annoying, but overall, this game was a giant success for the series.
#3 Soma
A close top three begins with a psychological horror at its very best. Soma’s use of terrific ambiance, an environment that’s as creepy as it gets, and a sound design that will send shivers down your spine, it’s almost a given that this game is considered one of the best first-person horror games of all time. Soma takes place in an underwater remote research facility that contains machinery that exhibits human consciousness. The protagonist is not your usual hero, and he finds himself there under mysterious circumstances and sets off to try and discover the secrets of this place. There is an emphasis on stealth, puzzle-solving, and immersion – it definitely ticks all those boxes.
#2 The Forest
The Forest is one of the most well-known first-person horror games of all time, and rightly so. A commercial and critical success when it was released in 2018, so much so that it is getting a sequel called Sons of the Forest that will be released later this year. The game takes place on a remote peninsula, where the player’s character must fight off cannibalistic monsters while searching for his son after a plane crash. The Forest uses non-linear gameplay that involves no set missions or quests, instead, it empowers players to make their own decisions in this open-world adventure. An incredibly unique game that is a must-play for horror fans everywhere.
#1 Alien: Isolation
Oh boy, was this game brilliant; a ground-breaking feat of how to make an incredibly immersive and truly terrifying game. Alien: Isolation was critically acclaimed when it came out in 2014 (compatible with PS5 as well before you ask) because of the game’s feeling of pure horror. The stealth aspect is also epic and forces you to think outside the box in ways to survive on this hostile spaceship. The atmosphere this game created was unlike any game before it; the way you have to find certain items to help you avoid that horrifying Alien is unmatched. Its presence alone is enough to make you want to turn the game off due to exerted amounts of worry – it’s only a game, don’t worry. Many people’s game of the year in 2014 and one of the best horror games of all time, and just pips the top spot on this first-person horror games list.
