Best New Survival Horror Games of 2026

Horror can come in many forms, but as many games show you, sometimes the greatest trial is surviving the horrors that are coming for you! In our New Survival Horror Games 2026 list, we’ll show you what you have to look forward to next year.

#26 – Instinction

Instinction looks to offer Dino Crisis fans a new gameplay experience. While Capcom has yet to touch that IP, Instinction puts players into a modern-day world dealing with a prehistoric problem. The finer details about this game’s premise might be scarce, but we know players are stepping into an adventure where they’ll come across a new location filled with dinosaurs. Furthermore, we know that players will have to venture off and complete a series of objectives to live another day.

Do you think you have what it takes to survive these prehistoric terrors? Or will you be the next thing on their menu?

#25 – INDUSTRIA 2

Following the events of the first game, Nora is now trapped in another dimension, but it’s one that is oddly “peaceful,” allowing her to work on a project to send her back home and undo the horrors she accidentally unleashed.

However, not everything goes as she plans, as the ATLAS AI returns to trap her in another sequence of events that she’ll have to unravel if she wants to survive.

The game focuses on both FPS gameplay and puzzle-solving at a pace that allows you to think about your actions while also having to be quick about what you do. Do you think you can undo all the damage that the ATLAS has caused?

#24 – Directive 8020

Have you ever noticed that there are plenty of survival horror titles set in space? That’s probably because you can get a lot of mileage out of the concept, as Directive 8020 proves. The game is set on a ship that was sent to a remote planet in an attempt to save humanity. However, that plan doesn’t go as it should’ve, as the vessel crashlands, and that’s just the start of your problems.

You see, an alien is among you, and they can mimic people so perfectly that you can’t tell who is a fake. Your choices decide who lives and who dies and whether you’ll last the adventure yourself. So good luck…you’ll need it.

#23 – The Sinking City 2

If you were to find yourself in a sinking city, we’d hope that you would do all you could to get out of its reach before it fully sank. Jokes aside, The Sinking City 2 continues the Lovecraftian survival horror theme that the first game invoked and once again has you fighting against both man and monster with both your life and your sanity on the line.

As you wander this forsaken city, you’ll seek out the truth about what’s happening within it and why certain terrors lie in the shadows and beyond. Fight beasts from Lovecraftian tales, take on cults, solve puzzles, and more, all so you can get out alive…and possibly sane.

#22 – ILL

Originally announced in 2021, the first Project Ill footage showcased graphic human-like monsters and glimpses of first-person shooter combat. It’s running on Unreal Engine 5, with the team focusing on real-time body transformations, dismemberment, and interactive environments filled with physics objects. Even without a ton of information out there, its visual fidelity and creature design has piqued the interest of survival horror fans.

Regardless of how it turns out, you’ll be in for the fight of your life as you enter this small town full of terrors, and have to do everything possible to get out. We wish you luck and hope you don’t get..ill.

#21 – The Lost Wild

There are many things you may need to survive when you’re out in the world, and The Lost Wild will put you against a test you all should pray you never have to endure in real life. Why? Because you’re going to be going up against dinosaurs! Wait, didn’t we just talk about that?

The prehistoric creatures that once dominated the world are now your biggest threat as you attempt to get answers about where you are and what lies in the mysterious center of this place. You’ll need to be clever to get past these creatures of the past and use whatever is around you to survive. Think you can pass the test?

#20 – Reanimal

How far would you go to find your friends? In Reanimal, you’ll learn the answer to that question. This game puts you in the role of a pair of siblings who must literally go into Hell itself to find those who have been lost. Yeah, that won’t be an easy thing to do, as the monsters that lurk within are almost as scary as some of the truths that the two are attempting to also escape.

The game’s visuals and tensions will make you feel every step you take, and make you dread what might be behind that next corner, or in the next room.

If you were a fan of the first two Little Nightmares games, this title is made by that team, so let’s see what they can do with this new title.

#19 – Carnival Hunt

Carnival Hunt is a unique twist on horror and survival, due to what you’re trying to survive, and how you must go about it. Specifically, the game is a 4v1 multiplayer experience where four of you play mechanical rabbits that are attempting to escape from the machinations of a terrifying monster that’s chasing them. The problem? Each of you only has so much battery life within your bodies. Thus, you must wander around the map to find the wind-up keys so you can keep moving.

Then, there is the “Carnival Monster,” which is on the hunt for these rabbits. Outlast them and you win. Who will use their time the wisest? How many will fall before the end? You’ll find out…

#18 – Animal Use Protocol

…what’s with all the survival horror games with animals? Why the focus on that?

Regardless, in Animal Use Protocol, you’re a test subject primate who happens to be smarter than all the other animals. Your goal is to lead the other animals to freedom from the lab that you have been contained in for far too long!

That might sound simple, but it’s not, as there’s something chasing you in this place. Not to mention, the place you’re in is a literal maze full of traps and dangers. You’ll need to be quick, be smart, and do what it takes to get out before all is lost. Think you can free your fellow animals?

#17 – Beautiful Light

Finally, a game not about animals! Even though humans are animals in the scientific sense…

In Beautiful Light, you have a job to do. But whether you get it done will depend not just on you, but on whether a certain “creature of the dark” gets to you before you can get out.

Your mission is to infiltrate an area and get various items from it, including an artifact that doesn’t seem to belong to this world. The good news is that you won’t be alone, and you’ll have other objects to complete if you wish to search the area first and see what power-ups and upgrades you can find.

Yet, there are plenty of forces trying to stop you and your work. So, be mindful of your surroundings…

#16 – Phase Zero

How about an old-school-style survival horror game to enjoy? In Phase Zero, you’ll be in a small town in the 1990s where things have gone from bad to worse in a hurry. Something is making the town’s residents sick, and they’re turning into monsters as a result!

The game has a series of chapters that you must survive as multiple characters. With each one you get through, you’ll unravel more of the mystery of what’s really going on here. Enjoy the old-school graphics, fixed camera angles, and combat, and see if you remember how to survive under such “conditions.”

Do try not to turn into a monster, okay?

#15 – Darkwood 2

It’s great to see sequels that are actually deserved and attempt to push things in new directions. Darkwood 2 is one such example. The first game was a top-down horror hit, and now, the sequel will take you somewhere brand new to scare the daylights out of you.

You’ll head to the Aral Sea, where a mysterious forest is consuming everything around it. Where did it come from? Why is it spreading like it has been? Why are there monsters within? These questions and more will be put upon you as you traverse it.

Each step takes you deeper into the darkness, so be mindful of where you go next.

#14 – Holstin

There’s a small Polish town called Jeziorne-Kolonia, but it’s anything but typical. Something is happening within the town that is killing its citizens and driving them insane as it happens. Your friend went to that town and then went missing.

Desperate for answers, you head to the town to seek them out, but the terrors you face might prevent you from accomplishing your goal. You’ll work your way through the town and attempt to get answers from the locals and the town itself.

This game has been delayed quite a few times, but hopefully, next year is the one that it will release in!

#13 – Liminal Point

There was a period where survival horror games, and just plain horror games, really leaned into the “psychological element” to try to trip up players, making them question what they were really doing in the video game. Liminal Point is a tribute to those kinds of titles.

You play Lyra, a woman who is searching for answers about what happened to her bandmate. Her quest takes her to a mysterious island where things aren’t what they seem, and plenty of terrors await her.

Your goal is simple: battle the monsters, unlock the clues, and figure out the truth before the island decides that you’ll be there forever…

#12 – Agni: Village of Calamity

A classic theme in horror tales is someone “sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong” and soon finding out that they’re in way over their head. Agni: Village of Calamity is one such tale in video game form. You play as an investigator who has decided to go to a mysterious village, despite being warned by many to not cross that threshold.

In this game, resources are truly finite, so as you make your way through the horror within, make every shot count, and aim true with every melee weapon you get. Only through determination will you make it out alive…maybe.

#11 – Poppy Playtime – Chapter 5

That image alone is enough to make us NOT want to play this game. And have you played the other four chapters in this title so far? If not, you’ll want to catch up before Poppy Playtime – Chapter 5 arrives.

Once again, the factory is both your prison and your escape. Escape from what? The utterly terrifying “security” that this place has. You’ll want to waste no time at all trying to make it out, but how can you get out when you’re simply going deeper into this place?

What is the truth that you must desperately find? Will it be enough to save you? You’ll have to play, and survive, to find out.

#10 -Silver Pines

This next game sounds a bit familiar. You’re an investigator who is on the hunt for a musician who has disappeared in a mysterious town that has more within it than you think. Yeah, isn’t that a fusion of some of the games we’ve already talked about?

Irony aside, Silver Pines is more than just a hunt for a missing person; it’s a quest to understand what happened to this place, and a challenge of survival, as there are plenty of monsters here for you to face off against.

Just how far does this rot go? And will you be able to find all the secrets that this place has?

#9 – Bendy: The Cage

Isn’t it odd that Bendy, a classic rubberhose animation character, has now become the focus of a group of horror fans? Seriously, who looked at that guy and went, “Yeah, that’s a horror villain!” We want to know and help them get the help they need.

Bendy: The Cage is set after the previous adventure into Bendy’s world, and yes, things are even darker and twisted than they were the last time. Your only weapon to fight back against the terrors to come is an axe, and you’ll have to use it well to get the blows in to stop the monsters you face.

#8 – Halloween

Cue dramatic, and iconic, horror music.

Yes, Halloween is a game based on the legendary original film that started a franchise. In this version of Haddonfield, you’ll not only have the option to try and survive Michael Myers as he goes around enforcing his will upon others…and killing them, but you can BE Michael Myers and showcase why you are the true Boogeyman of this world.

Plus, the game will have a deep single-player story, so you can witness everything from Michael Myers’ perspective. So, are you ready to become one of the greatest horror villains in history? Or, will you merely be his next victim?

#7 – Barotrauma – Home & Harbor Expansion

If you were a fan of the main game, Barotrauma – Home & Harbor Expansion will give you even more options to try and make your own settlement, or take one from other people. The choice is yours! But wait, there’s even more going on here than you realize. In the expansion, a new faction will arrive: The Descendants!

No, not like the Disney movie, these guys are scary for a whole other reason. How so? They use alien technology and other abilities to get the job done, which means you have even more options to impose your will in your campaign.

#6 – PSYCHO DEAD

Now there’s a name that totally doesn’t “spell out” what it’s trying to be in terms of genre.

Anyway, PSYCHO DEAD puts you in the role of a young lady who happens to have incredible psychic powers. She’ll need to use them, for the place that she calls home, a lab, is filled with monsters, and she’ll need to use whatever she can get her hands on, mixed with her mind, to get through them and get out alive.

The best part is that you have options to get past all the challenges ahead, including being stealthy or going in with your powers on full display. Whatever you feel is best, make it work for you!

#5 – Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival

We’re going to be very careful about this next game, because if you don’t know about this franchise, it’s a bit…much, even when compared with the other horror games we’ve talked about and will talk about. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival will put you in the infamous horror franchise and once again have you facing off against the being known as Pinhead.

After accidentally striking a deal with him, you’ll be given great power and have to use those powers to inflict pain upon your foes so that they’ll stay down for good.

We’ve only seen gifs of the action within, and…it gets gnarly, so you should consider yourself warned here.

#4 – FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE

It actually says quite a lot that certain horror games are getting remakes, as their developers and publishers want to “show once more” why these games were scary before, but have been made even scarier now! In FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, you’ll play as two sisters who end up in a haunted village. The spirits there are truly restless and attack the sisters constantly.

On your side to stop them is a special camera that can capture the spirits. But as you progress, the truth that unfolds is truly unsettling. Plus, doesn’t it seem like there’s something wrong with your sister…?

#3 – The Occultist

You are Alan Rebels, and your father has gone missing. Things are already bad enough until you realize that the place where your father disappeared is a mysterious island where various odd things have happened over the years. You’re told as you arrive that you’re the “only one there,” but your training as an occultist tells you otherwise.

Using a special item in your position, you can see the events of the past and the spirits that reside within this place. As you watch them do various things, you’ll unravel the truth about your father, this island, and more. Just be sure the spirits don’t do something to you first.

#2 – State of Decay 3

Sometimes, true competitiveness is simply staying alive in the face of overwhelming obstacles and terrors. In State of Decay 3, you’ll be part of a community, whether you play alone or with someone else, and attempt to reform a life for yourselves in the wake of a zombie apocalypse.

You’ll do various tasks, attempt to build and fortify defenses and kill any of the undead that come your way.

However, the true “test” is doing your best not to let any of your community be killed. If they die, they’re gone for good. Fight for your life and the lives of others so that humanity can live on.

#1 – Resident Evil Requiem

There’s only one franchise we can end this list on, and it just so happens that it has a big game coming out next year via Resident Evil Requiem. Not only does this game return players to Raccoon City, but it also gives you an all-new protagonist to control via Grace Ashcroft.

She’s an FBI agent who’s about to get WAY over her head when things start going wrong. Terror is the focus of the game, including how Grace is truly scared of all that she is, as she’s not a hardened fighter. So, control her as best you can, and do what you must to get through this ordeal in one piece.