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Horror games are always popular and each year we get a new set of frightening horror video game experiences. 2020 we had some great horror games released and that’s going to continue on with 2021. If you’re after something to make your heart race with unexpected twists and turns, then check out our list down below. These are the best upcoming horror games slated to launch in 2021.
#12 If On A Winter’s Night, Four Travelers
- Developer: Dead Idle Games
- Publisher: Dead Idle Games
- Platforms: PC
- Release: September 21, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
If On A Winter’s Night, Four Travelers is a game worth picking up if you enjoy old school point and click adventures. It’s a narrative driven game set within the 1920s where players follow four different characters. With classic pixel artwork and some horror elements sprinkled throughout the campaign, its a title not to pass up on. Although I don’t want to go too much further than that as you’ll want to see how the narrative unfolds between the characters as they attend a masked ball on a train. Best of all, this game is completely free.
#11 Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
- Developer: Steel Wool Studios
- Publisher: ScottGames
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5
- Release: December 16, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Five Nights at Freddy’s became a massive hit horror game franchise. The games have been aimed more towards kids, with the premise mainly centered around a fictional play center. Essentially, players are locked in a building made for kid’s birthday parties. With the building filled with different animatronics, it’s soon discovered that these machines turn murderous at night. Players are then fighting to survive the night until the building doors unlock once again. In Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, players are given free-roam and combat to deal with the animatronics. It’s a very stealth-based survival horror experience. You’ll have to manage your devices which require batteries to recharge. However, these devices prove crucial as they can either be a means to fight back against an enemy or even hack into the camera system to see where everyone is located in the building. Furthermore, this game installment features multiple endings depending on your decisions.
#10 Chernobylite
- Developer: The Farm 51
- Publisher: All In! Games SA
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release: July 28, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
If you’re after a survival game with some horror elements attached you might enjoy Chernobylite. This game puts players into the role of a former Chernobyl power plant employee. Years after the meltdown, our protagonist ventures back to the radioactive zone in hopes of figuring out what happened to his missing wife. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy task as you’ll have military forces, stalkers, and mutated creatures roaming about as well. When you’re not actively investigating areas, you’ll be gathering resources and making improvements to your gear. Being in the exclusion zone can be quite tense and the game does have some thrilling atmosphere with it.
#9 Forewarned
- Developer: Dreambyte Games
- Publisher: Dreambyte Games
- Platforms: PC
- Release: September 10, 2021 Early Access
- Co-op: Online
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Forewarned is a cooperative multiplayer horror game. In this title up to four players take the role of archaeologists. When our protagonists discover new Egyptian ruins that pop up, you’ll journey into the depths for loot. It’s a battle to find whatever treasure is available, but there is something more sinister laying await. In this game, you’ll be able to split up and search for treasure or work together. Meanwhile, the game offers procedural generated maps and even randomized AI. To get a bit more immersed, there’s VR support so moving around the dark corridors can be even more tense.
#8 Subnautica: Below Zero
- Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release: May 14, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
If you enjoyed the first Subnautica game then you might find some enjoyment out of the latest installment, Subnautica: Below Zero. In this game we take the role of a protagonist who ventures down to an alien planet in search of clues to what happened with a missing research crew. Among the crew members was our protagonist’s sibling and its left an yearning for clues to their whereabouts or what really happened. This is still a heavily underwater exploration game so you’ll have to maintain your vitals and gather resources. Meanwhile, there is landmasses to also explore, but as the name suggests from the title, you’re dealing with frigid temperatures. This can be a very tense game because you’re constantly having to keep an eye on your surroundings. After all, there are plenty of hostile creatures lurking below the water depths that you might not see coming until it’s too late.
#7 Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water Remaster
- Developer: Koei Tecmo
- Publisher: Nintendo, Koei Tecmo
- Platforms: NS, PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release: October 28, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Fatal Frame is quite the classic survival horror game franchise. Dating back to the PlayStation 2, the Fatal Frame IP hasn’t received a new installment in quite a few years. The last time we saw the game come out with a new title was in 2014 with Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. In this game series players are fighting off ghostly spirits that haunt the area. This is typically done with a special camera and what better way to make use of a camera mechanic then by bringing out an installment for the Nintendo Wii U. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Wii U didn’t have the success that Nintendo had hoped for. With that said, this installment was given another chance in the marketplace across several platforms including the Wii U successor, the Nintendo Switch. Of course, with it we’ll have remastered visuals and mechanics. We’re slated to receive this game later on within the month so it should be interesting to see how much fandom Fatal Frame receives when Maiden of the Black Water sees a remastered edition launch into the marketplace.
#6 Tormented Souls
- Developer: Dual Effects, Abstract Digital
- Publisher: PQube
- Platforms: PS4, PS5, X/S, NS, PC
- Release: August 27, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Those of you who enjoyed the classic-era of Resident Evil and Silent Hill games might find some interest in Tormented Souls. This was a game developed inspired heavily on those iconic survival horror franchises. In this title, players take the role of a young woman named Caroline Walker who is on an investigation based around two missing little girls. Her investigation leads her to an old building where she soon finds herself knocked out. Waking up trapped in a tub, missing an eye and hooked to a medical machine, Caroline is forced to use her wit to escape. With hostile mutated enemies lurking about, Caroline will have to solve puzzles, gather resources, and explore the area all while dealing with those classic fixed camera angles.
#5 The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
- Developer: Supermassive Games
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX/S
- Release: October 22, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
The development studio that has brought out Until Dawn, Supermassive Games, is bringing out a collection of horror titles. Known as The Dark Pictures Anthology, these titles are narrative-driven games. Just like Until Dawn, the video game titles are interactive dramas where you’re constantly controlling a group of characters through a survival horror campaign. There will be a few titles in this collection, with the latest installment, Little Hope, just releasing this past year. Now the focus is on the next installment to this anthology series which is House of Ashes. With this video game installment, you can expect the same gameplay style and mechanics, but the storyline will follow a Special Forces group heading into the Iraq War. After seeking weapons of mass destruction, the group unearths an old supernatural force, and to survive, the conflicting sides have to work together.
#4 Returnal
- Developer: Housemarque
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Platforms: PS5
- Release: April 30, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Returnal is the latest video game release from developers Housemarque. The title follows an astronaut female named Selene, who is trapped on an alien planet. Here we discover that Selene is dealing with a time loop as she sets off to find a means of escape. Overall, this is a third-person shooter with a roguelike setup. Each death will force players to gather new weapons as they attempt to venture out further. If you enjoy bullet hell games, then this is another title worth picking up. When you’re venturing around, you’ll need to constantly keep your head on a swivel to see where you’re enemies are. Players will need to jump, weave and find cover from the slew of enemy projectiles that will fire your way.
#3 The Medium
- Developer: Bloober Team
- Publisher: Bloober Team
- Platforms: PC, X/S, PS5
- Release: January 28, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
The Medium is another psychological horror video game experience from Bloober Team. Here players will be taking the role of a woman that’s a medium, which allows her to tap into two different living worlds. Haunted by a child murderer, The Medium will follow a journey to track down and solve the murder case. This was a big game for Bloober Team as the development studio has made a note in the past on how they required next-generation consoles for this game to work as intended. Likewise, famed composer Akira Yamaoka from the Silent Hill franchise worked on the score for this project. This is also potentially a sneak peek at what Bloober Team could offer for the Silent Hill franchise. There’s been plenty of rumors that the studio is working on the IP after partnering up with Konami. However, there’s no real combat here and it’s very exploration heavy game with puzzle solving. Meanwhile, while the game launched for the Xbox Series X/S and PC platforms, it’s since been released for the PlayStation 5 as well.
#2 Little Nightmares 2
- Developer: Tarsier Studios
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO, NS, XSX, PS5,
- Release: February 11, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive: N/A
After Tarsier Studios’s success with Little Nightmares, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see that sequel was inbound. The video game is a follow-up from the first installment with Six escaping the Maw. However, you will not be playing as Six but instead as a new protagonist named Mono. Players are in for a new horror treat as Mono and Six will be escaping more hostile enemies as they attempt their journey to sanctuary. It’s another unsettling experience with all kinds of vicious and giant humanoid enemies lurking around. It’s precisely how you would expect this game to play out after going through the initial installment. If you enjoyed the first title experience, then this is a game that is a must-have. Likewise, even if you missed out on the first installment, you’ll want to try this game. The franchise brought out plenty of fans over the years and is a perfect platform horror title to play during the October month.
#1 Resident Evil Village
- Developer: Capcom
- Publisher: Capcom
- Platforms: PC, PS5, XSX
- Release: May 7, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Resident Evil has been a fan favorite survival horror video game franchise for years, and over those years, we’ve seen new mainline installments, spin-offs, along with different remakes. There’s no shortage of Resident Evil video game titles to enjoy, but we received a new mainline installment this year. Resident Evil Village was a follow-up to the previously released Resident Evil 7 installment. In this game, we’re again taking the role of Ethan Winters. All Ethan is trying to do is live with his family after the maddening experience of the Baker family. However, things quickly retake a turn for the worse when Chris Redfield shows up. Now Ethan finds himself trapped in a remote village stranded and forced to press on to find his missing daughter. This game is another first-person perspective installment where Ethan has to complete a series of puzzles, find clues, gather items, and fight off some grueling boss fights. It’s also a bit different than past installments as you’ll fight against lycan and vampires. Without spoiling anything more, this is a game well worth the pickup. Fortunately, you don’t have to play Resident Evil 7 to enjoy this game. There is a recap video to bring players up to speed on what happened in the past game.
