19 New Upcoming Survival Horror Games of 2023

Survival horror games may not sell the most copies, but they’re still quite popular. This is indicated by the sheer amount of horror titles that release every year, especially on PC. Even if video games aren’t capable of scaring you, the survival horror genre still provides a unique sense of tension you won’t find elsewhere. Check out a few of the biggest survival horror games expected to release in 2023.

#19 Demonologist

Platform: PC
Release Date: September 25, 2023

Steam

Is there anything more psychological than going into a place that you KNOW is haunted…but you aren’t sure what exactly is haunting it? In Demonologist, you’ll have the choice to go into haunted locations by yourself or with allies and use your various equipment to try and figure out what roams around.

Not everything is simply a ghost, so you’ll need to be mindful of what you do, and then when you locate the entity, you’ll need to exorcise it! Your voice will add to the horror as the spirits and houses will react to your words.

So whatever you choose to do, be careful.

#18 Dredge

Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S Switch 
Release Date: March 30, 2023

Steam | Playstation | Xbox | Nintendo

What does it mean to survive out on the high seas? Many will say it takes a strong will. Others will tell you that it requires a strong boat. No matter what you believe, you’ll find out the answer when you play Dredge.

When you’re sent to an island chain to fish, you’ll soon discover that there’s more going on here than meets the eye. A dark history must be uncovered, and that only speaks to the horrors on land.

When nighttime falls, so too does the fog around the depths. If you sail in, you might not sail out, as massive creatures come up at night and won’t be afraid to tangle with you and your boat.

#17 The Outlast Trials

Platform: PC
Release: 2023

The Outlast Trials offers a similar gameplay experience from past installments but with a slight twist. In this particular installment, players are tossed into the Cold War when the Murkoff Corporation begins to run tests on their latest brainwashing methods. Players are a prisoner of the Murkoff, taking the role of unwilling recruits who must complete a series of objectives. Like in past games, there is a focus on fleeing and hiding from the aggressors that roam the area. But now you can go through the game with up to four players. Either work together and aid each other through the objectives or head into the madness alone.

#16 Amnesia: The Bunker

Developer: Frictional Games
Publisher: Frictional Games
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox On XSX|S
Release: May 16, 2023

Few things are more terrifying than being trapped in an enclosed area where you know something is out to get you, but you don’t know what. In Amnesia: The Bunker, that scenario is personified by a French soldier from World War I. He’s trapped in a bunker and must find a way out. Unfortunately, he has limited supplies to start, and the danger lurking around him reacts to every move or sound he makes.

#15 Unholy

Developer: Duality Studio
Publisher: Hook
Platform: PC XSX|S PS5
Release: July 20, 2023

When you have a door that takes you from the real world to a dark one, will you dare cross that threshold? What if it means finding your child? Is that enough motivation for you?

In Unholy, you are a mother searching for her child. Unfortunately, the only clue is a door that leads to a literal unholy place. On both sides of this coin lie clues and puzzles you must solve to find the truth about your son.

But how will you take on this challenge? Will you sneak into the unholy land and try to find the truth without being caught? Or will you fight with all you have until your child is returned to you?

#14 The Invincible

Developer: Starward Industries
Publisher: 11 bit studios
Platform: PC XSX|S PS5
Release: November 6, 2023

The “Space Race” was one of our world’s most important events. But who’s to say it’s stopping? In The Invincible, you’ll be an astrobiologist who is part of a different Space Race. One that sends you to an unexplored region known as Regis III.

But once you land, your mission will change. Gone is the goal of simply exploring the planet; in its place is trying to find your lost team members and learn what’s going on within the planet.

The more you explore, the more the truth will come to light. So what will you learn about this world, humanity, and yourself as you go forward?

#13 Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle

Developer: Invader Studios
Publisher: Leonardo Interactive
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One XSX|S PS5
Release: 2023

You are Dalila Reyes, a former government agent who now works for a group called “HADES.” You are sent to a research facility for a special extraction, but things aren’t what they appear. Not in the slightest.

Within this complex are monstrosities that can appear out of nowhere and must be put down. So what do you do when you have no idea what’s around every corner? You pick up your gun and ensure that you get them before they get you!

Explore the complex, learn the truth, and make sure that anything you shoot stays down. Do you think you can make it out alive?

#12 Bramble: The Mountain King

Developer: Dimfrost Studio
Publisher: Merge Games
Platform: PC XSX|S PS5 Switch
Release: April 27, 2023

When a troll has kidnaped your sister, you must do whatever it takes to get her back! But to do so, you’ll have to go through a land of creatures, both familiar and unfamiliar, and stay out of their grasp so you can continue!

Every step you take can lead to a discovery and a new entity to run from. Thankfully, you’re not entirely on your own. You have the Spark of Courage; by using it you can unlock new abilities and figure out ways to overcome obstacles in your way!

The journey may be scary. But push through so you can save your sister!

#11 System Shock Remake

Developer: Nightdive Studios
Publisher: Prime Matter
Platforms: PC
Release: May 30, 2023

In the realm of remakes, the best ones are often those that were made so long ago that they need that “fresh coat of paint” to show off what they were back then, but in a new light. The System Shock Remake is easily among them. Now players can experience an RPG that influenced so many in the modern day.

The game takes place on a station overtaken by an AI known as SHODAN. The AI has infected everyone aboard and wishes to turn everyone on Earth into cybernetic fusions! You must stop the AI at all costs and must survive numerous threats to make it out alive.

#10 Greyhill Incident

• Developer: Refugium Games
• Publisher: Refugium Games
• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Release date: 2023

In a genre where zombie games dominate, Greyhill Incident is diverging from the trends by placing you in a small town in the 90s as you take over a regular joe trying to survive an alien invasion. You need to work with your neighbors to find supplies, equip yourselves, and fight back… or run for your lives. It essentially looks like you’re playing from the point of view as the humans in Destroy All Humans.

#9 Fatal Frame Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

• Release date: 2023
• Platform: Wii, PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
• Developers: Tecmo, Grasshopper Manufacture, Nintendo Software Planning & Development, Shirogumi
• Publishers: Nintendo, Tecmo

The Fatal Frame series has long been very popular in Japan, and more recently, more and more of their titles have been getting ported over to the West. Now, Fatal Frame Mask of the Lunar Eclipse can join that list! In the game, you’ll play as a young woman named Ruka, who has lost some of the memories of her childhood. Now, she must return to a now abandoned hospital to find out what happened to her, and what it all means about her life in general. You’ll use the camera to ward off spirits and learn more about the memories you lost. But what does this all have to do with a curse and ancient rituals? Play the game and you’ll find out!

#8 HumanitZ

• Developer: Yodubzz Studios
• Publisher: Freedom Games
• Release date: September 18, 2023
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

HumantiZ is a unique top-down zombie survival game. It allows you to freely explore a large world and choose how you and your mates want to survive. You can craft, farm, hunt, or scavenge as necessary. Stick to the country where the zombies may be few and far between, just as the supplies you may need to survive will be, or attempt to enter a larger city that’s overflowing with what you need to survive, but can also bring death just as easily.

#7 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 

• Developer: Gun Interactive
• Publisher: Gun Interactive
• Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO, X/S, PS5
• Release: August 18, 2023

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the most iconic pieces of horror fiction in modern history, and it received a video game adaption this year. In the game you can either take the role of one of the terrifying Slaughter family members, or fight for survival as one of their would be victims. The gameplay is about the same vein as the Friday the 13th video game where one team are the killers and the other players are the survivors who need to plot a way to get out of the area alive.

#6 Eresys

• Developer: Ares Dragonis
• Publisher: Dragonis Games
• Release date: April 20, 2023 Early Access
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

When it comes to horror games, there can never be too many Lovecraftian inspired works. Eresys is just that but also has a focus on cooperative gameplay. Together with up to three of your fellow cultist friends must send the monsters that a scorned member of your order unleashed on the world. The game features many unique mechanics, such as a Smart learning AI that will see the Lovecraftian monsters slowly learn from your behaviors. Be careful, at any time an unexpected event can occur that could have dire consequences. Is that shiny coin you see worth picking up? Or will it unleash a new horror on you?

#5 Alan Wake 2

Platform : PC PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: October 27, 2023

Epic | PlayStation | Xbox

It’s hard to believe we have a sequel to the Alan Wake video game. This is a title installment that Remedy Entertainment has been working to bring out for several years now. So, odds are there were a few adaptations and takes for Alan Wake II. The installment that finally arrived to the public is different from what we initially got with the first game. Alan Wake always had a horror element, but the gameplay leaned heavily into an action-adventure experience. With this sequel, we’re getting a straight-up survival horror title. That means limited resources with a focus on the storyline and atmosphere. Alan Wake II is about Alan’s attempt to escape the Dark Place. Meanwhile, we get a secondary protagonist named Saga Anderson in the real world. Saga is an FBI agent sent to Bright Falls, Washington, to uncover a series of ritualistic murders. You’ll need to play the game to see how these two storylines intertwine.

#4 Ad Infinitum

• Developer: Hekate
• Publisher: Nacon
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
• Release date: April 2023

This first-person psychological horror games takes cues from titles like the controversial Shellshock series. Ad Infinitum places you in the role of a German soldier during the first World War. Subject matter such as PSTD is explored through a horror game lens, with delusions and flashbacks featuring horrific creatures and unexplainable occurrences. This delivers satisfying horror game, set around the Great War.

#3 Sons of the Forest

• Developer: Endnight Games
• Publisher: Endnight Games
• Platforms: PC
• Release: February 23, 2023

A much-anticipated sequel to The Forest, Sons of the Forest  has arrived and will involve plenty of cave and land exploration as players attempt to survive a slew of terrifying humanoid creatures. Much like the first, this new installment will focus heavily on being self-sufficient as you escape the hoard–grow your own food, build your own camp, and lay traps to get a better night’s sleep.

#2 Dead Space

• Developer: Motive Studio
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
• Release date: January 27, 2023

Dead Space‘s dismemberment system was its claim to fame. Players could orient their weapons to slice off specific body parts, incapacitating foes in the process. Dead Space also featured a minimalistic UI, with crucial information such as health and ammo communicated in-world. Unlike some other remakes, Motive Studio’s effort were to be as faithful as possible. The largest changes come in the form of its visuals and audio design. In particular, the overhauled soundscape — including properties such as obstruction and occlusion — can elevate an already great horror game.

#1 Resident Evil 4

• Developer: Cpacom
• Publisher: Capcom
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
• Release date: March 24, 2023

Resident Evil 4 is one of the most iconic and influential games of all time. Without Resident Evil 4, games like Dead Space might never have existed. Its over the shoulder camera even became the standard for third-person shooters moving forward. With a heavier emphasis on the horror elements, modern rendering features, and more advanced AI, the Resident Evil 4 remake is another means to go back and enjoy this game all over again. Players are stepping back into the role of Leon as he begins his next grand adventure, saving the president’s daughter from a bioterrorism group.

Disclaimer: This article was updated on 10/19/23 as we continue to adjust this list with new entries or remove games due to delays or failure to captivate audiences.