20 Games To Play If You Love Resident Evil

Resident Evil is on a new high right now, because after the success of both 7/8 and the recent remakes of 2&3, people are loving this franchise quite a lot once again. But if you’ve already beaten all of those and you want some other horror-style kicks, we got your back. Just a warning though, some of these games are retro, and thus might not be on modern systems at times.

#20 Dino Crisis

Let’s start off with something a bit different. Because in Resident Evil, you’re mostly dealing with zombies or mutants of some kind. But in Dino Crisis…you’re facing off against dinosaurs, obviously.

But that’s just the start of all that goes down, because there are multiple games (as well as comics) in this line, and each one provides plenty of fun action as well as set pieces for your fight against the dinos. Plus, people will get eaten by the dinosaurs, that’s just natural.

This is one of those retro titles we told you about, but that doesn’t mean it’s not quality. It just means you’ll need to work a little to find a way to play them all.

#19 Cold Fear

If you’re looking for a more “classic” horror experience, then Cold Fear is for you. In the game, you’ll play as a coast guard member who was sent to investigate a distress signal from a whaling ship. But once they get on board, they find more than they could’ve ever bargained for.

Now, they have to brave the ship, fight monsters, and learn just what in the world happened to cause all of this to happen.

You won’t just need to be mindful of the enemies, but the environment itself. You’ll be able to create traps to setup monsters for easier kills. Whatever it takes to survive.

#18 Daymare: 1998

What happens when a small town becomes a breeding ground for monsters? That’s what you’ll have to find out in Daymare: 1998. You’ll play as three different people set in a location where monsters are running rampant, supplies are limited, and answers are even fewer in number.

But this isn’t just a game where you point and shoot at the monsters to win, that would be too easy. You’ll have to really think about how to take them down, and then once you’re clear, look for clues as to what happened in the town.

This will be an intense action and horror experience, so be ready for that.

#17 The Medium

Are you ready for a journey to two worlds at the same time? That’s the question you’ll need to ask as you play The Medium. Because in this game, you will indeed be a medium, and have to walk both in the real world an the spirit world either separately or at the same time in order to solve puzzles and put a stop to the force known as The Maw.

Using your abilities, you can truly walk in both worlds, or you can put them side by side on the screen so you can see both at once and try to figure out what to do next.

There’s a lot of evil in both sides of the world, so be careful you’re not consumed…

#16 Deep Fear

Here’s one from the Sega Saturn days, so it might not be the easiest to play we admit. But this game was ahead of its time in terms of the control scheme and the various things you could control and had to worry about, including your oxygen level.

In the game, you play as John Mayor, a Navy officer who is assigned to a station along with some civilians that is meant to observe a capsule from space that somehow has a chimp on it from 40 years ago.

As you would expect, things go horribly wrong as mutants start to show up and now Mayor has to survive the dangers ahead.

#15 Layers of Fear

Who’s ready to get trippy?

Good, because Layers of Fear is definitely wanting to do that to you and with you. In the game, you’ll play as an “insane painter” who is trying to finish his “masterpiece of fear”. But what exactly does that mean? And what led him to such a path?

You’ll explore his insane world in a psychedelic horror game set within the Victorian era. One that constantly shifts and evolves based on the painter themselves and the feelings and actions they do.

What is this horrifying truth and feeling that looms over all that he does? You’re going to have to play to find out…

#14 Tormented Souls

Yeah, this one is dark. You play as Caroline Walker, who is searching for a pair of missing twins at a place called Winterlake when everything goes very dark. Suddenly you wake up in a bathtub with medical equipment in you, and you must explore the mansion to see what is going on and what happened to both you and the girls.

There are sinister forces at work here, and you’ll need to use everything you can find within the mansion to fight back, to solve puzzles, and to push toward the truth.

But whether this is a truth that is worth finding will be very much up for you to decide as you learn it…

#13 Soma

Soma is arguably one of the better uses of “true horror mechanics” out there not just because of its setting, but its acknowledgement that your character won’t be able to win in a fight. As such, you need to either outthink the enemies in front of you…or you run for it.

The game is set in an underwater station where everything has gone wrong. The isolation is driving you all mad, the robots within the facility are acting odd, the people are getting corrupted, and more.

You need to start on a path that’ll lead you to either salvation…or death. Your choices shape the station and its future…will you be able to make it out alive?

#12 Parasite Eve Series

One of the classics of the earliest PlayStation era, the Parasite Eve Series was actually a video game series adapted from a book series of the same name believe it or not. It was also the first M-rated game for the then named Square Soft, which shows you just how far things were advancing at that point in time.

The story features you as a New York cop named Aya who is trying to stop a woman named Eve from destroying the world through spontaneous human combustion (no, really). The three games in the series help tell the story, and while it never went past that in terms of games, the franchise itself was still quite expansive.

#11 Amnesia The Dark Descent

The start of the Amnesia line of games, The Dark Descent puts you in a castle and dares you to not lose your mind as you try and explore it and survive the monsters that are within. This game is very much about psychological horror and trying to make you really feel fear in a way behind basic jump scares.

The game was so successful that it got a bunch of direct and indirect sequels. So if you’re up for a truly scary time across a multitude of places and setting and things to face…then maybe you’ll want to start with Amnesia The Dark Descent and work your way down…down…down…

#10 Days Gone

In the world of Days Gone, life is not the best, at all. In fact, due to a worldwide pandemic (Hmm…) and the fact that there are monsters all around due to it (we dodged that bullet at least) there are those out there who are struggling to find the will to live.

This includes Deacon St. John. Who is a bounty hunter roaming around on his motorcycle, trying to stay alive and wondering if that’s the best thing right now.

Go on his journey of self-discovery and find others that need your help. Perhaps there is hope left in this world if you know where to look…

#9 Prey

To be clear here, we’re not talking about the original Prey game, we’re talking about the modern remake/reboot of the franchise.

In this game, you are part of the crew on the Talos I, who are undergoing tests and experiments when suddenly everything goes wrong (because how else would it go?) You’ll wake up alone, not sure of what’s happening, and finding yourself having to fight deadly aliens, all the while learning about the new abilities that are festering within you!

Fight off the invasion, learn the truth about yourself and the station and make sure you’re the predator…and not the prey.

#8 Outlast Series

The Outlast Series is definitely one that leans into the more “monstrous horror” than others, and that honestly makes it a more terrifying experience than certain others on this list.

Because in each game, you’ll be put into a scenario of having to literally outlast and survive all sorts of monsters that roam the area. All the while trying to get around the poorly lit areas via only your camcorder, and trying to figure out the mystery of all that is happening…even if the truth is too horrifying to speak of.

You can play this game with friends though, and that might help you…or it might not.

#7 Fatal Frame Series

The Fatal Frame Series is likely one that many of you haven’t played just because it hasn’t been the most advertised of series in the West. But, if you give it a chance, you’ll find something that is rather special.

In each game (some of which you can play on modern consoles for the record), you’ll go to various places and try to capture and pacify spirits via your special camera.

The stories and spirits you meet are rooted in Japanese folklore, giving a fun twist on things. There are multiple games in the franchise, so if you’re looking for something fresh, this just might be what you’re looking for.

#6 Alien: Isolation

If you’re looking for a horror title that is all about the fear and the dread of what might be around that next corner, then Alien: Isolation is for you. This game puts you in the role of Ellen Ripley’s daughter, who learns of a message from her mother on a far-off station.

When she and a crew head to the station though…something’s very wrong.

There’s a Xenomorph on board and the station itself is barely functioning, making it impossible for you to escape. Now, you must go around the station and try to fix everything, all the while knowing that the Xenomorph is almost always nearby, always hunting you.

Will you be able to get the station fixed? Or be the alien’s next victim?

#5 The Last of Us Series

It might seem a bit odd at first to put The Last of Us Series a bit low within the top 5, but you need to remember a few things. One, this is more of a survival title than a horror title despite there being monsters in the game. Two, it’s more about the characters and relationships in terms of story. And three…do we really need to mention The Last of Us Part 2? We didn’t think so.

The first game those is a masterpiece in terms of storytelling and how to weave a compelling gameplay experience around it.

The dynamic of Ellie and Joel is very strong, and you’ll want to survive with both of them and make the hard choices to keep both of them safe.

#4 Alan Wake

A classic horror game that is FINALLY getting its sequel soon enough, Alan Wake puts you in the role of the author named…uh…Alan Wake.

You are on the hunt for your wife, who has gone missing during a vacation near the town of Bright Falls. But there’s something very wrong about this place. Such as how Alan keeps finding pages to a book that he doesn’t remember writing at all, as well as how there is a presence that appears to be stalking him.

With your flashlight in hand to stop the darkness around you, you’ll have to learn the truth, no matter where it may lead you.

#3 The Evil Within Series

Even in the horror genre, there are horror titles, and then…there are HORROR titles. The Evil Within Series is meant to be the latter, as the game puts you into a set of places that are meant to scare you as you play it, and for most, it definitely did that.

You play as Sebastian Castellanos, a man who is taken to a nightmare dimension full of traps, dangers, and evil, and he must find a way to both survive and escape it. The choices you make along the way will affect the world around you, and possibly make it even more dangerous.

There are only two games within this series, but that’ll be enough to make you scared no doubt.

#2 Dead Space Series

The Dead Space Series is about to go through a reboot of its own via a complete remake of the first title, and that’s not a bad thing as it was the first two games in this lineup that really defined a modern day horror title.

In the game, you play as an engineer named Isaac whose partner has been caught up with something on another planet and needs rescuing.

Using only the tools available to you, you must go and do your best to find out the truth about all that happened, and survive the madness to come. As we said, the first two games were modern-day classics, and if playing the originals gets you excited for the remake? That’s worth it.

#1 Silent Hill Series

Given that Silent Hill and Resident Evil are honestly two sides of a very horrifying coin, it only makes sense that we end the list with this, wouldn’t you say?

The real difference between the RE franchise and the Silent Hill Series is the simple matter of their take on horror. Both sides have action in their games, but Silent Hill is often more about exploration and the true feeling of terror. As well as having big plot twists about the main characters you’re playing as in regards to whether they’re actually good people.

While the franchise hasn’t gotten that “shot in the arm” that RE has, that doesn’t mean you should give up on it just yet.