The Best Free Horror Games of All Time

The horror genre in gaming has been around longer than you likely realize. But the good news for you is that you don’t have to pay to get the biggest scares. You can simply play these free horror titles instead. With that said, these are not ranked in any particular order.

#21 Blameless

Many horror titles focus on giving you a mystery to solve as you attempt to endure the horrors within. Blameless is one such title, as you’re lured to a house where a mysterious person is chasing you.

As you make your way through the house that you’re in, you’ll need to figure out your role in this twisted game. The title itself doesn’t take long to beat, but it will have an ending that will make you question what really happened and, thus, might make you play it again.

#20 Poppy Playtime

Oh, look! Another game about items from a child’s young life that are now out to kill you. Fun times, everybody. Poppy Playtime is set within an abandoned toy factory that is now haunted by the toys that are within it.

You are trapped within it yourself and must solve puzzles to escape while also not getting caught by the monstrous entities within.

If you are scared easily, you might not want to try this title.

#19 The Obscura Experiment

Here’s another game featuring an “experiment gone wrong” scenario. This time, it’s The Obscura Experiment. You’ll play a scientist on a ship who has accidentally created an entity called Dark Matter. This force is out to get you, and if you’re not smart, it’ll do so in no time flat.

Strategy and planning is the name of this game. If you plan properly and use the ship and its features to your advantage, you can buy yourself enough time to escape.

If you plan poorly, you’ll lose the ability to wield your various devices, and the Dark Matter will consume you.

#18 Flicker of Hope

Horror titles can be unique if the right people make them. Flicker of Hope is about a man named Jean Wick, whom I wish to make numerous jokes about, but this individual is trying to complete the final wish of a monk.

That monk asked him to light up all the candles in a cathedral draped in darkness. The problem is that there are dark forces within this place that want to keep it dark. So be wary of nuns and bugs, because they’ll snuff your light out.

#17 Black Rose

Many horror stories start with someone or a group of people trying to figure out if a place is haunted. In Black Rose, you’ll play as a young girl named Linda, who seeks to find out the truth about a mysterious funeral parlor where multiple people disappeared in.

An interesting twist with this title is that you get a “high score” based on the “close calls” you have with the monster within. So get close without getting caught because getting caught would be bad for you.

#16 Ginkgo

Ginkgo is another unique title because it’s not so much a horror game as it is a demo that a bunch of students came up with that is honestly pretty terrifying.

You’ll work your way through a world that was heavily inspired by Asian cultures, including Japan via the use of monsters called Yokai. With only a needle that can patch together the world to help you, you’ll need to be clever to stop the monsters before they get to you.

#15 September 1999

How’s this for a twist on the horror genre? September 1999 is a “found footage” game where you’ll have to go through VHS-style footage and try to figure out what you’re watching and experience. The twist is that the game only lasts for 5 minutes and 30 seconds.

That means that every dive into this world will leave you racing to figure out what’s going on before time runs out.

Then again, do you WANT to find out what’s going on?

#14 Propagation VR

VR horror games are often a mixed bag, but for what it offers, Propagation VR is something special. Think of it like a mix of the first-person Resident Evil games, if all the game focused on was overcoming hordes of creatures overwhelming you in a single spot.

The game puts you in a scenario where you’re trapped in a subway station where infected people are all around. You can’t move, and the monsters are coming from all around you. You have to be smart and quick to survive.

You can also play with a friend if that helps.

#13 Doki Doki Literature Club

Let’s start with a game that might not seem like horror but is, in fact, one of the darkest and most twisted games you’ll ever play. Doki Doki Literature Club lures you with its cute aesthetic and “anime girls” that you will likely be drawn to. But don’t be fooled!

While everything starts “fine” in this game, things will take a dark and twisted turn you won’t expect. Once you’re down the rabbit hole, you’ll want to see how twisted things can get, and they will get rather twisted.

Will you be able to handle what these ladies put you through? Jump into the game and find out!

#12 Deceit

If you’re looking for a terrifying experience you can play with friends, Deceit has you covered. The title puts you in a place with five other players. However, the one who put you there has evil goals to the extent that they infected two of you with a virus that turns them into monsters in specific circumstances.

Your goal is two-fold. First, figure out who the monsters are and get rid of them. Then, find your way out of this prison!

If you’re one of the “innocent,” you’ll need to look for clues and items to help with both tasks. If you’re one of the monsters, it’s your job to get the others alone and then kill them.

#11 SCP: Containment Breach Multiplayer

You might be missing out if you’ve never heard of the SCP Foundation Wiki and the deep lore they’ve crafted in creating their monstrous universe. However, to those who know about the SCPs and why they are scary, you’ll want to ensure you don’t see them up close in SCP: Containment Breach Multiplayer.

The multiplayer game is based on the world of the Wiki. You’ll be in a containment facility meant to hold the SCPs. However, there’s a breach at the facility, and many SCPs get out, and they won’t be happy to see you.

You can play multiple game modes as the people trying to escape the facility or the SCPs themselves to see if you can be the best monster out there.

#10 Dagon: By H.P. Lovecraft

When you have a story tied to H.P. Lovecraft? It’s going to be a horror story. Of course, what kind of horror story depends on the tale itself, but that made Lovecraft a unique author with an almost literal cult following long after his death.

In Dagon: By H.P. Lovecraft, you’ll take the role of a ship officer who is losing his mind and must attempt to understand what he is witnessing within his addled mind. The game is meant to deliver an atmospheric experience and lets you see through the officers’ eyes in VR!

The 30-minute title is meant to introduce the universe, so don’t be afraid to dive in!

#9 We Went Back

Is there anything more horrifying than a time loop? Ok, there are probably several more terrifying things than a time loop. But in We Went Back, you’ll feel the fear and terror as you attempt to get off a station full of terrors while trying to unravel all that has gone on within it.

Adding to the terror is the fact that you’re alone. It’s just you on this station—you and the terrors that roam the halls. You must find clues, solve puzzles, and figure out what’s haunting you to get out. With each failure, you’ll start the loop over and attempt to improve the next time. Think you can do that?

#8 Dead Frontier 2

Dead Frontier 2 puts you as a survivor of a zombie apocalypse! That’s not terrifying at all, right? Regardless of your feelings, you’ll have to create a character and attempt to survive in this world of nightmares.

How you survive is up to you, but your choices will matter. For example, will you carefully roam around the town to get supplies? If you come across someone in danger, will you help them? Or will you let them die?

How will you take out the monsters that roam the streets and buildings? Your choices will determine if you live or die. So choose wisely.

#7 Fears to Fathom – Home Alone 

There are multiple horror titles out there that believe in the anthology style of telling tales. In Fears to Fathom – Home Alone, you’ll experience the first episode in this series and attempt to help a young man stay alive.

You are Miles, a teenager who is home alone. Why is he home alone? His parents are away for work. So surely everything will be fine, right?

Except, things start to unfold that is quite terrifying. You’ll guide Miles and make choices determining whether he lives or dies. Mix that with an old-school aesthetic, and a deep psychological horror experience awaits!

#6 Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion 

When you hear the title Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion, you might think that this is a pun on horror where it’s trying to scare you, but it won’t work. Well, you can think that, but you’d be wrong.

The title tries to tell you that there’s “cute terror” inside and even has a blocky look to certain things to make you feel that horror can’t happen in this place.

But once you’re inside the mansion and have to get out of the 1000 rooms this place throws at you. You’ll experience the terror.

Will you make it out of the mansion with your mind intact?

#5 Hide and Shriek

Sometimes the best games of terror are when you’re trying to scare the crap out of your friends for giggles. Hide and Shriek is one such game that lets you do that.

The title puts you as high school students who sneak into their school to perform ancient rituals and attempt to terrify their friends. These matches will be 1v1, and you’ll have ten minutes to get the most points possible by scaring your friend or doing various rituals.

If you go for the scare route, you’ll need to expose them and lure them into traps to get a good scare on them.

#4 Dark Deception

If you look at Dark Deception, you’ll see it’s not unlike a certain other horror franchise we’ll discuss soon.

But it’s not tied to that universe. It’s its own thing. In this game, you’ll have to go through terrifying mazes with monsters on your heels. You can never kill the monsters. You can merely stun them and hope it’s enough for you to get away.

You’ll need to run for your life and hope they don’t catch you. If they do, you’re done. Or if you fall into one of the many traps the mazes have, you’re done. Do you see a pattern here?

#3 Cry of Fear

When a game tells you in its description that it’s “not for the faint of heart,” you definitely need to keep that warning in mind. Cry of Fear is set in a Scandinavia town where you play a young man who is losing his mind but must seek out answers before he does.

That won’t be easy when the town is full of monsters and other dangers that will attempt to stop him. The game blends gameplay with a cinematic experience to get terror on all fronts.

With an eight-hour campaign and multiple endings you can get, you’ll want to endure the title many times over to see what happens with each choice you make.

#2 No More Room in Hell

Sometimes it’s up to horror fans to make their own terrifying experience. No More Room in Hell is a mod game that takes inspiration from all-time classics to deliver a powerful and terrifying survival experience.

The game’s world is slowly coming undone thanks to a virus that turns people into zombies. You are one of the survivors fighting to keep going, and you’ll do that one step at a time. If the zombies bite you, you’re done. But if you play it smart, you just might live.

Plus, with various modes to try out, plenty of options exist to crank up the terror no matter what you play.

#1 Ultimate Custom Night

What’s the greatest kind of horror experience? One you can control and make as terrifying as possible. In Ultimate Custom Night, you’ll pick between fifty different animatronic terrors spanning the beloved franchise. Once you pick the ones you like or fear the most, assign them difficulty scaling and see if you can survive them.

You’ll be in an office where you’ll need to manage multiple entrances and work with the tools you have to keep the mechanical monstrosities out!

You can make the most challenging experience possible with all your options or create your “dream scenario” with these characters. The choice is yours.