Psychological horror games are meant to terrify players on the deepest level, and these 15 games definitely qualify for that honor.
#15 Soma
Being stuck in an underwater science station can already be defined as “scary.” But when you’re stuck down there with malfunctioning robots, the station itself is falling apart, and monsters potentially everywhere, that ups the fear factor quite high.
As you try to survive the madness around you, you’ll seek out the truth about what happened! Why did everything go wrong? How did the robots go rogue? Where are all the other humans in the station? Can anything be done to save this place?
These questions and more will be for you to answer…if you can survive long enough to do so!
#14 Detention
For many students, getting sent to detention is one of the true horrors of school life. But in the video game Detention, things are much worse. Two students find themselves trapped within their school, only to realize that there are far greater horrors around them than the room they start out in.
To get free from this madness, they must figure out the truth about the school, evade the monsters trying to get them and escape.
The school’s history is tied to this darkness, and many elements of Eastern culture will be on display as you learn just how deep this rabbit hole goes.
#13 I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
There are many different ways to interpret horror, and I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, based on the best-selling short story, is one such option.
In the game, you’re not playing as heroes; you’re playing as five tainted souls who find themselves trapped within the Earth itself by an equally evil artificial intelligence. The only way to get out is by diving deeper into these five twisted minds and then using their past experiences to try and outwit the computer.
But can it be done? Can you beat something that has been around for so long? Dive in and find out.
#12 Observer
And now, for something on a different end of the “horror” spectrum. In Observer, you’ll be in a dark sci-fi future where detectives can literally hack into the minds of their suspects and use their own memories against them by finding out the truth within.
You’ll get to “eat their dreams” so you can find the clues necessary to solve cases. We don’t think that sounds appetizing, but what do we know?
Anyway, the danger is that the more you go into these disturbed minds, the more you risk your own sanity. So be careful with how far you push things.
#11 Visage
Atmospheric horror titles are incredibly popular in the gaming space, as they allow creators to twist expectations and provide you with environments that don’t start out as horrifying and yet become them over time.
In the case of Visage, you’ll explore a seemingly regular house. Thanks to the game’s graphics, everything looks and sounds realistic, almost to a haunting degree.
The problem is that the more you explore the home, the more you realize that terrible things happened here to the families that lived within. You’ll get lost in this place and must find a way out with your sanity intact.
Or will you dive even deeper to unfurl the madness?
#10 Siren
In Greek Mythology, sirens were creatures that could use the power of song to lure sailors to their deaths.
In the game Siren, players will take on the viewpoints of several people throughout history who have been drawn to the same small town called Hanuda. Every time they go there, they’ll find that there are zombie-like creatures that infest the place, and they must use special abilities to evade them and learn the truth about this place.
But why were these people drawn here? What brought them here? How do all of these stories connect to one another? If you can check the game out, you’ll find the answers. Or die trying.
#9 Devotion
As many people have asked over the years, what happens when faith and belief go too far? In Devotion, you’ll see a potential answer to that. The indie title focuses on a family from Taiwan in the 1980s. You’ll see everything from the perspective of one trying to understand everything about the family members and must wander through their family’s apartment home to see what is happening all around them.
What is happening? The place is starting to change for the worse, and the “vows” that the family has made to “higher beings” are being brought to light. See the horrors of their belief and what it’s doing to them, and see if you can escape this fate!
#8 Omori
We’ll be fair here. Omori isn’t the kind of game you go play if you’re looking for the most “horrifying experiences ever.” Its art style alone should highlight that there’s something more going on here.
But what the game does do incredibly is highlight how mental illness can take many forms and what the effects of them can be on someone, even if that someone is very young.
As you wander through this world, you’ll try to unravel the past you’ve forgotten, and your choices will determine how the game ends. But will you be able to handle that ending when it arrives?
#7 Layers of Fear
Madness is something that is rarely understood, and likely can never be truly comprehended. In Layers of Fear, you’ll see this firsthand as you wander through the mind and experiences of an insane artist. One who is trying to create a “masterpiece of fear.”
But beyond his horrifying paintings and works, you’ll dive deeper into his home and memories to figure out what made him this way and how he’s going to attempt to finish his “masterpiece.”
Nothing is as it seems in this world, and just when you think you have it worked out, everything might change and give you a new perspective.
#6 Outlast
Mount Massive Asylum. This place was once a place for the mentally ill until it was shut down. Then, it was reopened under the name of “charity,” but there is nothing charitable going on there.
You are Miles Upshur, an independent journalist who has received a tip that something very wrong is happening within the asylum. After breaking him, he’ll realize that the truth is far more horrifying than fiction.
Just as bad, the only way to get of the asylum is to keep going through it. Be smart about how you handle things in this place, or you might be the next one being experimented on.
#5 Dead Space
Isaac Clarke was a regular guy who happened to be an engineer. Then, one day, his life changed when he got a distress call from the ship his girlfriend was on. He and a group of others headed to the ISG Ishimura, only to find that the entire crew was missing and that something else was on board with them.
Isaac must use his engineering tools to work his way through the ship and take down the monsters that lie within. What happened here? Where did everyone go? Where is Isaac’s partner? Try to survive, and you might be able to find the answers!
#4 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
You are Daniel. But who is Daniel? We don’t know; that’s part of the mystery. Daniel wakes up in a castle with no memory of who he is. But why is he in a castle? That is another mystery he’ll have to figure out.
You’ll explore this mysterious and scary face and have to take on the horrors that lie both within it, and within Daniel’s mind.
Everything you see and hear could be real or a trick of the mind. When danger does come, you’ll need to react fast to escape it or face the consequences.
Can you unravel the mystery of Daniel’s existence? Or will madness and death take you first?
#3 Doki Doki Literature Club
As certain fans of “culture” know, there’s sometimes nothing more scary than anime girls. In Doki Doki Literature Club, you’re going to see just how correct those “people of culture” are in the freakiest way possible.
This game might have very “cutesy” art styles and dialogue at first. But as you dive deeper into the madness within, you’ll see that this title is horrifying in all the ways that matter. Plus, your choices let you dive deeper into the game and see just how dark this “simple club” can get.
So brace yourself; you’re not going to be the same after you’re done playing the title.
#2 F.E.A.R.
The original title in the series, F.E.A.R. freaked people out almost from the get-go because it poked fun at the shooter genre by adding horror and supernatural elements to ensure you didn’t know what was happening at points.
You are part of a special group that is sent to an aerospace station to learn the truth behind a failed hostage rescue and tasked with taking out any paranormal entities that caused another team to be wiped out.
It’s here that we meet the infamous Alma, and you’ll have to endure both her powers and fury. Do what you can to stay alive and survive the horrors that will be unleashed!
#1 Silent Hill 2
Widely hailed as one of the scariest and most mind-bending horror games ever, Silent Hill 2 showcased just how terrifying the series could be back in the days of the PS2.
You played a man in search of his lost wife and find out she has “gone to Silent Hill.” But as you go there and look for her, you find nothing but horrors, including the infinitely terrifying Pyramid Head.
The dark twists and turns throughout the game helped cement this game’s iconic status, and soon, a PS5 remake will attempt to recreate that fear for modern audiences.
No matter what, this is a horror experience that few have ever been able to top.
