In any horror game, the main goal of the creator is to have us players scared, right? I don’t know anything scarier than having your vision clouded by disgusting monsters and terrifying spirits! And in a first-person shooter, you’ll be forced to fight off against enemies with a limited perspective, YOUR perspective. Combine horror with an FPS, then you should be in for some pretty good scares.
#1: Death in the Water 2 – 2023 (Supported Platforms: PC)
As someone who hates anything dealing with being underwater in video games, as well as real life, Death in the Water 2 is my worst nightmare. And let’s not forget that this is a first-person shooter, so that only made things worse. I mean, imagine you’re just minding your business swimming around and then a SIREN appears trying to kill you!
The Diver having to deal with Bruce and his relatives
#2: Back 4 Blood – 2021 (Supported Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S)
Back 4 Blood - Official Release Date Trailer
I already hate worms, so if I had to fight against people possessed by space worms, I'd be both scared and disgusted! Unfortunately for the surviving humans in Back 4 Blood, they have to deal with such parasitic enemies in a post-apocalyptic world. And you'll be playing as one of these survivors.
For each survivor, or Cleaner as they're called in the game, they have their own abilities. I think my favorite Cleaner would have to be Mom because of her perks. She's the best support character and is especially useful in harder levels of Back 4 Blood.
A Cleaner cleaning up a room full of zombies
#3: Amnesia: The Bunker – 2023 (Supporter Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming)
Amnesia: The Bunker - Launch Trailer
You know, waking up and realizing you were in a coma is scary enough. But then you see blood and mutilated bodies everywhere and you think to yourself: "Maybe I was better off staying in a coma". In Amnesia: The Bunker, you play as a French soldier named Henri Clement who must escape an underground bunker while being hunted down by a creature called "The Beast".
I remember watching Markiplier's playthrough of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and I just knew that Amnesia: The Bunker would be just as scary. Every little sound just had me on edge the whole time. But I'm someone who gets scared from the simplest things, so it could just be me.
Henri regretting waking up from his coma after seeing the Beast
#4: Prey – 2017 (Supported Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Cloud Gaming)
Prey - Official Launch Trailer
I think it would be fun if I had a job with my siblings! I'm sure Morgan Yu thought the same thing when their brother asks them to join TranStar's research team in Prey. Now Morgan must survive within the space station Talos I, which has been overrun by hostile aliens called Typhon.
Besides having to kill Typhon in this first-person shooter, you'll also have to worry about the choices you make throughout the game. These choices will influence the ending you get, so think carefully before making your decisions. They will test your morality for sure.
Morgan encountering monsters that look like knock-off Heartless
#5: Outlast 2 – 2017 (Supported Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)
Outlast 2 - Launch Trailer | PS4
And we thought an insane asylum was scary enough in the world of Outlast. In Outlast 2, you play as a cameraman named Blake Langermann, who heads to Arizona with his wife Lynn to investigate a murder. After waking up from a helicopter crash and seeing that his wife is missing, Blake must find Lynn as well as escape the village they have been stranded in.
Outlast 2 isn't much of a shooting game, unless you count "shooting" your camcorder to record events and light your way through the darkness. So remember, you can't attack any enemies you come across. You can either try to defend yourself or simply run away (think of it as a tactical retreat).
Blake is definitely not as happy as that mummy seems to be
#6: Hunt: Showdown – 2018 (Supported Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S)
Hunt: Showdown Steam Trailer
Imagine being part of a super secret hunting society where your prey isn't actually deer. I honestly would rather hunt deer, but at least for the Hunters in Hunt: Showdown, they're getting paid to hunt the creatures that go bump in the night. You'll take control of a Hunter and go out in the big, scary world to collect your bounties.
Similar to Back 4 Blood, Hunters have various traits, but they depend on your XP rather than the character themself. Bloodline experience is earned in multiple ways and this will help you gain ranks within the game. The higher your rank, the more rewards you can earn!
A giant spider monster…do I even need to explain?
#7: Dying Light – 2015 (Supported Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Dying Light - Launch Trailer | PS4
Having to hear Sonic the Hedgehog cursing is still the funniest thing to me. Well, technically it's Kyle Crane in Dying Light, but the two characters share the same voice actor! As Kyle, you're tasked with recovering an important file, but you begin to question whether to continue the mission or help the survivors of Harran.
The thought of fighting through hordes of zombies is pretty scary. But at least you can play through Dying Light with friends. Yep, you can have up to four players, so have fun using your friends as bait for the zombies!
Kyle getting ready to murder someone’s grandma
#8: System Shock Remake – 2023 (Supported Platforms: PC, but it is expected to be ported to consoles sometime this year)
System Shock - Official Trailer | Summer of Gaming 2022
I kind of feel bad for the Hacker in System Shock, because all he wanted to do was not go to jail! How could he have known that the AI he was forced to reprogram would turn psychotic? Now after waking up from a six-month coma, you as the Hacker must survive a hostile environment filled with mutants, cyborgs, and security robots.
System Shock was a pretty groundbreaking game with it being the first FPS to feature 3D environments at the time of its release. The original game may not seem so impressive now, but influence future games such as Thief and Bioshock! But with this 2023 remake, we can now see the classic first-person shooter with modern graphics.
The Hacker battling mutants Doom style
#9: Resident Evil Village – 2021 (Supported Platforms: PC, Apple IOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S)
Resident Evil Village - Announcement Trailer
There have been plenty of unfortunate characters in gaming, and Ethan is VERY unfortunate. After surviving the insanity of the Bakers, Ethan Winters believed his zombie-killing days were over. But when his daughter is kidnapped and taken to a strange village, Ethan must fight even more terrifying monsters in order to save her.
I think we can all agree the most memorable thing about RE8 was Lady Dimitrescu. The game developers knew exactly what they were doing when they made this vampire queen. But besides that, Resident Evil Village has a great story with a bunch of twists that'll make your head spin!
Ethan questioning his life choices as he fights against some enemies
#10: Metro Exodus – 2019 (Supported Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S)
Metro Exodus - Official Gameplay Trailer | E3 2018
In Metro Exodus, the third installment of the Metro series, you once again take control of Artyom, a ranger who, along with his crew, flees Moscow Metro. Using the Trans-Siberian Railway, the crew travels across the country on a steam locomotive called the Aurora. But they're are a lot of obstacles they will face throughout their journey, including mutants.
One of the new features that was included in Metro Exodus are the seasons. For each of the four seasons there will be certain changes to the game, such as how the NPCs will react to the changing weather. I love these subtle changes along with the more evident changes like, of course, with the environment and the different enemies you face.
Artyom fighting two mutants (why does the mutant on the left look like he did the superhero landing?)
To be honest, I'm terrible at first-person shooters, but I still enjoy playing them! Especially if the game is fun and the story is good. And in my opinion, most of the best stories come from horror games, so give the games listed above a try. Whether you're a horror fan or a fan of FPS games, you'll enjoy any of these ten games regardless.
