Let’s face it, there’s just something about not having weapons, or a way to defend yourself, whilst crawling around an abandoned house, not knowing what creature from the mind of a twisted developer will pop out next and be the face of our nightmares for a few weeks. But sometimes, that can get a little stale. What if you had a weapon? Well, that’s why FPS games with horror elements exist!
Having weapons doesn’t necessarily make these games less scary, but it does make them more fun. If you are looking for an FPS horror game, here are a few that might satisfy your need for jump scares and headshots.
15. GTFO (PC)
GTFO Version 1.0 Launch Gameplay Trailer (4K)
Have you ever played a Dark Souls FPS game? Probably not. But if you are a fan of Dark Souls, and have enjoyed Escape from Tarkov, then GTFO is right up your alley. The game was developed and published by 10 Chamber Collective and officially released in 2021.
You will play as a scavenger in a team of 4, completing objectives for the Warden, in an underground complex built like a labyrinth. The many enemies you will encounter make this difficult, hence the Dark Souls comparison,, hence the Dark Souls comparison and by enemies, I mean horrifying monsters.
Lighting and volumetric fog are used in a genius way to create a truly intense atmosphere in which you will need to carefully explore, picking your battles and often avoiding enemies. If you want a horror FPS game that doesn’t hold your hand, with hours of replayability, this is it.
14. Resident Evil Village (PC | PS4 | PS5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series S and X)
Resident Evil Village - Announcement Trailer
Resident Evil Village is one of those games that you expect to not work, based on the formula used by previous games in the series, but it does.. What this means is that Resident Evil games have had a specific formula and play style up until Resident Evil 7, when Capcom, the publisher and developer, switched things up and made RE7 first person.
If you enjoyed RE7, then you will love Village. The same sort of approach is used; however, it is slightly faster and less focused on a scary environment, and more on creating tension and fear through combat and enemies.
You will play as Ethan Winters, the protagonist from the previous game, and are brought to a strange European village from which you will need to escape. You will find weapons, manage an inventory, explore the village, and meet eccentric, yet horrifying characters.
13. Dying Light (PC | PS4 | Xbox One | Switch | macOS)
Dying Light - Good Night, Good Luck Trailer
Unfortunately, there aren’t many great FPS zombie games on the market, not that it really matters, because there is Dying Light. It was developed by Techland, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and released in 2015. Dying Light is the first of its kind, kind of.
The game feels quite similar to Dead Island, which was also developed by Techland, but expands upon the systems in the game and introduces new ones. You will play as Kyle Crane, an operative inserted in Harran, a fictional Middle Eastern city on a secret mission, during a zombie outbreak. In addition to dealing with zombies, there are factions in the city that will attack on sight.
You will be able to jump from rooftop to rooftop, climb buildings, run along ledges, and more, in order to travel across the zombie infested city. There are many different weapons to find, create and upgrade, as well as a level-based system and access to skill points.
Smashing zombie skulls has never been more fun, but don’t think the game isn’t scary; everyone thinks that until they are face to face with a horde.
12. BioShock (PC | PS3 | PS4 | Xbox 360 | Xbox One | Linux | Switch)
BioShock: Celebrating 10 Years Trailer
To describe Bioshock as simply as an FPS game is an insult to its legacy, to describe it as an FPS horror game isn’t enough either. Bioshock, developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games in 2007, is for the lack of a better word, an experience. It combines a variety of different gameplay genres into one, to deliver something entirely unique.
You will play as Jack, who finds the city of Rapture after his plane crashes. Whether by coincidence, or destiny, you are embroiled in the fate of the underwater city, and will have to defeat the overlord ruling it. Along the way, through an intensely creative, dramatic, engaging and immersive storyline, you can defeat enemies in many creative ways, or play the game as a regular FPS.
Although it isn’t a traditional horror game, the enemies you fight are tortured, mutated residents, and the atmosphere of the detailed environment is extremely eerie, creating tension, especially when played at higher difficulties. The game also has you contemplate free will, moral decisions, and a variety of different perspectives. If you are looking for a journey that has action, tension, and a great storyline, this is an absolute must.
11. Back 4 Blood (PC | PS4 | PS5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series S and X)
Back 4 Blood - Official Release Date Trailer
If there is one game that many FPS fans have been waiting for, it is Back 4 Blood, developed by Turtle Rock Studios, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2021. Back 4 Blood is thought to be the spiritual successor of the Left 4 Dead franchise, and even though it has been 12 years since Left 4 Dead 2, Turtle Rock Studios didn’t miss a beat.
Much like the previous games, you will choose a character, make your way from one end of a map to the other, find weapons along the way, and kill as many zombies as possible. What makes this game great is that you can play with other players, or you can play with AI teammates, which is much easier in some situations.
This isn’t meant to be an FPS horror in which there is no hope; this is an FPS game with the objective of wiping as many zeds off the planet as possible, while communicating with your teammates to do so. The gameplay is fun, the graphics are great, however, you might want to wait until a few patches come out before buying it at full price.
10. Kona (PC | PS4 | Xbox One | Linux | macOS | Switch)
Kona Announce Trailer
There is a niche market in the gaming industry, where gamers don’t want an FPS, or a straight up horror game, or a game that is explicitly adventure. This is the realm in which Kona operates. It was developed by Parabole, and published by Parabole and Ravenscourt in 2020.
You will play as Carl Faubert, a private detective, who is beginning an investigation. This doesn’t get off to a great start since he crashes his car when arriving at Lake Atamipek in Northern Quebec, and is left stranded and lost in the snowy wilderness.
In order to survive, you will need to manage your health, warmth and sanity levels, as well as contend with wolves. While there are guns in the game, action isn’t the main focus, and the well-crafted atmosphere of the game will leave you playing at the edge of your seat. If you’re looking for something different that manages to be fun and stressful at the same time, then you should definitely give Kona a try.
9. Doom 3 (PC | | PS4 | Xbox One | macOS | Linux | Switch)
Doom 3 PC Trailer - Official Trailer
When Doom 3 was released in 2004, developed by id Software, and published by Activision, it shook up the FPS world, and was leagues ahead of its competitors. This isn’t too surprising, since Doom (1993) was also a genre defining game.
You will take control of a nameless marine, who is later known as the Doom Marine, Doomguy, or Doom Slayer, and find yourself on a space station on Mars. Dr. Malcolm Betruger, an ambitious, yet unhinged scientist, manages to open a portal to hell, which leads to the station being overrun with demons and zombies.
Doom 3 does a perfect job of blending an atmosphere of dread, doom, and gloom with extremely satisfying and fun gameplay. Even though it looks like a typical shooter, the environment has been so well-crafted, and is so detailed that you can’t help but be immersed and terrified.
8. Killing Floor 2 (PC | PS4 | Xbox One | Linux)
Killing Floor 2- Official Launch Trailer
The amazing thing about Killing Floor 2, developed and published by Tripwire Interactive, and officially released in 2016, is that it doesn’t pretend to be something it's not. There is no campaign, or hundreds of game modes to choose from; it’s an FPS horror co-op shooter. The entire point of the game is to kill “zombies”, nothing more and nothing less.
The gameplay is as simple as this concept, so anyone can jump in and start playing. There are 10 classes to choose from, however you will only see the differences in classes at around level 5 and 10. Once you have chosen a class, you will need to either survive a set number of waves to finish the level, or complete objectives while surviving against waves of enemies.
The more enemies you kill, the more money you earn and the better weapons you can buy between rounds. From the start of the round, you won’t have a moment to relax; it’s all out action, but you will still need to manage your ammo effectively. This is one game to play if you just want to mindlessly kill zombies.
7. Dead Island (PC | PS3 | PS4 | Xbox 360 | Xbox One | macOS | Linux)
Dead Island: Official Announcement Trailer
Dead Island is one of the most fun FPS horror games to have been released, and even though it isn’t meant to be scary, there are moments when it is incredibly tense, such as being surrounded by zombies. The game was released in 2011, after being developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver.
Admittedly,the game doesn’t actually focus heavily on gunplay, and instead emphasizes melee combat, but there are guns. This doesn’t mean you will want to use them though, since smashing a zombie's head and upgrading your melee weapons is more than satisfying, besides, being loud is a quick way to get dead.
You can choose one of 4 characters to play as, and will need to survive on an island where a zombie outbreak just occurred. The island is yours to explore, and you will level up through combat and completing objectives. Techland created an immersive environment with gameplay that borders between being scary and fun, but leans more towards the fun side.
6. Alien: Isolation (PC | PS3 | PS4 | Xbox 360 | Xbox One | Switch | macOS | Linux)
Alien: Isolation - Launch Trailer
Alien: Isolation is perhaps one of the most atmospherically rich FPS horror games to date, and was released in 2014, published by Sega and developed by Creative Assembly. While the game isn’t the shoot-em-up bonanza that Doom is, it’s still really fun if you are someone that wants to be immersed, especially if you enjoy the Aliens vs. Predator movies.
You will play as Amanda Ripley who is in search of her mother, after finding out that her mother's flight recorder has been found. After being separated from your group in an abandoned station, you will need to survive against an Alien using stealth and strategic movement. You’ll have many tools to help you, but the AI for the Alien is incredibly advanced, so it won’t be easy.
This game is quite fun if you are a fan of the Aliens vs Predator universe, and is so immersive that you feel like you are in one of the movies. Definitely try this game for an experience you won’t soon forget.
5. Prey (PC | PS4 | Xbox One)
Prey - E3 2016 Reveal Trailer
If you are looking for an FPS horror with a great story, interesting and creative gameplay mechanics, as well as an atmosphere that will immerse you within seconds, then Prey is probably your best choice. The game was released in 2017, published by Bethesda Softworks and developed by Arkane Studios.
You will play as Morgan Yu, a neuroscientist, who is trapped on Talos I. If this were the least of Morgan's problems, it would be great, unfortunately he also needs to survive against creatures called Mimics.
These mimics are what make the game tense, and add an ever-present feeling of fear since they can take on the shape of any object in the environment, which means that at most times you won’t know where they are.
More than this, you will have a variety of different weapons to defend yourself with, decisions to make that affect the story and gameplay, as well as many RPG mechanics that make gameplay entertaining. Prey is one of a kind, and not playing will be a big disservice to yourself.
4. Metro Exodus (PC | PS4 | PS5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series S and X | macOS | Linux)
Metro Exodus - E3 2017 Announce Gameplay Trailer
There are very few games that are able to tell you where to go without actually using a HUD, or flashing arrows; Metro Exodus is one of them. Published by Deep Silver in 2019, and developed by 4A Games, Metro Exodus is the first game in the series to effectively take you out of the underground, and place you in an open-world.
You will join the adventures of Artyom again, but this time on the surface, in an open world that you can freely explore. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you aren’t in cramped tunnels with low light that it isn’t as tense.
Metro Exodus will take you on a journey that is at times scary, nerve wrecking, and emotional, but all the while fun. There are many weapons at your disposal to fight your enemies, which could be monsters or men, and the opportunity to customize these guns to your playstyle. Welcome to the wasteland soldier.
3. The Forest (PC | PS4 | Android)
The Forest - Trailer 3
Have you ever wanted to camp in a forest, chop down trees, build structures and fortifications, and survive against tribes of cannibals? Well, The Forest gives you that opportunity, and was released in 2018, after being developed and published by Endnight Games.
You are Eric LeBlanc, and your son Timmy was taken after a plane you were travelling in crashes in a forest. Your mission is to find Timmy, but the inhabitants of the island won’t make it easy. It will also be necessary to manage your hunger and thirst, as well as gather resources to build shelter and other structures.
Whilst the game isn’t strictly an FPS, you can craft a bow, and if you find all the components, a pistol. If you enjoy survival games, but want to go up against a smart AI, whilst having an objective that requires exploration, then you should absolutely try The Forest.
2. Hunt: Showdown (PC | PS4 | Xbox One)
Hunt: Showdown Steam Trailer
Hunt: Showdown is a little different in comparison to the rest of the games mentioned above, and isn’t your typical FPS horror game. Developed by Crytek, published by Koch Media and Crytek, and released in 2019, Hunt: Showdown is a refreshing twist in the battle royale genre.
You are a monster hunter, and will be paired with another hunter against 4 other teams of 2. The objective of each game is to find your bounty, kill it, and escape the map. This sounds easy; however, the other teams are trying to do the same thing.
The game is really fun, but is made tense by not only the monsters and other players in each match, but also by the fact that if you die, you will lose your character and the equipment they had. This means you will have to start from scratch, but you do keep any money and experience you earned, making the next match slightly easier.
1. Chernobylite (PC | PS4 | PS5 | Xbox One | Xbox One S and X | Switch)
Chernobylite Story Trailer [Official]
Finally, one of the newest games on this list is Chernobylite, developed by The Farm 51 and published by All in! Games SA in 2021. Chernobylite is a mashup of different genres, but at its core is quite story driven. This doesn’t mean the influences from other genres aren’t noticeable, they very much are.
You will take control of Igor Khymynuk, a Ukranian physicist, in search of his wife that disapeared before the Chernobyl disaster. This is far from easy since a military contractor, NAR, has taken control over the zone. A material called Chernobylite was discovered in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, preceding the events of the Chernobyl disaster, and experiments are being run.
You will need to gather resources, craft, upgrade your weapons, make decisions that affect gameplay, manipulate time, and recruit allies in order to traverse the zone and find your wife. Be careful though, Chernobylite has attracted extra-dimensional creatures called Shadows who won’t make this easy.
