10. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
At number ten we have Texas Chainsaw Massacre, an asymmetrical game inspired by the 1974 classic of the same name. It’s a multiplayer game where you can be a victim or The killer! If you’re a lover of classic slasher movies, this game may be for you!
Personally, I’m not a fan of open-world horror games because that’s so terrifying??? Maybe it’s not as terrifying if you’re playing as the killer. Open-world games make me feel so vulnerable, which is kind of what makes them so immersive. I feel real and genuine fear.
9. Escape the backrooms
Escape the Backrooms is a horror puzzle game based on the internet phenomena: The Backrooms which is a dimensional pocket in space and time that’s just an endless space of rooms. It gives that kind of liminal fear, being in an empty place that your mind knows is supposed to have people in it. Players are meant to solve puzzles while avoiding uncomfortably deadly monsters.
Escape the Backgrounds is such a fun game, if I’m being honest. Though, as I mentioned, open-world games scare me, it’s such a fun game to play with friends. But it can be a little underwhelming when playing by yourself.
8. MADiSON
Coming in at number 8, we have MADiSON, a first-person psychological horror game that is intriguing, disturbing, and most of all, unsettling. You play as Luca, who is being tortured by a demon, who wants to force him to finish a decades-old ritual. It’s up to you to either survive or succumb.
I was not expecting to like MADiSON as much as I did! I didn’t personally play it, I watched it on YouTube and I was not disappointed. The game is psychological and immersive. It’s the perfect example that not all secrets need to be uncovered.
7. Demonologist
In 7th place is Demonologist, a multiplayer horror game where you and your teammates (that’s optional) go around to cursed places to exorcize evil spirits. It’s one of those games that’s horrifying to play alone but super fun to play with friends!
Several reviews have said that it’s similar to the game, Phasmophobia. In my opinion, it’s a really good game! The graphics are amazing and as I said, it’s the perfect activity to do with your friends, especially on a particularly eerie night.
6. Bendy and The Ink Machine
Ahhhh, Bendy and the Ink Machine is a beloved classic for many. The game that brought my love for horror and classic cartoons together in a tender embrace. Too much? Well. What I meant to say is that Bendy and The Ink Machine is a really good game. It is a single-player game where you play as Henry, who is visiting the abandoned animation studio that he used to work out, only to discover some…disturbing creations.
Bendy and the Ink Machine came out when I was only in middle school and the grip it had on me was unrelenting. I enjoy the amount of time and work that was put into this game, it has made me panic quite an unreal amount of times.
5. Darkwood
Next, we have Darkwood, a game created by AcidWizardStudio is a single-player survival horror game that did not disappoint. Several reviews say that it was so scary, that they have trouble sleeping at night. Woah, goosebumps.
The main thing I loved about this game is the top-down perspective of it which makes it different from a lot of the other games on this list. I also love that it’s not as hand-hold-y. It’s not scary in the way that a lot of other games are scary, it’s scary because you have to do things normally you wouldn’t even consider in the name of survival.
4. The Forest
The Forest, much like Darkwood, is a single-player survival game but it’s in first person. In this game, you are the lone survivor of a plane crash, you have to survive alone in the forest and you have to defend yourself against cannibalistic mutants.
This game, honestly? Beautiful graphics. I love horror games with Beautiful graphics, they tend to bump the fear factor up by 100%. I loved being able to walk around and chop down trees to build shelter and make weapons and tools. It’s almost like Minecraft!
3. The Beast Inside
In third place, we have The Beast Inside. This is a story-driven survival horror game, filled with dark secrets and straight-up insanity. In this game, you switch between two different characters, living in different centuries but tied together through their heritage. Seeing a playthrough of this had me on the edge of my seat.
The concept of this game alone is amazing. The way that it’s intergenerational and you get to see the past and the present is really appealing to me. Not to mention the amazing graphics! This game is like a dream come true in terms of quality, even though it’s more like a nightmare.
2. Slender: The Arrival.
Slender: The Arrival AKA the videogame form of the supernatural phenomena that spread wildfires in middle school classrooms and other places for years. It’s a first-person survival horror game that builds tension and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand.
Slender: The Arrival is everything my 11-year-old self had dreamed about, given that I was a creepypasta-obsessed kid. This game did a really good job of making me nervous. Fearful, even. If you’re a fan of Creepypasta, Marble Hornets, Everymanhybrid, or even TribeTwelve, this game is something you want to pick up.
1. Five Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted
In first place, we have my favorite game of all time, Five Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted!!! Help Wanted is a collection of five nights at Freddy’s mini-games, both old and new. It’s a single-player horror game, the ninth in the Five Nights At Freddy’s franchise.
Five Nights At Freddy’s has to be my favorite series of all time. I have a collection of the games, the books, and even the plushies. I may be a little obsessed. Help Wanted is an amazing game that can be played flat or in VR, which are two very different fear levels in my opinion! The mini-games allow you to get little pieces of the story at a time and it’s fun to try to piece it all together.
