Sci-fi horror games have become very popular in recent years.
As such there has been an explosion in the number of them available to play.
Each of them offer different types of chills and thrills, the problem is finding which one is right for you.
Look no further than this list, as we've collected the best of the best when it comes to sci-fi horror games.
Read more to find which one you should start playing right now.
15. SCP Containment Breach (PC)
SCP Containment Breach trailer
Do not play this game if you are afraid of dark spaces and tight corners. This game is pretty much all dark spaces and tight corners. In part randomly generated, SCP Containment Breach tasks you with escaping a perverse scientific facility run by a private company.
Along the way, you’ll be hunted by violent criminals, creepy reptilian creatures, and concrete statues come to life. No one is safe in this sci-fi horror game, least of all you. A great way to spend a few hours cowering in the dark.
Your skincare routine is pretty easy when you don't have a face.
14. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (PC/PS/XBOX)
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin trailer
It’s not just the creatures that are scary in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. This psychological horror sci-fi game plays tricks with your mind, forcing you to make split-second decisions that can change the course of the plot.. A fantastic prequel/sequel to the original F.E.A.R., Project Origin forces you to explore a company that may or may not be running illegal experiments on humans.
The great level design keeps things moving and the large number of different creatures to fight offers an improvement on the original game.
A spooky, spectacular time.
Someone's been working out. Look at those abs!
13. S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC/PS/XBOX)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl trailer
Radiation and animals are never a great mix. Set after a fictional second meltdown at Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R tasks you with trying to find the reason for the catastrophe, and perhaps preventing a new one along the way. To do so you’ll have to fight plenty of mutated animals and humans along the way.
This horror sci-fi game offers plenty of options for defeating every challenge in store for you. Great gameplay mechanics and plenty of horror creatures abound in the nightmare setting of Chernobyl. A must-play.
Is now really the right time for a high five?
12. BioShock Remastered (PC/PS/XBOX)
Bioshock announcement trailer
BioShock’s Big Sisters give a whole new meaning to the term “problem sibling.” A legendary sci-fi horror game, the Remastered version ups the chills and thrills with added graphical fidelity and a few other great tweaks and twists. BioShock forces you into a terrifying underwater world, where it’s up to you to determine wrong from right as you try to make your way out.
Its moral decision-making system was revolutionary at the time and still continues to amaze. You’ll have a blast as you fight incredible monsters and make some horrifying decisions along the way. An absolutely fantastic game.
Here, take my hand, sorry, drill.
11. The Thing (PC/PS2/XBOX)
The Thing trailer
Based on one of the best horror movies of all time, this scary sci-fi game reimagines the dark Antarctic landscapes of the movie and populates them with even more awful and creepy creatures. Unfortunately for you, those creatures definitely want you dead.
An early entry into the horror sci-fi canon, The Thing, is set as a sequel to the movie. You must dodge monsters as you work to save aresearch station from an unimaginable and terrible force. Great graphics and fun gameplay make this a must-have for sci-fi horror aficionados.
Killing this guy will really take the weight off his shoulders.
10. The Evil Within 2 (PC/PS/XBOX)
The Evil Within 2 Trailer
Cannibalism is not to be taken lightly in this sci-fi horror game. You play as a detective trying to find both his daughter and his way out of a twisted nightmare world. The Evil Within 2 tasks you with exploring that nightmare world, dodging awful cannibals, man-eating dogs, and other horrible monstrosities.
While the way in which you progress is up to you, the game’s camera angles force you into claustrophobic corners and tight chase scenes that will keep your blood pumping throughout your playtime. A truly terrifying romp.
How do you even eat with a sawblade for a hand?
9. Soma (PC/PS/XBOX)
Soma trailer
Think that the deep ocean is scarier than outer space? Afraid the abyss will stare back into you? Then this is the sci-fi horror game for you.
Set in an underwater research station, Soma focuses less on gunplay and more on puzzle-solving, stealth, and narrative. But Soma proves that puzzles can be just as horrifying as a bug-eyed monster. Its psychological horror elements will keep you up at night, and the creepy levels will be bouncing around your brain for days on end. A complex and frightening game.
That bear could use a little trimming.
8. System Shock (PC)
System Shock official teaser
The first System Shock came out in 1994 and a new one is slated fo 2022. It promises to be just as good as the original. Take this as a plug for both. The original System Shock is a sci-fi horror game set aboard a space station that forces you to fight against a malevolent A.I..
Great graphics, an intriguing story, and new gameplay mechanics all work to create a wonderful horror story. You’ll feel claustrophic just looking at the game. The new updated version promises to be just as fun and just as creepy.
This hairdo is giving Medusa a run for her money
7. Dead Space (PC/PS/XBOX)
Do not play this game if you have a heart condition. Please. A truly horrifying experience, Dead Space traps you in a spaceship full of necromorphs of all shapes and sizes. You’ll have to defeat them all if you want to get out alive. Be prepared to die many times.
One of the classics of the genre, Dead Space inspired a whole host of sci-fi horror imitators, none of them as good as the original. You need to watch your step around every corner, and even then, you won’t be safe.
Dune's Sandworms have nothing on this guy.
6. Viscera Cleanup Detail (PC)
Viscera Clean Up detail trailer
Most sci-fi horror games take place before and during the carnage. Viscera Cleanup Detail takes place after it. You play as a janitor tasked with cleaning up after a horrible alien invasions, shoot-outs, and other calamities.
Well thought-out levels, easy-to-use interfaces, and great graphics make this a wonderful addition to the sci-fi horror canon. It also might make you wait a second before you kill that next zombie or monster. Do you really want to have to clean up all that blood?
Another day at the blood clean-up factory.
5. GTFO (PC)
GTFO trailer
The Swedes know horror. Just watch any one of their movies. They also know sci-fi horror video games as evidenced by GTFO the 2017 release from the Swedish studio 10 Chambers.
This co-op shooter has you play with four other people as you work to scavenge and survive in an underground complex run by one of the scarier video game villains of all time. You’ll have nightmares about this game.
As you complete tasks you’ll have to face harder and harder enemies while dealing with fewer and fewer resources. Great for a fun game night with friends.
I bet there's so much money behind that vault. Or zombies. Probably zombies.
4. Half-Life (PC)
Half-Life trailer
All hail the gravity gun! One of the original, if not the original, sci-fi horror games, Half-Life is a perfect game to go back and revisit. No time like the present to bash some monster skulls with a crowbar.
It’s a smart, tight game, full of creative monsters and wonderful world-building. Famous at the time for its inventive gameplay, even today it still holds up even to the tightest scrutiny. An excellent story brings the whole game together in a way that keeps people playing, even decades later.
Just a man, a plan, and a crowbar.
3. Doom: Eternal (PC/PS/XBOX)
Doom: Eternal official trailer 2
Most sci-fi horror games are about being as quiet as possible for as long as possible. Doom: Eternal is the exact opposite. It tasks you with being as loud as possible for as long as possible. In this game, demons and minions of Hell provide the horror, while its Mars-based setting provides the sci-fi.
Spectacular level design and nefarious enemy A.I. keeps you guessing as to where the violence will come from next. Some throwbacks to the classic Doom are sure to keep older fans interested as well.
This guy knows how to have a good time. You can just tell.
2. Alien: Isolation (PC/PS/XBOX)
Alien: Isolation trailer
By now Xenomorphs should no longer be scary. But they are. They very much are. Alien: Isolation traps you on board a spaceship with one in this sci-fi horror classic.
You’ll be entranced by this game from its opening credits until its closing ones.
Based on the hit series of movies, Isolation is a perfect blend of stealth, gunfights, and resource management. Just be sure your heart doesn’t start racing too fast.
This guy just needs a quick trip to the dentist and he'll be fine!
1. The Outer Wilds (PC/PS/XBOX)
Outer Wilds trailer
Scary banjo picking is not just for Deliverance. In Outer Wilds you work to solve a horrifying central mystery, in outer space. With only a limited amount of time available with each playthrough, you’ll race against time to get to the next clue.
Here the sci-fi horror comes from alien bad guys, but also the vastness of outer space, the extreme loneliness, and not knowing what is going to be around the next corner. You’ll be running through alien cemeteries as you try to unravel clues and think on your feet. If you haven’t played this already, pick it up now!
When you see a cabin like that you know something bad is about to happen.
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