Top 10 Horror Games Of The Generation

In celebration of Halloween, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 horror games of the generation. Let’s get into it, then, shall we?

^{10 / ₁₀} | Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares is a puzzle-platformer horror adventure game developed by Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Stadia.

It plays similarly to Playdead’s Inside and Limbo from a 2D perspective. You play as a little girl called Six that wakes up in The Maw, a monstrous ship. in the hallways of The Maw, a multitude of creepy characters are out to catch you; a blind janitor with incredibly long arms, twin chefs that are feeding the ship’s overly obese passengers and a geisha that acts as the leader of the Maw.

What the game lacks in scares, it more than makes up for it with the creative character designs and the thick claustrophobic atmosphere that persists throughout the game’s 4 to 5 hours playthrough.

It’s hard not to recommend Little Nightmares as it’s one of the most unique horror game you’ll ever play in your life.

^{9 / ₁₀} | The Evil Within

The Evil Within is a third-person survival horror video game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. Inspired by Resident Evil, The Evil Within is a great game that stands on its own. The creative level design and the unforgiving difficulty makes it a joy to play from start to finish.

If you’re a big fan of the survival horror genre and Resident Evil in particular. And have been itching for a game that plays like the old PS1 era games, then Evil Within is just the game for you. Evil Within is surprisingly, filled with variety when it comes to its different gameplay mechanics. Each chapter feels and plays differently than the others.

It’s dedication to offering the players a challenging experience is wonderful. Limited ammo, unforgiving enemies and boss fights, and a low health limit keep you on your toes for the entirety of your playthrough.

^{8 / ₁₀} | The Forest

The Forest is a survival video game developed and published by Endnight Games. The game was released for Microsoft Windows in April 2018, and for the PlayStation 4 in November 2018. After surviving a plane crash and having your child taken from you by a dark figure. You wake up and start exploring a tropical paradise of a peninsula. The forest’s environments are varied and a joy to explore. or at least they are until you meet the cannibals.

The game’s enemies are a bunch of cannibalistic tribes that are always tracking you and trying to hunt you. Their human like AI is a sight to behold. You can’t help shake the feeling of being constantly watched as you wonder through the forest.

The game also features a day night cycle, that we almost wish it didn’t. The nights are absolutely terrifying as the tribes roams the forest looking for their next victim. We’ve spent most in-game nights huddled somewhere in the bushes. And trying not to make a sound as we slowly made our way back to our camp.

A word of warning though, if you’re not a survival fan, then you should skip The Forest. It features many of the typical survival mechanics such as crafting, resource gathering, feeding and fetching water for your character. As well as some tedious base building when playing solo. You’re also spending much of your time looking for the next piece of clue that can lead you to finding your son. That can be frustrating for the newcomers to the genre.

^{7 / ₁₀} | Alien Isolation

Alien: Isolation is a survival horror video game based on the 1979 James Cameron Film Alien. It’s developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game is set 15 years after the events of the movie. It follows engineer Amanda Ripley, daughter of the alien ass kicking Ellen Ripley, as she investigates the disappearance of her mother.

Staying true to its roots, the game places a bigger emphasis on stealth and survival than its predecessors. You’ll spend most of your time hiding and avoiding the titular Alien. Yup, that’s right, the game’s main antagonist is one single Alien.

What makes Alien so different is the fact that it gives you the weapons you need to fight the Alien. However, you soon realize that those weapons are useless against the tall reptile-like monstrosity.

The game will have your heart beating like a drum as you listen to the rhythmic footsteps of the Xenomorph slowly creeping up on you. The game also features a 1970s retro aesthetic that is sure to please the fanbase.

^{6 / ₁₀} | Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 is a game that needs no introduction. It’s a game that we cherished and enjoyed both as a classic and as a remake. You play as Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield, exploring the zombie filled Raccoon City Police Department during the 1998 outbreak. It goes back to the roots of the series by reintroducing the horror elements that made the gamers fall in love with the series in the first place.

Many features of the old games made a comeback in this one. Most notably; Limited ammo, inventory management and the abomination known as Mr. X. Suddenly hearing the metal boots of the tyrant as you roam the hallways of the police station is as sweat inducing as ever. The walking monstrosity is invincible, meaning you’re guaranteed to panic as you try to solve the puzzles and progress through the game.

The gunplay is super enjoyable and the game is a gore fest. The zombie’s heads explode and their limbs detach from their bodies as you mow them one by one. Despite being a short experience, the game offers a good replay value by offering 4 different playthroughs to finish. It’s definitely the best Resident Evil we played in recent years.

^{5 / ₁₀} | Soma

Soma is a survival horror video game developed and published by Frictional Games. The folks behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The game was released on 22 September 2015 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4 and on the Xbox One on the 1^st of December 2017.

Unlike Amnesia, Soma takes place in the year 2104 in an underwater research facility known as PATHOS-II. What makes Soma so amazing is the mind-blowing plot that blows any other horror game’s story straight out of the water.

The plot is thought provoking and revolves around the usual Sci-fi clichés of consciousness and artificial intelligence. The game’s strong voice acting performances and the extremely detailed environments, as well as the strong writing, help elevate the game beyond anything we’ve ever played before.

Despite lacking in scares, Soma is still an amazing horror game that will leave you up at night contemplating the ending long after you put the controller down.

^{4 / ₁₀} | Layers of Fear

Layers of Fear is a first-person psychedelic horror game. It explores the broken psyche of a tortured artist that stumbles around his abandoned manor. Developed by Bloober Team and published by Aspyr. It was released on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One worldwide in February 2016.

Exploring the dark manor is a disorienting and mystifying experience that plays out more like a nightmare than a videogame. If paintings make you uncomfortable, then you should definitely try this one.

The game’s creative use of the camera left us breathless. It seemed like every time you looked behind you or above you, the environment would change and throw something creepy at you. We’ve never been terrified of looking back as we were in Layers of Fear. The only downside to the game is the fact that the game relies way too much on jump scares.

^{3 / ₁₀} | Until Dawn

Until Dawn is a 2015 survival horror video game developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The game plays a lot like the Telltale Games (Read our article on Telltale here). You control the characters choices and watch their heads roll as the consequence of their actions come bearing down on them like an axe.

If we were to sum up Until Dawn in a few words, then the game can be described as a cheesy B-horror movie. It has all of the tropes and clichés of the typical camp Crystal Lake adventure. 8 horny teenagers stupidly decide to spend their vacation in a cabin on some snowy mountain, isolated from the rest of society. It isn’t long before they discover that the mountain is haunted and filled with things that are out to kill them.

It’s hard to sympathize with any of them as they are the typical popular clique of popular students that are always out to hurt as many people’s feelings as they can. Despite all that, the game takes its sweet time during the first few chapters in introducing them, and the overall story is better for it. 

You feel like the director of your own horror movie as you make the choices that could kill, or save them. Until Dawn is a great game that any horror fan should try. The fact that it’s also highly replayable because of the different possible outcomes makes it even more worth it.

^{2 / ₁₀} | Darkwood

Darkwood is a top-down survival horror video game developed by Acid Wizard Studio. It’s the first horror game that doesn’t rely on jump scares. It features a day night cycle but with a twist. During the nights, you’re forced to stay in your cabin as various abominations and monsters try to break in. You spend your nights defending yourself by crafting all sorts of items, using the resources you collected during the day.

The nights keep you on the edge of your seat. Clutching your pistol in your hands, while standing in the corner waiting to shoot a chomper in the face never gets old. It’s a unique experience, unlike any other. On higher difficulties, the scare factor is multiplied with the addition of permadeath. Making the game scarier than it already is.

If you don’t mind a challenge and love the top down perspective, then you should definitely try out Darkwood. You can also read our review of it here.

^{1 / ₁₀} | Outlast

The holy grail of horror games. Outlast is a first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. Despite lacking any form of combat encounters, puzzles or any other type of gameplay mechanic that you’d expect from other horror games. Outlast excels as an absolutely terrifying game. Plenty of people couldn’t even get past the first few areas of the first game.

Set in a mental asylum filled with violent psychopaths, Red Barrels perfected the horror formula. Equipped with your trusty camera, your only option in surviving your night at Mount Massive is to run and hide.

Running away from the memorable enemies in Outlast is always a terrifying and an anxiety inducing experience. Navigating the hallways of Mount Massive as you’re being chased by one of the many psychos is one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do in your life. If you want to get your blood pumping and your palms sweating, then you should definitely try out the Outlast series.

Honorable Mentions:

• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Observer
• Resident Evil 7
• Man of Medan
• Dying Light
• The Last of Us

If you’d like to go back in time, read our article on one of our favorite horror games from last gen.

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