Prepare for sleepless nights as we dive into the most nerve-wracking horror games ever created. From psychological terrors to jump-scare extravaganzas, these titles will keep you on edge long after you've put down the controller. Get ready to face your fears and experience gaming's most intense frights!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most tense,
00:13eerie, and downright uncomfortable horror games ever made.
00:2310. Until Dawn
00:38Supermassive Games' precursor to their now cult status and wildly successful Dark Pictures
00:43anthology was a revolution in the survival horror game space. At the time, there weren't
00:48many games like Until Dawn. A-list Hollywood actors, minimal gameplay mechanics, and a dynamic
00:54story that truly made your decisions matter helped it really stand out from the typical AAA releases.
01:05A year after the apparent death of his twin sisters, Josh, supremely portrayed by Rami Malek,
01:10invites his friend group back to the freezing mountain lodge where it happened.
01:13As you play through the game, you'll quickly learn not everything as it seems,
01:17and the tense atmosphere coupled with the winter setting will make you feel truly isolated. Your
01:22choices throughout the story matter, and sometimes an obvious choice might spell
01:26doom for one of your characters. 9. Five Nights at Freddy's
01:39Another horror icon that trades in gameplay mechanics for great tension and story,
01:50Five Nights at Freddy's took the world by storm. Basically a resource management sim and point
01:56and click survival game disguised as a terrifying night shift as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's
02:02Pizza. The game sees you trying to survive from midnight to 6am by tracking the anthropomorphic
02:15animatronics as they skulk around the restaurant. Defenseless and alone, the game is surprisingly
02:20tense despite its child-friendly setting. Now, don't let this fool you because if Freddy makes
02:24it to your office, well, you're done for. And it ain't pretty, let me tell you that.
02:28You use the security cameras, doors, and lights to track their movements,
02:32but have limited power to do so, creating an atmosphere of tension and dread
02:36knowing your light is about to go out. 8. Visage
02:52Heavily inspired by Hideo Kojima's playable teaser, or PT,
02:56Visage is a first-person psychological horror game that creates an extremely tense atmosphere
03:01through its audio design and claustrophobic traversal. It has a never-ending sense of
03:05dread throughout, making it one of the best horror games in recent memory.
03:09The story is also extremely dark. The game is a trippy jaunt through the house as you learn about
03:23its inhabitants and experience supernatural and paranormal events as you attempt to escape.
03:28The tension is non-stop and unforgiving, and the game's visuals will surely keep you up at night.
03:417. Silent Hill 2
03:43When the original Silent Hill 2 was released in 2001, it epitomized what a psychological
03:55horror video game should be, subsequently setting the standard for its sequels and
03:59other games in the genre that followed. Now fast forward to October 2024,
04:04and we finally have the long-awaited remake to one of the most beloved horror games of all time.
04:13The tension and uncanny atmosphere makes its glorious return,
04:20this time with 4K resolution and modern graphics, and promises the same uncomfortable and
04:26claustrophobic environments as the original. Navigating the dense fog and tight alleyways
04:30we're familiar with while dodging grotesque Cronenberg-like monsters will ensure you
04:35always play this game during the day. And yeah, Pyramid Head is just as terrifying as you remember.
04:436. Alien Isolation
05:01With a sequel freshly announced, there's no better time to experience this tense sci-fi
05:06horror masterpiece. Alien Isolation takes the spirit of the original film and cranks the
05:11tension up to 11, and is another easy entry on many horror game fans' personal Mount Rushmorts.
05:17Taking the name Survival Horror quite literally here, the game encourages the player to prioritize
05:22stealth, survival, and conservation over full-out attacks while evading the terrifying Xenomorph.
05:35Tight maneuvering, limited ammo, and the relentless unkillable alien pursuing you
05:39throughout the game creates a real sense of dread, and its anxiety-inducing atmosphere
05:44makes Alien Isolation one of the tensest horror games around.
05:555. Fatal Frame II Crimson Butterfly
05:58Japanese horror films are some of the most harrowing in the world,
06:11and their video game counterparts are no different. The Fatal Frame series has always
06:15faithfully recreated the spirit of these films, and its second entry Crimson Butterfly does it
06:20the best. In it, players control twin sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura as they explore the haunted
06:26village of Minakami. Using the series' famous camera obscura, you'll take photos of extremely
06:40terrifying ghosts as a way to combat them as you unravel the mystery of the Crimson Sacrifice
06:45ritual and escape with your lives. Similar to older Resident Evil games, Fatal Frame II utilizes
06:50the not very intuitive tank controls, creating an even deeper sense of dread and tension as you
06:56navigate through tight corners and fixed camera angles. The ghosts in this game appear and
07:00reappear in unpredictable locations, and will surely often catch you by surprise.
07:124. Amnesia The Bunker
07:21Just like how Alien Isolation has the xenomorph as a constant threat throughout, Amnesia the
07:28Bunker builds its tension through a relentless unkillable monster that chases you until the
07:32very end. You'll of course have limited ammo, light, and space to maneuver as you fight to
07:37survive. As the title suggests, the game takes place in a bunker during the height of World War
07:421, thrusting French soldier Henry Clement into a tense and horrifying fight for his life.
07:52Throughout the roughly 8-hour playthrough, you'll need to solve puzzles, navigate pitch-black spaces,
07:57and avoid the grotesque monster to just make it out alive. Just be careful though not to
08:01use your flashlight too often, it's loud as heck to start up, and that creepozoid will find you.
08:123. Dead Space
08:24Another remake that outshines the original, 2023's Dead Space is the definitive way to
08:29experience the iconic, tense, and terrifying space horror game. Clearly inspired by and paying
08:35homage to the Alien franchise, Dead Space tells the story of Isaac Clarke, a ship engineer assigned
08:40to the mining vessel USG Ishimura, as he investigates a distress call and encounters
08:45horrors beyond imagination. Although it is a bit more action-oriented, Dead Space still offers
08:59plenty of intense, terrifying moments throughout, and chopping off necromorph limbs with the plasma
09:03cutter as they relentlessly chase you is as fun as ever.
09:162. Outlast
09:25This jaunt through the mountain mass of asylum broke many a psyche back in the day,
09:29and for good reason, let's be honest. If you've played Outlast, you'd know what
09:33awaits you in Mt. Massive Asylum is some of the most terrifying survival horror gameplay of all
09:38time. There is no combat, and instead you'll have to navigate the dimly lit halls and dodge
09:42the murderous patients in a bid for survival. One of your only sources of light is through
09:55the camcorder, and the filter makes coming across an enemy even more terrifying, similar to found
10:00footage horror films. The music is eerie as all heck, and emphasizes the non-stop tense
10:05and claustrophobic atmosphere, but you're able to make it through it in one piece.
10:18Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:22The Evil Within 2
10:33Soma
10:40PT
10:40Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
11:10Capcom's soft reboot of their iconic franchise is the best of the best when it comes to tension
11:20and environmental storytelling. Resident Evil 7 is objectively one of the tensest horror games
11:25you can play, and is a great jumping on point for new fans. As new protagonist Ethan Winters,
11:30navigating the Baker house and avoiding its monstrous denizens, coupled with its eerie
11:35sound design are some of the most harrowing and uncomfortable experiences you can get in
11:39the modern gaming age. It ushered in Capcom's second renaissance, and remains a pillar of both
11:55the franchise and genre to this very day. So what do you think of our list? Did we miss any?
12:08Let us know in the comments below.
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