“Fun” can mean differently for each person. For example, someone would prefer to go out and party with friends, while someone else might prefer to stay at home and find the perfect show to stream. The same way goes for the type of video games that people enjoy. Some enjoy first-person shooting games, adventure games, or calming idle games. On the other hand, among the various game types and genres, many people enjoy feeling the adrenaline and excitement that they get from playing terrifying games.
If you’re one of those people who love watching scary films or if you get a kick out of doing things that give you goosebumps like finding scary numbers to call from prank applications like Ownage Pranks, then you should check out these seven horror games to play:
1. Resident Evil Village
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia
If you spend lots of time on social media, chances are you’ve heard of Lady Dimitrescu. This giant vampire-like noblewoman is from Capcom’s video game. The Resident Evil franchise has been around for so many years now, and it just keeps getting better. So it’s no surprise that this 2024 release gained such an immensely positive response from players and won multiple awards.
In this survival horror game, you play as Ethan Winters as he searches for his kidnapped daughter in a European gothic village (hence the title) and encounters different creatures and monsters. The amazing graphics and incredible story will get you hooked on the game. It’s a great mix of the survival gameplay of other Resident Evil games and action as you combat lots of terrifying creatures.
2. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5
In this ninth installment in the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, you play as Gregory, a boy who gets trapped in Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex. Until the next day, you must survive the hunt of animatronics, some present previous Five Nights at Freddy’s characters and other new ones. Compared to the other games in the series, Security Breach features free-roam gameplay, and instead of being an antagonist, Freddy Fazbear helps you this time (if that gives you some sort of comfort).
As it’s considered “family-friendly,” it might not seem like the kind of game that would give you nightmares as it doesn’t feature realistic animations featuring gore and zombies that are set to murder you. However, the seemingly cute robots (the animatronics) you’d usually see in play areas and arcades are horrifying once they’re out to get Gregory and move in the strangest ways. So if that sounds fun and exciting for you, you should definitely check out Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach.
3. Ghostwire: Tokyo
Platforms: Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 5
If you’re looking for a game with the creepy aspect toned down a bit, Ghostwire: Tokyo is for you. Developed by Tango Gameworks, this action-adventure game is played from the first-person perspective, so you would enjoy this one if you’re a fan of first-person shooter games. To stop the mysterious masked man known as Hannya and to uncover what happened behind the disappearance of Tokyo’s population, you play as Akito to defeat different evil spirits and creatures inspired by Japanese folklore.
You get to explore the modern architecture of Tokyo while wielding magic to defeat said creatures, so it’s a lot of intense and thrilling fun. The slightly scary part comes with the creatures and spirits you’re going to encounter. Say hello to headless people or faceless ghosts with umbrellas!
4. The Medium
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Amazon Luna
The Medium is a psychological horror game that Bloober Team developed. It’s reminiscent of Silent Hill games, as fans have pointed out. Here, in third-person, you play as Marianne, a medium able to talk to spirits and help them pass to the afterlife. Set in Poland during the 1990s, Marianne is called by Thomas, telling her to go to the Niwa Resort to find and help him. As a player, you solve puzzles and weave through the storyline as you encounter antagonistic spirits and creatures.
What makes The Medium unique is the way you get to play in two different worlds simultaneously (some parts of the game split into two screens), where you’ll find that each world is a reflection of each other. The game is fit for mature audiences as besides the creepy atmosphere, trauma and the vile realities of the world are also explored. The interesting concept and aesthetically-pleasing game art style (inspired by Zdzisław Beksiński’s works) make the game worth playing – perhaps even those who are not particularly fond of horror games would enjoy this as well.
5. Mundaun
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Microsoft Windows
Another unique video game with an equally distinctive art style, Mundaun is a first-person horror game developed by Hidden Fields and published by MWM Interactive. Here, you play as Curdin, who is returning to his grandfather’s hometown to attend his funeral; however, the situation that Curdin faces is not at all what he expects it to be.
The goal for you as the player is to get to the top of the Swiss mountain, find items, and solve puzzles in each key location. There are enemies in the game that you would need to ward off or attack, but you can actually finish the game without killing any of them. The game’s art looks sketchy (literally, it seems like it’s pencil-drawn), making it seem less scary as it takes your mind off the idea that it’s happening in real life. However, this unique game visual adds to the eariness of the entire game.
6. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
Finally, there’s the terrifying boat-based game, Man of Medan. It’s an interactive survival video game where you play as characters trapped in a ghost ship. You make certain choices that affect the game’s storyline, including whether some characters make it until the end or not (in some cases, there would be no survivors). There are also quick time events where you’ll have to accomplish tasks, which could also affect how the game plays out.
If you love watching horror films with jump scares, you will enjoy Man of Medan. Instead of screaming at the characters to make wise decisions in front of your television screen, you’d be making the decisions for the characters here while still encountering frightening ghosts that would make you jump off your seat. Since there are multiple potential endings, you might have the urge to play the game more than once if one time wasn’t scary enough for you.
Check out these six scary video games when you’re looking for a good fright or are just finding something interesting to play. While they are there to keep your heart pumping with fear or excitement, they’re all ultimately fun to play. So whether you end up screaming in fear or feel like these games weren’t enough to scare you, hope you still have a blast!
