Are you ready to face your fears? From ghost stories to scary monsters, horror has been in our collective consciousness since the dawn of storytelling. There is something about being terrified, and about facing your worst fears, that’s appealing to humanity. Of course, videogames give you a unique vehicle to slash monsters and face danger head-on, even if that danger is 1s and 0s on a screen.

As you embark on your video game adventures about facing fear, you start to look for the best horror games on your PS4. Although the PS5 is currently the latest model on the market, PS4s are still reliable and fun to play, either solo or with a group of friends. If you have one, you’re sure to find the thrills and chills you’re looking for on your PS4.

The list of horror games is vast, so it can be tricky to find the adrenaline rush you're looking for. Since there are so many different video games that fall into the horror genre on the market, you may not be able to find the exact one you are seeking.

That’s why we compiled a list of the best horror games for PS4 on the market so that you don’t have to guess. Each of these games ranked highly in popularity for having all the vital essentials that a horror video game should have.

Have a look at this list and find the fear factor that will thrill you most. We've included some key features for each horror game on this list for you to consider. When you get to the end of this guide, you'll be knowledgeable enough to pick one of the best PS4 horror games.

The Friday the 13th Ultimate Slasher Edition is a great game when you are looking for the best horror games for PS4. This game is made for you to enjoy the classic parts of the movie and be able to lead the game your way. You have a lot of options to choose from that intensify the fun of the game.

This edition of the game includes all the stuff that was previously released in the DLC version, as well as the retail version. Multiple maps lead you through the iconic locations that you can find in the movie. You get to play as either Jason or a camp counselor. Level up to give yourself new counselors or Jason models that you can play. You can also play with friends in multiplayer mode.

The Friday the 13th Ultimate Slasher edition game is one of the best horror games you can get for your PS4. Though it does not have an offline mode that works according to what you might want, it does have a lot of other things to offer. You will find that this game is ideal for what you hope to accomplish with a horror game, especially if you're a fan of the film franchise.

Key Features
  • Comes with all the maps that span to various location from the movie
  • There are different players you can be to enhance the fear
  • Includes all the previously released content plus additional
Specifications
  • Publisher: Gun Media
  • Genre: Horror
  • Mode: Multi-Player
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: M
Pros
  • A lot of fun
  • Not overtly competitive
  • New ways to level up
Cons
  • No offline mode
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Friday The 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition
Premium pick

2. Resident Evil 3

8.60 / 10
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When looking for excellent imagery in one of the best horror games for PS4, then you want Resident Evil 3. This game provides you some really cool graphics that will make it fun for you to play. This game is one of the ones in the horror genre, but it borders on the action and makes it a fun game for both genre lovers.

This game is filled with excellent graphics as you get a first-hand view of what you are seeing. The game provides you with an over-the-shoulder camera that gives you more in-person visuals than you would get with most games. This game is very action-packed and less horror, but it still has all the elements of a good horror game while giving you an exciting story.

Resident Evil 3 is a great game to play when you aren’t looking to spend a lot of time playing. This game puts you in a storyline that can be completed in about a day or so when you are a hardcore gamer. You will love this game and all that it provides you. The rating is mature, so be careful who plays.

Key Features
  • You can play up close and personal with an over the shoulder camera
  • You get to experience the nightmarish outbreak of the virus that plagues the land
  • Overcome all the chilling encounters that will leave you fighting for survival
Specifications
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Genre: Action
  • Mode: Single player
  • Platform: PC and PlayStation 4
  • Rating: Mature
Pros
  • Excellent graphics
  • Quick to play
  • Phenomenal game play
Cons
  • Feels more action than horror
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Resident Evil 3

The Last of Us Remastered makes it to the top of the best horror games for PS4 because there is next to nothing you can say that is bad about it. This game was the winner of over 200 games of the year awards. Now, it's an HBO Max series that's getting a lot of rave reviews. This game explores the realm of a post-pandemic world that takes you on a journey you will never forget.

This game brings you on a unique journey to survivors as you navigate a radically changed reality. The world is very detailed as you explore the power you can have in this post-apocalyptic world. The commentary is cinematic in a genius that is rarely seen off the big screen. You can play this game either as a single-player or as multiple players. Whatever you decide to do in this game, you will be led down a path that will not disappoint.

If there were anything negative to say about The Last of Us Remastered, it might be a bit overhyped. However, even that is very critical. This game gives you all that you could want out of a horror game with a fight or flight. This game will impress you and leave you talking for a long time. And if you want to dive into the source material before watching the show, this is the way to go.

Key Features
  • True cinematic genious in how this game was developed, and portrayed
  • Puts you in a position to explore a post-pandemic world
  • Has both single and multiplayer modes that you can play for engagement
Specifications
  • Publisher: Playstation
  • Genre: Horror
  • Mode: Single-Player, Multi-Player
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: Mature
Pros
  • Excellent story
  • Realistic graphics
  • Strong choices
Cons
  • A little overhyped
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The Last of Us Remastered

The Walking Dead: The TellTale Definitive Series is about being a light in a world consumed by darkness. This game is the revolutionized story of a post-apocalyptic world overtaken by zombies. The story is told from the point of view of Clementine, a young survivor of the horror and now has to go through multiple caregivers and situations that she grows through.

The story has many of the same challenges you saw on the same name's popular television series. Most of the enemies aren't just the zombies but rather other survivors who are doing whatever they want in a world devoid of law. The graphics are incredible and gives you a fully immersive gaming experience in a "Graphic Black" style of art.

Overall, the Walking Dead is among the best horror games for PS4 that you can find because it is a story you are familiar with already. When you think horror, you think to run and hide or fight to survive, and this game has it all. You will find that this game will provide you all the fun and enjoyment you want without following the television series too closely.

Key Features
  • Follows the revolutionary story of a post-apocolyptic world
  • Provides you with an exclusive look at the development of this game and characters
  • Comes complete with a music player for an excellent soundtrack
Specifications
  • Publisher: Skybound Games
  • Genre: Horror
  • Mode: Single-Player
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: Mature
Pros
  • Immersive gameplay
  • Good storyline
  • Excellent videography
Cons
  • Music is too loud
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The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

Until Dawn is one of the best horror games for PS4 because of the riveting story and the intense imagery. This game is definitely a horror one, as you will be surprised at just about every turn in the game. It is a great choice when you enjoy a great story along with gameplay.

Basically, Until Dawn is a horror movie turned video game. You will follow along with a horrific storyline that will take you to places that you would not expect. You can play singularly, or you can play in a group. This game will have incredible graphics that will make it seem more realistic while you play. Another great feature of this game is that your choices decide the game's outcome by determining who lives and who dies.

Overall, Until Dawn is among the best horror games for PS4 because it is horror-based. One thing you may not like about the game is that it is more story and less gameplay. There is little to strategize, and you just have to play it out. Also, you can get confused at times. This game is a great horror game if what you enjoy is the story.

Key Features
  • The realistic graphics will shock you are you are on the tip of your seat in anticipation
  • An excellent storyline that is spine-tingling and leaves you breathless
  • Everytime you turn around you are faced with a situation that could be life or death for someone
Specifications
  • Publisher: Playstation
  • Genre: Horror
  • Mode: Single-Player
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: Pending
Pros
  • Great graphics
  • Definitly spooky
  • Fun to play
Cons
  • More story than play
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Until Dawn

The Evil Within is among the best horror games on PS4 because of how awesome it is to play. This game is filled with unique and exciting twists that make it a fantastic game to play. You will love how this game plays out and how unique it is for anyone of mature status. This game is definitely horror-filled and full of scary things.

The game is a story of redemption. You are trying to find your daughter and get your life back. The story takes you through several scary encounters that you must figure out how to survive. You can decide how you want to approach survival. Either you run like the wind or your face each encounter head-on. The choice is yours. This game is filled with blood, gore, intense violence, and has strong language—only appropriate for adults.

Overall, if you are looking for one of the best horror games for PS4, you found it with The Evil Within. This game is the second edition, and it is a continuation from the first, so the storyline is a bit skewed. Another thing that might frustrate you is that it moves slowly. However, this game is definitely an intense horror that you will love.

Key Features
  • Takes you through a unique story of redemption as you try to get your life back
  • A world filled with vsceral horror and suspense as you are filled with anxiety
  • The content is full of blod and gore as well as intense violence
Specifications
  • Publisher: Bethesda
  • Genre: Horror
  • Mode: Single-Player
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: Mature
Pros
  • You really get sucked in
  • Delivers in graphics
  • Well executed
Cons
  • Storyline could use work
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The Evil Within

If you were anywhere near YouTube in the 2010s and followed anything about gaming, chances are, one of your favorite streamers played Outlast. This survival horror game launched a thousand copycat games featuring jump scares and cut scenes featuring you in terrifyingly powerless situations.

You play as journalist Miles Upshur. In later games, you play as other journalists and camera crew members. As Upshur, you’re investigating a psychiatric facility, Mount Massive Asylum, for a story. The Asylum is located deep in the Rockies in Colorado and is full of elevators, caverns, flooded rooms, medical equipment, and patients. Why are you there? You received a tip about inhumane experiments being performed and want to expose the story to the world. What could possibly go wrong?

In first-person mode, you have to rely on your wits and stealth tactics to survive. You don’t have a health bar, so you don’t know whether a homicidal patient or a psychopathic doctor will kill you with each encounter. Therefore, the survival horror game is perfect if you like playing stealth games or feeling like you’re in a terrifying situation with no backup and no idea how you’re faring. You’ll have to hide in lockers, walk, run, jump, and crouch to make it out of the asylum alive.

This pack comes with Outlast, Outlast: Whistleblower, and Outlast II so you can play the entire trilogy. As of this writing, a closed beta was released for another Outlast game, and fans are anxiously waiting for a release date in 2023, so if you’re hopeful about another game in the franchise, this will keep you caught up until it drops.

Key Features
  • Combines stealth mechanics with a memorable horror game
  • Comes with all 3 games released in the franchise
  • Run, hide, or die as you try to outlast the horrors in the asylum
  • Delve into a dark story of corruption and psychopathy
Specifications
  • Publisher: Red Barrels
  • Genre: Survival Horror
  • Mode: First-person single player
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: M
Pros
  • Seminal horror game of the 2010s
  • Jump scares and terrifying situations
  • Receive all 3 games in 1 package
Cons
  • Characters are underpowered
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Outlast Trinity

You’re a teenage camp counselor. It’s the last night of summer camp. Tomorrow, you and the campers you’ve watched for eight weeks go home to face another school year, but you’ll never forget the friendships and memories you made at Hackett’s Quarry for years, especially after the wildest, most frightening night of your life.

You know where this is going. From Friday the 13th to other classic slashers, the teenage camp counselors stuck in the woods with killers, monsters, and crazy locals is such a mainstay in horror that Supermassive games turned it into an original videogame. For extra fun, they created a “choose your own adventure” story where your decisions determine the gameplay. Are you going to investigate the screams from the woods? Do you want to know what’s under the trap door? Will you run, hide or fight? Even if you think you’re just going to have a cozy night in your cabin and let someone else handle the screams and frights, danger will come to you, and every little decision you make affects the outcome for you and your friends.

Although this was a later release for PS4, it will be remembered as a staple in the summer camp subgenre of horror games for years to come. Every new gameplay is a unique experience and you’ll love coming back again and again to see how things turn out differently each time.

Key Features
  • Visually stunning graphics that make this game terrifying
  • Play as one of 9 camp counselors
  • Outwit different enemies based on your choices
  • Choose-Your-Own Adventure style story
Pros
  • Great graphics
  • Storyline varies based on your actions.
  • Face different scenarios so there’s never a dull moment in the game
Cons
  • No upgrade to PS5 enhanced version
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The Quarry

The Sinking City is among the best horror games for PS4 because it provides you a storyline like no other. This game has a high replay value that is thanks to an open investigation that you will be taken on. There are a number of cases that need to be solved, which can provide a different ending depending on what your choices are.

This world inside this game is vastly open to any type of situation. You can be diving or on foot or even on a boat. No matter where you go, you will encounter some horrific creatures that you can only kill with 1920s era style weapons, which is fantastic. You have to manage your mental health as you untangle a truth filled with madness.

Overall, the Sinking City is a fantastic horror game that provides both adventure and action along the way. The story can get dry after a while, but it really depends on what you choose to do. The only other thing that you may find frustrating is the load times are lagging.

Key Features
  • This game provides you a story of the life of a private investigator
  • The arsenal of weapons you get in this game are from teh 1920s
  • You will face a nightmarish creature that will prove to be a formidable opponent
Specifications
  • Publisher: Bigben
  • Genre: Action RPG
  • Mode: Third-person perspective
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: M
Pros
  • Good story
  • Excellent weapons
  • Fun to play
Cons
  • Load times are lagging
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The Sinking City

The Inpatient is a great game when looking for the best horror games for PS4. This game is a virtual reality game that requires you have them set up for VR. You will love how immersive this game is and how it gives you a series of choices instead of a simple right or wrong motion. This game is truly incredible, and it will frighten you, so be prepared.

If you are a haunted house lover, this game is the one for you. The graphics being a VR are incredible, and it will have you hesitating around each corner. The story is about more than just scares; there is a rich backstory that you will uncover as you proceed through the game. You are in the main character's shoes, and it will take you on a scenic ride as you understand the bridge between choices and consequences.

Overall, Inpatient is an excellent horror game that you will love. The drawback is that the story can feel dry if you are more into fast-paced games, but if you love a story, you will love this game's dimensions. The gameplay is more concise and organized than in some other games you will find—a great choice looking for an excellent horror game.

Key Features
  • A game that leads you to discover who you are
  • Integral gameplay that has you branching between choices and consequences
  • The story goes above and beyond fright to discovery and conspiracy
Specifications
  • Publisher: Playstation
  • Genre: Horror
  • Mode: VR - Single-Player
  • Platform: PS4
  • Rating: Mature
Pros
  • Excellent graphics
  • Detailed storyline
  • Immersive
Cons
  • Feels more like a haunted house
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The Inpatient

Choosing a horror game isn’t always easy because you need to know what constitutes “horror” to do that. There are many different ways you can tell that you are on the right track to what's scary.

It’s not a secret that the game's quality is going to play a huge factor in what makes a good horror game. However, many other vital elements go into a horror game you want to play.

Elements Of A Good Horror Game

Here are some vital pointers to help you choose the best horror game by going through the elements of what will make it the best game you’ve ever played.

Disempowerment: All video games are based on a type of interaction. You want to engage characters, villains, and whatever environment you are playing in. Since empowerment is a huge reason many play games, you would think the same applies to horror.

It does not. A good horror game is going to disempower you. In this type of game, you want the removal of the possibility of combat. The flight is your only option. The only thing you can do in a horror game is run and hide.

Isolation: As human beings, you strive to connect with others. Either you need guidance or help or just like to socialize, as a human being, you want connection, and horror games are not about that. Isolation makes a horror game scary. By capitalizing on the characters being alone or feeling isolated, horror games are more ominous and creepy. The music helps too.

Tension: Tension is derived from either mental or emotional types of strain in a video game. A horror game needs to have some sort of tension so that it is successful. There are many different ways you can achieve tension. It was already stated that tension could come from disempowerment and isolation. However, it is more than that.

Having to look for a way to defend yourself in unfamiliar territory is tension inducing. Determining where to go and what to do is also a way of inducing tension. In a horror game, you are forced to manage with what you can scrounge up. There are all kinds of ways to induce tension in a video game.

Uncertainty: Any horror movie, story, or game is going to have uncertainty. You want that thrill of the unknown, and it is what pushes you to either fight or run away. A great horror game will not be predictable but rather keep you guessing what's around each corner.

Fear: Not only is fear necessary in a horror game, but it also needs to linger. A fear that is in the pit of your stomach but does not go away is the right kind of fear for horror. A great horror game is psychologically trying. It is about encountering the deepest fears in humanity and facing them. Fear is going to make or break the game.

Conclusion

You never really know what you are getting into when you play the best horror games for PS4 on the market. However, you do know that it is going to be a thrill. What you want is to feel that fear, feel powerless, and know that survival is vital. That is why you play.

Now that you've gotten this far, you can revisit our list for the best PS4 horror games and find which is perfect for you!

FAQ

Q: Which horror game franchise is the best?

Resident Evil is widely regarded as the best horror franchise of all time. It’s no surprise that the franchise is responsible for generating the most interest in the genre. Over the years there have been wonderful innovations that have truly pushed the genre forward. However, as is the case with most video game genres, the ones responsible for popularizing the genre oftentimes create the best video game experiences. In this case, Resident Evil put horror games on the map as of 1996 and has continued to do so ever since. The franchise’s longevity speaks to both the popularity and high quality of Resident Evil games. 

Q: Are horror games in Virtual Reality scarier?

The answer to this question is a resounding yes. It makes sense that the most immersive experience possible would elicit the most potent amount of fear. When popular horror games switched from third-person perspectives to first-person perspectives, the fright factor increased. Players would feel closer to the action and more susceptible to jump scares. Virtual Reality takes the first-person perspective to a whole new level by fully integrating the gamer’s point of view into the action. Due to the relative freshness of this technology the catalog of horror games is not all that extensive. However, with each passing year, video game studios get a better understanding of how to utilize Virtual Reality. This will lead to the production of additional finely tuned VR horror games. 

Q: Are horror games popular?

Understandably so, horror games are not extremely popular. They occupy a niche within the gaming community. Not all players all looking for a frightening experience. This is a shame because there are some truly magnificent horror games out there. The misconception that most people have toward horror games is that they mimic the traditionally poor quality of horror movies. This is not the case whatsoever. The most popular video game genres include action, adventure, role-playing, and sports. Horror games rank well below the percentage of the aforementioned game genres. At best we can consider horror games to occupy a minute portion of the action genre. However, we must accept its status as a niche genre. 

Q: What are survival horror games?

Survival horror games are a subgenre of horror games. Horror games can take on various forms. Thus, it is noteworthy to divide certain games into sub-categories. In these games, the focus shifts to the survival of the main character. Like most horror games, a survival horror game will attempt to frighten you, all while forcing you to make decisions that impact the survival odds of your character. The limited amount of weapons, tools, or ammunition is a common inclusion of survival horror games. The aim is to put the player in a tough spot where they have to decide how to use their limited resources. Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil are the two most successful examples of survival horror games. 

Q: Are there multiplayer horror games?

Sometimes it feels better to share the frightening atmosphere with a friend or two. In such cases, there are several excellent multiplayer horror games. Traditional horror games indeed aimed to present the solo player with as many scares as possible. However, in recent times, multiplayer horror games have risen in popularity. Left 4 Dead is just one of these games. It is a zombie-infested survival horror game that was developed for multiplayer gaming. Up to four friends are encouraged to get together to survive hordes of zombies. Dead by Daylight is another extremely popular multiplayer horror game. This game pits online players against each other as a killer is on the loose. Players must work together to find a way to escape the killer’s grounds.