Horror video games offer some of the best storylines in gaming. These days, they offer immersive worlds, complex characters, and twisting storylines that are as frightening and compelling as any good horror film. From psychological thrillers such as Silent Hill to body horror such as Scorn, there's a game for every kind of horror fan.

It’s a testament to the quality of games such as Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 that they each are receiving remakes in 2023. Like all the very best horror games, those titles are beloed for how they combine scare tactics with immersive storytelling to truly terrify players.

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10 Dead Space

Dead Space promo art featuring Isaac in his suit with Necromorphs in the background.

Dead Space is one of the survival horror games that do the genre best. Its gripping story takes place in the distant future, on a mining spaceship called the USG Ishimura. Players take on the role of engineer Isaac Clarke, who is sent to the Ishimura to investigate a distress signal and ends up fighting against hordes of alien creatures called Necromorphs.

The storyline is fascinating in how effectively it escalates its horror. Isaac being nothing more than an engineer goes a long way to making the player character look small and helpless. Despite all he braves, everything that happens on the Ishimura is nothing more than a small part of a grand conspiracy.

9 Cry Of Fear

A mysterious figure drags a bloodstained hand against a gray wall, leaving a trail of blood behind

The psychologically immersive Cry of Fear that follows a man named Simon who's searching for answers in the deserted city of Stockholm after being attacked by monsters. The inspiration of Silent Hill is plain to see thanks to the game's mundane setting and terrifying, monstrous creatures.

Simon should be relatable to any young person who has gone through trauma. Even in the midst of a rapturous apocalypse, Simon’s biggest opponent is his own mind. Cry of Fear features a fantastic story uses the horror genre to tackle the realities of depression and recovery from trauma.

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8 Oxenfree

Two characters look at each other in a room from Oxenfree

The indie classic Oxenfree is a supernatural thriller game that follows a group of friends who discover a mysterious radio frequency while on a trip to an abandoned island. Oxenfree stands out among other horror titles for its relative lack of jumps cares. Instead, it relies on the eerie atmosphere it builds through visuals, sound design, and narrative.

Loss plays a huge role in the story of Oxenfree, and it handles the subject artfully. Oxenfree has several interpretations, but the crux of the story is centered around loss. Whether it’s the island’s own lost memories of times gone by or the characters with their respective backstories.

7 Resident Evil

Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Baker Family

The iconic Resident Evil franchise is a survival horror game series that follows the various characters in its universe as they fight hordes of zombies and other bio-organic weapons. Unlike a lot of horror video game franchises, Resident Evil is famous for its sprawling narrative storytelling and fluctuating tone.

Since its debut, Resident Evil's cast of characters has grown from a single squad of soldiers to an international roster of protagonists ranging from badass stoics such as HUNK to Everymen such as Ethan Winters. It's one reason why the franchise has remained so fresh over its long life. There’s nothing quite like Capcom’s quirky cast of zombie killers.

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6 Inside

The boy from Inside hiding behind a pillar as a robot looks for him with a searchlight

INSIDE doesn't have a single line of dialogue, but it works incredibly well despite that limitation. Considering the developers’ past work, this makes a lot of sense. Inside is an eerie 2D puzzle-platformer game that follows a young boy navigating a mysterious and oppressive society. So much of the game’s plot is, quite literally, “show, don’t tell.”

As games such as Limbo have proven, dialogue is only one narrative tool, and it’s not a requirement for telling a good story. Inside more than conveys the horrific nature of its environment purely through effective world-building. The dark stages looming over the downright diminutive player character are more than enough to communicate the story.

5 Sally Face

Sally Face screenshot of Sai with a mask

Sally Face follows the story of a boy named Larry who is dealing with the aftermath of a tragic event from his past. Much like the quirky horror game Fran Bow, Sally Face stands apart from most horror games thanks to its aesthetic.

The episodic nature of this video game lends itself well to exciting storytelling. The unique artstyle and dark sense of humor also help it stand out. There’s also quite a bit of ludonarrative seamlessness with the gameplay and story, as the puzzles are reflective of the setting’s strange quirks. Perhaps most uncomfortably, the story does not pull punches in its portrayal of trauma.

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4 Devotion

Screenshot of horror game Devotion

Devotion is a first-person psychological horror video game developed by Red Candle Games. The story is set in Taiwan during the 1980s and follows a family living in an apartment complex as they experience supernatural events. The player controls the patriarch of the family, a father and struggling writer who must navigate the complex and uncover the truth behind the strange occurrences.

Red Candle Games' developers are masters of a very specific brand of “cultural horror”. Like the best horror movies about families, Devotion’s horror may be universal, but the minute details are specific to the difficult times the country of Taiwan has faced throughout its tumultuous history. It’s this dedication to their country’s heritage and unique aesthetic that makes Devotion stand out among horror video games.

3 The Mortuary Assistant

The Mortuary Assistant with demon sitting on a shelf

The Mortuary Assistant is a horror video game in which the player takes on the role of a mortuary assistant who must solve puzzles and uncover the secrets of a funeral home. The premise is simple at first, but it quickly grows out of control as the rituals start to get more macabre, not only in the player character's tasks but in the entities they have to face.

As with any good supernatural horror, The Mortuary Assistant isn’t defined by scary possessions. There’s a huge underlying theme of loss present throughout the story, and it all begins with the premise itself. It’s a mortuary home where people are expected to live out the rest of their lives.

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2 Soma

Catherine from SOMA

Soma is a science-fiction survival horror video game developed and published by Frictional Games. The story is set in an underwater research facility where the player character awakens years in the future to discover that the remaining inhabitants of the facility have been replaced by biomechanical entities.

Soma is a new direction for Frictional Games' “low-tech” settings — see the studio's Penumbra and Amnesia — but the game features one of its best narratives. The unsettling abundance of “life,” portrayed as agonized masses of cancerous biomechanical flesh, fulfills the horror aspect. In addition, there’s also a dash of existential horror.

1 Silent Hill

James Sunderland looking at X rays in Silent Hill 2

The Silent Hill franchise follows various characters who navigate the haunted town of Silent Hill, fighting monsters and uncovering the truth behind the town's dark past. There have been many protagonists throughout the franchise, all of whom suffer their own unique brands of trauma.

The common denominator in the franchise has always been the eponymous town of Silent Hill. Through every incarnation, whether it's frozen in the past or a terrifying vision of the future, Silent Hill's storylines have been a deep dive into the psyches of troubled individuals. Few things are more terrifying than what lies within.

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