Horror games have branched into so many different genres over the years, including survival, fantasy, sci-fi, and even multiplayer titles. While each one of these subgenres has produced masterpieces, there is just something extra special about a well-done cosmic horror game. We don't get these types of stories often, but the ones we do are frequently unforgettable.
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Cosmic horror involves things that go beyond the limits of human imagination, such as the creatures and themes found in H.P. Lovecraft's writing that are described as incomprehensible to the human mind, but that hasn't stopped developers from trying to recreate them, and some to great success.
Dead Space, Darkwood, and Pathologic came very close to making the list, but they don't embody cosmic horror quite as fully as the other games. That said, they take elements from the genre, so they deserve an honorable mention.
As there aren't all that many cosmic horror games, we will be including titles that are horror-themed but not necessarily scary.
Also, these games have their issues, but they are as close as the industry has come to achieving cosmic horror perfection.
10 The Sinking City
A Horror Game Drenched In Lovecraftian Terror
War veteran turned PI Charles Reed is tasked with discovering the source of nightmares that have begun plaguing a Professor based in Oakmont, who has met with others who share these horrifying visions. This leads him to enter The Sinking City, where the horrors begin.
The Sinking City is about as Lovecraftian as games get, featuring a Victorian town inhabited by many occult practitioners and infested with a plague that instills madness and hysteria. These are always core consequences of dabbling in dark arts dealing with otherworldly horrors. Featuring eldritch monsters and the famed Lovecraft city of Innsmouth, The Sinking City is a quintessential title for any cosmic horror fan, and it is one of the closest adaptations of a pure Lovecraftian work. While the game doesn't fully stick the landing, it is still an admirable attempt at the genre, and the upcoming sequel should be even better.
9 Moons of Madness
Eldritch Horror Takes Off Into Space
Most cosmic horror games remain grounded on Earth, taking players to eerie cities, decrepit buildings, and ancient, crumbling temples where cultists can raise eldritch deities. However, this is where Moons of Madness separates itself from the rest of the group, breathing a refreshing new breath of life into the genre by taking it into space.
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Space, with all its great vastness and emptiness, makes it ripe for a horror setting, which Moons of Madness takes full advantage of. Set on Mars after a mysterious signal of intelligent origin is discovered, players will explore the planet while being unaware of what they might be sharing the desolate planet with, until their sanity falls apart at the seams. Terrifying monsters and vivid hallucinations will plague their time on the planet, and test the limits of their courage.
8 Call of Cthulhu
A Horror Game Worthy Of Carrying Cthulhu's Name
Touted as the official Call of Cthulhu game based on the TTRPG of the same name, this game is about as Lovecraftian as they come. It follows the tale of Edward Pierce, a detective who has turned to sleeping pills and the bottom of bottles to escape from the nightmares plaguing his sleep. He is soon contacted by someone to look into a mysterious death in Darkwater, where there is only a painting left as a clue.
Things take a sinister turn in Darkwater, involving a cult that worships a God not of this world — Cthulhu. The goal of the cult is to bring him into the world, and the player's choices will impact what kind of ending they get. Either way, Call of Cthulhu is filled to the brim with cosmic goodness (or badness) wherever players turn.
7 Anchorhead
One Of The Best Written Cosmic Horror Games Ever
Due to being a text-based interactive adventure game with only a couple of illustrations, Anchorhead is not going to be for everyone, and even die-hard comic horror fans need to know what they are getting into before picking this indie darling up.
OK, now the disclaimer is out of the way: Anchorhead is one of the purest examples of cosmic horror in video game form. The story follows a couple who inherit a mansion in the eponymous town, which is cut off from the world and very otherworldly. The female protagonist must survive four days while she gradually loses her husband and faces the threat of an ancient force. I don't want to spoil too much, but the plot is simple but great, and it is bolstered by almost exclusively fantastic writing.
Even though players get to make a lot of decisions along the way, personal choices are completely overpowered by history, incomprehensible beings, and family lineage. The main character and player are made to feel weak, with each discovery clarifying rather than postponing their inevitable doom.
6 Darkest Dungeon
Psychological Deterioration When Faced With Inexplicable Forces
Gameplay-wise, Darkest Dungeon is a pure roguelike RPG, one that is unlikely to give players any major nightmares. However, tonally, mechanically, and narratively, Darkest Dungeon is complete and unfiltered cosmic horror, and it is incredible. The premise is simple enough: Explore the dungeons under a mansion to kill any roaming monsters. You accomplish that by hiring heroes, all of whom are expendable, fragile, and terrified. The deeper the expeditions go, the clearer it becomes that there is something older than civilized society beneath... A corruption that cannot be understood.
Famously, Darkest Dungeon uses Stress as a core mechanic, with adventurers frequently developing phobias, paranoia, or simply breaking from the sheer horror that they are witnessing. Nothing about this journey is heroic, and victories often come at such a price that they feel hollow.
5 Dredge
Encounter Strange Creatures at Sea
- Developer(s)
- Black Salt Games
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
There's nothing quite as relaxing as fishing in video games. The ability to partake in the calming pastime from the comfort of one's home is truly a rare treat to help decompress after a long day...unless the game in question is Dredge, of course.
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This game takes soothing fishing gameplay and places it within a cosmic horror context, with the player's fisherman finding more than just salmon during his fishing adventures. As the night rolls around, they suddenly find themselves encountering increasingly startling creatures that are Lovecraftian in nature. With these horrors at the center of this title, along with the ability to explore the map, trade items, and upgrade the boat, there is a lot more than scares in this indie horror title.
4 World of Horror
Dark Rituals and Old Gods
Inspired by works by the likes of Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft, World of Horror is a very intriguing and unique cosmic horror game. It offers roguelike gameplay along with a world of unique and horrifying terror, incorporating puzzles, turn-based combat, and exploration across a pixelated black-and-white world.
World of Horror incorporates not only figures from Japanese mythology, such as the Slit-Mouth Woman, but also elements from cosmic horror, such as dark rituals to bring about old gods, creatures that appear to be from another world, and the end of the world of humanity. These ingredients all combine into a recipe of unforgettable Lovecraftian horror that will have layers coming back for more, and since no one playthrough is the same, there is endless replayability.
3 Bloodborne
Eldritch Monsters Galore
Playing as a Hunter, players travel through the plague-riddled Yharnam, a Gothic, Victorian-style city that definitely fits into any Lovecraftian story. A sickness ravages the city that turns victims into wolf-like creatures, but there are far more horrifying creatures lying in wait. Tentacled monstrosities and creatures that defy all logic and understanding, Bloodborne is home to many eldritch monstrosities that serve to make this FromSoftware game delightfully horrifying.
Bloodborne is the definition of cosmic horror, even though it doesn't necessarily try to scare players. Incomprehensible in their biology, motives, and forms, the Great Ones might as well be ripped from a Lovecraft story, and they are not meant to be understood. While the opening areas feature mostly Gothic monsters like werewolves, the campaign steadily shifts towards Eldritch entities and dream-like beings, which is a fairly typical structure for Lovecraftian horror. A big part of the lore is humanity's constant failure to properly understand cosmic phenomena, and their arrogant attempts to transcend their nature lead to a loss of sanity, identity, and control.
Bloodborne is only this low because it barely qualifies as horror. If I could justify it, it would be first, as it is my favorite game of all time.
2 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The Shadow That Lurks
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Indie Games, Adventure, Action, Puzzle
For a game that is more subtle with its cosmic associations, Frictional Games' breakout hit Amnesia: The Dark Descent fits the bill perfectly. Players control the main protagonist, Daniel, who awakens in Castle Brennenburg with self-induced amnesia. He begins to piece the puzzle together as he explores the castle, slowly regaining his memories, all the while evading the hostile monsters that roam the halls.
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The threat of the Shadow is the cosmic influence at the crux of the game, a mysterious red tissue that is said to break down reality, guarding a mysterious orb that was uncovered on an expedition in the desert. Not much is known about the Shadow, but it is a real, living threat that is not of this world.
The sequels are also fantastic and capture the same cosmic horror vibe, but The Dark Descent is still arguably the best. If nothing else, it is the most influential.
1 Fear & Hunger
A Cosmic Horror RPG That Is Brutal, Extreme, And Uncomfortable
While the isometric angle and RPG gameplay might not scream "cosmic horror," Fear & Hunger not only ticks all the boxes associated with the concept but arguably executes them better than the more conventional games. After picking a playable character, all of whom have their baggage, players dive into a dungeon that overflows with beings beyond comprehension, entering a world that is defined by suffering, fragility, death, and twisted knowledge. Even though players are constantly presented with choices, most paths lead to torment, and any lingering traces of hope quickly dissolve into despair.
In fact, "despair" is the apt adjective to describe Fear & Hunger, as it is just constant. You can do everything right and, thanks to the whims of the old gods, end up still meeting a horrifying demise. Humans are fragile, pain is eternal, death is inescapable, and the universe is cruelly indifferent.
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