Summary

  • The PlayStation 4 saw a wave of terrifying horror games with detailed graphics and intense gameplay for players seeking thrills.
  • Iconic horror franchises like Alien, Resident Evil, and Amnesia delivered unforgettable experiences on PS4, pushing the genre forward.
  • From survival horror to virtual reality, each year brought new horrors to explore, with titles like Little Nightmares 2 and Signalis impressing players.

Horror games are one of the most popular genres in gaming, with many well-known titles being created over the years. Many of these horror franchises have followed different generations of consoles over the years, including Sony's PlayStation 4.

10-Best-Horror-Games-On-Steam
Best Horror Games On Steam

Steams offers countless horror games that fans of the genre are sure to love. Here are some of the best ones available on the platform.

The PlayStation 4, which was released near the end of 2013, saw plenty of players move on to a new generation of console that supplied them with countless new scares with greater detailed graphics and saw plenty of new horror games being created. These are by far the best horror titles from each year of the PS4's life.

11 2014 - Alien: Isolation

Metascore: 79

Alien: Isolation
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Survival Horror
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Released
October 7, 2014
Developer(s)
Creative Assembly
Platform(s)
PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Switch, PC, Android, iOS
Genre(s)
Survival Horror

While the PlayStation 4 was officially released in 2013, the first well-received horror game on the console was released the year after. Alien: Isolation was a first-person horror game that was heavily praised by players for being one of the best horror experiences to be connected to the Alien film franchise.

Exploring the ship and hiding away from the Xenomorphs made for an eerie and intense experience while the players tried to find the answers they were looking for. With how incredibly detailed the title looked at the time, Alien: Isolation set what was expected by players for future horror games too.

10 2015 - Until Dawn

Metascore: 79

Until Dawn
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Released
August 25, 2015
Developer(s)
Supermassive Games
Platform(s)
PS4
Genre(s)
Horror

Supermassive Games has been known recently for its creation of horror experiences such as The Quarry or The Dark Pictures Anthology. However, for this success, players fondly remember the first horror title, Until Dawn, which was exclusively available on the PlayStation 4 until the remaster.

This game included plenty of intense moments, as players had the stress of trying to keep everyone alive, a system that Supermassive Games kept for these future titles also. Players loved the story of Until Dawn when they weren't hiding behind their pillows, as the game itself felt like an interactive film experience.

9 2016 - Layers Of Fear

Metascore: 74

Layers of Fear
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Released
February 16, 2016
Developer(s)
Bloober Team
Genre(s)
Horror

Layers of Fear was a first-person psychedelic horror that followed the adventures of a painter as they attempted to finish their Magnum Opus. However, like any horror title, players can imagine this doesn't go as planned. While exploring an ever-changing mansion, the painters' psyche starts to get the better of them as strange things start to happen.

Best PS1 Style Horror Games Updated Feature Image
Best Modern Horror Games That Use PS1 Graphics

Though old-fashioned, PlayStation 1 graphics are still being used in a number of games, including these terrifying modern horror games.

For players to truly uncover the tragic story of the painter, players have to overcome their fears, explore the Victorian mansion, and find out what is the source of this painter's madness.

8 2017 - Resident Evil 7 - Biohazard

Metascore: 86

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
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Survival Horror
Psychological Horror
First-Person
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Released
January 24, 2017
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Survival Horror, Psychological Horror, First-Person

The Resident Evil franchise had already done amazingly years before the release of the PlayStation 4, though it was this new console that saw Capcom try something new. In Resident Evil 7 - Biohazard, the franchise stepped away from a third-person camera and instead allowed players to look directly through the eyes of Ethan Winters.

This made the moments of Resident Evil 7 far more scary as it made players feel like they were personally connected to the horrors that Ethan Winters was a part of. Not to mention the Baker family themselves being a memorable part of the experience.

7 2018 - The Forest

Metascore: 78

The Forest
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Survival Horror
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Released
April 30, 2018
Developer(s)
Endnight Games
Platform(s)
PC, PS4
Genre(s)
Survival Horror

Survival horror titles were incredibly popular throughout the PS4's lifetime. This continued as previously released PC titles, like The Forest, also did incredibly well when the game eventually became available on those consoles too, in 2018.

Unlike other survival horror titles that mainly have players focusing on the amount of ammunition they have available and watching their health, The Forest heavily relies on its survival aspects by encouraging players to create a base for themselves, find a good supply of food, and keeping the mutants at bay before they work their way towards eventually searching for their son.

6 2019 - Five Nights At Freddy's: Help Wanted

Metascore: 80

five nights at freddy's vr, baby, animatronics, help wanted
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Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
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Released
May 28, 2019
Developer(s)
Steel Wool Games
Platform(s)
Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS5

Five Nights at Freddy's is another franchise that initially became popular on PC. However, as the franchise progressed, more horror games were created as well as spin-off titles connected to the main series. Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted was originally released in 2019 for both PC and the PS4.

This game relied heavily on virtual reality, which meant players who wanted to enjoy Help Wanted on the PS4 needed the PS VR to play it. This is the first virtual reality FNAF game to be developed that made the already intense gameplay of the original franchise so much more horrifying as well as providing other gameplay too.

5 2020 - Amnesia: Rebirth

Metascore: 75

Amnesia: Rebirth
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Survival Horror
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Released
October 20, 2020
Developer(s)
Frictional Games
Platform(s)
PS4, PC
Genre(s)
Survival Horror

Amnesia: Rebirth is the third title in the Amnesia horror franchise. While this game follows many of the mechanics of the previous two titles, such as using first-person perspective and interesting puzzles, Amnesia: Rebirth also takes place in an entirely new setting, as players are left to explore the mysteries under the sand of the Algerian Desert.

Being able to play this game on the PS4 with more modernized graphics means that players are free to explore the deep and interesting story that Frictional Games create for each Amnesia experience, with this one feeling mildly more mystical.

4 2021 - Little Nightmares 2

Metascore: 82

Little Nightmares 2
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Survival Horror
Puzzle
Action
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Released
February 10, 2021
Developer(s)
Tarsier Studios, Supermassive Games
Genre(s)
Survival Horror, Puzzle, Action

Even a year after the release of the PlayStation 5, the PS4 was still receiving various games working on both generations of consoles. This means that players are still able to enjoy various horror games such as Little Nightmares 2.

This title received even higher praise than the original, with players now taking control of a new tiny person stuck in an eerie world that almost mimics the one the players live in. Fans of the previous title were still in for a treat as following this new character was the well-known yellow-coat-wearing girl from the original with entirely new monsters to avoid.

3 2022 - Signalis

Metascore: 80

Signalis
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Survival Horror
Indie Games
Adventure
Shooter
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Released
October 27, 2022
Platform(s)
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S
Developer
rose-engine, Rose-engine games
Genre(s)
Survival Horror, Indie Games, Adventure, Shooter

While many horror titles on the PS4 may be deemed as successes due to their highly improved graphics, some of the most promising and well-received horror games of recent years are those that replicate classic pixel graphics or have a distinct art style. Signalis is one of those games.

20-Best-PS2-Horror-Games
Best PS2 Horror Games

These horror games from the PlayStation 2 are the genre's best titles from the console's era.

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Waking up in a mysterious futuristic world, players will need to fight through the horrors they face in the hope of getting back their lost dreams and finding out what happened to the person they loved. In between fighting the monsters that approach the player, in this survival horror, they will also need to make sure they manage their resources, so they aren't left defenseless.

2 2023 - Dredge

Metascore: 80

Dredge
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Released
March 31, 2023
Developer(s)
Black Salt Games
Genre(s)
Adventure

Continuing the theme of interesting art styles for games, Dredge was a highly praised title of 2023, that was released for both the PS4 and PS5. This game shared a similar atmosphere to Lovecraftian stories as players took on the role of a fisherman going out at sea to catch fish that they could sell for a profit.

However, staying out in the water when it's night can be dangerous, and mysterious mutated fishes have been caught too. This simple gameplay still held quite the mysterious story that players continued to enjoy even on the older generation of consoles.