Summary
- Doom delivers relentless action with powerful demons and tons of weapons, focusing on fast-paced combat.
- Cry of Fear offers a heart-pumping action experience inspired by classic horror games in a free and popular indie title.
- Dead Space combines sci-fi and horror, providing an excellent action horror game with satisfying combat against terrifying necromorphs.
Horror games are the ones designed to offer frights, pumping up the adrenaline with scream-inducing jump-scares, or leaving players on the edge of their seats, suspended in a tense atmosphere that has them jumping at every shadow. This is mostly true for horror titles, but it's not applicable to every single title.
The Scariest Horror Video Games Of All Time, Ranked
From the torture of Doki Doki Literature Club to the eerieness of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, here are the scariest horror video games of all time.
After all, there are horror games that decide their focus shouldn't be on delivering scares, but rather delivering heart-pumping action, while still exploring themes or monster designs that stop them from being classed as mere action titles. It is a fine-line to straddle, especially when the emphasis is placed on action, but these are games that show how it is done.
10 Cry Of Fear
A Free FPS Experience Inspired By Classic Horror Games
Cry of Fear
- Released
- February 22, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
This little-known indie title eventually entered the hallowed annals of indie horror history, becoming one of the most popular free games on Steam. It started out as a mod for Half-Life but eventually became a standalone game in its own right.
Playing as an ordinary man who wakes up in a dark alley after a hit-and-run, he explores the seemingly abandoned Scandinavian town after being accosted by a creature on his way home. Entering an apartment building, Simon arms himself with weapons to confront the dangers ahead. Inspired by classic horror games of old, the gameplay is basic in terms of mechanics, but it's greatly effective. It presents a healthy combat challenge alongside resource management, reminiscent of old-school Resident Evil.
9 The Evil Within
Players Are Armed With A Healthy Arsenal Of Weaponry
The Evil Within
- Released
- October 14, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Tango Gameworks
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
The Evil Within was a game with much buzz around it, with heavy names in the gaming industry such as Bethesda and Shinji Mikami behind it. The trailers promised a frightening experience with monsters that looked like they could be straight out of Silent Hill, and it absolutely delivered.
Detective Sebastian Castellanos, who is drawn into a nightmare world full of impossible creatures, must fight his way through the creatures for his survival. Though the game does feature stealth mechanics, more often than not, players find themselves leveling the barrel of their gun at the various threats, as the combat is definitely a huge part of the game. The ability to craft weapons and ammo even encourages this further, as players will now have plenty at their disposal to dispatch the threats between them and their next objective.
8 Doom (2016)
Relentless Adrenaline-Pumping Action
DOOM
- Released
- May 13, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Doom is one of the longest-spanning game franchises of all time; while it may not have been the first FPS on the market, it was still one of the earliest and most popular. 2016 was a great year for fans of the franchise, as it was revived with the excellent game simply titled Doom. Once again, players took the reins of the Doom Slayer as they smashed their way through legions of demons.
Scariest FPS Games
Even a weapon in hands is little comfort in these terrifying first-person shooter games.
While there is a semblance of a plot to follow, that isn't what fans are here for. They want powerful demons, tons of weapons, and gratuitous amounts of blood and gore with a fantastic and exciting soundtrack in the background, which is exactly what they got with 2016's Doom. The combat is the absolute focus here, delivering fast-paced and unrelenting action as players rip and tear their way through the legions of hell.
7 Alan Wake
Light Is The Enemy's Bane
Alan Wake
- Released
- February 16, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Microsoft
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Xbox 360, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Struggling with writers' block, Crime Fiction author Alan Wake and his wife, Alice, travel to a remote mountain town called Bright Falls, with Alice hoping the change in scenery might help him break through his long-lasting funk. Their vacation is abruptly interrupted when a supernatural attacker drags Alice down into the depths of the lake, and the presence of shadow monsters by the name of Taken start stalking him through the wilderness.
These are the creatures that accost the player at each turn, and the ones that players need to fight their way through. The combat in Alan Wake is wholly unique, however, as the player must shine a light on them first in order to be able to deal damage with more ordinary weaponry such as guns. This adds an exciting and fresh take on combat, which only makes players want to engage with these portions of the game even more.
6 Condemned: Criminal Origins
Find The Killer Of Killers
Condemned: Criminal Origins
- Released
- November 22, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
As someone with keen senses, Ethan Thomas is unparalleled in his field as an FBI agent in the SCU (Serial Crime Unit), but a string of killer cases have since gone cold. That is because the latest culprit they are on the trail of is actually kind of doing their work for them, but in a more extreme sense, as he is killing all known serial killers. On the trail of Serial Killer X, Ethan will encounter many dangerous enemies that sometimes don't even seem wholly human.
Combat (alongside criminal investigations) makes up the core gameplay element at its center. Players use any weapons they have at their disposal to dispatch these dangerous enemies, most of whom are under a mysterious cult's influence, which causes them to become unpredictably violent. The settings are plenty suspenseful and eerie, making most of these encounters rather frightening.
5 F.E.A.R.
Home To Gaming's Scariest Child
F.E.A.R.
- Released
- October 18, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
F.E.A.R. Is one of the most aptly named games of all time, as it spells out the emotions players feel as they explore the game's narrow corridors and gun down enemy combatants, occasionally slipping into terrifying hallucinations that may involve Alma, the scariest child to ever grace video games. F.E.A.R. Manages to nail its atmosphere perfectly, but combat is the major focus of this intense title.
First and foremost, F.E.A.R. Is an FPS game, placing players into the boots of Point Man as they infiltrate the facility in search of rogue psychic Paxton Fettel. Clone soldiers known as Replicas have taken over, and these will be the enemies the player must gun down before they take a faceful of lead themselves.
4 BioShock
Use Plasmids & Weapons To Fight For Survival
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
Rapture was a place of promise for the elite members of society, set deep under the sea free from government interference. Unfortunately for the inhabitants, Rapture eventually fell, and all the denizens devolved into creatures known as Splicers, their addiction to the substance known as ADAM deforming their physical appearance and rendering them volatile and hostile.
These make up the majority of enemies that the player character, Jack, faces when he seeks refuge in Rapture after the plane he was aboard crashes into the ocean. But, beyond the splicers, there are the terrifying Bid Daddies, hulking monstrosities whose size, strength, and speed present a collosal challenge. By using weapons such as a wrench and a variety of guns, players will also make use of Plasmids in order to destroy any enemy in their path.
3 Dead Space
Plasma-Cut A Path Through The Necromorphs
Dead Space
- Released
- January 27, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- EA Motive
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Sci-fi meets horror in the excellent action horror game Dead Space. In the distant 26th century, Isaac Clarke and the rest of the crew set out to investigate the Ishimura, a mining ship that has gone completely silent. Upon arrival, they soon learn the reason for its ghosting, as it has become home to the terrifying necromorphs, mutated human creatures that will absolutely decimate any living thing in their path.
Terrifying Horror Games Set In Space
Sci-fi horror is a beloved genre niche, and the video games that tackle it love trapping their players in the isolating confines of outer space.
Armed with a range of industrial weapons, including the now iconic Plasma Cutter, Isaac has no choice but to confront the terrors and fight his way through them, as the necromorphs sure aren't going to show any mercy. As such, the combat of the game is an ever-present element, but luckily for the players, slicing off necromorphs limbs is nothing less than satisfying.
2 Silent Hill 2
The Remake Improved The Combat, Encouraging Players To Fight
Silent Hill 2
- Released
- October 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bloober Team
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
When it finally came to light a Silent Hill 2 remake was in the works, fans rejoiced! When they heard it would be Bloober at the helm, rather than Konami themselves, they feared. Bloober Team's games, while enjoyable, are often divisive, as story-heavy walking simulators aren't for everyone. But, the game released and smashed every expectation, as it was truly fantastic, and the serious themes were handled with care and respect for the source material.
While everyone agrees the remake is fantastic, some still prefer the original, as they feel the remake made James too competent a fighter, as combat is much smoother than the original. As such, fighting is more of an expectation in the remake, as plenty of enemies block James from his next goal, and it is much easier to smash through them than simply dodge and run.
1 Resident Evil 4
The True Pioneer Of Resident Evil's Action-Oriented Games
Resident Evil 4
- Released
- January 11, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
Most people consider Resident Evil 5 to be the franchise's true leap into more of an action focus, but it was Resident Evil 4 that paved the way. A more generous inventory space, massive hordes of enemies, and challenging boss fights presented a slight shift from the more survival horror-focused games of the earlier entries in the series. Leon is shown to be a somewhat cocky action hero, offering witty one-liners and performing over-the-top actions such as backflips and suplexes.
It was almost cheesy in the way it leaned into this action-hero theme, but fans could not get enough. Leon was more enjoyable this way than his earned lawful-good approach in Resident Evil 2, and there were some truly uniquely terrifying bosses he had to contend with in this title. Although the very successful 2023 remake has more or less eclipsed the original RE4, there are still die-hard fans who continue to revisit it — a testament to how amazing the game is, and how it still holds up by today's standards.
Horror Games That Punish You For Fighting Back
Despite the urge to fight the horrors in these terrifying games, players will get punished for trying to be too heroic.