Summary
- Some indie horror games offer unique and terrifying exploration experiences under colorful aesthetics.
- Players must carefully manage fear levels and navigate hallucinations in haunting underwater and space settings.
- Horror games like Silent Hill 2 and The Evil Within rely on exploration to unravel gripping narratives and eerie atmospheres.
Whenever it seems like horror games have hit their apex, they prove there’s still a lot of creative mileage left in the genre. AAA, indie, and even AA devs find new ways to subvert expectations and terrify players. Some horror games are set in open worlds, while others incorporate surprisingly deep and fun combat in their game designs — it’s all thanks to the innovative geniuses working behind the scenes.
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Some scary games will tap into the fear of the unknown to make players question whether to progress ahead or not. They rely on a dark atmosphere and instill an unnerving sense of dread with creepy visuals, spooky sound effects, and suspenseful build-up. Some might even throw a cheap jumpscare or two to keep players guessing, but not always.
1 Dredge
Sinister Vibes And Eldritch Horrors Await The More Players Keep Exploring
Dredge
- Released
- March 31, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Black Salt Games
- Publisher(s)
- Team17
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Leave it to indie devs to make a fishing game that ties to forbidden arcane artifacts and demonic presences. Dredge brings unsettling horror under the guise of a colorful aesthetic. The game stimulates the imagination and keeps players guessing what devilish entity awaits in the darkness of the sea.
The true scares start during nighttime when the fear meter begins filling up, which triggers hallucinations. If players aren’t careful, the controllable sea trawler might sustain damage from gargantuan life-forms straight out of an HP Lovecraft novel. Upgrades and intuitive skill tree bonuses allow players to survive supernatural encounters. Dredge is a horror game with deeply ingrained exploration, and the more players progress, the more chaos it brings into the world.
2 Subnautica
A Terrifying Experience Of Diving Into An Alien Planet’s Oceanic Depths
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Gearbox Publishing
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Gamers who enjoy seamless open-world exploration are in for a treat in Subnautica… except the exploration is a nightmare. Players have to jump into an alien ocean and scavenge for resources to build an airship in their attempt to leave the planet. The game offers no explanation at the beginning, except that the original spaceship has crashed into the alien ocean.
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To figure out everything else and survive the horrors of the depths, players must do literal deep dives into the surreal underwater biomes. The core gameplay involves crafting and base-building — making stop points for the night, then continuing exploration the next day. Subnautica is a sandbox grind-fest, except its isolating sense of dread and colorfully bizarre marine life make it fun yet absolutely petrifying.
3 Dead Space (2023)
Literal Hell In Space With Pitch Black Walkways And Ominous Depictions Of Fanaticism
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
Dead Space (2023) is a faithful remake of a classic sci-fi horror game where most of the horror is tied to exploration. A huge chunk of the gameplay is a tense investigation of a decrepit spaceship enveloped in darkness — not wise, is it? Yet that’s what Dead Space puts players through.
But that’s not all, as the spaceship — the USG Ishimura — has an infestation of mutated, reanimated corpses, prowling around every corridor. They can sneak up on players without a sound, and the constant growling noises through the vents will keep players constantly on edge. Piling on the scare factor are disturbing data logs that will provide additional backstory and lore, deepening the mysteries of what exactly happened to the Ishimura.
4 Silent Hill 2 (2024)
Psychological Horror And Excellent Exploration Make A One-of-a-Kind Horror Thriller
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 comes to horror, few can compete with the scares and thrills that Japanese devs can bring. Silent Hill 2 (2024) faithfully reimagines the original classic but adds more polish and is more spine-chilling. Players are trapped in the titular Silent Hill, with strange occurrences and hellish creatures everywhere. The combat is awkward by design, which shows that the main character isn’t invincible.
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The Silent Hill 2 remake is a game chock-full of horrors, but progression requires thorough exploration to solve puzzles and riddles. The game intentionally nurtures player anxiety through its impressive sound design. Dark areas and interiors with dim lighting create the perfect level of unease. A dense fog engulfs the open spaces, and demonic silhouettes keep players guessing what's real.
5 The Evil Within
Mind-Bending Macabre Horror Where Exploration Requires Bravery
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 Mr. Resident Evil's — aka Shinji Mikami’s — attempt at a return to horror games, and what a glorious return it was. With its morbid and occult visuals, the game takes horror and reluctant exploration to new heights. Players have to rely on stealth and scarce ammo to pick their battles with twisted monstrosities that won’t stay down, even if killed. They literally have to be lit on fire to ensure they don’t resurrect.
The boss fights are intense and varied, each requiring different strategies and constant movement to survive. Throughout it all, there are backstories of various characters and personal accounts of the protagonist that fill in the curious details. However, to get those, players must be willing to venture out.
6 Darkwood
Grotesque Body Horror And Otherworldly Frights Will Beckon Players To Escape Where There Is None
Darkwood
- Released
- August 18, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Acid Wizard Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Crunching Koalas
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Darkswood is a magnificent indie horror game with a top-down perspective and grainy aesthetic, and exploring it will make players’ skin crawl. From the get-go, there is a foreboding sense of hopelessness and doom. Players will have to comb every inch of the available section of the map during the day to scavenge for resources. It is vital to gather as much as possible while exploring to set up a defense against evil, hostile creatures.
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There’s a mystery to uncover in Darkwood, and the game’s quests have player choices that determine the fates of NPCs. The game deeply touches the body horror aspect and takes it to the extreme — everything from the characters to the world itself is infected with it.
7 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
One Of The Most Captivating Indie Horror Gaming Experiences That Still Holds Up
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Released
- September 8, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Publisher(s)
- Frictional Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Indie Games, Adventure, Action, Puzzle
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Amnesia: The Dark Descent put indie horror gaming on the map, and its exploration-centric horror is phenomenal from start to finish. The main character wakes up in a manor with no memory of how he got there. The core gameplay revolves around discovery and exploring the mansion’s medieval-era corridors and wings. Along the way, there are notes and journal entries to find that help players to piece together the story.
The musical score and the intensity of the stealth segments are spectacular high points of the game. With no means of combat, the monsters chase the players, and hiding without being seen is the only means of escaping pursuit. The depleting sanity mechanic that distorts vision, and the accompanying musical score, make Amnesia: The Dark Descent a fantastic horror game.
8 Haunting Ground
Explore Gothic Environments, Avoid Depraved And Demented Pursuers, And Embrace A Canine Lifesaver
Haunting Ground
- Released
- May 10, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
Capcom’s premier survival horror franchise is Resident Evil, but their most niche and underrated outing was Haunting Ground. This horror game’s uniqueness is primarily due to making exploration a frightening prospect. The lead character is a young girl trapped in a gothic castle, trying to survive her relentless pursuers. All of them are unhinged castle inhabitants uncomfortably obsessed with her.
The trick is to learn the castle’s layout through exploration and use the environment to trap enemies. Haunting Ground also gives players a wolf-dog companion they can command, pet, or scold to help with puzzles and create breathing room from enemies. The game’s unsettling tone, especially the sudden panic mode, adds to the vulnerability and tension.
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