Best Horror Games Set In Hospitals, Ranked

The horror genre is extremely versatile as it allows developers to tell stories set virtually anywhere and still deliver a terrifying experience that fans of spine-chilling tales will love. As long as there are supernatural elements, beyond-the-grave encounters, or psychopathic killers involved, even a colorful, innocent-looking nursery might work.

Related

5 Best Horror Games With Proximity Chat

These horror games use proximity chat to great effect.

Posts

By  Will Buckley

That said, few settings are as effective at making players shiver as abandoned hospitals and asylums. After all, those places have a lot of history revolving around loss, disease, and a good deal of suffering—what's better than that to tell a nightmare-inducing story? Here are some of the best horror games set in hospitals.

5 The Town Of Light

A Psychological Horror Game Revolving Around A Tortured Former Asylum Patient

• Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Linux, Mac
• Released: February 26, 2016
• Developer(s): LKA
• Genre(s): Psychological horror, indie game
• Beautiful art style featuring deserted places and colorful tree areas
• Players will have a hard time telling the truth from fiction

Set in the Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra in the otherwise beautiful Tuscan region of Italy, The Town of Light follows the protagonist Renée as she returns to the asylum where she was once involuntarily committed. Now in ruins, the mental institution still haunts her, as memories of her time within its walls were less than pleasant.

The Town of Light will have players explore the ruins of the asylum to help Renée remember fragments of her past while discovering dark secrets of the infamous mental institution. This thrilling psychological horror title will make players doubt Renée's sanity and even their own, as reality is not always what it seems. The Town of Light features an interesting art style that works well with its Italian setting.

4 Dementium: The Ward

A First-Person Horror Game Involving Amnesia And Several Mysteries To Uncover

• Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS
• Released: October 31, 2007
• Developer(s): Renegade Kid, Atooi LLC
• Genre(s): First-person shooter, Survival horror, Adventure game
• The game has a unique art style reminiscent of early 90s FPS titles
• A port for the Nintendo Switch was released in 2023

When William Redmoor, the lead character of the game who suffers from amnesia, wakes up in the deserted and eerie halls of Redmoor Hospital, the nightmare and his struggle for survival begin. Dementium: The Ward is filled with cryptic messages and various vicious creatures who will stop at nothing to kill William and end players' run early. Players will have to navigate the building's dark, quiet and spine-chilling halls to uncover more details about their current situation and find a way out before it's too late.

Related

7 PS2 Horror Games That Deserve To Be Remade After Silent Hill 2

Apart from Silent Hill 2, these horror games on the PlayStation 2, deserve remakes of their own.

Posts

By  Amy Cowley

While the game was originally released in 2007, it features a very particular art style that's reminiscent of first-person shooter games from the early 90s. This concept works very well with Dementium: The Ward and helps boost the feeling of uncertainty behind the opening of every door. The game's developers announced that a port for the Nintendo Switch would be released in 2023, and another for the PlayStation 4 and 5 would come in 2024.

3 The Evil Within

The Beacon Mental Hospital Plays A Key Role In The Game's Plot

• Beacon Mental Hospital plays a key role in the game's story
• Players will have to uncover the truth behind the killings they encounter as Detective Castellanos

The Evil Within begins with Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his partners Joseph Oda and Juli Kidman arriving at a gruesome crime scene within the Beacon Mental Hospital. As they explore the premises, they come across some CCTV footage showing fellow officers firing at an unknown threat and then trying to flee when they realize bullets and other attempts at standing their ground are futile. This unleashes a series of events that will have players exploring different areas to uncover the truth behind the vicious killings and the mysterious events happening around them.

While The Evil Within's story isn't limited to the Beacon Mental Hospital, it plays a key role in the events of the game and many situations revolving around it. This institution represents the starting point of Detective Castellanos' adventure, which has not only captivated many players over the years but also kicked off a series of DLCs for the original game and even a sequel.

2 Outlast

Mount Massive Asylum Leaves No Survivors

• Heart-racing chasing sequences
• Players will have to navigate around the asylum to find a way out

Outlast not only helped put developer Red Barrels on the map but also redefined what horror games could be in the early 2010s. This title focuses on the story of Miles Upshur, a freelance journalist who receives an interesting tip-off regarding a mental asylum known as Mount Massive Asylum. When Miles reaches the mental institution, he soon realizes that the place is no longer on lockdown and the staff have either been killed or taken by the patients who are now roaming free through the building's halls. The game will have players control Miles as he tries to escape the nightmarish asylum and live to tell the story.

Related

Best Survival Horror Video Game Franchises, Ranked

These survival horror video game franchises are some of the premier powerhouses in the genre. Here's how they stack up.

Posts 2

By  Jason Wojnar

Along the way, Miles will encounter several former inmates who pose a direct threat to his survival, and the chasing sequences involved in said encounters are more than enough to give nightmares to even the bravest horror fans. The Outlast franchise excels at the quality of its villains and horror elements, delivering a wonderful experience in both the first installment and the sequel.

1 Silent Hill 2

Not Set Entirely In A Hospital, But One Section Is More Than Enough

• James Sunderland travels to Silent Hill to discover the mystery behind his deceased wife's letter
• Brookhaven Hospital is a central area of the game with an atmosphere so thick that it can be cut with a knife

Silent Hill 2 does not take place in a hospital setting—at least not in its entirety. The game focuses on James Sunderland, who receives a letter from his late wife three years after she died from a terminal illness. Intrigued, James decides to visit the town of Silent Hill in Maine to get some answers; however, he will find the once lovely town covered in a thick fog that harbors pure evil and deadly dangers lurking around every corner. The game takes players around many areas in the town of Silent Hill and one of them is the infamous Brookhaven Hospital, a mental institution located in the South Vale.

Brookhaven Hospital is not only one of the best parts of the game due to the bleak atmosphere that lingers inside it, but also because it symbolizes the fear and desperation of those who were once institutionalized in it. The recently released Silent Hill 2 remake also features this mental institution, which means the developers felt it deserved to be featured, even when other things from the original game were either removed or changed.

More

8 Best Games With Horror Based In War

War is brutal, but video games don't always present it as such. These games don't shy away from the horrors of war, embracing them in their narrative.

Posts

By  Cameron Burgess Smith