Summary
- Gloomwood calls back to immersive sims of old with stealth-action gameplay.
- Blood West combines a Western setting with eldritch horrors, creating an engaging setting.
- Alien: Isolation brings back the fear factor by pitting players against an intelligent Xenomorph.
Immersive sims have become a bit of a nebulous topic in the video game world. Locking down a definition and then categorizing a game under it isn't as straightforward as one might think, what with video games being the sum component of so many moving parts. It becomes even more complicated when one starts to combine it with other genres.
8 Horror Games That Broke The Mold
Games of every genre are trying to innovate and evolve with every entire, but horror has seen some of the biggest changes over the last 20 years.
For the purposes of the list, horror immersive sims will be defined as those titles that most emphasize the player's choices when it comes to interacting with the game's world during gameplay, while still being capable of scaring the pants off them. The games below are some of the best examples of that combination of agency and horror.
8 S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Surviving The Zone
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Released
- November 20, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- GSC Game World
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Open-World, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl entered the gaming world to a rocky start, featuring a number of glitches and performance issues, which is understandable given the conditions Ukraine developer GSC Game World were working under. That being said, the studio managed to deliver a worthy successor to the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Games.
Players can easily lose themselves in the warped beauty of the zone, spending hours trudging through harsh environments and partaking in hardcore gameplay. The story also follows a non-linear structure, offering players the freedom to walk their own narrative paths.
7 Blood West
Monster-Riddled Wild West
Blood West
- Released
- February 10, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Hyperstrange's Blood West bloodies a Western setting with all manner of eldritch horrors. Players assume the role of an undead gunslinger on a quest to rid the land of a curse in exchange for his soul. On their journey, players have the freedom to explore Blood West's numerous locations however they like, discovering secrets and progressing the story all at their own pace.
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With limited resources and the threat enemies pose, stealth is often an approach encouraged for players to take. Yet, should players want to throw caution to the wind, Blood West leaves the door open for gunslinger mayhem, too.
6 Alien: Isolation
Doing The Xenomorph Justice
Alien: Isolation
- Released
- October 7, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Creative Assembly
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
As brilliant as it is, James Cameron's spin on the Alien franchise with Aliens, as well as the games it inspired, have diminished the physical threat the Xenomorph posed in the original film. With their emphasis on action, the biomechanical horror became canon fodder.
Alien: Isolation, on the other hand, returned the series to its roots by pitting players against an intelligent, physically imposing Xenomorph that they had no means of killing. Suddenly, the Xenomorph became a thing to be feared once again, with its thunderous footsteps as it chases the players permanently embedding themselves in many's minds. Though players aren't able to kill the alien, Isolation still offers players a plethora of tools to distract or avoid it, keeping it inline with other immersive sims.
5 System Shock
Where It All Began
System Shock (2023)
- Released
- May 30, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- NightDive Studios
- Genre(s)
- Sci-Fi, FPS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
The System Shock franchise laid the groundwork for countless other immersive sim horror games. The original duology was some of the first games to allow players to approach situations from a number of angles as well as simulate realistic physics in 3D environments.
2023's System Shock is arguably the best way to enjoy the original game, providing a major uplift in visuals and a number of rehauled and more intuitive gameplay mechanics for players to get familiar with.
4 BioShock
Iconic Spiritual Successor
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Irrational Games
- Genre(s)
- FPS
BioShock, as the name suggests, is the spiritual successor to System Shock, with both of the game's development teams being led by Ken Levine. As a result, a lot of System Shock's DNA is baked into BioShock. The game's plasmids and armory of weapons, for example, allow players a similar amount of freedom when it comes to deciding their combat strategies.
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Some fans prefer BioShock over its elder sibling thanks to the game's stellar setting of Rapture and its greater emphasis on storytelling, with the 'Would You Kindly' twist still standing out as one of gaming's best.
3 Amnesia: The Bunker
Frictional Stepping Into Survival Horror
Amnesia: The Bunker
- Released
- May 16, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Frictional Games shook up their usual 'run and hide' gameplay formula with the release of Amnesia: The Bunker by incorporating more traditional survival horror mechanics. Assuming the role of a French soldier trapped in a WW1 bunker with a monster, players have access to a number of weapons and tools to fend off the creature and find a means to escape.
The Bunker's non-linear design and lack of hand holding means that players have to figure out that escape for themselves, which, under constant pursuit of a monster, becomes a tense but ultimately more engaging experience.
2 Prey
Arkane's Finest
Prey
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 75%
- Released
- May 5, 2017
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Arkane Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Arkane translated their open-ended level design from the Dishonored franchise to a sci-fi setting in spectacular fashion with Prey. The semi-open world of Talos 1, the space station Prey takes place on, feels incredibly satisfying to explore, especially when one discovers and unlocks new areas.
Not only that, but the player's ability to dip into the abilities of the aliens they're facing (Typhon Neuromods) or go down a scientific route (Neuromods) allows them varying ways to approach situations depending on the abilities they've chosen.
1 Gloomwood
Running With Thieves' Horror
Gloomwood
- Released
- September 6, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Stealth, FPS
Gloomwood is a love letter to immersive sims of old like the Thief series, emphasizing player interactivity and agency within its cursed Victorian city setting. Running with the horror present in some of those Thief games, Gloomwood pits gamers against men and monsters alike, with players encountering monsters like the Crowmen in between their usual run-ins with the masked Huntsmen.
Like other great immersive sim horror games, Gloomwood offers players the freedom to tackle situations however they like, whether that be through stealth or getting loud.
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