Summary
- Prey (2006) by Human Head Studios offers innovative gameplay, dark setting, and eldritch alien enemies.
- Dishonored features a gaslight-fantasy world, an Eldritch Entity, and player choices shaping the game's outcome.
- Bloodborne by FromSoftware combines cosmic horror with gothic elements, captivating players with its eerie atmosphere.
Open-world games often offer certain extra layers of quality brought to the players through their setting, their worldbuilding, and most importantly, their mechanics. And when the developers decide to casually drop Cosmic Horror elements into the mix, then players are bound for some gruesome, mind-boggling experiences.
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So, for those fans of eldritch horror, this ranked list spotlights the best Open-World games with cosmic horror elements. From one of the most underrated sci-fi survival horrors to a game that puts the 'N' in the word niche, but has thousands of fans all across the world.
8 Prey
One Of The Most Underrated Cosmic Horror Sci-Fi Games
Prey
- Released
- July 11, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- FPS
The original Prey game, made by Human Head Studios, was one of the most innovative Sci-Fi shooters of its time. Immersed in a dark and eerie setting, the players need to survive an alien invasion inside a Cherokee reservation and then take the fight to their mothership using a series of portals. The aliens are as ugly as they can get: an amalgamation of anthropomorphic eldritch horrors, animals, and mutated zombies that will make the player's guts churn and their minds break.
One of the most notorious survival elements in this game is its many gravitational shifts and transversal movement using portals, which are a precursor of many other games that followed the same game design patterns. Still, what turns the whole experience into a Cosmic Horror story is the background of the invader aliens called Hunters, and their connection with the Spiritual Realm, which is a key component in the setting.
7 Dishonored
An Eldritch Entity Offers You Her Heart, And You Accepted?
Dishonored
- Released
- October 9, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
Dishonored is one of the creepiest and coolest games; that's undeniable. For starters, the setting transports the players into a gaslight-fantasy universe where sword and sorcery are as grim as they can get. Then, when players believe everything is chill and they're part of nobility, a wild murder plot to slay the Empress leaves Corvo Atano running for his dear life as the main suspect of the magnicide.
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After that comes some bargaining with an Eldritch Entity named the Outsider, who gifts Corvo with a Heart (wonder where he got that from) imbued with his power. Then players are free to explore an enormous city using the heart of his beloved Empress to listen to sinister whispers about the city, how it survives on Whale Oil, and the secrets other people hold. Using the power of the Outsider, players can choose to lay low or unleash a bloody revenge, which will determine the shape of the world around them: the more carnage they unleash, the more the plague spreads, the misery floods the streets, and the world becomes more dangerous. A masterpiece.
6 Bloodborne
Deranged Gods, Eldrich Entities Corrupting Everything
Bloodborne
- Released
- March 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
A mysterious plague invades the streets, turning its denizens into horrific monstrosities, while a solitary hunter must face the aberrations using all of his skills and a wide array of weapons. Bloodborne is the best open-world game made by FromSoftware, and it has aged incredibly well despite years of being (allegedly) forgotten by its developer.
The setting of the game combines a gaslight Victorian-esque worlbuilding, with gothic and cosmic horror in a perfect and subtle mix that has enthralled countless players. With the recent announcement of The Duskbloods, its spiritual successor, fans of Bloodborne have been quite excited (in both the bad and good sense), so if players have this jewel of the past decade forgotten somewhere around their gaming cabinet, they might want to consider giving it a try once again.
5 Borderlands 2
The Vault Was Closed For A Damn Good Reason
Borderlands 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 86%
- Released
- September 18, 2012
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Though many players believe that Borderlands 2 is only a sci-fi looter shooter, the truth is that its whole story is based on the premise of an ancient alien race who fought tooth and nail to trap sinister galactic horrors into huge vaults, leaving tons of warnings and defenses, who dumb humans, of course, ignored completely.
The worldbuilding of the Vault Hunters and the Sirens is always pointing towards that Cosmic Horror feeling of the unknown, what lies beyond the stars, in the dark corners of the universe. And, of course, once players ignore all the warnings and open the Vault, absolute madness unleashes: a being that is so grotesque that it can barely be recognized as a 'thing.' Luckily for the players, by the time they open Pandora's Box (even the whole planet is a huge warning sign), they will be equipped with tons of powerful weapons to deal with the beast. So have fun monster-slaying!
4 The Sinking City
The Most Lovecraftian Open-World Game You'll Ever See
The Sinking City
- Released
- June 27, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
The Sinking City is one of those games that are recommended to play in broad daylight and, if possible, with the lights on. A combination of Cosmic Horror elements with a sinister plot that would make Lovecraft proud, this game was developed by Frogwares and received quite a lot of approval from both the critics and the audience.
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Its main attraction is its intriguing plot, which mixes sleuth with psychological horror and makes players think twice before turning down a dark alley to investigate a clue. The map is quite big, though, there are certain elements that distort the flow of the player's movements and make is a little bit linear. Still, it can be considered an open-world game.
3 The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter
Eerie, Sinister, Devoid Of Life
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 72%
- Released
- September 26, 2014
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- The Astronauts
- Publisher(s)
- The Astronauts
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter plays with the sense of oppression that exists in huge open spaces that seem to be derelicted magnificiently, making its world look so distant from civilization that it seems to be a pocket dimension. Players might feel the lingering feeling that something is observing their every move, which leads to panic and not knowing what to do.
Not only because there's a huge map to explore and little to no clues (yellow) painted for them to uncover, but because of the supernatural elements that compose its story. The truth is, something dark and powerful has a hold on Red Creek Valley, and players will experience in first person how the events that led to the disappearance of a young boy will forever haunt that remote region of Wisconsin and the lives of all its denizens.
2 Alan Wake II
Mindbreaking, Thrilling, And Panic Inducing
Alan Wake 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- October 27, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
If the first Alan Wake game was good, the second iteration of the franchise might be a step in the right direction, though it's greatly underrated. Still, one of the best things about the game is that it managed to keep that eerie and mind-distorting ambiance that made the first story a huge success.
That sensation of being transported into a Lovecraftian tale is always there, lingering on the edges of the screen, while players struggle not to feel the oppression of the darkness creeping down upon them. It is an awesome game,
1 Pathologic 2
One Of The Most Gruesome Horror Experiences, Highly Underrated
Pathologic 2
- Released
- May 23, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Violence
Pathologic 2 is a game that transports the players into one of the creepiest and most gut-churning settings in the history of gaming. The game takes place in a remote village of the Russian steppes, where players must live their lives in constant fear, interacting with its strange denizens, trading, bartering, and holding on to their every figment of sanity as reality itself seems to be distorting around them at a fast pace.
The story follows inside a sinister time-loop like structure, breaking the fourth wall for in ways that are both innovative and concerning. With its main character Artemy Burakh, a physician and surgeon who tries to heal not only the residents of that god-forsaken place, but his own mind (somehow) as well. This highly underrated game is so much more than simply cosmic horror in a pocket dimension: it is pure and unbridled dread, coated in a thick layer of madness.
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