Summary
- Anatomy turns a normal home into a terrifying nightmare through tapes, subtle horror, and distorted atmosphere.
- Murder House offers retro slasher flick vibes with a bunny serial killer, perfect for survival horror fans.
- September 1999 provides a chilling found footage experience with disturbing visuals in just 5 minutes.
Sometimes, players want to enjoy the thrill of a new horror game, but don’t have time for a massive exploration or slow-building dread. Instead, they may look for a game that they can complete in one sitting, but will stay with them for a long time.
Whether a player has one free evening or wants to squeeze in some horror fun in between some big tasks, these games prove that fear does not have to be long-winded in order to be effective. The games on this list are ordered based on replay value, impact, and pacing, and how it all contributes to the scare factor.
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10 Anatomy
Mundane Turned Terrifying
Anatomy
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- 2016
- Length: ~30-40 minutes
Anatomy can turn the mundanity of a normal home and into something truly terrifying. The game grows more distorted as players find tapes hidden around the house. The home becomes almost alive and hostile, without even having to talk back. The fear in this game is subtle, but the experimental audio horror is effective in the way it gets under the player's skin rather than looking for a cheap jumpscare. If players want the ultimate horror effect, they should play this game with headphones in the dark.
9 Murder House
Bunny Gone Bad
- Release Date: October 22, 2020
- Length: ~2 hours
- Genre: Survival horror
- Developer: Puppet Combo, Vague Scenario LLC
- Platforms: Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Windows, Steam
Murder House is a love letter to all the best slasher flicks out there, trapping players in a house with a serial killer dressed up like a bunny. It’s the kind of low-resolution, high-terror horror that many players will appreciate. The retro aesthetic, thanks to the VHS effect, makes it almost nostalgic, even for those new to the genre. The sudden bursts of violence leave players wanting to move forward. This game is a perfect pick for gamers looking for an old-school survival horror with a twist.
8 September 1999
Found Footage Horror
SEPTEMBER 1999
- Released
- October 10, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- 98DEMAKE
- Genre(s)
- Indie
- Length: 5 minutes
September 1999 is only 5 minutes long, but every single second is crafted to emulate the found footage horror genre in such a clever way. There is no interaction with the environment. Instead, players just watch and experience these events happening. Because of the realistic presentation, it is a standout in the list as a chilling short story. The final moments in particular move it from being a simple mimicry of a genre done plenty of times, into something with a narrative so disturbing that players should before they pick it up.
7 Paratopic
VHS Nightmares
Paratopic
- Released
- September 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Arbitrary Metric
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Indie
- Length: ~45 minutes
Paratopic features dream logic, distorted visuals, and jarring editing that will even make the most nostalgic players feel like they're watching a haunted VHS. The story is nonlinear too, making it feel even more like players are lost in a nightmare they might not be able to escape from.
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The game is divisive among players, but for those who are open to abstract horrors, the disjointed storytelling will keep them immersed in this strange world. This could make the perfect companion to a quiet evening indoors that needs a spooky touch.
6 The Static Speaks My Name
A Disturbing Snapshot
- Release Date: January 18, 2015
- Length: ~20 minutes
- Genre: Psychological horror
- Developer: Jess Barksdale, The Whale Husband
- Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac, Steam
What makes The Static Speak My Name one to watch is that it is free to play, and one of the shorter entries on the list. The atmosphere that it paints is disturbing, and so surreal that it will leave players thinking about it for a long time. A routine mundane day turns horrific as soon as players can catch onto what is happening. There are no jumpscares for players to worry about. Instead, they get to unravel an overwhelming sense of dread, offering an introspective experience.
5 The Convenience Store
Isolation In The Everyday
The Convenience Store
- Released
- February 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Length: ~45-60 minutes
Chilla’s Art is a known developer in the horror genre, who has a great ability to turn the mundane into something deeply unsettling. This particular installment is called The Convenience Store, where a retail worker is working the late shift. However, the night is not as it usually is, with unexplainable events and figures lurking around every corner.
The visual simplicity, combined with a creeping tension that starts slowly, is nothing short of eerie, and players will need a lot of courage to make it through. There is also a twist at the end that will make the whole experience worth it if players are looking to finish it in one sitting.
4 Stories Untold
A Horror Anthology
Stories Untold
- Released
- February 27, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- No Code
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Indie Games
- Length: ~2 hours
The combination of a classic text adventure and a modern presentation is done so well in Stories Untold. This game is an anthology that keeps players on their toes with just words and sounds alone. There are four chapters, each one building suspense and mystery that expands on the central story. While this type of game is recommended to be played all at once, each chapter is also easily digestible for players, setting the mood each time.
3 Imscared
Breaking the Fourth Wall
- Release Date: October 12, 2012
- Length: ~30-60 minutes
- Genre: Experimental retro horror
- Developer: Ivan Zanotti's My Madness Works
- Platforms: Windows, Android
Imscared is not just about what is actually seen on screen; it's about what’s on the player's desktop too. This masterclass in indie horror plays with the very fabric of reality, messing with files and folders that the players will notice. The use of meta horror is clever, and makes it stick with players much longer than they may think it will. Being so short, it demands all the attention it can get from players, rewarding them with disturbing surprises if they keep on with the journey.
2 The Closing Shift
Mundane Dread
The Closing Shift
- Released
- March 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Length: ~1.5 hours
Chilla’s Art is back on the list with The Closing Shift, where a coffee shop is turned into the most nerve-wracking place on earth. The player is the barista in the shop, and their usual late-night duties change forever when strange things start to happen. The mundane work making coffee at the beginning of the game makes the slow unravel so much more satisfying, and the realism of the setting makes it even more effective. The slow burn happens pays off in the end, with a twist that will send a chill down the spines of even veteran horror game players.
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1 Iron Lung
Deep Sea Descent
Iron Lung
- Released
- March 10, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Indie Games, Adventure, Simulation
- Length: ~1 hour
Iron Lung traps players in a rusted, creaking submarine with only one mission. They must navigate an ocean of blood using only sound and a camera. The minimalism of the game does a lot of heavy lifting in the storytelling, letting players think about what could be there without always showing them.
The combination of the direct visuals, scary sound design, and confined setting make this one of the best games out there for horror players who need a short scare. The ending will hit players like a truck, and tension never drops throughout the game.
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