Best Survival Horror Games

A good survival horror game is often a mixture of good stories and bone-chilling moments. It doesn't rely only on cheap jumpscares but develops interesting and terrifying monsters that hunt down the main character. With horror being such a big franchise, it's not often that people see an excellent title put out on the market. That being said, if players are survival horror fanatics and are looking to play something new, there are many candidates who more than fit the bill in this regard.

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Many games have left a lasting impression in the genre in the past years and will continue to define survival horror for decades to come. Whether it's because of their intense resource management, tense combat, nerve-wracking story, or a combination of all three, there's no denying that the best survival horror games around let players experience a feeling that makes every small victory as satisfying as can be while trying to deal with a wealth of horrifying humans and monsters.

Updated on November 19, 2024, by Mehrdad Khayyat: Thanks to its long presence in the industry, every gamer has had their share of survival horror games sometime in the past, be it classic Resident Evil titles, or the recent innovative horror experiences like Outlast Trials.

As the name implies, Survival Horror games must include both survival and horror elements, but the ratio is different from one game to another. So, in a game like Outlast, the survival element is as little as finding batteries, but in another game like The Forest, there is a good balance between survival and horror gameplay. This list will include all the varieties.

22 Dead By Daylight

A Multiplayer Horror Experience Where Players Must Cooperate To Survive

Not all survival horror games are story-driven. Dead by Daylight has proven over time that the survival horror genre could also be a great framework for PvP multiplayer experiences if enough thought is given to carve out the gameplay mechanics.

Dead by Daylight revolves around a 4v1 game mode, where one player takes the role of the killer, and the other four players must work with each other to trap the killer and complete their objectives to finally find a way out before the time is over.

21 Metro 2033

When Metro Tunnels Become The Only Safe Haven For Humanity

Metro 2033 is a first-person shooter at its core, but it also comes with a strong horror setting and some survival elements to keep players engaged with the intense atmosphere. The game follows the exploration of a post-apocalyptic Russia, where the surface of the country is swarmed by mutated creatures.

As a single-player, story-driven experience, players are required to delve deep inside the metro tunnels and sometimes even climb up to the surface to complete tasks, gather resources, and feel the horrors of being trapped in a ruthless world.

20 Alan Wake Series

Surviving In The Dark And Fighting With Nightmares Within

The first iteration of Alan Wake was a great attempt from Remedy to create a brand-new universe that revolves around a writer who is trapped inside the darkness of the world it tries to create. While the story was well-narrated, the game had some gameplay issues at the time.

The sequel, however, took the series to the next level by delivering significant improvements to both gameplay and storytelling, allowing players to control a new character other than Alan Wake, and also hinting them towards the events of Control, which is also happening in the same universe.

19 Barotrauma

Surviving In Space With A Submarine

Unlike most other horror games that try to imply fear with jumpscares or eerie sounds, Barotruama creates a heavily dark environment in deep space, where the player's only hope for survival is their submarine, but as long as it operates properly.

Playable in solo and co-op modes, Barotrauma tasks players with operating the submarine under any condition, while facing space monsters and challenging situations. Players will always need to deal with the fear of losing the submarine, which is why they have to master their skills in managing the resources and fixing the submarine's problem one by one, before they are exposed to mutated creatures.

18 Phasmophobia

A Realistic Fear Of Unknown

Thanks to its VR support, Phosmophobia is an ultimate experience for anyone who wants to feel the sense of fear deep within. Similar to Barotrauma, Phsamophobia also supports online co-op mode, which allows players to explore the horrific world of the game together!

Phasmophbia revolves around hunting ghosts with a theme similar to The Exorcist movie. Players are ghost hunters, and they need to use all the tools and devices at their disposal to find the source of paranormal activity, but it is not going to be easy to face these otherworldly beings.

17 The Forest

Surviving The Cannibal Tribe

Both The Forest and its sequel, Sons of the Forest, deliver a superb survival experience on an open-world island, where players can build their own bases, though it is not about living a happy life there! Both games follow a crash onto an unknown island, where life looks much different from the rest of the world.

The survival elements are quite bold in The Forest series, as players need to find food and water, craft weapons, and build safe bases where they could rest for a single night at least. However, the island is inhabited by a cannibal tribe, who will raid players at night. Exploring The Forest's world during nighttime and sneaking inside caves full of cannibals could be among every gamer's most horrifying experiences ever.

16 STALKER

Revisiting The Post-Apocalyptic Chernobyl

Similar to Barotrauma, the STALKER series also tries to imply fear by creating a realistic world where access to resources is limited and people struggle to survive. While this game is more action-oriented than most other games on this list, players still feel the horror in the post-apocalyptic world of STALKER.

After a nuclear catastrophe, all radiation-infected zones are locked down, but there are still bandit groups smuggling cargo in and out of the zone. The player, however, is looking for someone special inside the radiation zone, and this journey, will force them to deal with many horrifying situations.

15 Haunting Ground

Escape From An Eerie Castle

Haunting Ground is easily one of the most underappreciated survival horror games of all time, channeling the pursuit energy of Clock Tower with a fresh coat of paint that makes this title such an unnerving experience from start to end. Fiona is a pretty engaging protagonist, even if her use as fanservice can be rather harrowing to watch given the gruesome subject matter of this game.

Thankfully, players aren't completely alone as they deal with the many pursuers who are trying to chase her down for their nefarious purposes. They have a dog called Hewie who aids Fiona every step of the way, allowing her to secure some much-needed items and have some sort of protection against her pursuers whenever Hewie tries to protect her by biting her enemies.

14 The Evil Within

Unraveling A Dark Story In A World Of Terrors

While many horror games today opt for a first-person perspective, The Evil Within is a throwback to the days when games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill dominated with their classic third-person perspective. The Evil Within puts us in the shoes of a detective who's desperately trying to solve a mass murder.

During his investigation, he's transported into an otherworldly place filled with terrifying monsters. With the original creator of the Resident Evil series as one of the primary developers, players can expect a haunting survival story full of horrors and scares.

13 Until Dawn

Tough Decisions And Harsh Consequences

For those who love shaping their own story, Until Dawn is one of the greatest survival horror games. It's set up like a classic slasher horror film, where multiple characters must try to survive the horrors that haunt them. As players control numerous characters in different scenes, they'll need to collect clues to help them move forward.

Sometimes, players will make decisions and find items that will affect the future, providing them with a brief vision of the future. This will help them make the right choices when the time is right. Players should keep in mind that, for everyone to survive, every detail must fall perfectly in place.