Summary
- Games with unexpected, creepy elements can be more memorable.
- Piglet's Big Game, Sims, Sonic Heroes, and Portal all have parts that can feel unnerving.
- Tomb Raider, Zelda, San Andreas, and Super Mario Galaxy also have unexpectedly eerie aspects.
There are many ways that a game can end up being creepy to play, even if it's not inherently rooted in the horror genre. Whether it's the oddball enemy designs, spooky ambient soundtracks, or even just the general tone of the experience, there have been many fantastic titles that, for their own unique reasons, end up being slightly unnerving and weird, despite this not being the intention of the developers themselves.
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This isn't exactly a bad thing, though, as while it can catch a player by surprise, it will also usually end up making the game more memorable, since it's much harder to forget a scary moment when it comes out of nowhere, and is completely unexpected. With all that being said, these are among some of the very best games that can end up feeling quite scary every now and again, despite this seemingly not being the goal of the developers when they were working on it.
8 Piglet's Big Game
A Piglet Game That Feels More Like Silent Hill Or Resident Evil
Piglet's Big Game
- Released
- March 18, 2003
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC
Despite being released in 2003 and seemingly forgotten about not long after, Piglet's Big Game was brought back to popular attention in 2024 when players started to realize just how terrifying this "kids' game" truly is. Players assume control of Piglet, who, throughout the game, must avoid and hide from several dangerous enemies, considering he has no way to fight back.
When a giant stalker starts getting close, the music ramps up, filling players with dread as they desperately try to find somewhere to hunker down. Tracks like Foreboding 1 literally sound like they were originally designed to be featured in a Silent Hill game, but were dropped into piglet's nightmarish adventure by mistake. If the enemies do manage to get close enough to Piglet, players will have a chance to throw out a funny face to fend them off, though since this is Piglet's only form of defense, it makes the game feel intense from beginning to end, despite it being promoted as a child-friendly Winnie the Pooh spin-off.
7 The Sims
It's Hard To Live A Peaceful Life When Burglars And Unsettling Prank Calls Are A Common Occurrence
The Sims
- Released
- February 4, 2000
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Maxis
- Genre(s)
- Life Simulation
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS2, GameCube, Xbox (Original)
The very first Sims game was seen as a hugely innovative title in terms of its AI technology, which was very advanced for the time, but while the game plays like a casual life simulator, there are quite a few rather creepy features thrown in, which can be pretty terrifying to experience. For example, prank calls are a pretty common occurrence in The Sims, and while these are easy to deal with, hearing the phone go off in the middle of the night is still quite unsettling.
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Then there's the burglar, which many fans agree is the scariest part of not just this game, but the entire series as a whole. While a Sim is sleeping, the camera can suddenly switch to a man making his way to the house, before an alarming noise rings off, breaking through the silence to let players know that their property is being trespassed on. It's highly unlikely that developers Maxis intended for the classic first Sims game to give people nightmares, but that's exactly what it did for those who played it upon release.
6 Sonic Heroes
Each Of The Teams Encounters Some Pretty Terrifying Areas And Enemies Across Their Adventures
Sonic Heroes
- Released
- December 30, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Sega
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Racing, Fighting, Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- GameCube, PC, PS2, Xbox (Original)
While Sonic Heroes is one of the most beloved entries in the series, which many fans have been begging Sonic Team to one day remake, there's definitely something that feels a little off and creepy about the game, primarily in certain areas of the game. For example, while the Lost Jungle may look colorful and vibrant on the surface, very soon players will find themselves being hunted down by giant alligators who will be more than happy to snack on anyone they manage to catch.
There's also Hang Castle, a building crawling with ghouls and monsters, including a giant shady figure who will appear at the very end of Team Shadow's time in the castle to stalk them until they reach the finish line. Because Sonic Heroes came out when Sonic was slowly moving into the 3D era, some of the character models in the cutscenes can also look a bit too unusual at times, giving off real uncanny valley vibes. With that being said, though, Sonic Heroes is still a standout game in the series thanks to its replay value, level variety, and a truly epic final boss fight.
5 Tomb Raider
The Subtle Ambiance Of Tomb Raider's Soundtrack, Paired With Random Jumpscares, Makes It Unusually Creepy
Tomb Raider
- Released
- November 14, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Animated Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Core Design, Aspyr
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The classic Tomb Raider games are often credited with ushering the action-adventure genre into the mainstream. However, anyone who played these classics back in the day, or has jumped back into Lara's adventures with the remaster, will now be familiar with the spine-chilling tone that comes as a result of the ambient soundtrack and ferocious enemies, who are all more than happy to jump out from a nearby bush to catch Lara off guard.
In a way, this can make it feel like more of a survival horror game at times, with Lara scavenging supplies and trying to navigate her way through a plethora of mysterious locations, which all hold their own set of mysteries to uncover. It may be creepier than some may remember, but Tomb Raider is still a fantastic game which really stands out for its brain-teaser puzzles and memorable characters, but the scare factor also can't go unnoticed.
4 Portal
What Seems Like A Fairly Easygoing Puzzle Game Turns Out To Be A Lot More Of An Unsettling Experience
Portal
- Released
- October 10, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
Considering Valve already had their Left 4 Dead and Half Life series of horror games, Portal seemed as though it was going to simply be a puzzle game with no sudden jump scares or terrifying monsters, in order to provide something fresh and new. While the game's unique Portal Gun gives players tons of creative freedom to navigate the levels in any way they can imagine, there's always this feeling of isolation and mystery, which ensures they never feel fully comfortable.
Since the protagonist, Chell, doesn't speak, it means players can only wonder where exactly they are, how they ended up in this strange "trail", and who the strange robot known as GLaDOS truly is. Portal is a game that can easily invoke a sense of suspense and even dread in the player, without even needing to feature a single enemy; keeping its focus on the core puzzle gameplay, while also adding in some spooky symbolism and story references to make things a little more interesting.
3 The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Link's First Adventure In 3D Was A Lot Scarier Than Anyone Could Have Expected
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Released
- November 21, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 64, GameCube
There have been many cases of franchises that ended up looking a little scary from a visual perspective after making the move to 3D, but perhaps the most well-known example of this is Ocarina of Time. While the game itself still looks incredible for its time, Nintendo may not have realized just how far they went with the enemy designs, which often feel more reminiscent of horror games than the Zelda series. For example, while the Stalchild skeletons may have appeared as average grunts in a 2D format, when fully rendered, they're pretty freaky to look at, and they are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of how far these designs can go.
The dungeons in Ocarina of Time, which have always been a central part of the Zelda gameplay loop, also feel a lot more gloomy and oppressive in this game. Many fans will look to Majora's Mask as the scariest Zelda game, but while it felt like Nintendo were purposefully trying to invoke a sense of horror from that title, Ocarina feels like more of a traditional Zelda game, but with some terrifying elements inserted for good measure to make the already incredible adventure even more exciting and memorable.
2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Abundance Of Myth Videos, Paired With The Game's Lack Of Music, Made San Andreas Quite Creepy To Play At Times
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Released
- October 26, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
It's hard to find many longtime GTA fans who haven't spent countless hours enjoying the vast open world featured in San Andreas. The game's enjoyable cast of characters and over-the-top missions have made it a classic in the eyes of many, but it's a game that can also get the skin crawling, most of the time, without intending to. If players travel off the beaten path and entire the big stretches of road or land, for example, they'll find themselves completely alone with no NPCs and no music to accompany them, making it feel like the beginning of some kind of zombie outbreak.
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Of course, it's hard to talk about San Andreas and not also mention the countless myths and rumors that were always so terrifying to learn about when the game first released. The biggest example of this is Bigfoot, who is said to roam the mountains surrounding the city, which is why players constantly find themselves looking back over their shoulder when navigating this part of the map. San Andreas is still well worth jumping into for those who haven't tried it, but it's not exactly a game for the faint of heart, considering how weird and unsettling it can get at times.
1 Super Mario Galaxy
As Mario Galaxy Goes On, The Levels Start Becoming More Outlandish, And Are All Packed Full Of Intimidating Enemies
Super Mario Galaxy
- Released
- November 1, 2007
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- 3D Platformer
- Platform(s)
- Wii, Nintendo Wii U
The Mario games are often seen as very upbeat and joyful titles that are primarily designed with children in mind as the target audience, but it's clear Nintendo wanted to get a bit more ambitious with Galaxy. While the first few galaxies in the game are fairly straightforward, players will soon be free to explore some of the creepier areas, such as the infamous Bonefin Galaxy or the Ghostly Galaxy, which is packed full of ghouls to keep players on their guard at all times.
A lot of Galaxy's creepiness also comes from the soundtrack, which is a lot more subtle and experimental than what many fans are used to with previous entries. Nintendo also went all-out with the enemy designs in this game, with the likes of Megaleg and even Bowser becoming pure nightmare fuel because of how easily they are able to tower over the plucky protagonist, resulting in plenty of intense boss fights to complement the addictive galaxy-hopping gameplay loop.
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