Summary

  • The Amnesia franchise by Frictional Games has been running for 13 years, focusing on disempowerment and atmosphere.
  • The Dead Space franchise, lasting 15 years, delivers a mix of Carpenter and Cronenberg influences in tight atmospheric horror-action.
  • The Silent Hill franchise, lasting 25 years, embodies J-horror's mastery of tone and atmosphere, inspiring legions of fans with its dread.

As one of the most popular and long lasting genres in video games, horror has built up a mighty repertoire of fantastic game franchises that continue to define the latest trends. While things mostly began in Japan, the US based studios have founded some long lasting franchises, too, leading to healthy competition.

Stills of Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil 2, and Dead Space 2
5 Consoles With The Best Horror Game Libraries

Some of the best console generations are defined by their horror offerings. These are the best horror game libraries divided by console.

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For this list, the criteria is simply how long these franchises have been running. Though these franchises have some brilliant games in them, they're not ranked on quality, just longevity. Additionally, each franchise needs to have at least three games released to be considered a fully fledged franchise on this list.

6 Amnesia

2010-2023 (13 Years)

  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent released in 2010.
  • It was soon followed by Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Amnesia: Rebirth.
  • The most recent entry is Amnesia: The Bunker, which came out in 2023.

Though it barely feels like any time at all since Amnesia: The Dark Descent arrived in 2010, It's hard to deny that the franchise has matured into a fearsome force in the horror game world, making Frictional Games one of the best horror studios in the industry.

Single-handedly changing the direction of horror games to focus on disempowerment and the immense popularity that horror titles could have via the "Let's Play" format on YouTube, Amnesia: The Dark Descent used its humble means to its advantage, focusing on atmosphere over all else and crafting an unforgettable experience that has powered strongly through a whole host of interesting historical settings ever since.

5 Dead Space

2008-2023 (15 Years)

  • The original Dead Space released in 2008.
  • It was soon followed up by several games, most notably Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3, in quick succession.
  • The most recent entry was the Dead Space remake, released in 2023.

With the release of the remake of the original Dead Space, this franchise, surprisingly, has become one of the longest lasting in the video game world. Taking advantage of the new graphical hardware on the Xbox 360/PS3 generation, Dead Space wore its Carpenter and Cronenberg influences on its chest and delivered a tight atmospheric horror-action adventure for Isaac to carve through with a menagerie of vicious and brutal weapons.

While the franchise would go into a hiatus following the so-so sales and reaction to Dead Space 3, the extended universe materials, rabid fanbase, and the critically lauded remake ensure that the Dead Space franchise will likely be around for a long time to come.

4 Silent Hill

1999-2024 (25 Years)

  • The franchise began with the release of Silent Hill in 1999 on the PS1.
  • It was soon followed by lots of sequels, including Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, Silent Hill 4: The Room.
  • The franchise returned in 2024 with Silent Hill: The Short Message and the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake.

The 1990s was a golden age for J-horror, and Silent Hill might be the purest manifestation of J-horror's mastery of tone, atmosphere, and surreal imagery, crafting a series of games whose wholly dreadful tone has inspired legions of fans (even if their sometimes grueling difficulty can provoke frustration).

6 Best Horror DLCs, Ranked Ther Following, Whistlblower, Crew Expendable
6 Best Horror Game DLC, Ranked

The horror genre has produced plenty of great games, some of which went on to create fantastic DLC and expansions.

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Starting with the humble 1999 PS1 game Silent Hill, the series has experienced a sequence of highs and lows with a long hiatus in the 2010s. However, with the Silent Hill 2 remake releasing this year, many fans are eagerly awaiting the triumphant return of one of gaming's most terrifying worlds.

3 Resident Evil

1996-2023 (27 Years)

  • The original Resident Evil released on PS1 in 1996.
  • It was followed by a lot of sequels, including Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil 4, and a soft reboot in 2017 with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
  • The most recent release was the Resident Evil 4 remake in 2023.

Though it's not the oldest horror franchise around, the Resident Evil games are maybe the most famous horror games ever released. Beginning with the haunted mansion setting of the original Resident Evil, the franchise has spawned books, movies, and hordes of follow-up games on almost every console that's released since.

The franchise has certainly had its ups and downs, too. While regarded for its high-quality, critical appeal slipped into the 2010s with the lowest point of Resident Evil 6 in 2012. The franchise took a soft break, and it came back with the stunning Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which has reinvigorated the series and renewed its reputation for incredible quality and terrifying scares.

2 Castlevania

1986-2014 (28 Years)

  • The first Castlevania game launched in 1986 on the Famicom.
  • It enjoyed many sequels over the years, reaching its peak popularity during the 1990s.
  • The franchise unfortunately declined in popularity and is yet to be revived after its final mainline release in 2014 with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.

For many old-school gaming fans, Castlevania is the grandfather of all horror game franchises. Not only did it define the core tenets of the Metroidvania subgenre, but it is also one of the earliest examples of horror ever being used in games. Justifiably, it has earned a stellar reputation, even if its mainline timeline is extraordinarily confusing.

Peaking with the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, often considered one of the greatest games of all time, the Castlevania franchise has sadly declined, and fans have not received a new entry for a decade. However, if there's one thing gamers know about vampires, it's that they're pretty good at coming back from the dead.

1 Alone In The Dark

1992-2024 (32 Years)

  • The original Alone In The Dark released in 1992 on PC.
  • It had steady but distant sequels ever since, including Alone in the Dark 2, Alone in the Dark 3, and the 2008 reboot Alone in the Dark.
  • Somewhat confusingly, the franchise enjoyed a new revitalization in 2024 with the release of Alone in the Dark (Yes, that does mean there are three games called Alone in the Dark in this franchise).

A surprising but worthy victor, Alone in the Dark has been around for over 30 years and has become known for constantly pioneering technology, even if the quality of its games has been a little shaky. The original 1992 release was the first game to ever use polygonal characters over pre-rendered backgrounds, single-handedly earning its place in gaming history.

However, its steady if not sparse release schedule has ensured that it's also the longest running horror game franchise, too. With a 2024 reboot that stars big name actors like Jodie Comer and David Harbour, the little franchise that could continues to persevere, indelibly carving itself into video game history and becoming emblematic of how much the industry has grown since its early days.

The Evil Within Bioshock Resident Evil 4
6 Best Horror Games That Incorporate Fantasy & Sci-Fi

The combination of both fantasy and sci-fi in a horror game isn't easy to come by, but the following titles manage to do it.

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