Are you searching for intense games to play that will keep you in constant anticipation and fear? This list is made for those who are seeking games that will leave your heart pounding and keep you captivated. Whether you’re a fan of intense horror or love an adrenaline rush, these psychological horror games will leave a lasting impression on you.
Table of Contents
Visage
Visage tops our list of psychological horror games due to its intensely scary and suspenseful gameplay. It comes highly recommended by the gaming community if you want a truly terrifying experience while playing a game. In Visage, you will explore a massive house where many tragedies and deaths have taken place. As you investigate, you will discover and learn about the history of horror that has occurred there. The house constantly changes and leaves you feeling lost and uncertain, all while knowing you’re being watched and hunted by the ghosts lurking around you.
This game has an incredibly realistic feel to it, which is why it is so good at generating fear in players. The atmosphere that the game creates is unsettling and consistently filled with intensity. This makes each corner you take and each sound you hear send shivers down your spine. Visage offers a great storyline and an amazing attention to detail that feeds into human fears extremely well. Do you think you have what it takes to play Visage in the dark?
Metacritic Score: 81/100
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation is another great game that is widely regarded as one of the best psychological horror games. This game takes place in the universe of the original Alien movie, with the storyline taking place 15 years after the events in the film. You will play as Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley from the movie. You must figure out what caused your mother’s disappearance while avoiding the alien constantly hunting you. Head to the space station where the flight recorder of your mother’s ship is located and reveal the terrors that took place.
Alien: Isolation immerses you into its world while making you feel constant fear as you are hunted by an alien creature. You will have to figure out how to use your stealth to survive as you navigate the space station, all while hearing the alien moving around and never truly knowing where it is. What makes the game even more intense and scary is that the alien learns from the player’s movements, making the game more unpredictable as the alien adapts to your playstyle. The atmosphere of this game adds to the tension and dread, as you rely on flickering lights and limited visibility. This game is absolutely worth a try if you are up for the challenge that lies within this survival horror game.
Metacritic Score: 81/100
Check out Alien: Isolation on Steam!
Outlast
Outlast is a well-known survival horror game where you will play as a journalist named Miles. Miles decides to investigate Mount Massive Asylum to see if inhumane experiments are being conducted. What he finds is beyond anything that he could have imagined. The deranged and violent inmates have escaped and now roam the grounds, terrorizing everything in their sight. Investigate the asylum, stay hidden to keep yourself alive, and uncover the hidden secrets. Will you survive the night?
The terror in Outlast comes from the suspense of having to hide from the enemies that pose a constant threat. The atmosphere and location are unsettling and claustrophobic, and cause a sense of dread. In this game, you are powerless against the enemies and must try to be as stealthy as possible to remain alive. This creates a feeling of vulnerability and helplessness, on top of the jump scares this game provides, it makes an incredibly terrifying experience by praying on innate human fears.
Metacritic Score: 80/100
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia has gained popularity among psychological horror games for its unique gameplay and style. This is a cooperative game that allows you to play with up to four friends, where you will play as a team of paranormal investigators. Enter haunted locations with your team and try to gather as much evidence of paranormal activity with your ghost-hunting equipment as you can.
Phasmophobia is known to be quite frightening because of how realistic the game is. It immerses you into the haunted locations, giving you a real feel of actual ghost hunting as you use tools that are available in the real world. One unique aspect of the game is the ability to interact with the ghosts using your own voice, which gives an added layer of creepiness to the game. The game offers 24 different ghost types based on entities from different cultures and religions, all with their own unique behaviors. Be careful, some of them are dangerous and aggressive. To make the game even scarier, you can play Phasmophobia in VR.
Steam Rating: 10/10
Check out Phasmophobia on Steam!
SOMA
SOMA is a sci-fi psychological horror game where you play as a character named Simon. Simon got into a terrible car accident that gave him brain damage requiring his consciousness to be scanned to save him. The scan was then given to scientists, who managed to upload his consciousness many years in the future. Another version of Simon wakes up in an underwater research facility after the population of the world was wiped out by a comet striking Earth. He is forced to figure out what is going on and what terrors lurk around every corner.
What really makes SOMA stand out as a psychological horror game is the atmospheric tension and dread that the game causes the player to feel. You feel trapped in the underwater facility, making the game feel claustrophobic. The creatures that you encounter will keep you on edge, as you seek to hide and outsmart them. Overall, SOMA is regarded as a scary game because of its ability to generate feelings of psychological unease, existential dread, and the amazing storytelling that it brings.
Metacritic Score: 84/100
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival and psychological horror game that takes you along for the story of Daniel. Daniel has just woken up in a strange castle without any memory of his past or how he got there. What he does know is that some form of creature is trying to hunt him. Explore the halls of this mysterious place to find out more about what happened and why you are there.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent does an excellent job of creating tension throughout the game, which will keep the player on edge and uncomfortable. In this game, you will not be able to fight the terrors that you encounter with weapons, instead, you must rely on stealth and strategy to avoid danger. This often makes players feel vulnerable and afraid of being caught. Amnesia is among the better psychological horror games because of how it messes with the player’s mind to cause fear and apprehension.
Metacritic Score: 85/100
Check out Amnesia: The Dark Descent on Steam!
Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
Another amazing survival psychological horror game is Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. You will play as a man called Ethan Winters, who receives a strange message from his missing wife. You must embark on a horror-filled mission to find her. This journey leads him to an old plantation that he soon realizes is full of the infected. Can you find your wife and uncover what happened without dying?
Throughout the game, the player will take part in intense combat, exploration, and a gripping storyline. Resident Evil 7 Biohazard keeps you on the edge of your seat due to its eerie setting and consistent encounters with terrifying infected. You will be continually put into unsettling situations that make you fight for your survival.
Metacritic Score: 83/100
Check out Resident Evil 7 Biohazard on Steam!
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2 is a continuation of the survival horror series Evil Within, which picks up three years after the previous game takes place. You will play as Sebastian, a former detective, that is still haunted by the events that happened in the first game. He will be given a chance to save his daughter, who was previously thought to have died. To save his daughter, Sebastian must plug himself into a nightmarish simulation filled with creatures and monsters. He must set out to find his daughter and save her from the terrifying reality they are in.
Like most psychological horror games, the world that The Evil Within 2 creates is eerie and full of suspense. As a result of its atmosphere, psychological twists, and nonstop threat of danger, players will be faced with plenty of anxiety. In addition, its mix of psychological horror, action, and unique storyline, will take you on an intense and unforgettable journey. Will you have the courage to navigate the simulation, confront Sebastian’s inner demons, and help him rescue his daughter?
Metacritic Score: 80/100
Check out The Evil Within 2 on Steam!
Madison
In the game Madison, you will play as a character named Luca. Luca is a teenage boy who gets a special gift for his birthday- a camera. However, unknown to Luca, the camera he received belonged to a serial killer thirty years prior. The camera has the ability to connect the living world with the dead. Through this ability, you will face a demon named Madison who will force you to carry out horrific tasks.
Madison effectively creates a scary game with its chilling and dark storyline. The game’s ability to create a truly terrifying atmosphere through its high-quality visuals and creepy sounds will keep the fear factor high. Additionally, the game features randomly activated events and alternating puzzles to keep you on your toes and engaged. If you’re looking for a creepy and unique game Madison will fulfill your wish.
Metacritic Score: 75/100
Darkwood
Darkwood is a survival and psychological horror game that is set in a semi-open world and offers a very unique style of gameplay. With its top-down view, the game is set within a mysterious forest that will immerse you in the nightmare that it contains. Nightfall brings out the terrors that call the forest home, as they will stop at nothing to bring you down. Plan your defense and barricade your base to survive the night. Can you survive and make it until morning?
Darkwood does an amazing job of creating a dark and twisted storyline and environment that creates a sense of apprehension and fear. Since this is a survival game, there will be a constant stressful need to balance your supplies, while fighting off enemies, and keeping yourself safe. The enemies in this game pose a constant threat to you, which adds to the anxiety of the gameplay. Darkwood is rare among psychological horror games with its deeper survival mechanics and base building.
Metacritic Score: 80/100