Best horror games 2021: the scariest games to play on console and PC Best horror games 2021

Halloween isn’t for a while yet, but that’s no reason to miss out on the best horror games out there.

There’s a glut of scary movies to make you jump out of your seats – just check the list in our best horror movies guide – but games can go that extra distance by making those scares truly interactive and immersive.

When you’re the one holding the controller and making the choices that could mean life or death, every moment is tense and significant. It’s a lot harder to laugh at on-screen characters making stupid and clichéd decisions when you’re the one making them.

Horror games have matured, going beyond simple gore and jump scares. Though these elements still play an important role in the genre, game developers’ approach to horror has more nuance than ever. 

What follows is our choice of the best horror games that you can play on PC and consoles today, from recent AAA games to older PC classics. So go ahead and scare yourselves silly.

The Medium

If you like your horror games to lean more into psychological scares than jump scares then The Medium could be exactly what you’re looking for. 

In The Medium you play as, funnily enough, a medium called Marianne who lives between the ‘real’ world and the spirit world. As Marianne you travel to the an abandoned hotel, looking to find the answers behind visions of a dead girl. What follows is a story with plenty of twists and unsettling characters, bolstered by an atmospheric score which work together to form a classic but clever horror game.

The Medium is not a long game, clocking up around 11 hours of play, but this Xbox exclusive packs a lot of good stuff into that time and could really scratch an itch for a short, sharp thrill between long, open-world games.

In our review we gave The Medium a solid four and a half stars, calling it “smarter than your average horror game” for the way it “does a brilliant job of slowly building an atmosphere that has you on edge throughout.”

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S and PC. It’s also free on Xbox Game Pass.

Little Nightmares 2

Joining Little Nightmares on our list of the best horror games, its sequel Little Nightmares 2 is another unique and atmospheric game which actually  improves on many aspects of the original. 

In Little Nightmares 2 you play as a little boy named Mono, who joins forces with Six, the protagonist of the original game, to survive the terrifying Pale City. Like the original, this is a puzzle platformer that inspires fear and gets your heart racing in new and creative ways and its disturbing visuals are likely to stay with you long after you put the controller down.

In our review we gave Little Nightmares 2 four and a half stars, calling it a “dingy delight” that finally delivers on the “petrifying potential” of the original.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC

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Until Dawn

We’ve all watched a teen slasher movie at some point (it’s hard to escape them) but it’s a genre that’s surprisingly uncommon in the gaming world. Probably because it’d be so hard to get it right.

Fortunately, Until Dawn is a game that succeeds in combining slasher movie tropes with the video game format.

This PS4 exclusive game follows a group of teenagers going on a trip to a remote cabin in the mountains where, shockingly, there’s a frightening presence interested in picking them off one by one. 

It’s up to you to make decisions for the characters in the game which means whether or not they live or die is entirely down to you. Make the wrong decision and your favorite could meet a very grizzly end. Until Dawn is a great horror game because, although it’ll genuinely scare you, you get a sense it’s having a lot of fun doing it. 

Platforms: PS4

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The Evil Within 2

The Evil Within series comes from the mind behind Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami – and if that doesn’t give you reason enough to pick it up, we’re not sure what will. This is a third-person survival horror that’ll pull you into a nightmarish world populated by grotesque and frightening enemies. 

A sequel, The Evil Within 2, screamed onto shelves in 2017 in time for Halloween, with lead Sebastian Castanellos once again taking on dark powers beyond his understanding in the warped reality of STEM.

In some ways it’s regular horror fare: a seemingly idyllic town, dark supernatural forces, and a lost little girl to up the ante. But the way it blends classic horror stalking with more modern action elements – with a real sense of powerlessness to fuel the ongoing terror –  make this a must-play for fans of the genre.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC

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Dead By Daylight

Dead By Daylight stands out in this list by being a horror multiplayer experience: one where a single player takes on the role of a savage serial killer while four others flee for their lives.

It’s a thrilling twist on usual PvP combat, with a host of original characters each with their own advantages in play as either a Survivor or Killer. There are plenty of tricks and strategies to execute in each map, with a character progression system that should keep you coming back.

For the horror junkies out there, you can also unlock or download characters from Saw, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

Another one from Supermassive Games, the developer behind Until Dawn. Man of Medan is a choice-based horror drama that follows a group of young adults who undergo an underwater diving expedition in the South Pacific Ocean. But things take a turn and the group ends up on a ghost ship where their nightmares come to life – but things aren’t quite as simple as that.

In Man of Medan, your choices impact who lives and who dies. You can save everyone but you can also get everyone killed. What we love most about Man of Medan is that Supermassive Games leaned into the success of Until Dawn streams, introducing a Shared Story and Movie Night mode which allows players to take part in the interactive horror with friends.

Man of Medan is just the first entry in Supermassive Games’ Dark Anthology trilogy and we can’t wait o get our hands on its successor, Little Hope, due for release later this year.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

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The Persistence

Few mediums are as perfectly suited to horror as VR. The full-body immersion and restrictive viewing angles mean you’re never quite sure what’s around you, and make jump scares or surreal monsters all that more affecting.

The Persistence is a smart VR horror rogue-like set in a monster-ridden spaceship. Your vessel has been pulled into the orbit of a black hole, and its interference is constantly jumbling up the layout of the ship, using procedurally generated levels to ensure you never know what’s going to be around each corner.

To top it all off, every time you die you’re transferred into a new clone of yourself – which would be handy if the other clones weren’t turning into massive misshapen monsters looking to murder you. An innovative take on VR gaming that isn’t afraid to, you know, make you afraid.

Not a VR fan? The Persistence is also heading, in non-VR form, to PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC later this year. VR support is also coming to the PC version.

Platforms: PS4 (PSVR)

Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares is a great example of a game that manages to inspire fear and disgust without using traditional blood and gore.

The game puts you in control of a young girl called Six and has you navigate a a frightening world that’s far too big for her, populated by a wide array of giant and grotesque creatures.

You don’t have to fight these creatures, you just have to sneak around world and hide to get past them in what is absolutely a platforming puzzle game. 

But Little Nightmares is a great horror game in that it perfectly creates a feeling of helplessness while making it clear that you’re capable of escaping. It takes familiar and domestic areas of the home that should be comforting and turns them on their head by making them repulsive and unsafe. 

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS4

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The Dead Space series

Dead Space, published by EA and developed by Visceral Games, is among the contemporary classic horror games. The story, first set on an abandoned space vessel (duh), takes terrifying twists and turns – most of which involving zombified aliens waiting around said turns.

Following the formula established by Ridley Scott’s classic ‘Alien’ certainly helped – besides, the first Alien game to pull it off didn’t release for another few years.

All in all, Dead Space was one of the pioneering horror games of the modern era, inspiring a renaissance in the genre that hasn’t yet died down. That comes down to some simple tenants: a compelling story, believable visuals and proper pacing.

And while we recommend the first game for the purest horror experience, you’re bound to get a kick out of its two mainline sequels too.

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

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Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Resident Evil 7 was a breath of fresh air for an increasingly stale series, bringing in a modern understanding of both horror movies and games while managing to retain that very distinct Resident Evil feel. 

By moving the perspective from third to first person it also made the fear feel closer and more immediate, while leading the way to include a genuinely frightening VR experience to the game. 

With a great story and tight gameplay, Resident Evil 7 was the addition to the horror series we all wanted and feared we wouldn’t get. The success of the game, along with the recent remakes of earlier titles in the series, is enough to make us think Capcom will be giving us scares for a good while yet.

Platforms: PC, Xbox One and PS4 – or PlayStation VR

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Resident Evil 3

Following up on the huge success of Resident Evil 7 and its remake of Resident Evil 2, Capcom remade Resident Evil 3 and completely nailed it. 

With its fast-paced action, excellent graphics and, of course, terrifying zombies; the Resident Evil 3 remake is one of the best horror games on the market and one you absolutely shouldn’t miss. 

In our Resident Evil 3 review we gave the game an impressive 4.5 stars, saying “Capcom proves once again that, when it comes to modern horror, it’s the master. Resident Evil 3 is testament to the fact that a good horror game needs to be more than just scary, offering skilful urban level design, stunning visuals, a formidable foe – and lots and lots of zombies.”

Platforms: PC, Xbox One and PS4

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Slender: The Eight Pages

Released in mid-2012, Slender is based around long pauses followed by sudden movements that are totally unexpected. In other words: jump scares. 

Slender is essentially a horror movie in video game form. It’s a bit cheap, but boy does it work.

Your mission is simple: Don’t get killed, collect the eight pieces of a book, and run. The ‘thing’ pursuing you – directly inspired by the popular Slender Man meme – is a faceless, eerily lanky man in a pinstriped suit.

Basically, he’s the perfect horror game villain.

The game relies heavily around the player having virtually no resources beyond a flashlight and the ability to jog. Naturally, both of which are limited for obvious reasons, making escape all the more difficult.

Overall, Slender is a fun, not-so-clever horror game that is guaranteed to scare you senseless nevertheless.

Platforms: PC

Alien: Isolation

Of the countless games to use this precious creative license over the years, developer Creative Assembly is the first to actually create a game that lives up to it. The game takes place 15 years following the events of the 1979 Ridley Scott film, putting players into the space boots of Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda Ripley.

Taking on a first-person perspective and squaring you off with a single xenomorph hunting you across a vast space station in darkness, Isolation nails what it felt like watching the film for the first time. The vibe is so much of what makes an amazing horror game, and Isolation feels as if you’re playing through the movie.

Throw in the excruciatingly-clever artificial intelligence afforded to the alien, along with an absolutely gripping virtual reality experiment, and you have the trappings of a modern horror classic.

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4 and PC

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Outlast series

Outlast and Outlast 2, developed by Red Barrels Studio, are now must-plays in the horror genre. Both games put players in control of investigative journalists but while the first is set in an asylum for the insane, the sequel takes place in the much more open location of a dilapidated rural part of Northern Arizona. 

What helps make the Outlast games, well, last is that they follow a cardinal rule of horror games: don’t empower your players too much, otherwise it’s no longer a horror game.

Offering a refreshing break from zombies and aliens, Outlast and its sequel are fine games to play if you want a longer – and arguably scarier – break from your average gun-toting jump scare-fest.

Platforms: Xbox One, PS4 and PC

Left 4 Dead 2

While Left 4 Dead came first, the second version saw Valve nail the vision of its original creators, Turtle Rock Studios. Set in a world overrun by zombies, the game follows four characters in their mission to survive through several cooperative and competitive online modes, which – in conjunction with mods on PC – makes for a veritable ton of replayability.

Our friends at PC Gamer have ranked it among their top FPS games of all time. We’re pretty certain that most PC players would agree with that.

The game was originally banned in Australia due to its graphic content: a de facto seal of approval, if you will. The ban has since been lifted, and so lovers of hardcore horror games are sure to rejoice in its gross, lengthy scenes of devastation and destruction worldwide.

Platforms: Xbox 360 and PC

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy’s is – undoubtedly – a different kind of horror game. With a premise seeing players “surviving” a night in a kid-themed pizza parlor, it’s unlike almost anything else in the genre.

However, it’s a surprisingly fun game to play, once you can get past the terrifying visage of an animatronic teddy bear guitarist come to life in the dead of night. Generally, players combat these twisted, possessed figures with security cameras – what? Poltergeists don’t like leaving evidence.

The game is the work of Scott Cawthon, an independent developer, who released it in 2014. Since then, there have been three more direct sequels, all of which have received positive reviews. Talk about staying power.

Platforms: PC, iOS and Android.

SOMA

SOMA, released in 2015 by Amnesia developer Frictional Games, is a thoughtful – and thought-provoking – game that could easily be considered an interactive film. Are you sensing a theme here at all?

The game contains neither zombies nor aliens, but instead a shift between 2015 and 2104, when humans have been wiped out by a comet and what’s left of humanity must fight to survive underwater in an abandoned research facility gone rogue.

While SOMA may not be as outright scary as, say, Amnesia, it is still a fantastic game, thanks to its brooding atmosphere, surprisingly fresh subject matter (for horror games) and incredible audio design.

Platforms: PS4 and PC

Amnesia series

Amnesia is one of the best survival horror series of all time, with the first game in the series, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, proving to be one of the most terrifying games we’ve ever played.

 Imagine, if you will, that you’re being chased by a monster and have no means of defending yourself. All you can do is run for your life, and at best, slam a few doors in its face to slow it down. Perhaps you can barricade yourself in if you’ve got the right tools, but essentially you know that if you’re caught, you’re dead. That’s the terrifying gist of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a game which also saps away at your player’s sanity if they’re exposed to darkness for too long. Good thing there’s plenty of light to shield you from the darkness, then. Oh wait… there isn’t.

Although the original game, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, first released for PC back in 2010 – you can pick up the whole collection for current-gen consoles. The Amnesia Collection is made up of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, its Amnesia: Justine expansion and the sequel, A Machine for Pigs.

Resident Evil 2 Remake

Resident Evil 2 Remake is exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a remake of the classic ’90s horror Resident Evil 2. If you played the original, and didn’t think it could get any better, then get ready to be proved wrong.

Resident Evil 2 Remake elevates the grandeur of the original game into a masterful modern survival horror experience. This wonderful remake is the epitome of mature modern horror, offering puzzles, zombies, heart-pumping action and a finely detailed environment that demands exploration.

And with a second playthrough available, offering a different character experience, it’ll keep you terrified for hours.