From Resident Evil and Silent Hill, to Amnesia: Dark Descent, SOMA and P.T, the horror genre has produced some of my favourite games (and demos) of all time.
2024 has been a particularly good year for fans of the genre, with big publishers and smaller indie studios releasing some absolute classics.
With Halloween season upon us, we’ve picked out some of better horror games to have released in recent times.
Indeed, these aren’t necessarily the best horror games of all time, but rather six of the most terrifying titles that are readily available on the current generation of consoles and PC.
If you have any recommendations, let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Clock Tower Rewind
Both the oldest and newest game on the list, Clock Tower Rewind is an upgraded version of the classic point and click adventure that was first released in Japan back in 1995.
The 16-bit horror title tasks players with exploring a creepy manor, all the while avoiding the murderous Scissorman.
Releasing outside of Japan for the very first time, the newly translated Rewind version features the same classic point and click gameplay, albeit with various gameplay additions, quality of life improvements and bonus content.
Clock Tower Rewind is out now (it launched on October 29) for PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch.
(Image: WAYFORWARD)
Until Dawn Remake
Originally released back in 2015, Until Dawn is the Scream to Silent Hill’s Jacob’s Ladder or Babadook. It’s an interactive slasher that while scary, is also a little tongue-in-cheek.
The game revolves around making split-second choices with life and death consequences, something that works surprisingly well with a friend or family member by your side.
The narrative-driven adventure revolves around a group of eight young adults, who return to an isolated lodge where two of their friends disappeared a year prior. Needless to say, things take a gruesome turn and it’s up to you to keep as many alive as possible (or not) in a game with multiple branching paths and endings.
The recently released remake makes various visual and quality of life improvements, and can be purchased for PS5 and PC.
(Image: sony)
Crow Country
Crow Country is an old-school survival horror game that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the PSOne.
Proving that sometimes less is more, the retro visual style and slower, more deliberate pacing gives Crow Country an unsettling vibe that’s only helped by its creepy theme park setting.
The game sees lead character Mara Forest journey to the Crow Country theme park in search of its missing owner. What follows is vintage survival horror (think puzzle solving, item management and terrifying monsters), only with modern touches that make for a more enjoyable gameplay experience.
Crow Country is out now on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC.
(Image: SFB GAMES)
Dead Space
One of the best horror games ever made, Dead Space puts players in the boots of engineer Isaac Clarke, who boards a mining ship for a repair job that proves to be anything other than routine.
While the original launched back in 2008, publisher Electronic Arts commissioned a remake for modern consoles, which released back in 2023.
The visual and audio enhancements help ramp up the tension and make the game even more terrifying. The USG Ishimura mining ship is packed with detail, while the grotesque Necromorph monsters have never been scarier.
If you’re quick, you can pick up Dead Space on PlayStation Plus, where it’s available as one of the monthly PS Plus Essentials until November 5. It’s also available on Xbox and PC.
(Image: EA)