askgaming

I don't really find typical horror games all that spooky/scary. They can have good atmosphere and mystical motifs, but at the end of the day a lot of the jump scares or mechanics like hiding in lockers can feel too abstract (and fundamentally gamey).

That being said there are some games that still manage to create a sense of unease and discomfort.

Soma - The underwater setting and the overall story arc with existentialist themes does strike a nerve. It's not the monsters in the game that are the scary part.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream - A point and click take on a rather uncomfortable horror/sci-fi short story. The point and and click element bring the story too. It helps that the author was involved in the game version.

Iron Lung - A pretty simple game that's not all that scary. But the surreal apocalyptic setting (even with the rather minimal lore) is rather sinister.

Mouthwashing - A fun spaceship stuck in space horror/sci-fi setting with some psychedelic elements. I wish a bigger emphasis was put on inter-character dynamics and tensions that we saw early in the story of the game.