I ended up watching a playthrough and wish I didn't so I could buy and go in blind, but definitely Happy Game just for the trippy disturbing visuals.
Would not recommend if you have epilepsy or flashing light sensitivity, though.
this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2025
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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.
I do like World of horror, it has a really unique artstyle and atmosphere.
Strangely, I think this is an very nice horror game to relax to
There's a shitload of nice indie horror games right now. I follow alpha beta gamer on YouTube to find new stuff. What kind of horror games would you like? Point and click, fps, action, etc. I recently bought Beyond Hanwell, Abscission, Mouthwashing, Fears to Fathom...
Dreaming Sarah pulls in the bizarre and the uncanny. Parasite Eve is survival horror if limited resources while facing off things with horror themes is your thing. Mary Skelter trilogy may have a few clashing genres, but on the horror side, well, exploring uncanny mazes while being chased by pretty much immortal guards strikes your fancy?
Can't remember many else rn
Oh, right, though not directly horror-oriented, metroidvanias often borrow from horror elements, like the grotesque from Blasphemous, the gothic horror style from Castlevania/Bloodstained, the melancholic decay/abandonment of Hollow Knight, the physical corruption of Minoria, etc.
So maybe worth checking, or strays too far from the desired?
eternal darkness, on gamecube
Might be Alan Wake 2. I've actually been saving myself the DLCs for a rainy day, and I'm probably due to play through The Final Draft again this October followed by them.
I guess it's not a full fledged horror though in the sense that the story and the mystery is perhaps the biggest focus. It's plenty scary at times and the nursing home level is just survival horror perfection, but it's not one of those games that solely focuses on scaring you shitless all the time if that's what you want.
Also you kinda gotta play Alan Wake 1 first, and ideally Control too and the AWE DLC. And those aren't as scary.
I haven't played 2 yet, but Alan Wake 1 was an answer that came to mind. Love that 'creepy with some light horror elements but not a terrifying bloodbath' kinda sweetspot it fits into.
Tho I think the levels drag on too long and combat gets too repetitive. Like a lot of games, it could use some trimming.
Is the sequel a big improvement all around?
Alan Wake 1 has some cool ideas and an interesting story, but is overall pretty janky and the combat and endless forest levels get repetitive.
Alan Wake 2 a true modern masterpiece, and the culmination of everything Remedy has learned over their 30 year career. The difference between the two is astronomical in my opinion, and it feels like AW2 is the game they wanted to make in the first place but only now they have the competence, budget and technology to do so.
It does all the things you love Remedy for - amazing story, weird wackiness and mixed media storytelling while simultaneously being a genuinely compelling survival horror game in its own right that could stand on its own mechanically. AW2 and the Final Draft is one of the best gaming experiences I've had, I cannot recommend it enough.
Parasite Eve (PS1). Great atmosphere, music and a hybrid turn-based gameplay that I enjoyed.
Resident Evil 4 (PS2/Gamecube/Wii). It is not very scary but my favourite because of the fun gameplay.
I'm not much into the genre, but I played The Forest a bit ago. It's a bit buggy, but the overall aesthetic is pretty good.
Signalis.
It's probably a combo of it being an eyesight issue and games sucking at making it clear, but I always had depth of perception issues in video games. In OG Resident Evil games (1-3) in particular, I always had a problem gauging the distance between my character and zombies, which made it difficult to enjoy knife play.
Signalis completely fixed this for me by switching to a kind of top down perspective. It also has a really good story and I don't even care or look for stories in video games, but I replayed this one to see the multiple endings.