10 Best Psychological Horror Video Games, Ranked

The psychological horror game has been one of the most influential games in gaming in recent years, but there are some games that only the bravest of souls can tackle. These titles directly engage the viewer’s mind, using psychology to frighten them in unusual or strange ways. Often, these experiences are so disturbing that in-game atrocities persist with players long after they’ve closed the game—and the ten scariest psychological horror games outshine the others. other games. Gain a better understanding of human fear.

One of the most popular subgenres of psychological horror is survival horror, in which the player is tasked with overcoming (or overcoming) an insurmountable threat. Understandably, this is one of the more natural ways to scare players, but not every psychological horror game has to fall under this tree to be effective. In fact, the survival horror bubble could burst in 2023, when countless upcoming titles threaten to oversaturate the genre. The top 10 best psychological horror games of all time cover a variety of subgenres while delivering a consistent horror experience.

10 Funeral Home Assistants Who Turned Careers Into A Nightmare

mortuary assistant Looks like it won’t come out in 2022, but turns out to be a surprisingly unique psychological thriller. Playing as Rebecca, a new employee at the local morgue, players are tasked with preparing corpses for mummification.

However, as demons begin to take over Rebecca’s body, morgue, and mind, the macabre experience turns downright horrifying. She needs to complete her long list of quests while also dealing with otherworldly demons and her own traumatic past in order to survive the night (or night, if the player is particularly brave). .

9 Doki Doki Literature Club is a light psychological horror game

In spite of Heartbeat Literary Association What might have started out as a slice-of-life dating simulation game, horror film’s scariest villain, Monica, quickly takes over the graphic novel’s terrifying twist. This picture. Throughout this free game, players will get to know their book club members as they write poetry, discuss literature, and prepare for class festivities.

However, Monica pulled some serious relationships to get their attention. Through unexpected dark scenes and no shortage of fourth wall breaks, Heartbeat Literary Association Provides a psychological horror experience that surpasses the parameters of the video game itself.

8 Until the dawn brings players serious responsibility

A strong story is essential to any horror game, and in until dawn, the player can control their own story ending. A group of lovable characters find themselves stranded on a snowy mountain, hunted by supernatural monsters and roaming the night in a desperate attempt to survive until sunrise. Player choices throughout the game will ultimately determine how many people are left at the end.

The latest release from ​Supermassive Games, quarry do better until dawn In some respects, the latter is the true precursor to story-driven horror, and as such, it’s one of the best psychological horror games out there. It’s already a heartbreaking prospect that the player’s own judgment will ultimately determine the fate of the team – but no matter what choice they make, the plot unexpectedly turns the story from a mere thriller. into a story that deals with pain and Stories on such topics in a creative way like mental health.

7 Outlast is a perpetually tense psychological horror game

In spite of suffer Players are only required to keep themselves alive, but that proves to be a much harder and demoralizing job. A reporter investigating clues at a mental institution soon finds himself trapped in a heavily guarded building, pursued by the victims of brutal experiments conducted inside, and by A sadistic doctor wants him to join them.

In the classic psychological horror game perfect for Halloween (or year-round), suffer Gamers are completely dependent on the camera’s night mode and have limited battery life, but they’re also powerless to deal with these variations. The only way for them to survive is to run or hide from these terrifying monsters and hope they go undetected.

6 Layers of Fear Is the Fall of Madness

fear class Literally and thematically, a true work of art in the psychological horror genre. Despite its short duration, the game does not hesitate to take the player on an exciting adventure inside the mind of a fantasy painter who will stop at nothing to create his masterpiece.

Besides sad stories, fear class sets it apart thanks to its psychedelic aspect, making the whole experience unpredictable and tense. Throughout the game, it’s unclear whether the game’s protagonist is actually walking through a building filled with impossible structures and events or if they’re just hallucinating.

5 SOMA is a surprisingly poignant horror experience

One of the best water games from Frictional Games soma is an unforgettable experience that makes players unable to take their eyes off the screen. The premise of the game itself is pretty gruesome, as the player finds himself one of the last survivors on Earth, stranded on the ocean floor and exploring the remains of several underwater bases ( where some residents live are not very friendly).

However, the subject soma The imposition on the player is what really makes this one of the best psychological horror games ever made. In their perilous journey, they also grapple with existential ideas about artificial intelligence, identity, life, and death that can make their minds spin, both in game and out. real life.

4 Fran Bow plays like a childhood fever dream

Unlike the recent release of Killmonday Games, little misfortunewhich has a “good” ending, firework It’s a heartbreaking and terrifying story in its entirety. A young girl named Fran finds herself displaced and sent to a mental institution after her parents are murdered, where she is prescribed some particularly harmful and hallucinogenic drugs. Her pill not only creates unique gameplay mechanics, but it also allows her to see the world in a surprisingly bloody, bleak light for a point-and-click adventure.

Not only is the visuals amazing, but the story is conceptually quite dark as well. From child abuse to survivor’s guilt, firework Depicting mature concepts through the perspective of a young girl, it quickly plunges the player into the rabbit hole of psychological horror.

3 Visage is a psychological horror game full of puzzles

As one of the best psychological horror games of recent years, face is an unsettling ordeal filled with tricky puzzles, but it’s also filled with sinister stories and uncontrollable tension that prey on humanity’s most innate fears. As players slowly explore an abandoned mansion, they’ll unravel the intricate stories of four different characters that portray themes ranging from trauma and loss to demonic possession.

But the atmosphere of the game, unreleased titles but loved by competitors PTwhat makes it such a creepy experience. The ever-changing layout and characteristics of the Liminal environment will keep players guessing about every move they make: an uncertainty face Use it wisely.

2 Silent Hill 2 is a terrible representation of mental health

Although it’s been more than twenty years, 2001 silent hill 2 Still a true masterpiece of the psychological horror genre. Its success is obvious silent hill 2 A remake is underway that aims to revive its magic, but although its graphics and controls are outdated, the original remains a must-play to this day.

The somber atmosphere, haunting soundtrack, and iconic third-person perspective give the game a distinctly cinematic feel and create an overall sense of isolation. However, the real star of the show is silent hill 2The complex, all-encompassing characters – despite the presence of protagonist James Sunderland himself – each grapple with their darkest thoughts and desperately grapple with past trauma in the past. realistic psychological horror portrait to chill people.

1 Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the best psychological horror game

However, the best psychological horror game of all time is Amnesia: Dark Descendants. With nightmarish anthropomorphic monsters and mind-numbing soundtracks, this game is sure to be terrifying from the outside. However, it is thanks to the smaller details and symphony of elements that the game is able to achieve such tension, even though everything in the game lost memory Everything is based on one big lie.

Waking up as a self-mutilated amnesiac Daniel, the player is strapped to the stomach of a beast, little known as the protagonist. Not only do they need to determine who is after them and why, but they also have to unravel Daniel’s unknown past and the reason behind his intentional amnesia.

While the main villains remain enigmatic throughout the game’s events, they are effective in themselves – in Amnesia: Dark Descendants, players will realize that the real monster is always themselves. In this way, the challenge of mere survival becomes a paradoxical existentialism, as the player must decide whether to appease his innate survival instincts or atone for his sins by dying: a difficult challenge only may be set by the game. Question orb The best psychological horror game.

Source: Top 10 Games/YouTube