It’s the season for all things spooky and scary and I definitely am a big fan of spooky video games as much as I’m a fan of horror movies and books. I’ve been playing video games for a long time now and I found myself enjoying a lot of horror games. I actually used to put off horror games thinking that I wouldn’t enjoy them, but I definitely do enjoy them and I find that they’re versatile and have a lot of fun elements to them, as well as some intense scary elements. As a writer as well, I find that horror games are great because they help teach things like suspense, effective delivery of horror, and generally really interesting symbolism and plots. I personally don’t write pure horror, but I include horror elements in my books and I find that video games helped teach me a lot about what makes horror effective, engaging, and interesting. So, here are ten of the best horror video games to play if you’re a writer!
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Want to learn how to write a horror story? Start here → How to Write an AMAZING Horror Novel!
1. Silent Hill 2
It wouldn’t be a horror video games list without mentioning Silent Hill 2. The psychological horror game has an amazing atmosphere coupled with a very interesting, unique, and intriguing story that is full of emotion and psychology. You play as James Sunderland, who is grappling with immense trauma and guilt and it’s really interesting how everything around him manifests itself into the different monsters that attack him.
Silent Hill as a town has a very deep lore behind it too, and you can check out this video below where I discuss the symbolic meanings of Silent Hill and Pyramid Head:
As a writer, you’ll find a lot about psychology, character emotional states, and symbolism, as well as how to effectively use and choose a setting that complements your horror story.
Check out Silent Hill 2 today!
2. Dead Space
Dead Space is probably one of the best master class games when it comes to psychological horror, as well as sci-fi horror. It includes a really unique setting aboard a spaceship known as the USG Ishimura and includes tons of horrifying zombie-like creatures known as Necromorphs. There’s a bit of body horror in this one, and it’s definitely one of the more gory options on this list, but honestly, if you enjoy psychological horror and you enjoy survival horror, then Dead Space is perfect. Isaac Clarke is a great protagonist and his ability to learn and adapt to his situation is honestly super interesting to see.
Check out Dead Space (remake) today!
3. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia’s games are really interesting and they have a lot of symbolism and interesting ideas behind them. Amnesia The Dark Descent is a great game about a man named Daniel who is suffering from amnesia and is trapped in a terrifying, dark castle full of creatures as he attempts to piece together his memories and what happened to him.
The game has a really interesting style in its pacing with you having access to little light and basically no weapons. You are vulnerable in this situation and it’s really interesting to see how the story pans out with this concept.
Check out Amnesia The Dark Descent today on Xbox Game Pass!
4. The Outlast Trials
The Outlast Trials is definitely one of the crazier names on this list and also has a multiplayer component to it. Set during the Cold War, you are forced to undergo horrifying experiments in a twisted psychological testing facility. You must contend with a series of trials and face off against dangerous enemies through disturbing scenarios.
It’s very much a psychological horror title that has a dark and high-stakes atmosphere and it feels like something terrible could happen at any turn. It’s a claustrophobic environment and there’s a lot of focus on the psychology factor in horror, which is definitely something beneficial for any writer.
Check out The Outlast Trials now!
5. Until Dawn
Until Dawn is a story-driven horror game where the decisions of the players impacts the way the story plays out and how it ends. Set in a remote mountain lodge, you play as a group of friends who are stalked by a mysterious killer. Until Dawn blends elements from the slasher genre and the supernatural to make a really interesting game that has a lot of fun to it while depicting an interesting story.
Until Dawn is great in its ability to build characters and emphasize the consequences of choice by people involved in the story. This is something that any writer should know, because crafting memorable characters is a really important element in any book.
6. Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
Resident Evil has always been a classic in horror, with some comedic elements to it, but Resident Evil really is a master-class in survival horror. Resident Evil 2’s remake is one of my favorite video games of all time and it’s actually genuinely scary sometimes. Not only do you deal with an outbreak of zombies, but you also deal with Mr. X stalking and chasing you down for a good portion of the game–and he cannot be killed.
Resident Evil 2 does a great job in adding darkness, moments of tension and suspense, jump scares, psychological horror, and it’s great at building the horror up slowly over time. I personally really liked Resident Evil 2 and I think that if there is only one horror game that you decide to play, it should be RE2.
Check out Resident Evil 2 now!
7. Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is a very different option compared to the other games on this list because it’s a multiplayer title by default, however, I do think that there are some really interesting pieces to the game’s lore. If you haven’t heard of Dead by Daylight, it’s a game where you play either as a killer or as one of the survivors and you have to complete a series of tasks. There’s a lot of popular horror movie characters in it like Ghostface and Michael Myers.
The game is a lot of fun and has some great elements to it. As a game in and of itself, it’s not really full of “story,” per se, but the lore behind the game is really deep. And also, it’s sort of like a bonus to play the game.
Check out Dead by Daylight over on Xbox Game Pass!
8. Alien: Isolation
Another great example of a sci-fi horror is Alien Isolation which is FULL of suspense. It’s honestly one of the more intense horror games out there not because it’s super violent or scary but because the whole time, you are well aware that you are being chased down by this thing that wants to kill you.
You are hunted by the xenomorph and must solve puzzles and get through the ship in order to escape. The xenomorph basically cannot be killed and you feel virtually powerless next to it, so you must use your environment to your advantage. It’s a really great game and really helps writers learn to create tension and what the conflict type of human vs beast would look like in a sci-fi setting!
Check out Alien: Isolation now!
9. The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2 is very similar in nature to Resident Evil, so if you enjoyed that game, you’ll probably enjoy this one too. The Evil Within 2 blends survival horror with psychological terror where you play as Sebastian Castellanos as he navigates a nightmarish world where he is hunted by dangerous monsters in a distorted reality.
The story is really unique and intriguing and there’s a lot of emotional depth to it. You also get action that is balanced with horror and there’s a lot of cool things like visual storytelling and surreal settings to reflect the inner conflicts faced by the characters. Inner conflict is a really important element of writing stories, and if you want to learn how to craft great inner conflict, you can check out this post!
Check out The Evil Within 2 now!
10. Bloodborne
I know Bloodborne isn’t technically a horror game, but seriously go play Bloodborne and tell me that that’s not horror. Bloodborne takes inspiration from Lovecraftian horror with its horrifying monsters. It’s also got a gothic world that is decaying called Yharnam where a disease is turning people insane and leading to darkness across the land.
If you want a game that is masterful in building lore without revealing too much information to you outside of the gameplay and if you want the horror of its unsettling, dark and disturbing world, then Bloodborne is the perfect game for you. It’s also my most recommended game on this list aside from Resident Evil. In general, I feel like FromSoftware does a great job with game lore, so you should definitely check them out if you want to learn how to write interesting lore!
Conclusion
Horror video games provide a unique opportunity for writers because you can experience the concepts of storytelling through the immersive world of a video game. I also find that you can learn a lot about what makes horror effective by paying attention to and analyzing the games and how they create the atmosphere, build the characters, and craft the story.
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