Dead by Daylight – Saw Crossover (Credit: Behaviour Interactive)
If you’re going to invest in a horror game then make sure it’s one that goes bump in the night. They need to be the sort of games that are so intrinsically scary that you think about them for days. They need to get under your skin, and bury themselves deep in your head. They need to challenge your perceptions of what you thought was reasonable, and safe. There are so many different flavours of horror, too; whether you’re playing hide and seek with horrific creatures gnashing for your blood, or murdering your chums while wearing a hockey mask and wielding a rusty chainsaw, this collection of the best horror games has something for everyone.
You’re here to see what games are best for scaring you witless – to find out which titles released on PC or console are capable of setting your teeth on edge. We’ve got what you need… but do you dare read on?
The majority of the games we’ve collected for you below are single-player experiences – delicious morsels of terror that silo you off from the rest of your gaming community to better get under your skin – but there’s a couple of horrific experiences you can boot up with your friends if you’re eager to share the terror with those you value most. Or maybe you’ll leave them for dead at the first sign of trouble, who knows…
If you’re venturing on ahead, good luck. Just don’t look back behind you.
Best horror games to play in 2022
Here are the best horror games to play in 2022 at a glance:
Playable on: PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
Horror movies are cyclical. Some years we’ll be suffering a horde of undead shuffling zombies, while others will be based around more subtle psychological scares. And then there are slasher movies that, like certain iconic masked killers, always manage to resurrect in new and exciting ways. This is the reason that Dead by Daylight is still one of the most played horror games since its 2016 release. The basic premise of surviving alongside three others while a super-powered serial killer tries to hang you on hooks is simple enough, but over the last six years the official DLCs have added Michael Myers, Scream’s Ghost Face, and even Silent Hill’s monsters to ensure the experience always feels fresh. 2021’s most recent offering? A Saw crossover, which provides plenty of scares courtesy of gruesome torture devices, terrifying countdowns and general Jigsaw-inspired mayhem. Wanna’ play a game? It’s this one.
2. Alien Isolation
Alien Isolation. Credit: Creative Assembly
Developer: Creative Assembly
Playable on: PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
Ask someone about their experiences with Alien Isolation and chances are that they’ll get a very specific look in their eyes. Suddenly they’re back, alone, hiding under desks and frozen, too terrified to progress along space station corridors for fear of what’s waiting for them there. A monster that they know all too well. That look is exactly why you need to play Creative Assembly’s terrifying love letter to the xenomorph-packed film franchise. Imagine a hunting sim where you are very much the hunted instead of the huntee with only that iconic motion tracker to help you survive. The opening hours of Amanda Ripley’s quest to find out what happened to her mother are nerve-shreddingly tense. Decades of horror cinema mean you know what’s hiding in those air ducts and it really doesn’t like you.
If you’ve spent hours watching the kind of ghost hunting programme where scared people whisper “did you hear that?” at each other in increasingly panicked tones, Phasmophobia will be right up your night vision-lit street. The concept is beautifully simple: you screech up outside a haunted house with all manner of spectre hunting gear in a van, and work out the specific flavour of ghost that’s causing the trouble. That is, if the spook doesn’t murder you first. It’s important to say that while you can play Phasmophobia alone, it’s infinitely better to share the experience with friends and there are certain maps where an extra set of hands is nigh on essential. Just remember that some ghosts take great pleasure in separating your group Scooby Doo style. There’s nothing like realising you can’t get into a room and hearing a friend’s desperate howls for help on Discord as they watch the ghost writing book fill with words… Don’t sleep on this underrated gem, it’s one of the best horror games to launch in recent years.
4. Layers of Fear
Layers Of Fear. Credit: Bloober Team
Developer: Bloober Team
Playable on: PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
Now with Blair Witch and The Medium under its belt, Bloober Team has cemented itself as a purveyor of solid horror experiences. But it’s the original Layers of Fear that remains resolutely the scariest of them all. This is a short but terrifyingly sweet journey as you explore a surreal and disturbing mansion on a quest to finish a painter’s magnum opus. At first, things only feel unnerving as the paintings on the walls gaze back at you with unblinking eyes but quickly the mansion starts warping and twisting, expertly pushing you forward on a unique ghost train. All the usual scary suspects are here – dolls anyone? – but Layers of Fear still manages to feel fresh and never overuses any of its tropes as it pursues the next exquisite scare.
Playable on: PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
Yes, this is about Resi 7 but let’s talk about the 9ft vampire-shaped elephant in the room first. The most recent Resident Evil Village is excellent and has one of the most terrifying horror set pieces in recent memory but, and this is a big but, it doesn’t deliver the same consistent sense of utter terror as the first two acts of Resident Evil 7. Arriving at the Baker house is a masterclass in gaming scares as Ethan Winters hunts for his girlfriend Mia amidst a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-influenced world of grime. The Bakers are, quite frankly, a true nightmare and every moment within these walls feels like mental torture. Which is exactly why we love it so much. And a salute for those who have managed to play it all through in VR on PlayStation. You have a capacity for horror that others can only dream of.
6. Outlast
Outlast. Credit: Red Barrels
Developer: Red Barrels
Playable on: PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, PC
If you enjoy repeatedly saying “oh hell no” as you pull up outside an abandoned asylum with only a handful AA batteries to power a night vision camera, then Outlastis absolutely for you. Your first swear won’t even happen inside the dreaded Mount Massive Asylum. It’ll be when you realise that you’re using a smashed window that’s clearly been used as an exit as a way inside. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all… Outlast made brilliant YouTube fodder on release with its perfect blend of jump scares and painfully tense hide and seek sequences but don’t let that put you off taking the plunge. Red Barrels’ carefully constructed journey into hell and its additional DLC make for a truly horrific couple of sessions of gaming. The sequel is a little on the chase-heavy side but you might even want to brave that too if you think this is one of the best horror games in this list.
7: The Quarry
The Quarry. Credit: Supermassive Games.
Developer: Supermassive Games
Playable on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4,Xbox One
The Quarry is for fans of horror that’s a little bit on the hokey side. It’s pure teen-slasher goodness, from the makers of Until Dawn. By all accounts it’s a total hit too. In our review we said: “there’s so much love for the horror genre and you’ll definitely want to dive in to see how it could all have played out.” Much like Until Dawn, you can play along with the Movie mode, making choices as a group and watching as characters are slaughtered or saved based on your decisions. Perfect for a cheesy Halloween gaming night, The Quarry is pure fun with some serious scares to boot.
There you have it, the best horror games to play in 2022. If you’re looking to see if there are any more horror treats coming for the rest of the year, check out our Upcoming Games guide.
