My Top 5 Horror Video Games

Horror video games continue to gain massive followings as of 2026. Some of them successfully manage to gain broad fans around the world while other games adhere to a certain group of people. One of the reason why horror video games are so widely loved by the people is the fact that it doesn’t just merely entertain you but also gives you a sense of unease that makes you anticipate for anything that comes your way. The constant tension can be felt throughout your body, uniquely intriguing when compared to other video game genres. While horror generally intends to make you jump out of your seat for the sake of it, the strange comforts when wandering around in the dark gives a sense of calmness that can not be felt in other genres. Although I haven’t played that much horror, I can name 5 titles that are ingrained on my mind. Below are my top 5 video games I have played:

1. Until Dawn is probably the first interactive-based gorror game I have played, and it sets the standard for choice driven games especially in horror. The many possibilities on which character gets to live and die makes me approach each sequence very carefully. The snowy atmosphere combined with the mountainous region offers two dangers players have to go through. The many steep locations offer more deathpossibilities while also having to stay clear of the Wendigo prowling about throughout the locations. The graphic is also amazing for a video game released in 2015.

2. Dark Pictures Anthology’s House of Ashes offers a fresh antagonist compared to the previous Dark Picture releases. Similar to extraterrestrial horror entries like Alien: Isolation, the antagonist or the monsters are beings coming from outside of earth. It also offers more cinematic action scenes, and the characters being trained soldiers doesn’t put the player in a sort of helpless situation like in the previous titles. Character like Jason is also amazing because of his realistic character development.

3. Dark Pictures Anthology’s The Devil in Me explores human horror by creating an H. H. Holmes’s heavily inspired antagonist, the first recorded serial killer in the 19th century. The game also greatly represents the historical Murder Castle which contains many deadly traps such as soundproof room, poison-emitting ceiling, and many deceiving layouts designed for Hector, the antagonist to commit murder. The fact that the main narrative is based on a real crime is what makes this game among my favorite.

4. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard introduces a first person’s field of view within the Resident Evil series. That alone sets the game apart from the rest of the entries. It also has the darkest atmosphere out of the series. The writing is one of the most brilliant as it touches the life of a normal citizen Ethan Winters who gets thrust into the brutal world of monsters.

5. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly offers intriguing plot revolving around the prevention

   of the collision between two worlds that could cause massive calamity to humanity. The original PS2 game was ahead of its time in visuals and graphics and the remake succeeds in adapting the original one while also remain faithful. The main plot also reminds me of a dark medieval fantasy game called the Witcher 3 Wild Hunt where there is also a threat of catastrophic forces that could enter human’s world called Conjunction of Sphere.

These picks are purely based on my personal taste in horror gaming. I can say that out of all these games, one thing they have in common is not just how visually ambitious they are but also narratively driven. The ending also avoids a good resolution and sits on both melancholiness or even gloominess.