10 Best Horror Games of the 2020s (So Far)

1 week ago 14

Published Jul 14, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT

Ronald is a Contributor at DualShockers with more than a decade of experience covering video games. He began writing about games in 2013 through public forums, reviews, news, and opinion pieces, before moving into professional games writing in 2015. His work focuses on games as an artistic medium, combining long-term industry experience with a background in political science, economics, and teaching.

Before joining DualShockers, Ronald contributed in Spanish to GamElegant and AlfaBetaJuega, and he is currently part of Areajugones. He has also worked as a journalist and editor-in-chief, and he is a professor of Political Science at Fermín Toro University in Venezuela. Ronald holds degrees in Political Science and Economics.

In recent days, we've been reviewing the decade's highlights now that we've passed its midpoint, and the truth is, the result has been truly exceptional.

Given the video game industry's current state, between layoffs, reductions in consumer rights, and other issues, it's difficult to focus on the fact that excellent games continue to be released, works capable of defining an entire generation.

That holds true for any genre we analyze, yet today we'll focus on the one that's most adept at making you feel tense, turning off the screen, sleeping with the light on, and not having a foot dangling from the bed to avoid supernatural mishaps.

Consequently, and particularly to recognize those tales that have best captured the thrill of fear and capitalized on it through unforgettable campaigns, these are the ten best horror games of the 2020s (so far).

10 Phasmophobia

I've never been a particularly dedicated Phasmophobia user because I much prefer single-player titles, but it's undeniable that, within the genre's multiplayer approach, this is one of the freshest and most fascinating proposals of the last couple of years.

By so emphatically examining the various entities found in countless horror stories, including the respective creative tools to deal with their threats, you feel total immersion, capable of experiencing firsthand all those accounts of supernatural encounters.

Phasmophobia's ability to capture horror mythology and translate it into diegetic gameplay is commendable enough, while adding the cooperative component to the equation is what has made it an international phenomenon.

It might not be my cup of tea, though credit where credit is due, and Kinetic Games found a balance between pure terror and unbridled fun that, frankly, I don't know if any other game this century has managed to achieve.

9 Mouthwashing

Stranded in a Nightmare

The symbiosis between horror and walking simulators has become increasingly pronounced over time, and Mouthwashing is, within this framework, a masterful example that demonstrates its true potential.

By sacrificing the genre's usual features, such as puzzles or the constant pursuit of entities, it focuses entirely on atmospheric and narrative elements, endowing the work with a narrative solidity tough to match and a critique of capitalism that suits its theme really well.

The delirium you experience aboard the Tulpar while unraveling the deep and painful intricacies of the campaign is perpetually tense, which is incredible considering there's rarely a genuine threat to endanger you.

With its superb audiovisual design, memorable characters, and feverish sections that make you scream inwardly, Mouthwashing is sensational and modern, capable of further expanding the boundaries of a genre already quite broad.

8 Luto

The Weight of Trauma

Building on the previous symbiosis, Luto goes beyond simply offering a great story, as it draws inspiration from games like The Stanley Parable to completely break the fourth wall, acknowledge its nature as a video game, and speak directly to the player.

Despite the inherent comedic tone of certain design choices that aim to emulate Galactic Cafe's flagship title, the contrast this creates in the game's narrative, bifurcated between telling its own story and communicating straight to you, is simply phenomenal.

Luto itself does an exceptional job of narrating a cyclical nightmare where you feel genuine dread around every corner, with puzzles that demand excellent spatial awareness, and a pristine audiovisual composition that immerses you in its cryptic world.

However, when the game begins to reveal its very, very, very hidden layers, only available to those who want to understand its symbols and decipher its codes, it becomes an outstanding experience, capable of staying with you long after you see the credits roll.

7 Look Outside

A Dire Cosmic Delirium

DualShockers' 2025 Game of the Year Awards 10 Best RPGs - Look Outside

Much has been said about how cosmic horror, by its very nature, is difficult to adequately represent in video games, as it's a medium preoccupied with depicting everything it portrays, but Look Outside is different.

Don't let its RPG Maker-esque appearance fool you, nor its incredibly fun turn-based combat mechanics, because this alien collection of pixels has an exhaustive mastery of making you fear the unknown.

The scale of what happens in Sam's apartment building transcends, both narratively and mechanically, what we can comprehend, consequently placing you in an unprecedented madness where each enemy design, plot revelation, and side story is more unsettling than the last.

Thanks to its creativity, fundamental respect for H.P. Lovecraft's creation, and its incredible cohesion between gameplay and story, Look Outside keeps you on edge in every encounter and cutscene, without needing to resort to photorealism or jump scares.

6 Resident Evil 9: Requiem

Two Versions of the Same Agony

Resident Evil 9 Release Date Reveal After Bamboozle Of The Century

A list of horror games without including one of the genre's greatest progenitors as we know it was impossible, and ultimately, I've been drawn to the one I think best represents what this franchise is all about: Resident Evil Requiem.

After the resurrection brought about by the seventh installment, and following the string of successful remakes that allowed them to refresh the original formula, Capcom found a near-perfect balance between both worlds, embracing modernity without losing an ounce of its identity.

Achieving such a remarkable harmony between two such opposing systems is, in itself, a feat worthy of praise, because Resident Evil Requiem shines brightly as an action game in Leon's hands and brilliantly as a horror game in Grace's.

Would I have enjoyed it more if the project had been entirely entrusted to Ashcroft? Perhaps, but the rhythm provided by killing zombies as if they were paper and fleeing even from the air for fear of dying in agony is what makes this title a masterful roller coaster.

5 Faith: The Unholy Trinity

A Dream-Snatcher Anthology

When horror games realize they can't rely on traditional elements to instill fear, they resort to foreign mechanisms that, even if only through surprise, leave you speechless, as is the case with Faith: The Unholy Trinity.

The first time you see a faceless, rotoscoped, possessed person approaching the camera, just as every time you hear the synthesized text-to-speech dialogue, a primal fear takes over your body, one almost indescribable.

The gameplay looks like it's straight out of 1980, with the least detailed pixels possible moving at a snail's pace, though the anxiety that runs through you, knowing what you're about to see the moment you approach every being, is the kind of thing that made our ancestors believe in all sorts of gods for protection.

Faith: The Unholy Trinity is a masterpiece despite being, of the entire list, the one that least seems like one, but it evokes such genuine terror that it achieves much more than any graphic fidelity.

4 Visage

Headaches and Cardiac Arrests

Visage is the most frustrating experience I've had with the genre in I don't know how many years, but I've grown so fond of the title that, honestly, I think I've developed Stockholm syndrome with it.

With the lights on, people around, streaming, brightness at full blast... No matter how I tried to lessen the terror, I'd still freeze every few steps, feeling an overwhelming urge to turn off the game and switch to My Friend Peppa Pig, which I've almost platinumed.

It's incredibly infuriating due to how cryptic, tedious, and repetitive certain sequences can become, which is why it doesn't rank higher on the list, yet its atmosphere, pacing, and presentation are so immaculate that they're more than enough to consider it among the most distinguished.

I don't usually recommend Visage because it's aimed at a minimal audience of people with hearts of steel, but if you can tolerate it, it's by far the purest and most sanitized horror I've ever experienced.

3 Signalis

The Heiress of the Horror Fiefdom

Elster standing on a platform (Signalis)

The modern horror genre has, on average, lost many of the classic characteristics that elevated it to one of the most acclaimed within the video game industry, so Signalis stepped forward to remind us why the genre reached such heights in the first place.

Taking the best of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, and seamlessly blending survival horror and psychological terror, Elster's adventure infuses pressure and stress into every aspect of the game, as a terrifying mirror awaits everywhere you look, waiting to reflect your gaze back.

Demanding resource management, complex puzzles, deep exploration, an intricate story, an unsettling atmosphere, disturbing sound design, unimaginable artistic combinations... Every element of Signalis is geared towards instilling dread, always in an enviable symphony.

By the time you've seen the multiple endings, taken the time to understand the characters and the overarching plot, and reflected on its message, the chances of the game skyrocketing to the top of your list are extremely high, so much so that playing it is essential.

2 Silent Hill 2

A Generational Authority... Again

Silent Hill 2 Remake James Maria Foggy Pier

I'm incredibly reluctant to give prominence to remakes on lists like these because, I believe, there's a hint of injustice in doing so, but I'm afraid Silent Hill 2 Remake is too powerful a creation to ignore.

Once again, James Sunderland stars in a generational title that sets a tremendous precedent for how to make a horror game, manifested in atmospheric, sound, and narrative qualities only the most talented hands can achieve.

Even knowing what's going to happen, what to expect, and how to react, Silent Hill is once again home to a nightmarish journey filled with symbols, environments, and penetrating metaphors that leave you detached from your own body, too immersed in the unfolding events.

Whether you played the original or not, Silent Hill 2 Remake is a piece that borders on perfection both as a recreation and as an individual title, and for which it's easy to develop a passion that will leave you replaying and rethinking it for years.

1 Alan Wake 2

An Unprecedented Dimension

I spent years of my life waiting for an Alan Wake sequel and thinking it was simply impossible to improve upon it, but Remedy proved why it's one of the most masterful developers in history by gifting us the magnificent Alan Wake 2.

I think people don't fully grasp this game's significance, both within the context of the Remedy Connected Universe and on its own merits, because if they did, we'd be talking about an intersectional success by every relevant criterion.

Saga Anderson and Alan Wake shine like never before in a masterful partnership that is only surpassed by the most breathtaking gameplay, visuals, cinematic sequences, and technical achievements possible in modern times, worthy of a museum rather than a video game display case.

I prefer to err on the side of ambiguity and refrain from specific dissertations on why Alan Wake 2 is the masterpiece it is, since those who have played it already know this perfectly well, and for those who haven't, it's a moral, ethical, civic, and gamer's obligation to discover it firsthand.

However, what I will assert is that Alan Wake 2, perhaps by a substantial margin, is the last decade's best horror game, and probably the genre's most distinguished creation in the last 20 years.

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