10 Highly Reviewed Horror Games That Would Flop Today

There have been all kinds of horror games over the years, many of which appealing to some kind of audience and gathering a following as a result. Regardless on if they have incredible scores, horror being subjective means there's something for everybody.

At the same time, that also means that horror fans are a tough crowd; they're a crowd that constantly needs something new to the genre to keep things fresh, and frequently dive deeper than what's presented. With this in mind, it's easy to assume that there would be some popular games that, if they were to come out today, wouldn't land the same.

While these games are highly-rated and popular for a reason, they likely wouldn't score as well if it had actually never existed prior and tried to come out to modern audiences. This could be due to story issues, gameplay, or even controversies — regardless of the reason, it would struggle to be met with the same praise it's known for years.

So thankfully, these games came out when they did, because they likely would need a lot more work put into them for players to hold them to the same regard as before.

10 Outlast

People are Moving Past Gore for Shock-Value

While the Outlast games were terrifying then and hold up as much now, yet, if it wasn't already established and either of them were to come out as if it were new today, it would likely be met with a lot more of a mixed reception.

Horror has shifted to be a lot more psychologically heavy than in previous years, and considering how Outlast is a lot more of a shock-value gore-fest, it would be seen as lazy to more modern horror fans. Sure, there are still horror fans who don't mind gore, but that's a dwindling number as trends move towards the mind.

Not to mention, the gameplay isn't anything we haven't already seen before — it's a hide-and-seek horror game at its purest, and I'm seeing a growing number of horror gamers get tired of this particular gameplay loop. Of course, it can be done right, but it needs a lot more work put into it for people to be impressed by it.

So if Outlast wants to land with modern audiences like it did over a decade ago, it would need to bring something impressive to the table, not just insane.

9 Five Nights at Freddy's

If We Knew Then What We Know Now

As much as I actually enjoy Five Nights at Freddy's, I also understand that nostalgia is driving a good portion of the hype — if it were to come out today as if it were a brand-new title, it likely wouldn't land well. Mascot horror is already a source of annoyance for many horror fans, so it wouldn't be different from any other title in the subgenre (which should give you an idea of how stagnant mascot horror actually has been).

Not to mention, the story has always been a bit of a mess, and it's only continued to get arguably worse as more comes out. At this point, I went from looking forward to releases to low-key dreading them, because it's that convoluted.

Just saying, if we knew the kind of hot mess the series' story would have ended up in way back when, we probably would have been more hesitant to dive in.

8 Siren

There Needs Serious Control Overhaul

I will say first and foremost that Siren has immaculate vibes, with an atmosphere that tracks with horror's greatest — but the controls are, to put it lightly, a nightmare. You're basically playing a small settings simulator if you want to do anything, and you're trying (and failing) to figure out which option is best.

This isn't even mentioning the trial-and-error of figuring out what to even do to pull options up in the first place.

There's difficult for the sake of being difficult, and then there's difficult because of actual jankiness. Unfortunately, this game suffers from a good amount of jank.

Of course, the conversation would be different if this game were to get a whole, modern remake, but if it were to come out à la PS1-style, no amount of killer atmosphere or good storytelling would save it from its own controls.

7 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Could Use a Refresher

As much as I adore Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem with its revolutionary sanity system, if it were to come out today without a good amount of polishing, it would likely divide audiences. Between the meta-yet-complex story, the equally weird story directions, and the voice acting, people would either love it or hate it.

With a combination of all those factors, people might be more put-off by it. Seriously, Jennifer Hale is a fantastic voice actress, so the voice direction that the characters show (including Alex) is sometimes head-scratching at best. Perhaps it was budget that prevented another take, but it could use a once-over.

Even then, as revolutionary as the sanity system was, it would need to do a lot more rework in order to be just as revolutionary for modern audiences used to modern gaming (and of course, not being on analogue television). The 4th wall breaks would need to be a lot more creative in order to effectively scare audiences now than it did then.

If this game were to come out today, it simply would not hit the same as it did then.

6 Resident Evil 5

It Was Already a Bit Controversial

Of all the Resident Evil games that have come out, Resident Evil 5 would have the greatest difficulty coming out today. Many would point to the most hated entry of the franchise, Resident Evil 6 (which I would argue is actually a great time), as the one that would flop, but the thing is, it already flopped then — unlike RE5, which would be more likely to struggle now.

The thing is, it was already facing a healthy amount of controversy when the game came out, but it would face that same scrutiny, ten times worse, if it were to come out now. Don't get me wrong, this is a great time with friends, but if it were to come out brand-new today, it likely would take a lot more to not be swallowed by controversy.

Even then, if you were to look at the game as-is, it doesn't really bring anything extravagant to the table. It looks, runs, and plays, like your run-of-the-mill action horror game (with a heavy emphasis on action), and it would be given mid-scores at best with today's market. It doesn't mean that the game is bad, but it's nothing to write home about either.

It's held up because of how fun it really is, but if it were a new release, it would quickly be overshadowed by the many better games that are out now.

5 Clock Tower

Point-and-Click is a Dying Art

The Clock Tower games are cult classics, but they're already in an odd, obscure place in survival horror history: it's almost already gone.

That's because of one tragic fact: point-and-click games are nowhere near as relevant as they used to be, becoming a niche that many don't dip into unless they're feeling a bit nostalgic. Point-and-click horror games are even more niche already, so if a game like Clock Tower were to come out now, it would fall into indie obscurity.

Back in the day, point-and-click games were about as mainstream as FPS games are today, but as computers have evolved into being absolute behemoths, they went from being a primary storytelling device to simply being outdated. So, unless Clock Tower were to shift into a game type more favourable today, it would likely flop.

Which, this just makes me sad about how the world has rapidly moved past what was once pillars of my childhood.

4 Until Dawn

Balance the Camp Better

While Until Dawn did well when it came out, it was because of the introduction of a full, chose-your-own adventure horror game, one we hadn't seen since Telltale's The Walking Dead. However, it introduced long-term effects that we couldn't have possibly imagined, introduced relationship balances, the whole works — the problem was it was the campiest thing you've ever seen, and it expected you to take itself as seriously as a heart attack.

Since then, Supermassive has continuously improved on this craft, with the games coming out having a better balance of when to be serious and when to be light. So, if Until Dawn were to properly come out today as if it were a new entry (the remaster doesn't count, those are typically reviewed based on how good of a remaster it was to the original game), the acting could become a key complaint for many people, especially since there are now better versions of the choose-your-own-horror games with much better acting to compare it to.

Then again, the upcoming sequel may prove me completely wrong on this point, and I truly hope it does — because the first game was a hot mess in terms of acting. Sure, that's supposed give off b-movies vibes, but it doesn't land as well as it should, and people now would be a lot harsher to that than ten years ago.

Just saying, when we have actual horror b-movies with some of the best acting we've ever seen (such as Obsession), Until Dawn just becomes laughable in comparison.

3 Alone in the Dark

It's Continuously Flopping Already

After the first Alone in the Dark back in the 90s, there hasn't been a single version of the game that has successfully come out since. The most recent attempt at the game that came out in 2024 was met with a resounding "meh" from audiences and critics alike, and that should give you enough indication that it was simply lightning in a bottle — something that cannot be caught again.

Lightning in a bottle is also something that cannot be re-replicated, so if developers were to try and release the game now as if it were brand new, people would likely call it "mid," just as they did with every attempt after.

In all honesty, as much as I would love to see this game make a proper comeback, it's actually more likely that we're going to see it burrow into its own grave, and it's about time we accept that people aren't going to be satisfied with it anymore. It's an absolute shame, but it's the harsh reality of expectations changing with the times (and more importantly in this case, technology).

2 Slender: The Arrival

Or Any Slender-Man Game

Despite the fact that Slender: The Arrival was met with thunderous applause, it's something that likely wouldn't get a fraction of the attention if it were to come out today.

This is unfortunately due to the controversy surrounding Slender Man, with a case that left a genuine scar on the creepypasta's name and overall public image. Reception to anything related to the figure has not been the same since in the slightest, and so if the game were to be tried on modern audiences, it would likely be swept under the rug.

Society and pop culture moved on fast from the Slender Man, trying to move past the controversy as quickly as possible — a game like this attempting to break into the light would just dig up a lot of old wounds.

Not to mention, he's just old news. It's like if a game were to come out about Doge or something like that, it just feels stuck in its time.

1 The Evil Within

It's Nothing Revolutionary

While yes, The Evil Within is a great horror game, it just checks off a lot of boxes in the horror sphere rather than bring anything too unique or intense to the genre. If it were to try and come out today, it would likely slip under the radar as any other average horror game, a hodgepodge of tropes and beats from other games that are already well-known giants.

In the grand scheme of things, it's nothing too spectacular, and it would have a harder time appealing to audiences who have been spoiled with so many masterpieces already. Trying to loop-in a game like The Evil Within would just feel like a Spirit Halloween prop in comparison to everything else.

Unfortunately, the lack of any news about any further game from here on seems to only add to this sentiment, and it's unlikely that we're going to get anything additional at this point in horror gaming's timeline.

Even if something were to come out, it would likely be overshadowed by whatever else was coming out that year, and that's just a bummer.