10 Horror Games That are Essential to Play at Least Once

Horror in and of itself is subjective, so if you were to ask any survival horror fan what their favourite game in the genre is, the answer is almost always going to be different from each other.

That being said, favourites aside, there are a good handful of horror games that are essential to play. To even get a base understanding of the genre and how it is today, these games are crucial stepping stones in horror gaming culture as a whole.

This isn't to be confused with games that full-on influenced modern gaming as a whole. These games are cultural icons that aren't always the most popular pick in their respective franchises. Yet, they're essential to play nonetheless.

Whether you're new to the horror genre or you're expanding your library, these survival horror icons are crucial regardless.

10 Amnesia: The Dark Descent

A Turning Point for Horror

The 2010s brought about all kinds of newness to horror gaming — with Amnesia: The Dark Descent as the first domino of that newness. Prior to this, there weren't a lot of games that focused on you running and hiding from a stalking enemy, and even now, no other game does it as well as Amnesia had.

It's probably because all of this was combined with a well-done Sanity Meter and good story, creating a game that's constantly spooky when it's not outright terrifying.

It really set a new cultural standard with just how much you have to hide or just completely run from enemies. Normally, it had to do with you not having enough ammo or healing supplies to deal with the encounter — but with The Dark Descent, you had nothing to defend yourself. That helplessness in this game will either break you or force you to evolve into a quick-witted survivor.

Even as the series went on, it never did capture the same magic as this game had, making it a must-play for horror fans if they haven't already.

9 Fatal Frame

Not Just the Sequel

Everyone hypes up Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly in the series, and while it is the most popular, there is something distinct about the first Fatal Frame that just demands attention. It's a simple premise on the surface, but when executed, it's a haunted mansion story at its finest — one that deserves more eyes on it.

The Fatal Frame games are known for their unique core gameplay mechanic: taking pictures of ghosts in order to exorcise them and protect yourself, instead of the use of any traditional weapons. Quick and effective photography is your combat in these games, but the adrenaline-pumping tension is still there.

While yes, the second game is the more iconic of the two, I would argue that the first game is more essential to play, and that's due to how the scares are executed in this one. It's just brutal, and there's no better way to describe it — combine these scares with the ghost designs with the soundtrack, and it's arguably the scariest of the franchise.

After all, we play horror games to get scared, and that's something the first Fatal Frame will absolutely know how to do.

8 Siren

Just Prepare for the Controls

If you're looking for the pinnacle of Japanese horror, to this day, Siren is widely regarded as the crown. You can feel the atmosphere teeming with this game from the very first time you open the menu, and that atmosphere doesn't go away; it permanently lingers while you play through.

It doesn't matter if you're frustratedly trying to deal with the constant trial-and-error (it's how the controls are structured, this kind of head-scratching is genuinely unavoidable), you're still going to be impacted by the atmosphere.

You can thank Keiichiro Toyama (the director of the first Silent Hill game) for this ambience, and you'll notice that the storytelling is also done similarly. Of course, it's not the same (it's not even in the same setting), but there will be parallels (especially when cult stuff starts to get involved).

Either way, it's a must-play for horror fans, especially if they're into J-horror.

7 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Emulate if You Have to

The 2000s saw an incredible wave for horror gaming, with Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem leading the way with its revolutionary Sanity Meter — bringing about additional hallucinations and 4th Wall breaks unlike anything we had seen before. Of course, a lot of that technology is a lot easier now, but it's still freaky.

It's such a horror icon that the very concept of a Sanity Meter in horror gaming (at least how it is today) can be credited to this game — and combine this with a very convoluted and meta-narrative, you're in for a roller-coaster ride. The twists and turns are part of the experience here, anyway.

Not to mention, it's got Jennifer Hale, and we all love Jennifer Hale.

The game ended up being a Cult Classic due to the fact that it's a GameCube exclusive ... with the only other way to play it now is through an emulator. But if that's the only way you're able to play, then play it, because it's just that crucial of a title.

6 Visage

Closest You'll Get to P.T.

The thing is, I'd actually recommend P.T. as a must-play, but that one is genuinely impossible to get your hands on unless you managed to download it during the brief time it was available on the PlayStation 4. Thankfully, it inspired many games as a result, and Visage is the best example of P.T.'s vision fully realized.

Visage is a walking simulator horror game, one that focuses heavily on puzzles and providing a horrifically trippy experience for the player, with a story that's very on-par with what P.T. could have been. It's unsettling, dizzying, and a complete whirlwind of emotions (most of them pertaining to fear), and a fantastic realization of the concept.

Just be ready for the heavy puzzle focus that I mentioned earlier; it can get pretty convoluted in ways that just have you questioning the line of logic more than what it could all mean. Even still, it's nailed the atmosphere perfectly, making it a must-play in and of itself.

5 Dead Space 2

A Horrifyingly Real Depiction of PTSD

Despite the first Dead Space being as great as it is, many fans of the franchise would actually recommend newcomers (or horror fans in general) to jump into Dead Space 2. Thankfully, you don't have to have played the first game to understand anything that would be going on with this one.

It's for one, simple reason: Dead Space 2 dives far deeper into the psychological horror side of things, serving as a far scarier entry in the franchise — and Isaac Clarke's incredibly written PTSD (as terrible as that sounds) only adds to that.

It's already a fantastic sci-fi horror, but as Isaac is further influenced by The Marker, it meshes wonderfully in with psychological horror in ways that you don't see anywhere else in the franchise. Not to mention, it's got the masterful blend of Action Horror that still manages to keep you feeling helpless, so it's no wonder everyone points to the sequel.

While the whole franchise is good (yes, even Dead Space 3 has its qualities), the incredible direction Dead Space 2 took makes it essential for horror fans everywhere.

4 Alien: Isolation

Hiding Has Never Felt More Hopeless

Sometimes, you don't just play a horror game for the scares, but to also appreciate a particular, industry-changing mechanic — and for Alien: Isolation, it's the Xenomorph's legendary A.I. in a genuinely terrifying and tense game. Seriously, this game would not be anywhere remotely as scary as it is if it weren't for how the Xenomorph is done, and no other horror game has managed to hit it on that same level.

It was truly ambitious for the time, and it holds up well to this day. Even when you're playing and everything is going wrong around you, you're going to be amazed by just how ahead of the time it was (but thankfully, it was fully appreciated even at the time). This is even more enhanced if you are already a fan of the Alien movies (but even if you've never seen them, you'll get a proper feel for how they go with this game).

Basically, it's a must-play for being so scary, and for just how sick the Xenomorph is.

This makes me all the more excited for Alien: Isolation 2 and what that's going to mean for how enemy A.I. will continue to terrify us to our cores even now.

3 SOMA

The Gold-Star Standard for Stories

SOMA is among one of the best horror games of all time, and that's 100 percent due to the masterful storytelling and how it's done, with heavy themes of existentialism soaked into the experience. And things get existential fast — right after that first robot encounter, actually — so you're in for a ride right away.

Things only just get better from there, and as you play, you're going to learn more about the world and how you fit in with all of it, and the way that it's done feels like a cinematic masterpiece. Even when you're done, the story will linger, and you won't be able to shake it out of your head easily ... if at all.

Even now, SOMA remains the gold standard for storytelling in horror games. You wouldn't believe for a second that it's a AA game because it has that level of quality. And if you're newer to gaming in general and just want to soak in the story without having to worry about monsters, you can toggle on Peaceful Mode to do that.

Regardless, the story alone demands attention, and it's worthy of that attention from anyone.

2 Silent Hill 3

Plus the First Game for Context

Of all the Silent Hill games, most fans would point newcomers to the series (or even to the genre overall) to Silent Hill 2 — and while it is indeed a masterclass in horror, I would argue that Silent Hill 3 is far more of a must-play. While it is directly tied to the first game, you don't technically have to have played it in order to understand what's going on, and it operates as the best of both worlds: combining the first game's cultish, grotesque approach to horror and the second game's psychological focus.

What results is the best story and execution of that story the series has ever seen, period.

Seriously, Heather's story is not just perfectly horrifying, but its commentary directly mirrors what societal fears for women are to this day. It's timely and genuinely disturbing (in fact, perhaps the most disturbing and grotesque in the series), so it's a win-win for horror fans that love to look into something deeper.

While I personally always find ways to recommend Silent Hill f to players (as it's my all-time personal favourite), it would actually be far more enjoyable (and authentic to the series as a whole) to actually start with Silent Hill 3. Plus, it's got one of the best soundtracks in the whole series — you seriously cannot go wrong with Akira Yamaoka.

1 Resident Evil: Director's Cut

What Started it All

When it comes to the Resident Evil games, many fans will point to Resident Evil 4 as the pinnacle of survival horror, but I would actually argue the first game is far more of a must-play, as it's the root of survival horror as we know it. And while yes, the 2002 remake of the game was fantastic, I would honestly point to Resident Evil: Director's Cut as the perfect beginning point — it was mine, after all.

Seriously, this game is just survival horror magic, and it hooked seven-year-old me immediately without ever letting go; and I'm glad it never did. Even now, I have that mansion memorized like the back of my hand, and I always point it to anyone who is a fan of horror, especially if they don't mind b-movie campiness (and trust me, this game is full of camp).

Even still, this isn't just an essential game for horror fans, but for anyone who has ever enjoyed a survival horror game period, because nearly all those roads lead back to this classic Resident Evil title in one way or another. If the campiness is genuinely off-putting, the remake is really faithful (apart from some layout and puzzle changes), but if you're able to enter the survival horror in spite of that, you're in for a fantastic time with this game.

Most importantly, it's as essential as horror games come.