10 Most Terrifying Water Creatures in Gaming

I have a deep, unyielding fear of open water, and yet, for some masochistic reason that I still don't quite understand, I constantly find myself looking for games that take place in the ocean, feature deep, murky aquatic zones, or have some level like that.

There is just something about staring into a vast, digital blue abyss and realizing you aren’t alone that triggers a very specific kind of primal panic… because, for most of the time, you aren’t! And it is funny how we can feel this, even accidentally, from games that aren't even horror titles or completely focused on an aquatic theme, simply because of having a terrifying-looking creature underwater.

So, if you also suffer from a severe case of video game thalassophobia like me and have also suffered countless jump scares from these kinds of monsters, this list is a tribute to you, since we are precisely recalling and celebrating some of the creatures that made us terrified of dipping our toes into virtual lakes and oceans!

Let’s take a look at 10 of the most terrifying water creatures in gaming and dive into the deep end now – just try to keep your eyes on the shadows below.

10 Hydrus

Shadow of the Colossus

We all know that the Colossi in Shadow of the Colossus are breathtakingly majestic and utterly terrifying by themselves, so it is no surprise that adding a massive body of water to one of these encounters makes the whole thing significantly worse (in the best way possible).

And that is exactly what happens with the Hydrus, the seventh colossus you must face. It simply takes the form of a colossal, bio-luminescent electric eel lurking in the dark depths of a secluded lake. And only those who have actually faced him know just how incredibly difficult it is to forget his face!

Besides, there’s a bonus, since the real dread kicks in because you can’t just climb him from dry land, and you have to patiently tread water, watching his glowing spikes slowly ascend from the murky deep beneath your feet. Then, the moment he breaks the surface, and you are forced to grab onto his wet, slippery fur while being dragged underwater, is pure anxiety.

9 White Sharks

Tomb Raider II

I have to confess that practically anything involving sharks or crocodiles in games instantly sets off my fight-or-flight response, and the early Tomb Raider games were an absolute nightmare for me because of this. Because of that, I chose the creatures and the exact moment that terrified me the most when I was a kid (and even today as an adult, to be totally real): the 40 Fathoms stage from Tomb Raider II.

It begins with our favorite archaeologist hitching a ride on the exterior of a submarine (bad enough already, right?). But the driver ends up crashing the sub, and Lara is left stranded at the bottom of the ocean with zero scuba gear. To survive, you have to follow a trail of debris toward a sunken wreck while being pursued by great white sharks.

Just remembering the despair of that moment, with sharks snapping at your heels, already makes me feel a bit sick. But hey, at least that underwater action was a nice change from the standard running and jumping mechanics of the main game.

8 Gyorg

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is my favorite game of all time, and because of that, I always reserve a moment every year to replay it like a ritual. And despite having played it countless times, there is still one moment that makes my hands sweat whenever I jump into it – and I know you know I'm talking about the fight against Gyorg.

Serving as the boss of the Great Bay Temple, this is probably one of the most terrifying bosses in the entire The Legend of Zelda franchise, both due to its creature design and the battle itself, which leaves you trapped on a single (pretty unsafe, I must add) platform while it circles you from below and tries to knock you into the water.

And falling in and seeing that creature with its bulging eyes and immense fangs swimming towards you while you desperately try to climb back onto the platform makes your entire life flash before your eyes.

7 The Monster

Iron Lung

Iron Lung is probably the definition of an excellent slow-burn horror game with a thalassophobia theme, since it puts you in the shoes of a convict who receives a suicide mission to pilot a rudimentary, claustrophobic submarine in an ocean of blood on an alien planet.

And it is just as psychologically intense as it sounds because you are literally locked inside the sub and don't have a single little window to look outside, having to navigate using a radar that only beeps when something is near you and an internal camera to take pictures of the trenches outside.

So your stomach always drops a bit with every photo you take and have to check, since everything is pretty weird down there, but nothing prepares you for the final stretch of the game, when you finally get a glimpse of the monster that has been following you this entire time. Just prepare yourself to fall out of your chair.

6 Giant Dianoga

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

If you played Star Wars games in the late '90s, the sewer level in Shadows of the Empire likely holds a dark place in your memory. Almost everything in this game is chill and fun, with you spending most of your time riding speeders and fighting bounty hunters. Until, out of nowhere, you have to jump into the fucking water inside a sewer, and suddenly, your visibility is absolute shit, and you need to make sure you don't run out of air and die forgotten by everyone down there.

But the absolute worst part, by far, is that you must face a massive, sewer-dwelling tentacle monster (that tentacle monster from the trash compactor in the movie A New Hope), which is just patiently waiting for you at the very bottom of a sewage-filled water chamber.

Dropping into the water, knowing this abomination is trying to drag you under, still creeps me out! And for a lot of players, including myself, navigating this murky sewer chamber was the official start of our lifelong thalassophobia.

5 Anglerfishes

Outer Wilds

I might be cheating a little bit with this one, since these monsters are technically tucked away inside a foggy, hollowed-out alien planet in the depths of outer space, but they are identical to real-world deep-sea chucklefishes – and pretty scary ones, I must say. So there was simply no way they could be left off this list.

I still remember the trauma I had when I started Outer Wilds for the first time and went straight to the first planet I saw, which unfortunately happened to be Dark Bramble. I remember entering for about 10 seconds and feeling all happy, until I spotted a light and decided to get closer, wondering what it could possibly be.

The result: the anglerfish immediately rushed in my direction and devoured me, which made me close the game and wait a whole week before coming back to it. And yes, this was the hardest planet to complete because the only way to avoid being eaten is to make no sudden movements, which makes you literally hold your breath every single time you enter the planet.

4 Del Lago

Resident Evil 4

This is one of the most classic monsters in the Resident Evil franchise, and I dare say it is also one of the reasons why Resident Evil 4 has such excellent pacing, precisely because the game builds an atmosphere that intensifies gradually but also delivers sudden spikes of adrenaline out of nowhere – and Del Lago's appearance causes exactly that.

This is a huge, mutated salamander that lives at the bottom of a foggy lake, and of course, the game forces you to use a tiny, fragile boat on this lake just so you have to stand face-to-face with the creature. The real panic sets in if you get knocked overboard and have to frantically mash the button for Leon to swim back to the boat, while the shadow of Del Lago turns around to swallow him in one bite, creating a truly heart-stopping experience.

Oh, and there’s a lovely easter egg before fighting it, which involves shooting into the lake multiple times from the dock to make the lake monster suddenly jump out and eat Leon, resulting in an instant “game over”. It is such a staple tradition that it was also faithfully recreated in the 2023 remake!

3 Clanker

Banjo-Kazooie

Overall, Banjo-Kazooie is a colorful, cozy 3D platformer from the Nintendo 64, but Clanker's Cavern is a water level that completely shatters that vibe.

That’s because entering this industrial, grimy world drops you right in front of Clanker’s face, who is an enormous, rusted metallic whale monster with huge eyes and a weird smile. I remember playing that sequence when I was a kid and quickly dropping the controller – and I would probably do the same when facing it again today.

The funny part is that Clanker isn’t bad! He’s actually a friendly NPC who just wants to escape the garbage. And his only bad luck is that his sheer size and the unsettling, mechanical atmosphere of the deep water surrounding him are incredibly disturbing.

But while we are on the subject of Banjo-Kazooie, let's also leave an honorable mention for Snacker the Shark from Treasure Trove Cove, since his presence as a relentless predator whenever you stepped into water caused immediate panic, chasing you down with terrifying music the second you overstayed your welcome.

2 Unagi

Super Mario 64

Oh, the first time we never forget, right? Unagi in the Jolly Roger Bay level is an all-time classic in terms of moments that caused us childhood trauma, especially since Super Mario 64 was a lot of players' very first experience with 3D water physics.

And I don't know what was worse: being caught completely by surprise when he would lurk out of his hole in the wall, or finding a little corner at the bottom of the area and observing him from afar, with those bulging eyes just waiting for you to cross into his line of sight.

Ok, I know what's worse: you still need to bait this giant eel out of his hiding spot just to grab the Star attached to his tail, which proves that even Nintendo isn't afraid to inject a little bit of pure nightmare fuel into their brightest worlds.

1 Reaper Leviathan

Subnautica

For me, Subnautica is easily the scariest non-horror game on the market, and it is absolutely horrifying to play if you have any fear of open water or sea creatures.

Sure, the ocean planet of 4546B is beautiful, but the moment you venture past the safe shallows and hear the distant, echolocating roar of a Reaper Leviathan, your stomach drops, and your immediate instinct is to turn off the console or PC right away to avoid the consequences!

That’s because these snake-like apex predators from another world love to ambush you from the cloudy edges of your vision, violently grabbing your submarine with their mandibles and staring directly into your cockpit. It is easily one of the scariest sights I’ve ever experienced in any game, turning simple deep-sea exploration into an unforgettable horror moment.