Top 10 Most Tense Horror Games Ever

WatchMojo

Prepare for sleepless nights as we dive into the most nerve-wracking horror games ever created. From psychological terrors to jump-scare extravaganzas, these titles will keep you on edge long after you've put down the controller. Get ready to face your fears and experience gaming's most intense frights!

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most tense,

00:13eerie, and downright uncomfortable horror games ever made.

00:2310. Until Dawn

00:38Supermassive Games' precursor to their now cult status and wildly successful Dark Pictures

00:43anthology was a revolution in the survival horror game space. At the time, there weren't

00:48many games like Until Dawn. A-list Hollywood actors, minimal gameplay mechanics, and a dynamic

00:54story that truly made your decisions matter helped it really stand out from the typical AAA releases.

01:05A year after the apparent death of his twin sisters, Josh, supremely portrayed by Rami Malek,

01:10invites his friend group back to the freezing mountain lodge where it happened.

01:13As you play through the game, you'll quickly learn not everything as it seems,

01:17and the tense atmosphere coupled with the winter setting will make you feel truly isolated. Your

01:22choices throughout the story matter, and sometimes an obvious choice might spell

01:26doom for one of your characters. 9. Five Nights at Freddy's

01:39Another horror icon that trades in gameplay mechanics for great tension and story,

01:50Five Nights at Freddy's took the world by storm. Basically a resource management sim and point

01:56and click survival game disguised as a terrifying night shift as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's

02:02Pizza. The game sees you trying to survive from midnight to 6am by tracking the anthropomorphic

02:15animatronics as they skulk around the restaurant. Defenseless and alone, the game is surprisingly

02:20tense despite its child-friendly setting. Now, don't let this fool you because if Freddy makes

02:24it to your office, well, you're done for. And it ain't pretty, let me tell you that.

02:28You use the security cameras, doors, and lights to track their movements,

02:32but have limited power to do so, creating an atmosphere of tension and dread

02:36knowing your light is about to go out. 8. Visage

02:52Heavily inspired by Hideo Kojima's playable teaser, or PT,

02:56Visage is a first-person psychological horror game that creates an extremely tense atmosphere

03:01through its audio design and claustrophobic traversal. It has a never-ending sense of

03:05dread throughout, making it one of the best horror games in recent memory.

03:09The story is also extremely dark. The game is a trippy jaunt through the house as you learn about

03:23its inhabitants and experience supernatural and paranormal events as you attempt to escape.

03:28The tension is non-stop and unforgiving, and the game's visuals will surely keep you up at night.

03:417. Silent Hill 2

03:43When the original Silent Hill 2 was released in 2001, it epitomized what a psychological

03:55horror video game should be, subsequently setting the standard for its sequels and

03:59other games in the genre that followed. Now fast forward to October 2024,

04:04and we finally have the long-awaited remake to one of the most beloved horror games of all time.

04:13The tension and uncanny atmosphere makes its glorious return,

04:20this time with 4K resolution and modern graphics, and promises the same uncomfortable and

04:26claustrophobic environments as the original. Navigating the dense fog and tight alleyways

04:30we're familiar with while dodging grotesque Cronenberg-like monsters will ensure you

04:35always play this game during the day. And yeah, Pyramid Head is just as terrifying as you remember.

04:436. Alien Isolation

05:01With a sequel freshly announced, there's no better time to experience this tense sci-fi

05:06horror masterpiece. Alien Isolation takes the spirit of the original film and cranks the

05:11tension up to 11, and is another easy entry on many horror game fans' personal Mount Rushmorts.

05:17Taking the name Survival Horror quite literally here, the game encourages the player to prioritize

05:22stealth, survival, and conservation over full-out attacks while evading the terrifying Xenomorph.

05:35Tight maneuvering, limited ammo, and the relentless unkillable alien pursuing you

05:39throughout the game creates a real sense of dread, and its anxiety-inducing atmosphere

05:44makes Alien Isolation one of the tensest horror games around.

05:555. Fatal Frame II Crimson Butterfly

05:58Japanese horror films are some of the most harrowing in the world,

06:11and their video game counterparts are no different. The Fatal Frame series has always

06:15faithfully recreated the spirit of these films, and its second entry Crimson Butterfly does it

06:20the best. In it, players control twin sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura as they explore the haunted

06:26village of Minakami. Using the series' famous camera obscura, you'll take photos of extremely

06:40terrifying ghosts as a way to combat them as you unravel the mystery of the Crimson Sacrifice

06:45ritual and escape with your lives. Similar to older Resident Evil games, Fatal Frame II utilizes

06:50the not very intuitive tank controls, creating an even deeper sense of dread and tension as you

06:56navigate through tight corners and fixed camera angles. The ghosts in this game appear and

07:00reappear in unpredictable locations, and will surely often catch you by surprise.

07:124. Amnesia The Bunker

07:21Just like how Alien Isolation has the xenomorph as a constant threat throughout, Amnesia the

07:28Bunker builds its tension through a relentless unkillable monster that chases you until the

07:32very end. You'll of course have limited ammo, light, and space to maneuver as you fight to

07:37survive. As the title suggests, the game takes place in a bunker during the height of World War

07:421, thrusting French soldier Henry Clement into a tense and horrifying fight for his life.

07:52Throughout the roughly 8-hour playthrough, you'll need to solve puzzles, navigate pitch-black spaces,

07:57and avoid the grotesque monster to just make it out alive. Just be careful though not to

08:01use your flashlight too often, it's loud as heck to start up, and that creepozoid will find you.

08:123. Dead Space

08:24Another remake that outshines the original, 2023's Dead Space is the definitive way to

08:29experience the iconic, tense, and terrifying space horror game. Clearly inspired by and paying

08:35homage to the Alien franchise, Dead Space tells the story of Isaac Clarke, a ship engineer assigned

08:40to the mining vessel USG Ishimura, as he investigates a distress call and encounters

08:45horrors beyond imagination. Although it is a bit more action-oriented, Dead Space still offers

08:59plenty of intense, terrifying moments throughout, and chopping off necromorph limbs with the plasma

09:03cutter as they relentlessly chase you is as fun as ever.

09:162. Outlast

09:25This jaunt through the mountain mass of asylum broke many a psyche back in the day,

09:29and for good reason, let's be honest. If you've played Outlast, you'd know what

09:33awaits you in Mt. Massive Asylum is some of the most terrifying survival horror gameplay of all

09:38time. There is no combat, and instead you'll have to navigate the dimly lit halls and dodge

09:42the murderous patients in a bid for survival. One of your only sources of light is through

09:55the camcorder, and the filter makes coming across an enemy even more terrifying, similar to found

10:00footage horror films. The music is eerie as all heck, and emphasizes the non-stop tense

10:05and claustrophobic atmosphere, but you're able to make it through it in one piece.

10:18Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

10:22The Evil Within 2

10:33Soma

10:40PT

10:40Resident Evil 7 Biohazard

11:10Capcom's soft reboot of their iconic franchise is the best of the best when it comes to tension

11:20and environmental storytelling. Resident Evil 7 is objectively one of the tensest horror games

11:25you can play, and is a great jumping on point for new fans. As new protagonist Ethan Winters,

11:30navigating the Baker house and avoiding its monstrous denizens, coupled with its eerie

11:35sound design are some of the most harrowing and uncomfortable experiences you can get in

11:39the modern gaming age. It ushered in Capcom's second renaissance, and remains a pillar of both

11:55the franchise and genre to this very day. So what do you think of our list? Did we miss any?

12:08Let us know in the comments below.

12:20In the mood for more awesome gaming content? Be sure to check out this video here on Mojo Plays.

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