Video games are a great medium to transport players into a virtual reality and entirely immerse them in a different life and universe, with detailed graphics, captivating stories, and engaging world-building.
RELATED:Ranking The Best PC Horror Games Of All Time
Horror gamesare perfect for getting the blood pumping and giving players that adrenaline fixes they are craving - great for lifting their spirits or getting their souls to leave their bodies entirely. Here aresome of the most immersive horror gamesif players are brave enough to handle them.
10P.T (Silent Hills)
The fear of the unknown is a trait utilized in many horror games, withSilent Hills P.Tbeing no exception. This playable teaser offered players a small glimpse into the sequel’s potential and proved that games don’t need to be long to still be immersive.
From the outset,P.T.has an ominous atmosphereas players wander around in an aimless and disorientating loop of hallways.P.T.is vague at the best of the time, which makes it all the more terrifying as the player hears creepy radio messages and a mysterious crying baby.Coupled with its claustrophobic environment, the player may feel like the world is closing in on them with no way out.
9Visage
Visageisone of the scariest modern horrorsto date and a game some fans say is the spiritual successor to the canceledP.T.It’s a first-person psychological horrorset in an ever-changing house that has seen countless deaths, demonic possessions, and other disturbing atrocities.
The darkness plays a massive part inVisage’s world-building, with the player spotting ghostly apparitions lurking in the shadows while completing puzzles.Visagefeatures jumpscares and gore galore, setting the tone for an unsettling atmosphere while keeping the player on the edge of their seats.
8Little Nightmares
Little Nightmaresis agothic yet whimsical puzzle-platformer horror, where players take on the role of Six, a small yellow-raincoat-clad child stuck aboard the Maw, a ship full of child-eating and deformed enemies.
RELATED:Best Horror Games Where You Can’t Fight Back
Six must stealthily sneak and hide her way past the myriad of enemies that stand in her way, becoming increasingly more corrupted as she delves further into the Maw’s depths.Little Nightmares' dark fantasy artcoupled with the immersive world-buildingof giant enemies and larger-than-life furniture, make the player feel small and helpless and fully immersed in this Tim Burton-esque universe.
7Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descentis a classic that popularized the psychological horror genre and paved the way for many horror games that followed it. It places players in the mind of Daniel as heexplores the gothic Lovecraftian Brennenberg Castleand uncovers the terrifying secrets within.
What makesAmnesia: The Dark Descentso terrifying is that there is no combat, so players cannot defend themselves. As Daniel encounters deformed monsters lurking in the shadows, he must hide and use his wits to escape their clutches orface losing his sanity.
6SOMA
Another game from Fictional Games, the creators ofAmnesia: The Dark Descent, isSOMA, released in 2015. This survival horror features playable character Simon, as he wakes up in an abandoned underwater facility with no clue how he ended up there.
SOMAis a game that messes with the player’s mind and scares them senselesswithout needing copious jumpscares or overt gore. It features some philosophical themes that make the playerquestion what it truly means to be human, and it is a game that leaves a lasting impression on players long after they complete it.
5Layers Of Fear
Layers Of Fearis afirst-person psychological horrorthat tells the story of a talented artist’s gradual descent into madness as he attempts to paint his magnum opus and life’s work. It is atruly immersive and horrifying game, leaving players caught up in its disturbing atmosphere.
RELATED:Best Horror Games Based On Urban Legends
In order to do this, the player must explore his seemingly ordinary and endless mansion, as it steadily evolves into a mysterious hellscape that truly explores the horrors of the human mind.Layers Of Fearfeatures ominous music, and the gradual deterioration of the environments' are sure to immerse players and keep them hooked as they finally finish the artists' masterpiece.
4Alien: Isolation
Based onthe legendary sci-fi films of the same name,Alien: Isolationfollows Amanda Ripley as she embarks on a journey to get closure for her mother and discover the truth behind her disappearance. However, she is not alone, as there is a terrifying Xenomorph stalking through the corridors of the Sevastapol trading station.
While exploring this abandoned space station, the player must gather resources to craft valuable items and hack through systems while avoiding the hulking alien creature. The only way Amanda can survive inAlien: Isolationis by hiding. But even that isn’t a guarantee; the titular alien has evolving A.I to keep the player on their toes. If the player uses the samestealth strategies, it will eventually discover their location.
3Resident Evil: Biohazard
Resident Evilgames are the cornerstone of the horror genre, withResident Evil 7: Biohazardbeing one of theirmost immersive horror titles. Itintroduces the Baker family, as they, unfortunately, came under the influence of Eveline, a bioweapon capable of controlling people like puppets using her mold powers.
RELATED:Free Horror Games That Are Just As Terrifying As Resident Evil
Players control Ethan Winters as he infiltrates the Baker family home in search of his missing wife, Mia. InBiohazard, players must escape the clutches of the Baker family, as Eveline’s mold has given them cannibalistic tendencies and grotesque Eldritch forms.Players must sometimes rely on their survival instincts and stealth to survive, with sparse ammo meaning they must conserve it and remain cautious and alert.
2Phasmophobia
Phasmophobiais a unique foray into the horror game genre, with a first-person perspective and proximity chat using handheld radios. Taking on the role of a ghost hunter,players can work together or aloneto perform specific tasks in haunted locations touncover the ghostly apparitionresiding there.
To figure out which supernatural being they are dealing with,Phasmophobiaplayers must use the wide range of tools at their disposal, from infrared cameras to spirit boxes. Ghostly events may occur, like objects being moved or literal ghost hunts! When the ghost begins its searches, the lights will flicker with spooky sound effects - the player must hide or be caught in the rampaging spirit’s warpath.
1Outlast
Outlasthas often been coined as one of thescariest games ever made.Playing asinvestigative journalist Miles Upshur, players must enter and explore the abandoned psychiatric facility, Mount Massive Asylum, wherein he encounters several deformed patients with a penchant for bloodlust.
What makesOutlastso immersive is the incredible sound design and lack of combat. Players can hear the thundering footsteps of enemies echoing in the distance and the sound of their breathing nearby.Miles can only escape his pursuers by quietly sneaking aroundand hiding inside lockers or underneath beds.
