It’s about time that these survival horror games got the attention they deserved.
Survival horror games are one of the most immersing kinds of the genre because they put the player right in the middle of the scary stuff. Horror gamers have a lot of options when it comes to the type of game they want to play, from action games to games that are just pure nightmares.
Some of the best survival horror games haven’t held up well over time, which is a shame. Even though there are a lot of scary games out there now, a shocking number of them have been left to rot. The games on this list are some of the best horror games ever made and deserve to be played again.
Hunter: The Reckoning
- Original Release Date: 2002
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer (2003)
Hunter: The Reckoning is a horror-themed action-adventure game that was first released for the Xbox and GameCube. This scary action game was about a darkness that could end the world. You could choose from different character types and work with other people in your area to kill demons and other creatures of the night.
Hunter: The Reckoning deserves a good comeback because its action-horror gameplay was really new and exciting. A new game in the series could have an online multiplayer mode and a strong advancement system.
Haunting Ground
- Original Release Date: 2005
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: Haunting Ground (no sequels)
Haunting Ground is a Playstation horror game that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Capcom made this game, which is about a young woman named Fiona Felli who is stuck inside the walls of an old castle and is being chased by scary things. Her goal is easy: to stay alive and get away. Haunting Ground is a scary strategy game where you have to run and hide a lot. Hewie, a friendly dog, helps Fiona, which is good news.
One interesting thing about this game is that it has become hard to find, which is great for fans. Due to how rare it is, many people can’t play this game to experience its well-made scary gameplay. A comeback in the form of a new game or even a full remake could help bring back interest in the series as a whole.
Clock Tower
- Original Release: 1995
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: Clock Tower 3 (2002)
The first game in the Clock Tower series was a scary point-and-click adventure game for the Super Famicon, which was only available in Japan. In 1996, the game was ported to the Playstation. The main themes of the three main books in the Clock Tower series are running and hiding. This series has always been praised for how well it shows fear and makes you feel like you’re in it. However, critics often panned it for having boring gameplay.
The last game in the series, Clock Tower 3, came out in 2002, so it’s time for a return. This series stood out for its great horror atmosphere. It would be important to update the easy running, hiding, and light puzzle-solving so that there is more depth and progression.
Alone In The Dark
About Alone In The Dark 3 Mansion
- Original Release: 1992
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: Alone in the Dark (2008)
Alone in the Dark was one of the first survival horror games ever made. This Infogrames game from 1992 was about a detective named Edward who was sent to explore and look into a house that was said to be haunted. Even though the images and gameplay might look very old to players today, this game was a new way to tell a scary story.
Alone In The Dark was a really great horror game. It was played with a point-and-click interface, and the story was based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Since the first game came out, there have been many more in the series. The last main game was the “reboot” in 2008, which was just called Alone in the Dark. This new game set in a dirty and dreary city just didn’t live up to its promise. The point-and-click horror style could be given new life by a real comeback.
Dead Space
- Original Release: 2008
- Most Recent Entry in the Series is Dead Space 3
Dead Space 3 is the most recent game in the series. This game is, hands down, one of the scariest horror games ever made. The game takes place on the USG Ishimura, a broken-down space mining ship that has been lost for a long time. The player plays Isaac Clarke, an engineer, who must find out what’s going on. The first and second games in this series are hailed for their unique action-horror gameplay, which involves tearing apart enemies called “necromorphs.”
Unfortunately, Dead Space 3, the third game in the series, focused a lot on action, which made many fans feel like the series had gone on too long. The first two games did well because they were well-thought-out when it came to realism and creating scary moments. A true inspired successor or a new game in this series would have to focus on the real sci-fi horror that made Dead Space so popular.
The Suffering
- Original Release: 2004
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: The Suffering: Ties That Bind
Midway Games’ The Suffering is a third-person action-adventure game with a strong focus on horror. The pain puts you in the terrible place of Torq. Who killed his ex-wife and children and was sent to jail and put on death row. The trouble is that Torq doesn’t remember doing this terrible thing.
The Suffering is a very scary game, and not just because of the story. It’s also scary because all of the monster enemies are meant to be a form of punishment for people on death row. The Suffering has a lot of action. But it also has a lot of scary and creepy parts that keep coming back to bother you. Eggy Car game could use a comeback because it feels like a spinoff of the Resident Evil series.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
- Original Release: 2002
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: Only the original game
The Nintendo Gamecube game Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a famous psychological horror game. Eternal Darkness walks a fine line between being sane, having psychological game effects. And having a good, scary story that goes back many generations.
Fans of this great horror game have been begging for it to come back. Either as a full remake or as a real sequel. At the time, Eternal Darkness was able to combine the psychological horror of Silent Hill with the action-packed fighting of Resident Evil.
F.E.A.R.
- Original Release: 2005
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: F.E.A.R. 3
First Encounter Assault Recon, or F.E.A.R. if you want to be fancy, is a first-person action horror game that came out in 2005 and had two sequels after that. Alma Wade, a young girl who went through a terrible disaster and is now a source of pain, darkness, and fear, was at the centre of F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. 1 and 2 in particular have a lot of scary set pieces and parts that will make you jump out of your skin. Unfortunately, the third book focused a lot more on action. Which seemed to put an end to the series. A real comeback could mean going back to scary first-person scenes like in Resident Evil 7 or Village.
Silent Hill
- Original Release: 1999
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: P.T. (Playable Teaser for the now canned, Silent Hills)
The most recent game in the series is P.T., which is a playable teaser for Silent Hills, which was cancelled. The Silent Hill series is one of the most talked-about, praised, and fun horror game titles ever. At least in the first four main games, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill 4: The Room, the Silent Hill series takes a more psychological approach. Many of the later games, like Homecoming and Downpour, tried to focus on fighting. Which took away from what was otherwise a scary series.
Just looking at how well the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 did could mean that Silent Hill would also do well if it went back to its roots and told real psychological horror stories.
Fatal Frame
- Original Release: 2001
- Most Recent Entry in the Series: Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Fatal Frame might be the best survival horror game series of all time, or at least the most underrated. In the first three games of the Fatal Frame series, you look through the glass of a camera. Which is called a “Camera Obscura,” to figure out how to stay alive.
In Fatal Frame, you didn’t just get to walk around, look around, and solve tasks. You also had to face the ghosts straight on, through the lens of your camera. Simply put, Fatal Frame needs to get back to its old self.
