Check out this list of new and upcoming horror games to find out new ways to get your spook on! Some scary-looking and sounding stuff on the horizon. Even the indie titles look way better than ever before.
2020
WORLD OF HORROR
Platform: PC, PS4, Switch
Genre: Horror, Visual Novel, Role-playing
Developer: panstasz
Publisher: Ysbryd Games
Release Date: Feb 20, 2020 (Early Access)
A roguelite role-playing horror game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and Junji Ito. You play as the protagonist that’s trying to survive a series of world-ending events. But what makes it truly unique is the 1-bit visual style, reminiscent of a black and white graphic novel. So the game plays like a visual novel, which allows for different scare tactics and visual horror. There’s also turn-based combat, party management, and other RPG elements to make it more engaging. And as a whole, World of Horror should be a fresh way to scare yourself if you’re burnt out on modern horror trends.
DreadOut 2
Platform: PC
Genre: Survival Horror, Third-person
Developer: Digital Happiness
Publisher: Digital Happiness
Release Date: Feb 21, 2020
A third-person survival horror game inspired by the Indonesian occult and the Project Zero/Fatal Frame series. You play as Linda, a girl trying to juggle her highschool life and the frequent supernatural encounters that threaten it. This means escaping parallel dimensions and fighting off ghosts with your smartphone’s camera. Yep, you read that right. Apparently ghosts evaporate when you snap pictures of them. No idea how that works, but it does, so why question it? Simply enjoy the ghost-hunting action, drama, and satire DreadOut 2 brings
Pulang: Insanity
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: OZYSOFT
Publisher: OZYSOFT
Release Date: Mar 14, 2020
A first-person horror game set in Indonesia. You play as Rudy, a man who overcame poverty and became rich thanks to the “Pesugihan” ritual. Unfortunately, his happiness didn’t last long. And even the most wondrous wishes have a price to pay. Morale of the story? Don’t ask ghosts for help. Unless you want to end up like our unluckily lucky protagonist who’s haunted by every terrifying thing from within the Asian Occult. Disfigured female ghosts with long black hair? Check. Creepy dolls with bizarre expressions? Check. Malformed embryos thrown in for good measure? Triple check. If you’re up for getting traumatized, this might be the horror game for you.
Resident Evil 3 Remake
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Survival Horror, Third-person
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: April 3, 2020
A third-person survival horror game. You play as the ever-unfortunate Jill Valentine, a member of the RPD special forces team “S.T.A.R.S.”, trying to survive the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City. And if that wasn’t bad enough, for some reason a super mutant with the alias “Nemesis” is on a mission to kill you. This guy sprints, uses rocket launchers, flings tentacles, and induces terror like no other enemy in the Resident Evil series. And judging from the trailer he now even has a flamethrower! That being said, there’s also the multiplayer mode called “Project Resistance”, which is a 4v1 multiplayer mode, where 4 players are the survivors trying to escape a research facility. But the 5th player is the mastermind, creating puzzles, challenges, and deadly encounters for the survivors. And so Capcom’s redemption arc continues.
Someday You’ll Return
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: CBE Software
Publisher: CBE Software
Release Date: May 5, 2020
A first-person horror adventure game set in modern times. You play as Daniel, a father who’s looking for his missing daughter Stella. From what we know so far, this game is a mashup of Silent Hill, Resident Evil 7, and Outlast 2. So we can not only expect themes of religion, family, parallel dimensions, the supernatural, and bad parenting. But also intricate storytelling, puzzle-solving, and dare I say, combat. Fingers crossed for that last one.
Those Who Remain
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: Camel 101
Publisher: Wired Productions
Release Date: May 28, 2020
A first-person horror game with a Lovecraftian twist on our primordial fear of darkness. And as such, you play as a protagonist who’s trying to survive in a landscape of nightly lamp terrors, bad childhood memories, and a warped reality covered in 50 shades of darkness. Currently, the gameplay seems to consist of running, feeling helpless, and watching flashbacks. But if that’s your cup of tea, you might just enjoy this contemporary version of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
The Last of Us Part II
Platform: PS4
Genre: Survival Horror, Third-person
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: May 29, 2020
A much anticipated third-person action game with survival horror elements. The world ended at the hands of a devastating virus outbreak. Now, remnants of humanity struggle to survive against the encroaching clickers – corpses controlled by parasites. You play as Ellie, a survivor girl thrown in the midst of a growing conflict between human factions. If it’s anything like its predecessor, the game is shaping up to be an amazing mix of stealth and action gameplay with a heavy dose of intricate storytelling and human drama on par with the best TV series. Prepare some tissues because it’s about to get… scary.
Maid of Sker
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: Wales Interactive
Publisher: Wales Interactive
Release Date: Jul, 2020
A first-person horror adventure game based on an old Welsh folktale and book of the same name. It’s the year 1898 and you play as a young musician Thomas, who goes to a haunted mansion to save the woman he loves. The mountain of horror tropes aside, the game so far looks like a great bone-chilling ghost story. And while the exploration, stealth, and helplessness-based gameplay is not something everyone enjoys, the developers could potentially create a game that’s worth playing multiple times to see all of its endings.
Remothered: Broken Porcelain
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Survival Horror, Third-person
Developer: Stormind Games
Publisher: Darril Arts, Modus Games
Release Date: Summer 2020
A third-person survival horror game that draws inspiration from the Clock Tower series and Rule of Rose. The gameplay consists of exploration, puzzles, and fighting/escaping the game’s main villains, the stalkers – people and entities hellbent on killing you. While most of the plot details are speculation right now, expect a hefty dose of the bizarre, horrendous, and downright disgusting. And if that hooded figure in the mirror was any indication, supernatural elements will play a decent part in the story as well. Now imagine how freaky it would be if there’s an enemy that could appear from any reflective surface. In a normal household within the suburbs it wouldn’t be that scary. But in a remote mansion with four floors, dozens of rooms, seemingly endless hallways, ballrooms, and stairways decorated by the bourgeois…
Xenosis: Alien Infection
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Top-down, Survival Horror
Developer: NerdRage Studios
Publisher: NerdRage Studios
Release Date: Q3 2020
A top-down survival horror game set on a derelict spaceship. You’re a salvage hunter who seemingly hit the jackpot by finding an abandoned space cruiser. Blinded by the potential profits, you decide to ignore the piles of dead bodies, ridiculously damaged interior, and oppressive atmosphere, only to find yourself surrounded by aliens who want your entrails. In all seriousness, if they made a top-down Dead Space, added survival mechanics and more puzzles, you’d have Xenosis: Alien Infection. There’s gore, an eerie atmosphere, great sound design, and dozens of elaborate ways you can die.
Once Upon A Time In Roswell
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: Quarter Circle Games
Publisher: tinyBuild
Release Date: Q4 2020
A first-person horror adventure game set in 1947’s Roswell. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, Roswell is a town in the US where people often saw UFOs. So the game may or may not have aliens. From what we know so far, you’ll be playing as yet another unfortunate investigator that’s trying to find missing families. And as horror tropes would have it, otherworldly entities (read: aliens) don’t take well to nosy gumshoes with emotional baggage and past trauma. So expect mind-bending storytelling, unsettling imagery, a creepy atmosphere, and, dare I say, a means to defend yourself other than running or hiding.
Monstrum 2
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Horror, Multiplayer, First-person
Developer: Team Junkfish
Publisher: Team Junkfish
Release Date: Q4 2020
A multiplayer first-person survival horror game with procedurally generated levels and permadeath, pitting 4 players (survivors) against 1 player (the monster). You’re either one of the miserable horror protagonists who have to navigate spooky and derelict locations, find key items, avoid terrifying monsters, and escape a nightmarish prison. Or you’re the scary monster with supernatural abilities keen to go on a killing spree. But there’s a twist – each session will be completely unique. Because every time you start over, the levels have different layouts, the items are hidden in different places, and you might even have different objectives and/or pursuers. If you ever thought your roguelike games aren’t scary enough, the developers at Team Junkfish might have single-handedly fixed that problem for you. Especially because your pursuer (the 5th player) can be smarter and more unpredictable than any AI in a horror game. Not to mention the immense replay value… if you’re brave enough to keep playing the game. Then again, you can also just enjoy yourself by playing the monster and spreading misery to your fellow players. Up to you.
System Shock (2020)
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Role-playing, Horror, First-person
Developer: Nightdive Studios
Publisher: Nightdive Studios
Release Date: Q4 2020
A first-person action role-playing game with survival horror elements. A remake of the 1994 classic, complete with graphical, gameplay, and narrative improvements. It’s the year 2072, the grim cyberpunk era is in full swing, and rogue AIs threaten humanity. You play as a hacker tasked to stop a rogue AI called SHODAN. Tons of exploring, solving puzzles, and fighting cyborgs/androids aboard a maze-like spaceship. Probably THE title to keep in mind for any sci-fi enthusiast in 2020.
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Role-playing, Horror, First-person
Developer: Hardsuit Labs
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person action role-playing game with horror elements. You play as a recently-turned vampire, trying to survive in the 21st century supernatural world. This means vampire clans, werewolves, demons, and just about any occult creature you can imagine. And you’d probably think to yourself: “What’s so scary about being a super-powered vampire?” Well, fear comes in many shapes and forms. For one, it’s the realization that without the abilities you’d be cattle up for slaughter. For others, it’s experiencing the insane depravity and grotesque carnage of existences above our own. But without a doubt, this game so far is looking very atmospheric and scary with enough lore to immerse you for weeks.
The Alien Cube
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: Alessandro Guzzo
Publisher: Alessandro Guzzo
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person horror game inspired by Lovecraftian horror. You play as Arthur, a solitary man plagued by prophetic dreams of an alien artifact. And you know that means – a slow descent into madness for our unfortunate protagonist. Speculation aside, the game so far looks great and feels really immersive. The game’s creator, Alessandro Guzzo, really nailed the feeling of isolation and helplessness. And it’s shaping up to be really atmospheric and horrifying. So if you’re a fan of Lovecraftian horror, this is your game to check out!
Transient
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, First-person, Cyberpunk
Developer: Stormling Studios
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person horror game inspired by Lovecraftian horror with a cyberpunk twist. You play as a mystery individual trapped within a beautiful but bizarre city of technology. This means themes like identity, reality, and the inability to escape fate. And if Lovecraft has ever taught me anything – protagonists always die, go insane, or realize they were part of the fish people all along. But even if the story might not be something entirely new, the beautiful visuals portraying the enchanting blend of technology, nature, and architecture, alone are worth it to play and enjoy the game.
MADiSON
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: CryBabyStudios
Publisher: CryBabyStudios
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person horror game. You play as Luca, a person trapped inside a house by a demon named MADiSON to carry out a grotesque ritual. This game is one of the new generation horror titles inspired by the sudden rise and fall of PT. This means amazing graphics, environments that morph into mind-bending labyrinths, visuals that make you question reality, and a terrifying pursuer that’s always there. And while the game is shaping up to be something great, we still don’t have a clear release date. Fingers crossed the developer is doing well!
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Horror, Adventure, Third-person
Developer: Supermassive Games
Publisher: BANDAI Namco
Release Date: TBA 2020
A third-person cinematic horror adventure game. There’s not much information on this game right now, but if the previous installment was any indication – we’ll have a cast of characters stuck in a challenging situation filled with paranormal encounters. Tons of dialogue, dialogue trees, story choices, quick time events, lots of walking, and more than one ending. Yep, I know it sounds vague, but if you’ve played Until Dawn, you won’t find much innovation in terms of gameplay, visuals, or storytelling.
Carrion
Platform: PC, Xbox One
Genre: Horror, Action, 2D
Developer: Phobia Game Studio
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release Date: TBA 2020
A 2D side-scrolling platformer dubbed a “reverse-horror” game. You play as a failed lab experiment, a blood-red tentacle monster with an insatiable appetite that escapes its septic tank. We all know what happens next, but haven’t really experienced it from this perspective, which makes Carrion such a fresh experience. You’re not the human fighting monsters. You’re THE monster hunting helpless humans, evolving, growing, and expanding your domain.
Dying Light 2
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Action RPG, Survival Horror
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Techland Publishing
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person adventure game with horror and parkour elements. The world has ended once more with a zombie virus outbreak. But this time, you get to play as a parkour enthusiast that somehow got infected. You can explore the massive ruined open-world, do missions to help the survivors, have intense encounters with zombies, and experience the most fluid parkour in gaming history, complete with a day and night cycle. This creates a weird dynamic where during the day, you get the drama of a fading life and doing flips over lethargic zombie rallies. But during the night, you get chased by the fastest, most aggressive, and PCP-boosted zombie horde you’ve ever witnessed. And it gets really scary, really fast. Oh and did I mention, the infection grants you inhuman powers.
Little Nightmares 2
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Puzzle-platformer, Survival Horror
Developer: Tarsier Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release Date: TBA 2020
A side-scrolling puzzle platformer with survival horror elements. You play as Mono, a kid living in a bizarre world, where the powerful and influential eat the weak. The gameplay consists of navigating through creepy locations, solving simple puzzles, and avoiding grotesque pursuers. But the written descriptions really do no justice to the creativity and warped imagination that went into building this world. It’s unsettling, thrilling, and terrifying in its entirety. And if you haven’t played it already, try out the previous game to give you a taste of what’s to come.
Unholy
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: Duality Games
Publisher: Duality Games
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person horror adventure game set on a nightmarish world. You play as Saidah, a mother trying to save her abducted infant daughter. But to accomplish that, you’ll have to travel through a hellish city, filled with the depravity, horrors, and violence of a dying civilization. There’s a really powerful message behind the premise – mothers will descend into hell for the sake of their children. And that’s both literal and figurative in this game. Because the creatures you’ll encounter are not for the faint of heart.
Atomic Heart
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: First-person shooter, Adventure
Developer: Mundfish
Publisher: Mundfish
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person shooter that was dubbed the “Slavic Bioshock” online. And while it’s not horror per se, certain aspects of the game look horrifying. In its alternate reality, the Soviet Union didn’t collapse, but instead made leaps in technological advancements, creating robots and gravitational machinery. But as dystopian tropes dictate, the robots turned on their creators. So now you, a KGB agent keen on smoking and emptying cans of condensed milk, are sent to investigate what happened. And that’s where the resemblance with Bioshock ends. While Bioshock focused on aesthetics and a refined look, Atomic Hearts instead steers into the realms of the eerily unsettling, much like H.R. Giger did in his art. Seemingly normal things combined with bizarre technologies push you at the bottom of the uncanny valley. And that’s where you start noticing all the disfigured robots and creatures that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. Here’s to hoping the great design choice will have an equally impressive gameplay to match.
Lunacy: Saint Rhodes
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: Lazarus Studio
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
Release Date: TBA 2020
A first-person horror adventure game. You play as yet another insane individual who sets out to explore his long-abandoned family home to uncover its dark history. As per horror tradition, your character wields a flashlight that’s powered by wrist watch batteries. That’s why the game is also dark, literally. So expect to see very little or nothing at all. Not even the ghosts trying to scare you. But therein lies the trick. The game has really great ambiance and overall sound-design. It’s the sounds that will unsettle you, creep into your mind, and eventually get to you. And this probably means there will a million sound-based jumpscares for some easy thrills.
2021 and beyond
Ghostwire Tokyo
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Survival Horror, Action-adventure
Developer: Tango Gameworks
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release Date: TBA 2022
A survival horror game set in Tokyo, where most of the population mysteriously vanishes. Supernatural creatures now roam the streets and only a handful of survivors are left to oppose them. Not much else is known about this game so far, but it’s being developed by the studio of Shinji Mikami, the man behind The Evil Within and the early Resident Evil games. So the game has the potential to be quite scary with a hefty dose of enjoyable action.
The Airtight City
Platform: PC
Genre: Survival Horror, Third-person
Developer: Little Bean Games
Publisher: Little Bean Games
Release Date: TBA
A third-person survival horror game inspired by the Resident Evil series. You play as the lone female survivor trying to escape a building infested by zombie-like creatures. This means exploration, panic-inducing close-quarters combat, item collection, puzzle solving, and story exposition explaining the main antagonist’s megalomania and dubious reasons for trying to evolve the human species. Good times.
Today Is My Birthday
Platform: PC
Genre: Survival Horror, First-person
Developer: Wonder Games
Publisher: Crytivo
Release Date: TBA
A first-person survival horror game. You play as Thomas Wilkes, a grieving man who decides to visit an abandoned amusement park, filled with memories of his late father. But the only thing waiting for him is an obscene compound, filled with lunatics that seek to take his life, which may or may not include clowns. Hopefully this isn’t just one of those dream sequence storylines where the protagonist is in a grief and acid-induced coma, trying to swim in a sandbox the entire time. That being said, it seems you can stun and even kill (!) your enemies, which is a welcome change of pace in the escape simulator filled horror landscape.
In Sound Mind
Platform: PC
Genre: Survival Horror, First-person
Developer: We Create Stuff
Publisher: We Create Stuff
Release Date: TBA
A first-person survival horror game. You play as a test patient, experiencing an experimental therapy procedure, which goes horribly wrong, obviously. Now you’re stuck inside a tangible manifestation of your own mind, which just happens to be an impossibly abstract labyrinth with puzzles, traps, and meaningful exposition. Not to mention, all your bad experiences, trauma, and nightmares have taken on physical forms to kill you. And here’s the second best part – the game is not an escape simulator, you can actually fight back! What’s the best part, you ask? The cute cat that keeps you company and soothes your nerves every once in a while. I rest my case.
Anthology of Fear
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: RG Crew
Publisher: Ultimate Games
Release Date: TBA
A first-person horror game with three different protagonists. This means three different view-points on the unfolding horror story. This sounds really interesting by itself and has tons of potential in terms of storytelling perspective, especially if the story arcs overlap and the characters interact with each other. But if we’re going with first impressions alone – Anthology of Fear is probably one of the most visually-stunning horror games to date. That bit in the trailer with the forest swaying from the winds? Looks so realistic and terrifying at the same time. Will definitely be on the lookout for this one!
Cthulhu: Books of Ancients
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: SimFabric
Publisher: SimFabric
Release Date: TBA
A first-person horror game set in the Cthulhu mythos. You play as a detective, trying to find six missing children. And as it usually goes in H.P. Lovecraft’s work, you’re bound to see unexplainable and unimaginable things that gradually destroy your sanity, whether you find the missing children or not. Good times. That being said, games based on Lovecraft’s work haven’t exactly excelled up till now. So if you’re a fan of Lovecraft (like me), you should probably keep your expectations low. Hopefully, the game turns out something worth playing and remembering!
Negative Atmosphere
Platform: PC
Genre: Survival Horror, Third-person
Developer: Sunscorched Studios
Publisher: Sunscorched Studios
Release Date: TBA
A third-person survival horror game set in space. You play as the yet unnamed protagonist, stranded on an abandoned space vessel that’s infested by disfigured alien creatures. And while the premise might sound eerily familiar to you, that’s entirely by design. Just from the trailers, it’s obvious the folks at Sunscorched are fans of the late Dead Space franchise. And since EA won’t ever give us the Dead Space sequel we deserve, this is the next best thing. Hopefully it won’t be just a Dead Space clone, but evolve and innovate in meaningful ways. But even if it won’t, all the power to the developers – we haven’t had a great sci-fi survival horror title in a loooong time.
Visage
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: SadSquare Studio
Publisher: SadSquare Studio
Release Date: TBA
A first-person horror adventure game set in a modern but ever-changing house. And you play as the unfortunate person stuck inside it. The gameplay consists of exploring, solving puzzles, and hiding in a corner while scared. This game can also be considered a spiritual successor to P.T., the unfinished horror title from Kojima. SadSquare Studio stepped up and filled the Konami-induced void. And the game looks, sounds, and plays amazing, incorporating things that made P.T. great. There’s the endless and warped house, the super-realistic environments, tricky puzzles, and paranormal entities trying to end you. And so far, it’s shaping up to be one of the scariest titles of 2020, if not the whole decade.
Scorn
Platform: PC
Genre: Survival Horror, First-person
Developer: Ebb Software
Publisher: Ebb Software
Release Date: TBA
A first-person survival horror game set in a twisted universe of biotechnology. The gameplay consists of exploring non-linear environments, solving puzzles, fighting enemies, and managing ammunition. And while this doesn’t sound all that new or interesting, Scorn is terrifying on a different level. Many horror games tend to throw gore and shock value at you (Agony I’m looking at you), but Scorn twists your entire reality with gore. Hallways of flesh and bone, suits of meat and tissue, and machines that are as alive as any human being. It all looks so unnatural, making you feel unsettled, anxious, and fearful on a subconscious level. Will the game be any good? Only time will tell. But it will be scary without a doubt. H.R. Giger would be proud.
Asylum
Platform: PC
Genre: Horror, Adventure, First-person
Developer: Senscape
Publisher: Senscape
Release Date: TBA
A first-person adventure horror game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and Hammer Films. You play as the unlucky individual that visits a derelict mental asylum, filled with psychopaths, ghosts, interdimensional portals, and god knows what else. And if the inspirations are anything to go by, it’s gonna be a deeply unsettling experience that won’t have a happy or motivational ending. But at the same time, it raises the question: how do these unfortunate people always end up in these decrepit holiday locations anyways?
PARANOID
Platform: PC
Genre: Survival Horror, First-person
Developer: Madmind Studio
Publisher: Madmind Studio
Release Date: TBA
A first-person survival horror game, seemingly drawing inspiration from Silent Hill 4: The Room. You play as Patrick, a recluse drug addict who receives a call from his missing sister dozens of years later. There’s enough gore, disfigured people, flashbacks, and supernatural elements to question reality and the protagonist’s sanity. And there’s also combat, so you’re not just a helpless onlooker in for the ride. But most importantly, PARANOID is shaping up to be something scary, unsettling, and enjoyable for horror fans.
