Slap on a few jump scares and creepy enemy designs, and you can call it a horror game. However, recreating real atmospheric horror is challenging. For that, there must be a sense of unease, an aesthetically pleasing yet haunting art style, and of course, a thrilling narrative. The better these things are, the better the atmospheric horror game.
Previously, Capcom dominated the horror scene alone with Resident Evil. However, now, plenty of new horror games have found a footing. From Silent Hill to Outlast, studios have created mind-blowing horror adventures. So, it’s a great time to be a horror fan, that is, if you know where to look. But if you don’t, then this list is filled with the best atmospheric horror game recommendations.
In The Facade We Trust
It’s unfortunate that the brilliant Hideo Kojima’s Silent Hills project never saw the light of day. The only related content we ever got was P.T., a short interactive teaser. While the full project was canned, Kojima’s P.T., on the other hand, managed to inspire and influence plenty of developers. One such case is In The Facade We Trust, an atmospheric horror game that shares many similarities with Kojima’s P.T. teaser.
The entirety of In The Facade We Trust takes place in a single hallway. The hallway branches towards the left and right, with a door present at each end. Whenever you pass through a door, you loop back to the start of the hallway. However, two characters are trying to influence your decision.
A mysterious woman tells you to take the left hallway, while the monster urges you to go right. Both will convince you that the other wants you dead, and in each loop, more and more information about the two is revealed. As time goes on, you’ll develop paranoia and will get frightened at the thought of whom to trust. Despite having such a tiny set piece of a single hallway, In The Facade We Trust sets an unforgettable horror tone. Its narrative is short, but so disturbing that it stands out as one of the best atmospheric horror story ideas in recent memory.
Resident Evil Village
Of course, this list would be incomplete without mentioning at least one Resident Evil title. While Capcom has been on fire with the remakes, in retrospect, Resident Evil Village still seems to be the one with the best atmospheric horror. Village opens up with Ethan Winters navigating through a mountainous region of Romania. Key locations, like the village and Castle Dimitrescu towers in the background, look hauntingly gorgeous. They massively improve the atmospheric horror of Resident Evil Village.
When you reach the settlement, you face off with dozens of monsters, leading to intense action sequences. But when you’re in Castle Dimitrescu, exploration, stealth, and psychological horror are the core themes. The visual presentation is consistent with the character models being clean and creepy. The antagonists are memorable and torture Ethan in unpredictable ways. Horrors of all sorts lurk in the area, and as long as you keep playing Resident Evil Village, you’ll always have one eye looking behind you.
The Evil Within
Both The Evil Within 1 and 2 are top-notch atmospheric horror games. However, the first one focuses more on survival horror, so it’s superior to its sequel in that regard. If you don’t know, The Evil Within is directed by the legendary Resident Evil series creator, Shinji Mikami. That’s how you know The Evil Within is special.
The premise of The Evil Within is the classic virus outbreak that leads to a post-apocalyptic world scenario. Zombie-like monsters are everywhere, and all hope seems lost. But what’s so satisfying about the story is how the protagonist, Detective Sebastian Castellanos, tracks down leads to find an end to the outbreak.
While playing as him, you’re constantly put into eerie places: insane hospitals, zombie-infested villages, and chilling mansions. Enemies are placed meticulously, ensuring you’ll be jumpscared often. Resources are very limited, so you’ll likely be running away most of the time. And the enemy’s designs will leave you with nightmares. If you’re someone who cherishes moody horror games, The Evil Within is one of the best to ever recreate that feeling.
The Medium
Bloober Team has been dabbling with the horror genre for quite some time now. IT made Layers of Fear 2 and followed it up with Blair Witch. Both had strong horror elements. But its next game, The Medium, is where they nailed it. The Medium tells the story of Marianne, a spirit medium, investigating the origin of her powers at a sinister location. The Medium has no combat. Instead, it focuses on puzzle-solving and exploration. The dual reality mechanic is The Medium’s biggest offering.
The mechanic allows you to move between two iterations of the same world. There’s the real world and the spirit realm, which is a horrific reflection of it. You can jump between worlds to open up pathways and solve puzzles. Both worlds are visually distinct. The real world is bleak with decrepit buildings. The spirit realm is dystopian and grotesque, and you’re always uneasy when traveling through here.
Most of the locations are like a ghost town. There isn’t anyone there, but when you do hear something, your heart skips a beat. So, the atmosphere still feels very grounded despite there being a supernatural factor at play. All in all, The Medium is a polished experience. It’s horrific, highly moody, and stands out as one of the best storytelling horror games from the past decade.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
The Silent Hill series is famous for its signature aesthetic style that uses a dense fog to enshroud everything in the camera view. The Silent Hill 2 Remake does the same. However, because technology today is so powerful, the fog is denser, more immersive, and very atmospheric.
But even when the fog isn’t there, enemies hide in the cover of darkness. Way too many jump scares fuel the experience. It’s not cheap jump scares, but rather enemies hiding at your blind spots: under the tables, behind mannequins, and on the ceilings. Enemies have legs sticking out of both ends of their torsos. They’re just plain out creepy.
Locations are compact, and you’re often engaged with multiple deadly foes at once. You never have enough ammunition and are worried about resources. That’s when you have to get your hands dirty by making James smash their brains with a plank. After that’s all said and done, there’s still the narrative about James’ search for his missing wife pushing you forward. Whether you want atmosphere or an enthralling story, you can’t go wrong with the Silent Hill 2 Remake.
Alan Wake 2
Remedy’s Alan Wake was pure action horror. You were constantly ambushed by supernatural creatures. But Alan’s revolver had near-unlimited ammunition, so you’d just blow holes into them. The sequel, Alan Wake 2, arrived thirteen years later in 2023, and with it, Remedy went in a new direction: survival-horror.
This time, the graphics were more photorealistic. Dynamic lighting was designed to spook you, and the survival element was increased tenfold. Ammunition was precious now. You’d have more weapons, but bullets were rare to find. The gameplay was made more tense. However, the dark, twisted narrative was the star of Alan Wake 2.
It instantly sets the tone for a chilling adventure filled with unpredictable horrors. Everything from Alan Wake 2’s environment design to its storytelling evokes a sense of unease. It’s one of the best showcases of how horror should be done and will be looked back on as a classic in the genre.
Dead Space Remake
Few settings are as atmospheric as a haunted spaceship. In the Dead Space Remake, you’re going room to room in a desolate spaceship — almost desolate. Monsters called Necromorphs have overrun the IG Ishimura. As the engineer Isaac Clark, you search for survivors, make repairs to the Ishimura, and gun down the Necromorphs.
Space is already an eerie enough setting for a horror game. There’s this empty space on the outside, and you’re just trapped inside a ship with monsters. Walls are bloodstained, lights flicker, and doors malfunction. All these add unease to the atmosphere, and that feeling is further bolstered by the clean art style.
Dead Space is psychological horror at its finest. It expertly implements horror in audio, visuals, and storytelling. And the end result is a terrifying masterpiece that fans of the genre will cherish.
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