Guide: 10 Must-Play Horror Games - From Psychological to Cosmic Horror

The horror genre in video games has always been one of the most intense and impactful, capable of causing genuine fear while simultaneously creating deep and moving narratives. Whether through suffocating atmospheres, grotesque monsters, or stories that explore the human mind, horror games have the power to bring us face-to-face with our greatest fears.

In this list, I've gathered 10 titles that have defined the genre, each offering a unique experience, blending psychological, supernatural, cosmic, and visceral horror. Prepare to discover dark worlds and characters haunted by disturbing secrets.

In Soma, we follow Simon Jarrett, an ordinary man seeking experimental treatment after suffering a stroke. During a medical examination, he loses consciousness and awakens in an unknown location: an underwater facility called PATHOS-II. The seemingly abandoned environment is filled with robots that believe they’re human, hostile machines, and traces of a collapsed civilization.

As he explores the facility, Simon discovers that his consciousness has been transferred to an artificial body. The outside world has been devastated, and the station harbors the last vestiges of humanity. The central dilemma of the narrative is identity: what truly defines being human? The body, the mind, or consciousness?

The game addresses the shock of realizing that Simon is no longer who he believed himself to be, and his journey becomes a search not only for answers but also for meaning. Contact with the ARK, a project that seeks to preserve human consciousness in a virtual world, calls into question the essence of survival.

More than monsters and chases, Soma is a philosophical and disturbing exploration of existence, death, and the future of humanity. The true horror lies in reflecting on what remains of us when everything we know ceases to exist.

The plot of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard introduces Ethan Winters, a man searching for his missing wife, Mia. His investigation leads him to a secluded estate in the American countryside, belonging to the strange Baker family. What begins as a simple search soon turns into a terrifying nightmare when Ethan discovers that the Bakers are possessed by a supernatural force.

While exploring the mansion, Ethan discovers that Mia and the Baker family have been victims of a biological organism known as Eveline, a biological weapon created to manipulate minds and transform people into monstrous beings. Eveline appears in the form of a young girl, but her power is devastating, slowly eroding the sanity of everyone around her.

Ethan's fight isn’t only for his own survival but also for the chance to save Mia and escape the hell he has plunged himself into. The game immerses him in a claustrophobic atmosphere, with dark environments, narrow corridors, and a constant sense of pursuit.

The horror is heightened by the first-person perspective, which puts the player directly in Ethan's shoes, intensifying every scare and confrontation. More than just grotesque monsters, the game explores the horror of loss of identity and mind control. The narrative is as much a story of rescue as it is a struggle against the corruption of body and soul.

In Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the player assumes the role of Daniel, who awakens in a mysterious castle with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Gradually, he uncovers fragments of his identity through notes he left behind, revealing that his amnesia was self-induced to erase terrible acts from his past.

While exploring Brennenburg Castle, Daniel encounters grotesque monsters and supernatural manifestations. The true terror, however, lies not only in the creatures themselves but in the psychological effects of the darkness and the loss of sanity. Each step into dark environments or each encounter with frightening beings deteriorates his mind, creating hallucinations and increasing despair.

The narrative unfolds around the search for the truth: what did Daniel do that was so horrible that he wished to forget? Gradually, the player discovers that he participated in cruel experiments and was complicit in atrocities committed within the castle. This revelation transforms the journey into a confrontation with guilt and the consequences of his actions.

Amnesia redefines horror by stripping the player of their ability to fight, forcing them to hide or flee. The horror is psychological, exploring both human fragility in the face of the unknown and the inner monsters each person carries. In the end, the greatest descent into nightmare occurs within the protagonist's own mind.

Visage transports the player to a cursed house, where tragic events have marked the lives of different families over the years. The protagonist, Dwayne, must explore each room of this dark home, unraveling the mysteries behind the supernatural manifestations that haunt it.

The narrative is divided into chapters that reveal individual stories of people who lived and died in that house. Each of them was consumed by profound trauma, and their pain manifests as terrifying entities that stalk the protagonist. The atmosphere is suffocating, with long, dark corridors and disturbing sounds that heighten the feeling of vulnerability.

More than just scares, the game builds psychological tension. The protagonist has no weapons and relies solely on his sanity, which can deteriorate if he remains in the dark for too long or confronts entities for too long. This system creates a constant cycle of fear, as the mind itself becomes the enemy.

The central mystery involves understanding Dwayne's connection to the spirits, revealing a past marked by guilt and regret. Each piece of history uncovered reveals more about the tragedies that shaped the place, transforming the house into a living character, filled with memories and curses.

Visage is an intense psychological horror experience that challenges the player to confront both the supernatural and the limits of their own sanity.

In The Evil Within, we follow Sebastian Castellanos, a detective called to investigate a massacre at a psychiatric hospital. Upon arriving, he witnesses disturbing scenes and is suddenly drawn into a distorted world ruled by forces beyond human comprehension.

In this universe, reality is constantly altered, and familiar environments transform into grotesque nightmares. Sebastian faces monstrous creatures, deadly traps, and villains who represent different aspects of fear. The most striking of these is Ruvik, a disturbed genius who manipulates the world through STEM, a machine capable of connecting human minds into a single shared reality.

The narrative blends investigation, psychological horror, and graphic violence, keeping the player in a constant state of tension. Each discovery about STEM reveals the depth of Ruvik's madness and the consequences of toying with the human mind.

More than just surviving, Sebastian must fight to preserve his sanity and understand how to escape this nightmare. The plot raises questions about the boundary between reality and illusion, as well as exploring the fragility of the mind in the face of trauma and fear.

The game is an intense journey, where the protagonist faces not only external horrors but also the internal ghosts that torment him. The Evil Within is a dive into the human subconscious, transforming the mind into a battlefield against terror.

The story of The Evil Within 2 delves deeper into the journey of Sebastian Castellanos, now consumed by guilt and grief after losing his daughter Lily in a fire. Years later, he discovers that Lily is still alive, but trapped within the STEM system, a reality constructed by human minds. Determined to save her, Sebastian delves once again into this distorted world, where nightmares become tangible.

In STEM, Sebastian encounters fragmented landscapes, from a seemingly normal city to grotesque dimensions, all shaped by the minds that inhabit the system. Each environment bears the traces of the villains who rule their parts, such as Stefano Valentini, a deranged artist who transforms his victims into macabre "works of art," and Theodore Wallace, a religious manipulator who seeks absolute power within the distorted world.

The narrative is marked by Sebastian's emotional struggle. He faces not only horrific monsters, but also his own fragility, his traumas, and the need to reconnect with Lily. This human side strengthens the plot, transforming the quest into a journey of redemption.

In the end, the story shows that hope and love can survive even the darkest scenarios. The Evil Within 2 blends psychological horror, family drama, and visual nightmares into an intense and memorable narrative.

In Dead Space, we follow Isaac Clarke, an engineer who travels with a team to the USG Ishimura after receiving a distress call. Upon arrival, he discovers that the crew has been brutally massacred and transformed into horrific creatures called necromorphs. Trapped inside the infested ship, Isaac must survive while searching for answers about what really happened there.

The story revolves around the mysterious Marker, an alien relic responsible for the infestation. This artifact emits signals that affect the human mind, driving people insane and transforming corpses into monsters. As Isaac explores the ship, he discovers records of the crew, revealing the psychological degradation and horrors caused by contact with the Marker.

At the same time, Isaac's personal search for his girlfriend, Nicole, who worked on the Ishimura, lends emotional weight to the plot. The mystery surrounding her fate drives an important part of the narrative, culminating in a tragic revelation.

Dead Space's story blends science fiction and cosmic horror, creating a sense of absolute isolation. Isaac's fight isn't just against the necromorphs, but against his own sanity, in a setting where every dark corridor could be the end.

Bloodborne is set in the gothic city of Yharnam, famous for a mysterious blood treatment. The protagonist, known only as the Hunter, arrives in the city searching for a cure but discovers that the place is overrun by a plague that transforms its inhabitants into horrific beasts.

Throughout his journey, the Hunter faces grotesque monsters, crazed inhabitants, and cosmic entities, immersing himself in a world where reality and nightmare blur. What begins as a hunt against beasts quickly transforms into a fight against much greater horrors, linked to ancient, forgotten gods and obscure cults.

The narrative is purposefully fragmented and mysterious. Instead of direct answers, the story is revealed through objects, environments, and fragments of dialogue. Gradually, the player discovers that the blood plague is merely the symptom of a greater evil: the influence of Lovecraftian entities manipulating humanity behind the scenes.

The Hunter's journey is also a descent into insanity. The further he progresses, the more he comes into contact with cosmic truths impossible to comprehend. The game questions the limits of reason and shows how forbidden knowledge can lead to madness.

Bloodborne is, at its core, a story about ambition, faith, and insanity, set in a world where horror is inescapable and the truth can be more terrifying than any monster.

The plot of Silent Hill follows Harry Mason, who travels with his adopted daughter, Cheryl, to the mysterious town of Silent Hill. After a car accident, Harry wakes up alone and realizes that Cheryl has disappeared. Determined to find her, he begins exploring the town, shrouded in thick fog and filled with supernatural horrors.

While searching for clues, Harry discovers that Cheryl is at the center of a macabre ritual conducted by a cult that seeks to summon a demonic entity. The town, filled with grotesque creatures and bizarre transformations, reflects the cult's intentions and the hidden fears of its inhabitants.

The narrative reveals that Cheryl is deeply connected to the entity the cult seeks to bring into the world. This connection pits Harry against time, with each revelation pushing him deeper into the nightmare.

The story of Silent Hill combines a father's journey searching for his daughter with a dive into themes of religion, fear, and psychological trauma. More than monsters, the real terror lies in the suffocating atmosphere and the discovery that the city itself is a manifestation of forces beyond human comprehension.

The story of Silent Hill 2 follows James Sunderland, a man who receives a letter from his wife, Mary, asking him to travel to the town of Silent Hill to find her. The disturbing detail is that Mary has been dead for years, suffering from a terminal illness. Confused but driven by the desire to find her again, James heads to the fog-shrouded town and plunges into a psychological nightmare.

Within Silent Hill, James encounters enigmatic characters, such as Angela, a young woman haunted by family trauma, and Eddie, tormented by bullying and rejection. Each of them faces their own monsters, reflecting internal pain. However, James's horrors are personified in the figure of Pyramid Head, a brutal creature that relentlessly pursues him. This being represents his guilt and repressed desires, becoming one of the series' most enduring icons.

As the plot progresses, James discovers uncomfortable truths about himself. Mary's letter is merely part of an illusion created by the town, which manipulates his memories and feelings. The player is faced with the revelation that James plays a dark role in his wife's fate, confronting the guilt he tries to deny.

Silent Hill 2's narrative is considered one of the most complex and emotional in the genre, exploring themes such as grief, remorse, and the desire for redemption. The town acts as a mirror of James's mind, making his journey an intense experience of psychological horror and self-discovery.

In Outlast, the player takes on the role of Miles Upshur, an investigative journalist who receives an anonymous tip about abuse and illegal experiments at Mount Massive Asylum, an isolated mental institution in the mountains. Armed only with a camera equipped with night vision, Miles decides to investigate and ends up entering one of the most terrifying scenarios ever depicted in a horror game.

While exploring the asylum, he discovers that the patients were subjected to brutal experiments conducted by a mysterious corporation called Murkoff. The tests involved "Project Walrider," a scientific experiment that sought to create a supernatural entity by manipulating the human mind. As a result, the inmates mutated into violent and unstable creatures, wreaking havoc throughout the facility.

The narrative follows Miles as he tries to survive while recording every detail with his camera. The lack of weapons leaves his only option to hide and run, heightening the feeling of vulnerability. As the story unfolds, he discovers that the Walrider is a parasitic entity controlling human hosts, and that Murkoff's project has gone beyond any ethical boundaries.

The horror of Outlast lies not only in the grotesque creatures, but also in the suffocating atmosphere and the constant desperation of being hunted. The plot blends critiques of corporate greed with a delve into the primal fear of being defenseless. The ending makes it clear that, at Mount Massive, there’s no salvation, only the perpetuation of a cycle of terror.

Fatal Frame III: The Tormented tells the story of Rei Kurosawa, a photographer grieving the death of her fiancé in a car accident. Haunted by guilt and grief, she begins to have recurring nightmares, in which she is drawn to a cursed mansion where vengeful spirits roam the halls. These dreams become increasingly real, blurring the lines between the real world and the nightmare.

In the mansion, Rei discovers the power of the Camera Obscura, an artifact capable of capturing and exorcising ghosts through photographs. As she explores the place, she encounters other characters also trapped in the mansion's cycle, including Miku Hinasaki, the protagonist of the first game, who is dealing with her own losses.

The narrative unfolds as a delve into trauma and pain. The mansion is a reflection of the suffering of souls who were unable to move on, and Rei must confront her deepest fears to break the curse. Each ghost encountered carries a tragic story, and the game gives emotional weight to these appearances, making the horror even more impactful.

Rei's journey is, above all, a metaphor for grief and acceptance. The fight against the spirits symbolizes the need to face pain, rather than run from it. Fatal Frame III stands out for its melancholic atmosphere, transforming fear into an experience as emotional as it’s frightening.