A horror game is a video game genre centered on horror fiction and typically designed to scare the player. Unlike most other video game genres, which are classified by their gameplay, horror games usually rely on narrative or visual presentation and use a variety of gameplay types.
In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the 10 best horror games to play in 2023.
1. Dead Space Remake (2023)
EA Motive's Dead Space Remake is phenomenal. This remake adds extra side missions, stunning visual enhancements, and impressive sound design, providing a true current-gen experience while the core gameplay stays true to the original game. It's a mix of nostalgia and freshness that targets both OG fans and new players. The game provides a jaw-dropping cinematic experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat until it ends.
Dead Space Remake gave me goosebumps from time to time with its next-level immersion. The overall feel of the game is fantastic and it is very well polished at launch, which is very rare these days, so that's a plus.
2. Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is a masterful blend of horror and action that immerses you in a terrifyingly realistic world. The graphics are stunning, with intricate details and a haunting atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat even though the locals change throughout. The story is gripping and full of twists, and the gameplay is brutally honest.
Each of the characters is well-developed, and the voice acting is top-notch. You can't miss this if you're a fan of the series, or just looking for the most realistic and polished horror experience you can find.
3. Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is an Indie online co-op game that has achieved the extraordinary feat of mainstream popularity. Through incredibly finite resources, the developer, Kinetic Games has managed to lovingly craft a game with a simple but very effective premise - interactive ghost hunting that is both capricious, quirky, and spooky. It is designed to be played with friends and can create some truly memorable experiences.
I'd say this is horror done right. There are no cheap jumpscares and the map is genuinely creepy and has a dark atmosphere. Additionally, the game is actually much scarier when you play it alone.
4. Resident Evil 4 (2023)
Resident Evil 4, arguably the best game in the RE franchise, is getting a remake this year. Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City. Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors, tracks the president's kidnapped daughter to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals.
For a game that was made in 2005, the graphics were great, the story itself is so appealing and even after finishing it on my PS2, X-Box 360, and mobile, I still want to play it again and again. The atmosphere compliments the story, bringing out that dark, scary aspect of Survival Horror games, the boss battles and small cut scenes make it even more intense and help keep you interested throughout the entire game.
5. Alien Isolation
Alien Isolation is long but entertaining throughout for those who enjoy being hunted: having to rely on sound and hiding spots, learning the enemies' patterns, keeping quiet at all times, exploring various areas and using the various resources at your disposal. This gameplay loop almost never gets old in my experience. It kept me on the edge of my seat with a lot of close calls and I really enjoy and eventually, you receive ways to fight off the xenomorph.
Additionally, Alien Isolation also has plenty of lore to find for those that are interested in the franchise.
6. The Last of Us Part I
The Last of Us Part I, one of the biggest and most critically acclaimed zombie game, is getting a PC release this year. This is yet another remake of the PS3 original, with improved graphics.
In a ravaged civilization, where infected and hardened survivors run rampant, Joel, a weary protagonist, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a military quarantine zone. However, what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey.
7. SOMA
This game was absolutely amazing. Had me on the edge of my seat and couldn't step away from my screen until I had finished. The balance between the horror and the overall story created an unforgettable experience. An experience where I was either trembling in fear or on the verge of tears.
SOMA will ask you some pretty interesting questions regarding life, consciousness, purpose, euthanasia, and the afterlife - in some incredibly morose ways.
8. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia is an old school horror experience where it is what you can't quite see that terrifies you more than what you can see. It puts you on the edge of madness and terror and keeps you there without ever pushing you to the point where it because mundane.
No game I have ever played has used darkness so effectively. It is both your best friend and greatest enemy at the same time. It will hide you from the terrors, but it will expose you to the insanity brewing in your own mind.
9. System Shock 2
System Shock 2 is a first-person shooting game that incorporates role-playing system elements, also survival horror at its best. The setting of the game is in a starship when an infection begins and devastated the ship, so as a lone survivor, you have to progress through the ship levels to try to survive.
The best part of the game is its awesome dark atmosphere that keeps you on your toes because enemies are always near you and you can't feel safe.
10. Outlast
This was probably the most fun I've had playing a horror game in a good while, which surprised me because I really wasn't expecting much out of this one. Jump scares are definitely not the only things that will give you the chills, this game has a strong atmosphere, and lurking around to avoid being seen by enemies can be some of the creepiest parts of the game, and can be terrifying when you're being chased.
The game also has enough meat to it to put all of its mechanics to good use without ever feeling underplayed or gimmicky. I also feel that the game does a good job of making you care about the main character's well-being, he goes through so much crap in this game that it makes it all the more motivating to keep going and see what happens next. I won't say more, overall I highly recommend this to horror fans, it's pretty awesome.
>>> Read more: 4 Games Like Cyberpunk 2077 For Action RPG Enthusiast