The 13 best horror games August 2023

Pack a spare pair of underwear when taking on our list of the best horror games on PS5, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC for you to play.

Best Horror Games: Six and the character can be seen

When it comes to tapping into fear, there are a multitude of IPs vying for the best horror games crown. Maybe you want to take survival horror for a spin and see if you can make it through the night, or perhaps you’re more interested in coming up against psychological blocks keeping a fateful protagonist from their deepest truth.

Either way, our list covers all kinds of horror, sure to keep your palms sweaty and your heart rate high whether you are looking specifically for the best PS5 horror games and best Xbox horror games. When the bloodshed and gore get too much, and you’ve hit your limit on creepy platforming and unfathomable beats, you can always take a break and check out our best RPG games list. However, if you want to keep the adrenaline high in an alternative way, our best racing games list has all the intensity without the monsters.

The best horror games are:

  • Signalis
  • SOMA
  • Resident Evil 4 remake
  • Little Nightmares 2
  • Silent Hill 4: The Room
  • Alan Wake Remastered
  • Alien Isolation
  • Dead Space remake
  • Phasmophobia
  • Inside
  • Darkwood
  • Pathologic 2
  • Prey

Best Horror Games: A figure can be seen

  1. Signalis

For a stunning retrofuturist art style and some intriguing puzzles to boot, look no further than Signalis. Heavily inspired by Silent Hill, Signalis puts you in the body of Elster, a robotic Replika who is on a surreal search for her partner across dank stations full of terrifying, corrupted androids. Full of tense stealthy moments as well as gloriously animated boss battles, Signalis is a psychological horror you can easily sink hours into.

Signalis can be bought on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. It is also available on Game Pass

Best Horror Games: A face and AI can be seen

2. SOMA

If you’re a fan of Frictional Games’ fear-filled storytelling found in the Amnesia series, then the deep sea survival horror story SOMA might be for you. Far beneath the Atlantic Ocean’s surface, you’ll awaken in a lab where things have taken a turn for the extremely creepy. In this dimly-lit subterranean location, robots have gained sentience, and resources are running slim, though that’s only scratching the surface of what problems you will face.

As you delve deeper and start to understand the world around you, you’ll be forced to question if you are who you think you are and what it means to be truly human at all in this psychological horror game that stays with you long after the credits have rolled.

SOMA can be bought on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Best Horror Games: Ashely and Leon can be seen

3. Resident Evil 4 remake

The traditionally infected zombies of Raccoon City could take some cues from the bug-infested human vessels flagrantly roaming throughout Resident Evil 4’s European setting. Reimagined in high fidelity in all its bloody glory, you’ll assume the role of the ultimate himbo Leon S. Kennedy, whose gorgeous blonde locks and muscly arms must find and save the president’s daughter.

To survive and succeed, Leon will need to solve tricky puzzles, fight horrific monsters, and take on the monarch of this cursed town with his new ward Ashley in tow. This remade entry into the Resident Evil series lets you enjoy its classic grotesque world-building alongside heroes and villains, new and old. Just remember to shoot at the lake when you get the chance!

You can check out our review of the Resident Evil 4 remake. The Resident Evil 4 remake can be found on PS5, PS4, Xbox, and PC.

Best Horror Games: Six and the player can be seen

4. Little Nightmares 2

Little Nightmares 2 may lure you in with its sweet, almost claymation Poltergeist imagery and an impressive eerie atmosphere, but it’s sure to keep you there thanks to its clever platforming and haunting monster designs.

In a twisted society tuned into an ominous signal, you’ll need to navigate this changed place, avoiding perilous obstacles along the way in search of the sound’s origins, and whatever darkness is sure to be surrounding it.

Little Nightmares 2 is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Best Horror Games: The main character can be seen

5. Silent Hill 4: The Room

Ever wonder what you’d do if you woke up with a giant hole in your bathroom that led to a haunting alternate reality? Thanks to the fourth installment in the Silent Hill series, you won’t have to ask that question anymore.

In an IP known for tugging on some of humanity’s most unnerving threads, Silent Hill 4: The Room pulls no punches, featuring a new protagonist in the form of Henry Townshend. Like all main characters in the Silent Hill ecosystem, Henry’s past is full of stones to unturn, though you’ll need to explore whatever is on the other side of that hole to find what secrets he’s buried inside. Of course, Henry isn’t the only one hiding things. There are others you’ll seek out whose tumultuous pasts have a bearing on Henry’s future.

Silent Hill 4: The Room is unfortunately only available on PS3, PS2, PC, and the original Xbox.

Best Horror Games: Alan Wake can be seen

6. Alan Wake Remastered

For a survival horror experience full of twists and turns, look no further than the critically-acclaimed Alan Wake Remastered. Set in the sleepy mountain town of Bright Falls, you’ll play as the titular Alan, a tortured author whose wife goes missing under mysterious circumstances. After discovering a horror novel that starts to blend fact and fiction seemingly written by the eponymous author, you’ll be forced to confront harsh truths and even harsher monsters whilst trying to piece together what’s really going on.

After an award-winning initial launch, this remaster features the two-story expansions and beefs up its original plot with some 4K visuals sure to make even the toughest player’s hairs stand on end. Plus, with a sequel on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to get to grips with this supernatural world and its many quirky and fearsome inhabitants.

Alan Wake Remastered is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. You can also pre-order Alan Wake 2 ahead of the Alan Wake 2 release date this October.

Best Horror Games: An alien and a female can be seen

7. Alien Isolation

When regular stealth games get a little too relaxing, try your hand at Alien Isolation, a high-intensity match of hide-and-seek that can end in success or death. Prepare to wear the cargo jumpsuit of Ellen Ripley’s daughter Amanda who, like her mother, is ready to take names and kick some ass. That’s not all, though, as you’ll need to find ways to scavenge, barter, and survive in a spaceship that’s barely hanging on and quickly make your escape before you get caught and turned into Alien chow.

Alien Isolation is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Best Horror Games: Isaac Clark can be seen

8. Dead Space remake

Remastered for your gore viewing pleasure, the Dead Space remake follows the original chilling space survival tale with some stunning and frankly horrifying upgrades to the environments and monsters you’ll be facing.

Step into the shoes of Isaac Clarke, whose simple repair job goes awry when he discovers a necromorph infestation lurking on the Ishimura.. Clarke must seek out his partner Nicole, who is hidden somewhere in the horror show space station ahead, and attempt to escape while he still can. The final frontier has never been so offputting.

The Dead Space Remake is available on PS5, Xbox, and PC. You can read our Dead Space Remake review here.

Best Horror Games: A enemy can be seen

9. Phasmophobia

If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry when taking on Kinetic Games’ humorously terrifying ghost-hunting multiplayer game. For a fear factor you can share with those close to you, Phasmophobia is the best of the best, offering up a four-person online multiplayer experience where you’ll be tasked with taking on a wide range of undead wanderers in ghoulish locations.

With a plethora of difficulty customization options and plenty of roles and foes to pick from, Phasmophobia would make for a bone-chilling introduction to the psychological horror genre.

Phasmophobia is available now on PC. The Phasmophobia Xbox, PS5, and PSVR release date is set for August.

Best Horror Games: A player can be seen looking at a human

10. Inside

BATFA award-winning indie horror game Inside is sure to send chills down your spine. Engage with some truly unnerving environments as the young nameless protagonist solves head-scratching puzzles in order to make his way to an evil aura that is mysteriously summoning him forward.

Equal parts creepy and stunning, Inside will sneak up on you and dig its claws in with an unsettling soundscape and plenty of striking vistas.

Inside is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Best Horror Games: A dark figure can be seen

11. Darkwood

You’d think that a first-person perspective is the best way to get involved in horror. However, Acid Wizard Studio’s Darkwood still manages to summon incredible amounts of dread even from its top-down perspective.

A mysterious woodland is crawling with all manner of odd creatures and survivors, but a discerning friend from foe is something you’ll have to figure out for yourself. To make it through, you’ll need to scavenge the environments and fortify a bunker to keep yourself safe. It’s important to watch the clock, though, because as night falls, a new evil emerges, one you won’t want to wrestle with.

Darkwood is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Best Horror Games: Multiple figures can be seen

12. Pathologic 2

Open-world RPGs are the perfect setting to seek out your own frights, and Pathologic 2 is happy to let you do so. Set over a 12-day period, you’ll need to do your best to coordinate not only your time but your bodily functions, too, as survival hinges on your ability to, well, stay alive.

The plague you’re seeking to destroy can’t be reasoned with, so it’ll be up to you to earn the resources to ensure your survival, whether that’s by friendly means or bloody ones. Keep your wits about you and follow your gut, as everyone in the world has an agenda of some sort.

Pathologic 2 is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Best Horror Games: The player can be seen

13. Prey

Humanity would honestly be so much better off if scientists stopped experimenting wildly in space. However, if that were true, we might not have Arkane Studios’ magnificent immersive sim, Prey.

Set on the moon-orbiting Talos 1 Space Station, you find yourself hunted by ruthless entities thirsting for blood. With the help of your guns, wits, and even some psychic powers, you must outsmart the hunters and save what’s left of this cursed spacecraft before it’s too late.

Prey is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. You can also grab it with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

And with that, this is our full list of the best horror games available to play right now. Whether you’re using a PS5, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC (phew), we have hopefully helped find your next terrifying endeavor into the truly bone-chilling world of horror games. And, if you are looking for more great games, check out our lists of the best PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, and best Nintendo Switch games available now.