10 Best Scary Horror PC Games to Play

Our top picks for the best horror PC games are Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Alien: Isolation, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The full list of 10 covers first-person survival horror, stealth, puzzle-platform scares, and retro pixel art. All 10 games run on Windows PCs. Check each game’s age rating before you play, because many horror titles carry mature ratings.

Some games on this list are not suitable for younger players. Check each game’s ESRB rating before anyone plays, especially titles rated M for Mature.

Horror PC Games at a Glance

Types of PC Horror Games

This list is not all-inclusive, but we think these 10 games show the range of what PC horror offers. Most fall into one of three styles:

• Survival horror - you manage limited resources while threats close in
• Stealth and evasion - you hide, run, or avoid danger instead of fighting
• Psychological horror - sanity, memory, and perception drive the tension

The 10 Best Horror Games for PC

1. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - first-person survival horror

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is Capcom’s 2017 entry and the first main Resident Evil game played from a first-person view. You play Ethan Winters, who searches for his long-missing wife in a derelict Louisiana plantation occupied by an infected family. Expect puzzles, tight exploration, and fights you will not always want to start. [1]

2. Outlast 2 - first-person psychological survival horror

Outlast 2 comes from Red Barrels and follows cameraman Blake Langermann. He and his wife, Lynn, a journalist, investigate the murder of a pregnant woman in northern Arizona. A helicopter crash separates them, and Blake must find Lynn while traveling through a village inhabited by a deranged cult. His camcorder’s night vision is his main tool. [2]

3. Alien: Isolation - first-person survival horror

Alien: Isolation is Creative Assembly’s 2014 game, set 15 years after the original 1979 Alien film. You play engineer Amanda Ripley, who investigates the disappearance of her mother, Ellen Ripley, aboard the Sevastopol space station. A rampant alien creature is on the loose, and the station is falling apart. [3]

4. SOMA - first-person survival horror

SOMA is Frictional Games’ 2015 release, built around psychological horror. It takes place in 2104 at PATHOS-II, an underwater research facility where machines have begun to develop human characteristics. You progress through exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth instead of combat. [4]

5. Amnesia: The Dark Descent - first-person survival horror adventure

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a 2010 game from Frictional Games. You play Daniel, who wakes with almost no memory in Castle Brennenburg in 1839. He must keep his sanity while avoiding monsters and solving puzzles. [5]

6. The Evil Within - third-person survival horror

The Evil Within is a 2014 game from Tango Gameworks, directed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. Detective Sebastian Castellanos investigates a mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital, and the case turns into a nightmare. Combat is part of the mix, so you will fight, hide, and manage supplies. [6]

7. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - first-person survival horror

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth came to Xbox in 2005 and Windows in 2006. Headfirst Productions reimagined H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 novella The Shadow over Innsmouth for the game. Early play centers on unarmed escape, evasion, and investigation. [7]

8. Little Nightmares - puzzle-platform horror adventure

Little Nightmares is a puzzle-platform horror adventure from Tarsier Studios, released in April 2017. You play Six, a hungry little girl who must escape the Maw, an underwater vessel inhabited by monstrous beings. It is a different kind of scare than the first-person games above. [8]

9. FAITH: The Unholy Trinity - retro-style survival horror

FAITH: The Unholy Trinity collects three chapters of Airdorf Games’ horror series, and the first chapter launched in October 2017. Its graphics resemble early 1980s computer games. You play priest John Ward, who returns to a Connecticut house to finish a botched exorcism, and your main weapon is a crucifix. [9]

10. We Happy Few - first-person action-adventure with stealth and survival

We Happy Few is a first-person game from Compulsion Games with stealth and survival elements. It reached full release in August 2018, after an early access version in 2016. You try to escape the village of Wellington Wells, where most citizens take Joy, a pill that helps them forget the past. [10]

Gear That Makes Horror Games Scarier

Sound does a lot of the work in horror. We recommend a gaming headset so you can pick up footsteps, breathing, and distant noises before they find you. Our guide to [LINK: Tech Takes article on best gaming headsets] covers what to look for.

A sharp display and a dark room help too. If you want a PC made for gaming, browse [LINK: HP OMEN gaming laptops in the HP store] or read [LINK: Tech Takes article on best gaming laptops] to compare options.

How to Check If Your PC Can Run a Horror Game

• Open the game’s store page and find the system requirements
• Compare the minimum and recommended specs with your processor, graphics card, memory, and storage
• Open the Performance tab in Windows Task Manager to see your PC’s specs
• Aim for the recommended specs if you want smoother play

Horror PC Games FAQ

What are the best horror games for PC?

The best horror games for PC include Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Alien: Isolation, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, SOMA, and Outlast 2. Each game offers a different style of fear, from first-person survival horror to psychological dread.

Which horror PC games have little or no combat?

Frictional Games, the studio behind SOMA and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, specializes in survival horror games with very little or no combat. In both games, players progress by exploring, hiding from threats, and solving puzzles. [11]

Which horror games on PC use a first-person view?

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the first main Resident Evil game played from a first-person view. Alien: Isolation, SOMA, Outlast 2, and We Happy Few also play from a first-person view.

How can I tell if my PC can run a horror game?

Compare the game’s minimum and recommended system requirements with the PC’s processor, graphics card, memory, and storage. The requirements appear on the game’s store page, and Windows Task Manager shows the specs of the PC.

Are horror PC games suitable for kids?

Not always. Many horror games carry mature age ratings, so check the ESRB rating on the game’s store page before anyone plays, especially for titles rated M for Mature.

Sources

1. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - Wikipedia
2. Outlast 2 - Wikipedia
3. Alien: Isolation - Wikipedia
4. Soma (video game) - Wikipedia
5. Amnesia: The Dark Descent - Wikipedia
6. The Evil Within - Wikipedia
7. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - Wikipedia
8. Little Nightmares - Wikipedia
9. Faith: The Unholy Trinity - Wikipedia
10. We Happy Few - Wikipedia
11. Frictional Games - Wikipedia