The best horror games of all time

From Frictional Games, the team behind the Penumbra series, 2010 indie darling Amnesia: The Dark Descent expanded on the company’s unique brand of first-person horror adventures and created something of a phenomenon among horror game developers and indie game fans. Set in 1839, a young Londoner named Daniel awakens in Prussia’s Brennenburg Castle. He’s confused, not knowing anything but his name and that he is desperately on the run from something that is hunting him. His lack of memories, according to a note he wrote himself, was self-imposed for his own good. So begins the winding adventure that twists and turns with every room Daniel visits in the sprawling castle. Along the way, Daniel runs into utterly menacing creatures called gatherers, who, like many horror game oddities, were previously human. Daniel can only run or hide from these nefarious beings. There’s danger lurking everywhere, but Amnesia tends to save its most startling scares for when you think you’re safe. Unraveling the mystery of Daniel’s past and the castle itself is a journey that will keep you up late at night — and perhaps even after you’ve exited the game. The sequel, made by a different developer, was unfortunately unable to capture what made this game so horrifying.

The Silent Hill franchise sits alongside Resident Evil as a pioneer of the genre. While the first three Silent Hill games could all be considered horror classics, Silent Hill 2 edges out the others for a spot on our list. Though it isn’t a direct successor to the original, Silent Hill 2 returns to the eponymous dreary town. James Sunderland’s wife died three years ago — at least, that’s what he thought. After receiving a letter asking him to come to meet her in their special spot (Silent Hill), he embarks on a journey that takes many unsettling turns. (Notice how the setup mirrors that of Resident Evil 7). As James navigates through the town, Silent Hill quickly becomes a maddening dreamscape filled with monsters and eerie disturbances. What makes the Silent Hill games stand out, and particularly Silent Hill 2, are the psychological elements designed to mess with the player’s mind. Quite often, what James sees is merely a manifestation of his crumbling subconscious. And while all of the games on this list are worthy of being played more than once, Silent Hill 2 has a bevy of underlying themes, references to literature and film, and enough subtext to make your second playthrough even better than the first.

P.T. (Playable Teaser) is one of the most fascinating games in existence. In fact, as the name suggests, it’s not really a full game, but rather a demo for what was revealed to be Silent Hills. It was to be directed by Metal Gear’s Hideo Kojima and popular horror filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro, but you didn’t know that until the end of the demo. Ultimately, it never came to be, due to a dispute between Konami and Kojima, who later went on to form Kojima Productions. Let’s set the stage for how P.T. rolled out and what it could have been. P.T. was originally a free download on PS4 because a no-name developer called 7780s Studio had created it. The entire game takes place in a house, and the gameplay consists of you looping around throughout its hallways, with subtle differences that appear with every lap. It’s presented in first-person and includes super obscure puzzles, including one that you had to speak into a microphone to solve. Everyone was talking about this game, and there was even an online community for sharing game tips. The entire time, a creepy ghost named Lisa is on your tail, waiting to pop out and scare you.  Solving the game’s extensive puzzles rewards you with a nice payoff: the reveal that P.T. is really a disguised Silent Hill game. Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead, who also starred in Kojima’s Death Stranding, stars in this game, directed by Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. P.T.’s unique design has made history, thanks to one of the most viral and creative marketing campaigns ever created. An organic buzz about the challenging game spread through word of mouth so quickly that the company didn’t have to spend any money on advertising. You can’t download P.T. from the PlayStation store anymore since the company delisted it. You can find fan-made recreations online, but unless you downloaded the game in 2014, there’s no way to get the official version. The lack of access adds a layer of mystery to the game’s intriguing story. However, if you want to see what it’s like, you can find playthrough videos online.