The best horror games for Xbox Series X

Capcom has put in serious work to perfect the Resident Evil formula, and few of the titles have benefited as much as Village, a tightly focused RE game set in a gothic town filled with a wide variety of monsters and machinations. You play Ethan Winters, who explores and unlocks the village while running from — and eventually facing down — a number of terrifying enemies inspired by ancient horror tropes (plus, of course, the towering Lady Dimitrescu). The Series X does a particularly great job of running the ray tracing around Village while still ensuring 60fps. Gamers who like action with their horror will certainly want to try Village, even if it’s been a while since you’ve dipped your toes into the Resident Evil series.

This Outbreak sequel is Series X enhanced and ready for a buddy! It’s a co-op survival horror game centering on a scary nighttime zombie experience. There’s some Left 4 Dead in it, certainly, but with a variety of interesting twists:  You only get one life per playthrough, so scrounging for supplies and staying hidden is vital to success. Many missions include tense, timed activities where death is always just around the corner. The shadowy environments are also creepy in a way few recent zombie games have been — and horror is always more fun when you can bring friends along, too.

“The virus won” is a key tagline for Dying Light 2: Everyone is either a feral human doing whatever it takes to survive, or a zombie waiting for nightfall to start chewing on anyone unable to defend themselves. You play Aiden Caldwell, someone whose current immunity to the virus gives him an extra edge when surviving — and the potential to lead humans to a new future. Now it’s time to pick a side.