Amnesia is one of those games that set a trend and created a sub-genre. When it comes to horror, this is the game that most people think of when the horror game makes you feel completely defenseless. Amnesia is also a game that plays around with your senses and never lets you feel like you’ve reached a moment in which you are completely safe.
Many games tried to recreate that feeling that the Amnesia series brought for the first time to those who played it, feeling scared, defenseless, and yet having to be brave to find a solution. Those are all elements that were made famous by Amnesia, but there are great games out there that provide a similar experience.
15 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The Resident Evil series had pretty much lost its identity following the release of the sixth game. This changed with the advent of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which is one of the best horror games ever made.
The fact that many people consider this title to be the scariest Resident Evil game speaks volumes when it comes to how beloved the game really is. The story of Ethan Winters is a chilling one that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the end of this unforgettable experience.
14 P.T.
It’s a shame that playing P.T. is such a chore in modern times. You need to either have downloaded and kept the game on your PS4, or hack your console in a bid to download this stellar horror title.
P.T. was essentially a playable teaser to market a new Silent Hill game by Konami and Hideo Kojima that never saw the light of day after their fallout. The game got you stuck in a looping apartment which you had to escape while being haunted by a tormented spirit.
13 Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is one of the more innovative horror games around. Most would assume that playing a horror game with friends would make the experience less scary, but Phasmophobia works against this principle brilliantly.
You and a group of friends take on the role of ghost hunters and explore various haunted mansions. Communication becomes more fraught when you are separated from the others, with the ghost attacking people one at a time as you try and decipher its identity and weaknesses.
12 Slender: The Eight Pages
The Slender Man is one of the most legendary horror figures in gaming history, with Slender: The Eight Pages establishing this character as one of the scariest figures around. Slender wasted no time in letting you know just how scary and ominous his presence really was.
Seeking out the eight pages becomes extremely stressful with the Slender Man hunting you with more ferociousness at every opportunity. Slender: The Eight Pages is a game that horror fans should definitely check out, especially since this game blew up around the same time as Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
11 Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned: Criminal Origins is an excellent horror game with great hand-to-hand combat. Dealing with the many disturbed people in the game and punching their lights out is both challenging and entertaining.
It helps that the atmosphere of the game is also pretty oppressive in its own right. Fans of the Amnesia games who want a way to defend themselves from the enemies that attack them will have a great time playing Condemned: Criminal Origins.
10 Penumbra: Overture
This is an old Survival Game developed by Frictional Games e published by Paradox Interactive in 2007. Like Amnesia, it is a first-person survival horror that focuses on solving issues and puzzles ahead instead of adding action elements and gore to the game.
This game was very well received by fans of the genre and hasn’t aged terribly. For those of you who are looking for a constant feeling of tension and some puzzle-solving that often demands out-of-the-box thinking, Penumbra: Overture might be an excellent choice.
9 Layers Of Fear
This is a psychological horror game that was developed by Bloober Team and published by Aspyr Media. Layers of Fear put you in the shoes of a painter trying to finish his work. The game’s setting might not feel familiar, but it is a good game to check for those who are Amnesia fans.
This game is also known for being quite psychedelic. There are so many weird things ready to give you headaches and jump scares while you get confused by everything that is going on. It’s an amazing, scary title that focuses on storytelling and exploration.
8 Darkness Within
Darkness Within is the perfect game for those of you who like horror but do not like jump-scares. It has all that Lovecraftian horror atmosphere with constant tension and mystery without trying to make your heart stop with sudden loud noises.
The game does throw a good amount of classic Cosmic-Horror-style beasts and somber moments at you, though. It is not meant to make you suddenly yell, but the game tries its best to keep the tension and the scary vibes in a style that is very familiar to anyone who has read Lovecraft’s stories.
7 Call Of Cthulhu
Lovecraft has presented fans of horror with an amazing sub-genre that has so much to offer. Lovecraft’s stories have been constantly inspiring new movies and series but there is so much that he has written that could be used in games and movies.
Call of Cthulhu is such a well-done game and it captures the essence of cosmic horror better than most games and movies that tried to achieve it. This game was criticized for being short even though it has about 14 hours of gameplay. Perhaps it was called short because it was too good and nobody wanted it to end.
6 Alien: Isolation
One of the hardest survival horror games out there. In Alien: Isolation, you play Amanda Ripley, who is the daughter of the known protagonist from the Alien movies. The game takes a while to start and make justice to its name. However, things get real super fast since the first time you see the Xenomorph.
Alien: Isolation does have some combat mechanics, but it mostly focuses on problem-solving and puzzles. The catch is that you have to accomplish all objectives in the game while fighting synthetics along the way as you’re worrying about the Xenomorph showing up. Since the Alien cannot be killed, the tension never goes away.
5 Visage
A psychological horror that keeps you tense throughout the whole journey. Like Amnesia, you do not have any way to defend yourself. It doesn’t seem all that scary at first, but things start to change after a while.
The game has jump scares that are nearly impossible to predict. That is because reality will start bending and things will become always weird, scary, and unpredictable. The jump scares are not many, but you won’t see them coming. Visage is currently considered to be one of the best horror games according to Metacritic.
4 Outlast
In this game, you play as a reporter who breaks into a mental facility to investigate what is going on after receiving an anonymous tip. This is another first-person survival horror in which you cannot fight back at all. There is some exploring, a lot of running, and a lot of hiding.
The game does have a gimmick regarding dark areas, though. Miles Upshur, the main character of Outlast, is always carrying his camera. This gives you a way to see when they are in really dark areas by using the Camera’s Night Vision. Do remember that you can run out of battery, though.
3 SOMA
This game was made by the same team who made Amnesia, so it is a must. It is a game that has received overwhelmingly positive responses from fans and is also a game that was critically acclaimed. These are two solid reasons that can easily convince you to buy the game immediately.
SOMA is a game about existential questions and the meaning of being human. It is not a puzzle game that is constantly trying to scare you but it’s okay. It is an amazing game nonetheless.
2 Monstrum
This is another horror game that leaves you defenseless and running away from the monster while executing a series of problem-solving challenges and puzzles. In this game, you just need to find a way to escape from this seemingly deserted ship.
Monstrum brings a twist to the genre. There are three different ways to escape, but the map is always randomly generated and you only have a single life to finish the game. No playthrough is the same and, since the map always changes, no playthrough is calm and simple.
1 The Beast Inside
In this game, you have to figure out a murder that happened a long time ago. This game has a very interesting gimmick in which you control two different characters. The characters are both in the same house, but they are in different timelines.
The game is focused on problem-solving and exploration. In its essence, it is a psychological horror with way too many jumpscares. This is one of the most interesting games of this sub-genre due to this movie-like storytelling style with twists and reviews in two different periods of time at once.
NEXT: Tame Horror Games For Easily-Scared Players
