Ever wondered what the best horror games on Itch.io are? There are so many to choose from, which is why this feature piece whittles it down to our top choices across a range of horror subgenres.
There are tons of amazing games on Itch.io, so make sure to browse what’s on offer. Did you know that Roblox is a staple in the genre nowadays? Check out our Best Roblox Horror Games feature to discover more.
Best Horror Games On Itch.io
As more games get added to this feature, new categories will appear, making it easier for you to navigate through and find the best games suited for what you’re looking for.
Surreal Horror
Survival Horror
Sci-fi Horror
Nostalgic Horror
Analog Horror
Visual Novels
Pixel Horror
Folk Horror
General Horror
Weekly Highlights
This week’s horror highlights.
CLIMB
I seem to be featuring a lot of games that focus on claustrophobia recently, but you can’t deny that they’re effective.
Whilst on a walk, you fall down a hole. Luckily, there’s some rope, which you quickly clutch onto. When you look down, it’s pitch black, the bottom nowhere in sight. With no way of knowing how far away you are from solid ground, and the light of freedom above, there’s only one way to go.
You’ve got to climb the rope to get out, but the mechanics make it all the more troublesome on purpose. The horror of CLIMB is trying to maintain your grip on the rope, making your way to the top, without knowing what may be hiding beneath.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GOOD
There’s a theory that the world of the living and the dead blur together on Halloween. During your night shift at a roadside minimarket, the theory is proven to be more fact than fiction. Creatures enter the store, and they aren’t looking for Halloween sweets.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GOOD is an atmospheric slow-burn horror, featuring the work tasks you’d expect from working in a minimarket, with a terrifying twist and an ultimate feeling of dread.
The No Jumpscare Show
Even with no jumpscares, the threat of a jumpscare is scary enough. Constantly waiting for something to happen, making you leap out of your seat or shriek in terror.
In the world of the No Jumpscare Show, paranormal activity is the norm. Because of this, the horror genre is pretty dull, as nothing is quite as scary as it should be. Illy wants to experience true horror, so she signs up for a haunted house attraction which promises pure psychological horror and no jumpscares. Can the waiver be trusted, though?
Surreal Horror
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Once a familiar apartment, each door now leads to a new and unknown location. The rooms constantly change, from the lights to the decor and the layout. Wander down unsettling corridors, not knowing what’s coming next. It’s a great demo to try out for those who enjoy the Backrooms.
TunnelHead
You’re trapped in an industrial world, surrounded by rusting metal and darkness. You can almost smell the environment. As you venture through, you need to avoid obstacles at all costs; otherwise, you’ll be reset back to the beginning, making you revisit the horror all over again. Look out for the machines.
FEED THE FISH
You’ve got a pet fish that you need to feed. You notice the fog outside of your trailer is starting to thicken, and it’s turning red. Despite the unsettling vibe outside, your fish still requires feeding. Don’t let it starve.
FEED THE FISH is somewhat of a cosmic horror, preying on the feelings of existential dread. It’s a short game, ramping up the fear in no time. The uncanny faces and entities in FEED THE FISH make for a disturbing atmosphere. Plus, the low-poly CRT graphics never get old, always adding an extra layer of creepiness to any game.
Final Route
Working the night shift, you’re tasked with restoring the power for District 12. The thing about District 12, though, is that it’s a place everybody is afraid to visit. The job still needs doing. As you restore power, try not to alert the terrifyingly giant entity that towers over buildings. With nobody around, it’s bound to sense your presence.
Twin Hotel, Spa and More
You’re an elevator operator, and your entire job takes place within a singular elevator. You do not question where the elevator goes. Every time the doors open, you can’t predict who will be there… or what may be there.
The mechanics are simple, allowing you to focus on the unsettling vibes. Click the elevator button, wait for the doors to open, and so on.
Without a Trace
Unsettling and atmospheric, Without a Trace places you into a nightmare. You play as Alice, and you’re visiting your family cottage to help out with some chores.
Despite the dreamy visuals, something isn’t quite right. Everything is strange. The environments change from familiar to liminal.
Mind the Gap
- For fans of:
- The Exit 8
- The Backrooms
Liminal horror is still going strong, but Mind the Gap is refreshing in the sense that it takes place in London. Based on the London underground, this game features an environment that I’m familiar with, which ultimately adds to the unsettling vibe.
In Mind the Gap, the tube travels through creepy stations that you need to explore, as you search for drawings. As well as these drawings, there are puzzles to complete to progress.
Psalm 2
- For fans of:
- Angels of Death
- Stick with me here, my thought process for choosing this game as a similar title is because of the various differing floors
- Angels of Death
When you hear ‘walking simulator’, you might not think much of it. A lot of people tend to look down on games that use this term; however, look at Death Stranding, an impeccable game that was deemed a ‘walking simulator’. My point is, you shouldn’t write off a game just because you think it’s ‘just about walking’.
Psalm 2 can be classed as a ‘walking simulator’, which is also a first-person horror experience. As the elevator descends, reality shifts, with a new resident on each floor. Sometimes, the resident is hard to find. There’s no pattern to follow.
You cannot descend further until you find that which is trying to remain hidden.
Open Gizmy Zimy
- For fans of:
- Poppy Playtime
- Five Nights at Freddy’s
Combining bright colours and fun shapes with horror is the perfect blend when done right.
You’re stuck inside an abandoned funhouse, and the Comedy Mask King has challenged you to survive four phases. His friends, if you could call them that, are out to get you, and you need to counter them to make it out.
What happens when you fail, though?
The Moth Inside Me
- For fans of:
- Yume Nikki
- Silent Hill
Dreams can be scary, especially when they feel so vivid and realistic. The Moth Inside Me is only a short game, but it takes you on a hazy journey through various rooms, as the protagonist’s confusion grows evermore.
Based on repressed dreams and the feeling of those that recur, The Moth Inside Me makes you question everything around you… and what’s ahead. From the cloudy and fuzzy visuals to the unsettling sound design, get ready for a psychologically thrilling game.
INTROVERT
- For fans of:
- Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk
This monochrome horror takes place inside a house that feels somewhat safe. You feel most comfortable in your room, and you have no reason to go outside. But what happens if you do go outside?
Something in the shadows is watching you… always. This game tackles some psychological topics as well as perfecting the feeling of paranoia.
Anoxia Station
- For fans of:
- Dredge
- Alien’s Dark Descent
It’s 1988, but instead of it being as you’d expect, the world has been plunged into a dystopian nightmare. Anoxia Station is a little different to the other entries in this feature, as it’s a strategy game rather than a first-person experience, third-person survival horror, or visual novel.
Keep your crewmates alive and watch out for anyone acting suspiciously… you can’t trust everyone. With environmental dangers such as magma, dark caves, moon milk, and strange crystals, you must delve into and explore the now unrecognisable terrain.
Whilst the sounds of drilling, construction, and natural elements are unpleasant, nothing is quite like the otherworldly noises that seem to come from the depths.
Bloodbark
- For fans of:
- Darkwood
Taking inspiration from an art piece by Eduardo Valdes-Hevia, Bloodbark sees you cutting down trees that are sought after due to the red wood they provide. They bleed red, hence the name, but that’s not the only thing you should be wary of.
These Bloodbark trees seem to know of your existence, making them somewhat sentient. So, what if trees could think and feel? In this game, the trees want to fight back. Understandably, they don’t want to be cut down and used for their wood.
Wret
Wret feels as if you’re playing the game on an old TV, conjuring up retro vibes that blend perfectly with the abundant cultish slasher vibes.
With the mystery of a ritual, a time frame of five days, and odd beings with skulls for heads that remain still yet watch you, you slowly start to realise that there is no escape from this nightmare.
As time goes on, the house seems to be coming to life.
The Psychological Experiment
You are isolated in an asylum. Hallucinating is a part of daily life, and being far away from civil life takes its toll on you. In The Psychological Experiment, you have to take a test to determine the overall status of your mind.
With this being a psychological horror game, it preys on the feeling of paranoia with an unsettling atmosphere.
Into Solace
You have suffered with blackouts for the entirety of your life. You visit your therapist, whom you’ve been going to for a while, but this appointment is different from the others. In this one, you manage to reveal all of the events that happened whilst you were blacked out.
While you were there physically, your mind was not. However, whilst you’re revealing these events, you also have the chance to reverse what happened. There are puzzles to complete and plenty of choices to make, so that you can change the present, the future, and the past.
A Twisted Place
- For fans of:
- The Cat Lady
Blending a side-view camera, as well as a first-person view, A Twisted Place puts you in the driving seat of an investigation. As you hold a lantern up, you explore the interior of a dark building, and outside is no better. Whilst exploring this building, you come across strange things, including inexplicable entities.
Being locked in a side-view adds to the atmosphere, as you can’t just simply turn the camera around to see what may be lurking. The first-person view forces you to face the horrors directly in front of you.
House in the Woods
Inspired by the Blair Witch Project, the House in the Woods takes you through a dark forest, filled to the brim with strange occurrences, with only your flashlight to show the way. The woods seem endless, but you end up discovering secrets that should be left hidden as you search for your friend.
Whilst enjoying a camping trip, your friend goes missing. So, you take it upon yourself to explore and search for them, finding out that the forest isn’t what it seems.
PULCRA
This horror FPS equips you with a gun that has infinite ammo; however, its reload speed is quite slow, so you have to be tactful with how many shots you take. As you explore the map, you find monstrous entities as you search for the exit out of the literal hellhole. Stylish, creepy, and fun, PULCRA is a short game that’s worth a replay.
Liftwell
A psychological horror experience, Liftwell features a building that is a continuous loop, made from forgotten memories and thoughts. You have no control over the elevator, and it dictates where you go.
As you explore each new area, you need to take note of any differences and any clues that you may find. It all adds up to the potential of discovering the truth.
Butler Guillotine
In this strange hotel, puppets are aplenty. What’s different about this hotel, though, is that these puppets are filled with flesh.
Butler Guillotine is a point-and-click horror game that encourages you to interact with everything available, whether that’s speaking with NPCs or investigating various items and locations.
There are two characters to play as, and it’s up to you to decide which path you want to take them down.
Nyctophobia
While simple, Nyctophobia does a great job at making you feel claustrophobic. Playing as a person who is incredibly terrified of the dark, you find yourself in a tunnel that never seems to end. Walking through various environments, your goal is to make it to the elevator so that you can escape. However, you’re not alone in this tunnel. Whoever it is, don’t let them catch you.
Lurking
Arachnophobia warning! Your spiders escape their tank and have somehow grown into giant, monstrous creatures. They not only escape their tank, but they also make it outside of your home. What will you do now that these mutated arachnids are roaming around each corner? Are they friendly?
If you’ve got a fear of spiders, maybe avoid this one. Or maybe it’ll make the experience even more effective.
OFFLINE
You cannot use your mobile phone, all signal has been blocked. You need to make a call, but with no way to do it, how can you make contact? You’re in a familiar spot in a quiet town, blanketed in snow, with hardly a soul around.
OFFLINE is a short visual novel, but its effectiveness stands out in the way that it makes you feel utter dread. Every corner and every shadow makes you second-guess yourself.
My Paper Forest
The name says it all: the visuals for My Paper Forest genuinely look like you’re walking through a forest of paper. With a mainly monochrome colour palette, with embellishments of red, this largely 2D game is completely hand-drawn.
It’s reminiscent of the classic horror games from back in the day. I’m inclined to reference Slenderman. Overall, there’s an incredibly unsettling atmosphere throughout this title, and the art? Well, it’s certainly creepy.
Dead Faces
Psychological horror games are my favourite, next to survival horror. In Dead Faces, you play as Jack Hallow. He’s experiencing hallucinations, rekindling memories of the past. You’re inside his apartment, but it’s not quite his apartment.
Rotting walls, flickering lights, and terrifying creatures are aplenty. Mirrors wrap their tendrils around you, pulling you into nightmare after nightmare.
As memories are pieced back together, you start to learn more about Jack’s life. And remember… don’t forget their faces.
ON THY KNEES
ON THY KNEES does a great job at making you feel uncomfortable. That’s exactly what I’m looking for when I play a horror game. The crispy, retro graphics and the abundance of red filters make for an interesting premise.
Surrounded by trees, there’s a known commune within the forest. TVs with channels that no longer work and radios that play nothing but static are what this commune seems to worship. Aside from the tasks you must complete, the atmosphere in ON THY KNEES makes it an experience worth trying.
SMILE MORE
You’re a fixer-upper, and that role entrail- I mean, entails performing surgery on the citizens of a REDACTED location. Wounds need to be closed, limbs are broken, and most notably, they aren’t smiling.
Before you finish up, make sure to turn their frown upside down. A mistake here and there can be ignored, but too many may result in the roles being reversed.
Tiny Chills, Not From Ear
Ear horror, never thought I’d be talking about this. Clean people’s ears to find unexplained objects, bugs, and a selection of unnatural things. As you explore ear canals with your professional tools, there’s a sense of dread as you never know what you’re about to come across.
The residents of this town all have one thing in common. They’ve got weird stuff in their ears. Surely this isn’t a coincidence. People are disappearing, the authorities are investigating, but how does this mysteriously link to ear canals?
Not Like Them
After arriving home, you’re surprised to see your parents still awake. You’ve gotten back late, but something doesn’t feel right. The way they look at you is different. Their eyes are soulless.
During the night, you head downstairs after hearing a noise. Peering through the kitchen door, you see something you should have never witnessed.
You have 14 minutes before your parents appear.
Survival Horror
A classic genre! Shoot and attack terrifying enemies whilst you try to survive.
Shunya
Your task is to escape a secret facility whilst simultaneously trying to learn more about the human experiments that have been taking place. You don’t remember much, but that doesn’t matter to the Janitor, who relentlessly pursues you throughout. If you like Outlast, then this game will scratch the itch. The rooms are dark, you feel claustrophobic, and you are never truly alone.
The facility has been abandoned, everything is left in its original place. The Janitor’s job is to get rid of all failed experiments, including you. Find hiding spots, listen out for his movements, and watch every corner.
PHASE ZERO [Demo]
Inspired by the classics of the survival horror genre, PHASE ZERO is perfect for Resident Evil fans like me. Taking place in Flint Peak, monsters crowd the streets and fill buildings. You need to fight your way through multiple chapters, all of which are from the perspective of different characters.
All perspectives add to the story and world as a whole, providing a glimpse into how these characters are trying to survive this ordeal.
The Lost Apartment
Reminiscent of P.T., The Lost Apartment takes place solely in one building. The apartment has been set up to keep you trapped, unbeknownst to you. Each hallway and room is shrouded in darkness, with only your flashlight to help.
Look for clues to help you escape, and in classic survival horror fashion, there are plenty of puzzles to solve. More importantly, creatures are hiding in the corners, so do try to be careful of them.
BURIED BELOW
Watching a tape, you’re forced to revisit a memory.
As a storm brews, you and your girlfriend are on a camping trip. But she disappeared. You decide it’s finally time to delve deeper to find out what happened.
In this survival horror, you need to solve puzzles to gain entry into an abandoned mine, littered with winding tunnels as you descend. The thing is, you’re not alone down there.
Idol of Fear
If you like Fear and Hunger, you’ll like Idol of Fear. Taking inspiration from well-known survival horror titles, this game is reminiscent of the classic RPG Maker games.
It’s set during the medieval era, which isn’t usually used for horror titles, but I’m all here for it. You’re called Elsbeth, and you’re part of a band of knights tasked to collect the Idol of Fear from the catacombs.
Lurking Danger
Lurking Danger is a survival horror game that features a waitress called Elena. The diner she works at is like any other establishment, but a regular suddenly disappears.
Joined by her coworker, Regina, reality starts to shift. Monsters appear, puzzles need to be solved, and you start to uncover secrets that you may have been better off not knowing.
House of Necrosis
- For fans of:
- Resident Evil
- Silent Hill
Inspired by the classics of the Survival Horror genre, House of Necrosis features 32-bit graphics with fixed camera angles, and brings it to the modern world of gaming. Some may prefer the ultra-realistic graphics of newer games, but you can’t deny that there’s something super charming about this nostalgic style.
Wander through the abandoned mansion and strengthen your weapons as you delve deeper into the dark corridors. The mansion seems to never end, and that’s because the map changes each time! This feature keeps it feeling fresh even when you’re high-level.
Endless Blue
- For fans of:
- Metal Gear
- Resident Evil
- Doom
- Parasite Eve
Another Survival Horror title, but with slightly more modern graphics. This sci-fi horror game is reminiscent of past PS1 titles that altered how we see the genre. There are enemies to kill, puzzles to solve, and an overarching storyline that plays out over various cutscenes.
Flesh Made Fear
- For fans of:
- Resident Evil
- Silent Hill
- Left 4 Dead
Step into a world of cults and experiments gone wrong in this survival horror that takes inspiration from PSX. It’s perfect for fans of the classic Resident Evil games, as you set out on a trip with a cast of characters, defeating mutated creations galore.
You are a member of the Reaper Intervention Platoon and your task is to clear out the mutants roaming the once quiet town. You’re looking specifically for someone called ‘The Ripper’…
ANATOMY
In ANATOMY, you have to wander around a lived-in home as you pick up tapes. On paper, it sounds like a lot of other titles, but it’s the overall atmosphere and the feeling the game leaves you with that stand out the most. A constant dread stirs up inside you, preying on your paranoia as every little sound and dark corner makes you feel as if danger is mere feet away.
Unsettling imagery, turning a normal domestic house into something much more sinister, makes this a real treat to play, with multiple endings to unlock.
Sci-Fi Horror
Science fiction and horror work perfectly together.
Foreborn
Technology has advanced enough that unborn children can now decide whether they want to be born or not. To influence their decision, they can go through a simulation of their future. This includes the trauma, the bad experiences, and whatever else their future has in store for them. Foreborn is a true psychological horror
Mermade
If you thought The Little Mermaid was dark at times, then Mermade is a much crueller tale. You take the role of a human who has undergone experiments against your will, removing your legs before attaching a fishtail. You’re trying to escape, but to do so, you need to make it through the facility. The thing is, you’re not the only being who has been experimented on here.
Psychroma
Stylishly dark, Psychroma is a cyberpunk psychological horror set in a haunted house. Engage in memories stored on the cards you collect as you try to unravel the past of the three main characters. Maybe some things should have been left in the dark, though.
Society has had to adapt to survive against the acid rain that pours throughout the unfinished megacity. The sole building is the haunted house the game takes place in. A tall structure acting as somewhat of a home for the outcasts.
Xenologist
You travel across space to find and study aliens. Surely nothing can go wrong, right? Explore unknown planets, with puzzles aplenty, and learn about the various species, some more dangerous than others.
Nothing is 100% secure, so there’s always a chance of something escaping. If you start to hear noises echoing through the corridors of your spaceship, don’t fret too much; the aliens can probably smell your fear.
CORRODE
What happens when flesh merges with advanced technology?
You’re a technician who implants neuro-devices; part of an overarching experiment. The corporate world has taken to experimenting on humans with nightmarish devices.
In any situation, the effects of neuro-devices are unknown and are certainly something out of the sci-fi horror genre.
Dire Echo
Deep into space, you, an astronaut, must head towards a station far, far away. The point of this mission? To deliver data. However, as most missions go, something else comes up that deters you from the main objective.
You must venture to Echo-7 to obtain some important documents. Because of a storm, the vessel has gone radio silent. Nobody can make contact with those on board, but as you enter, you realise that something has gone terribly wrong.
MOONROT
For fans of:
- Iron Lung
- Dead Space (purely because it’s one of thebest space horror games)
A unique entry, to say the least, putting you at the helm of a rover. With the hype of Markiplier’s Iron Lung movie and the resurgence in fans of the original game, I’ve been keeping a lookout for more space horror content. I realised I’d found just what I was looking for when I came across MOONROT.
The Keres-2b moon transmitted an anomaly, and of course, a group of astronomers are keen to find out what it is. You are HOPE, not just in theory, but as a rover with the same name.
Built purposefully for this mission, you need to collect data from Keres-2b to find what may be causing the anomaly. You’re not the strongest rover, after all; you were only built for this expedition. The terrain of this moon is harsh, but with steady travel, you can visit various points of interest.
You have a built-in camera to take photos and the ability to record strange signals. These photos are grainy and can be hard to distinguish, much like in Iron Lung. It’s quiet, it’s lonely, but that doesn’t mean Keres-2b poses no danger to you or mankind.
Nostalgic Horror
Horror games with nostalgic graphics or mechanics.
Clap Clap
- For fans of:
- Chilla’s Art games
- Amnesia
A brand-new home feature that allows you to turn your lights on and off with just two claps has been introduced! No more flicking the switch on the wall, as you can control your indoor lighting no matter where you’re standing.
This isn’t your house, but it is your responsibility to house-sit. After responding to an advertisement in the newspaper, you get the job. Whilst house-sitting, you can wander around the abode to your heart’s content, though I’m not sure what’s living in the walls is happy about it.
Take care of the house by watering plants and cleaning up. With this newfound technological power, surely nothing bad will come from it… right?
Beyond One’s Past
- For fans of:
- Cry of Fear
- Baisu
The snow is falling in Pennsylvania, and as an investigative officer, you’re patrolling the streets of a usually quiet town. Odd occurrences have been dimming the joy of residents, as a strange yet intriguing case unfolds. It’s a psychological horror that takes you down a dangerous path.
Benny Bash
- For fans of:
- Stay Out of the House
Featuring a mixture of pixelated and retro graphics, Benny Bash is a game within a game. You’re in a cabin playing an arcade-style title. Progress through the arcade game to unlock additional puzzles that take place around you. Things get weirder as you go on.
Break away from the screen to interact with objects and furniture around you in the cabin. Be careful, though, as Benny is watching your every move. If you do something he doesn’t approve of, he’ll be on his way.
The Lightkeeper is Gone
- For fans of:
- Dredge
- Fears to Fathom: Ironbark Lookout
Ever seen The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers? Well, you should know that going to a quiet lighthouse in the middle of a treacherous ocean never bodes well. In The Lightkeeper is Gone, you are the new keeper of the structure. The previous person left suddenly, leaving a gap that you have filled.
As you look after the lighthouse by yourself, you have plenty of spare time on your hands to go moseying around. Slowly but surely, you discover clues left by the keeper before you. Don’t forget to turn the light on every evening, though! If you’re a fan of slow burns, this horror title is perfect for you.
Days of Saturn
- For fans of:
- Soul Void
- Cryohazard
The Days of Saturn arrive in 16 days. As an acolyte, you may very well become the Servant of the Mistress. This game is only a short one, but with a mixture of visual novel-esque gameplay, combined with raising the stats of the main character, the eerie tone of this experience is sure to stay with you.
It reminds me of horror titles that I used to watch and play on the Nintendo DS… and even GameBoy – even the Itch.io page for it features a DS! Days of Saturn is a simple yet effective game, created and developed in four days. For those who missed that generation of games, or for those who miss it, Days of Saturn is available to play now.
Curse of the Mantle
- For fans of:
- Days of Saturn
- Play Novel: Silent Hill
- The Mist
As per real-life, “The Curse of the Mantle” was aired on Weird Circle in 1944. Weird Circle was an episodic show that aired between 1943 and 1945. This Gameboy-inspired indie title weaves this story into a retro-style, pixelated game!
In this story, Lady Eleanore obtains a mantle that is cursed, altering herself and those around her. George, her fiancé, warns her that it is all the mantle’s fault and strives to destroy the object. While the game features walking around as you uncover the tale, you must interact with the world around you to delve deeper.
Blood Mall
- For fans of:
- Puppet Combo games
There’s been a massacre at the mall, and it looks like a dinosaur is responsible for it all. The prehistoric creature came out of nowhere, but what exactly happened? How did it appear, and why did it appear in the mall of all places?
Taking inspiration from Puppet Combo, Blood Mall is a horror experience that reminds me of Dead Rising (because of the mall) but combines everything you come to expect from the genre, except with dinosaurs.
Grotesqueresque
This game features 10 scary stories that take you to different locations, with various characters, and a whole load of unsettling vibes. From the forest to Antarctica, there are creepy TV shows, a mysterious cryptid, and the fears that come with insomnia.
Analog Horror
A horror genre that takes normal aspects of our daily lives and twists them into something much more sinister.
REDACT.vhs
You play as Nola, a broke college student who’s hit rock bottom. After receiving an email from an anonymous sender, you’re promised a job offer with a large payout.
This sounds like just what Nola needs, right? The thing is, this job entails watching tapes, hence the found footage inspiration, to detect anomalies. When you find anomalies, redact them immediately.
CAPTCHA.exe
Locked in a room, you’re tasked with completing CAPTCHA tests. We’re all pretty familiar with these, but imagine having to do it as a job; the horror. The unique aspect of this game is that you need to use your real microphone to complete the tests.
Instead of clicking the correct CAPTCHA images, you have to verbally tell the game to prove that you are indeed a human. Over time, the computer starts to glitch, and the usual images change into pictures of locations within the Backrooms. It’s all a test of your psyche.
When the lights go out, don’t make a sound; the entity will find you.
Almost Plastic, Not Even Real
Unsettling imagery is aplenty in Almost Plastic, Not Even Real. It’s a point-and-click short horror experience, blended with aspects of a dungeon crawler, featuring old-school desktop UI.
You have this utter feeling of loneliness and paranoia; the whole thing is unnerving to say the least.
Polaris
Notably taking inspiration from The Thing, Polaris largely takes place on a PC terminal. As a researcher at an arctic outpost, you’re currently all alone, with what was once your crewmates. However, they are no longer your crewmates. In fact, you should stay as far away from them as possible.
The terminal is failing, the heater is starting to break down, and you need to survive.
They Looked Like Us
- For fans of:
- The Mandela Catalogue
- Home Safety Hotline
- Assessment Examination
After watching an emergency broadcast that warns you to remain inside, you close your curtains and turn all of your lights off. All you need to focus on is staying out of sight of ‘them’. If they find you, that’s it.
They Looked Like Us is a short but sweet example of what analogue horror is and how effective it can be. Inspired by the tales of skinwalkers, this game cranks up the paranoia to 100. Even if ‘they’ look normal, ‘they’ aren’t.
NetEscape
In NetEscape, you sit at a PC to play a game of the same name. It’s an MMO from the 90s that has been abandoned, with nobody online except for you… and a few other mysterious players. It used to be a busy hub filled to the brim with players. Now, it resembles liminal spaces, with empty locations and rooms.
You have until midnight to explore NetEscape, granting you a chance to take as many in-game screenshots as possible so that you have a record of what you find. It seems like it used to be a fun game until the horrors started to emerge. It’s up to you to uncover the secret story behind it all. Maybe this online world isn’t as charming as you initially thought…
The Prototype
- For fans of:
- Assessment Examination
- Who’s Lila?
Robots… they’re creepy, right? Well, in this visual novel that takes inspiration from analogue horror, you must interact with a robot as you assess the current model. Aside from the unsettling smile on its face, something else isn’t quite right about it.
Dreader
- For fans of:
- The Scary Maze Game
- Hypnospace Outlaw
- KinitoPET
Remember the scary maze game and how stressful it was? Yeah, think of that, and then play Dreader! It reminds me of the tense mazes that you had to complete before being blasted with loud sounds and a horrifying image.
Drag your mouse through the maze and try not to touch the sides. It’s stormy outside, so amidst the rumbling of your PC, you can hear the howling wind, alongside a view of the dark, cloudy sky outside. Each time you complete a level, you ‘descend’ further.
REPLAY
After picking up a mysterious retro game on your commute home from work, you decide to turn on your TV and start playing once you get back. It’s pitch black in your house, and as you sit down to start the game, you realise the controls are fairly simple and easy to follow.
With nostalgic and familiar mechanics, you find yourself quickly relaxing, but maybe it was a mistake to play this during the nighttime…
Evaluation
- For fans of:
- Maple County
- Mandela Catalogue
- Assessment Examination
- Home Safety Hotline
In Evaluation, you are using an emulator to try out a program that was originally given to members of the Church in the 90s.
This evaluative program was used to test the self-worth and faith of the members. It was also utilised when communicating with spirits. The Vatican then banned the program in 1999.
The emulator isn’t perfect, so you may come across a few issues here and there.
The Deadseat
Ah… long journeys, they can be pretty boring, right? In The Deadseat, you’re in the back of your parents’ car, holding a handheld gaming device, whilst you try to drown out their arguing. Everything starts fairly normal, until the game you’re playing starts to morph into something uncomfortably familiar.
The items you pick up in your handheld game suddenly appear in the backseat next to you. That’s not the only thing that’s trying to enter the car. There’s a monster afoot, but is it stuck in the game, or will it find a way to reach you?
Application Form
In this sci-fi title, you’re a candidate taking a test. What’s the test for? Well, it’s not disclosed. It’s a mysterious government operation, with no further details.
In this test, you must answer all the questions you are faced with. For example, your age range, your blood type, and some rather… odd queries. Will you pass the test?
Phantomware 0
Analogue horror at its finest! You are testing a game for a client that you don’t quite trust.
As you click around on a computer that clearly takes inspiration from Windows XP, and play the game you’ve been tasked with testing, your device starts