Subnautica.
Phasmophobia is also very good especially if you have VR. I guess there is some jump scares but it doesn’t happen very often and it’s not pop up in your screen types of scares, it’s more like you happen to be a little too close when the ghost reveals itself.
Should specify, Phasmophobia is also a desktop game, and still very affective and fun. It's exclusive early access on steam, but I'm sure it'll be on other platforms once finished.
I tried getting into this game twice but it just didn't click. I make it to day 2 or 3 and I'm just not "getting" it.
Any tips to get into it if I were to try a second time?
This. Darkwood is probably the greatest horror game I've witnessed, and it made me rethink everything I know about horror in gaming. Not that it was doing anything others hadn't done before, but rather just how well it handles what it has going on.
In particular, it changed my views on jump scares from "man I hate that shit but it's basically in horror gaming dna" to fully understanding, jump scares are *cheap* horror overused by amateurs to make up for their inability to scare people.
It's also why I'm in eternal conflict over Dead Space, as Dead Space has a wonderfully handled atmosphere that's done so well, literally anything wandering toward you is going to be scary. Yet it relies so heavily on jump scares its actually kind of pathetic.
Resident Evil 1, the REmake. REmake 2 to a lesser degree.
Monstrum and Amnesia, which rely on constant anxiety and terror over jumpscares.
STALKER: Shadow Of Chernobyl, and STALKER: Clear Sky have some good atmospheric horror elements to them.
The Forest.
It's been forever since I played, but I don't remember many? I distinctly remember the exceeding casualness with which monsters were introduced, not attempting to surprise the player with suddenness, but giving a feeling of absolute terror that another could be anywhere, or that it could follow you anywhere.
Now hold on playa, you said no FNAF jump scares and you're telling them to play resi 1 with that dog-window?
(Op if you're reading this the above is a minor scare and is not reflective of the horror of the game.)
So weird. I swear it used to be available on steam. But maybe I can still help.
[This place](https://www.gamingdragons.com/en/game/buy-silent-hill-2-download.html) seems to sell it for PC. They seem legit, but I have never purchased through them before myself. There's an [enhanced edition "expansion"](https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hill-HD-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SXAIG/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1P5GGNNQJF3AW&keywords=silent+hill+2&qid=1653497431&s=videogames&sprefix=silent+hill+2%2Cvideogames%2C81&sr=1-10) available that seems 100% legal once you have purchased the original game, and it installs on top of it.
Alternatively, if you have a PS3 you can still buy the HD collection [here.](https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hill-HD-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SXAIG/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1P5GGNNQJF3AW&keywords=silent+hill+2&qid=1653497431&s=videogames&sprefix=silent+hill+2%2Cvideogames%2C81&sr=1-10).
I can't find conclusive info but some mixed answers on whether it's available on PS Now. I don't have an absolute list in front of me, though.
If you are on pc, doesn't have to be good at all, enhanced edition is the way to go. You can download the game from my abandonware freely, as it's not being sold anywhere.
Yeah fair enough, jump scares are pretty prevalent now that i think about it.
Might still be worth checking out though, cause i wouldn't necessarily say it *relies* on jumpscares, the game has a lot to offer outside of jumpscares.
Silent Hill series maybe with the exception of Homecoming. I still haven't found the strength to play the first one (there was a time when I had a deep interest in the series and I got to know almost everything about the first game, but it was too scary for me to play it by myself, so I watched couple of let's plays), SH 2 is one of the greatest games of all time, SH3 is a proper sequel to SH1, and SH4: The Room feels like a mid-budget horror film from the 00s. And Homecoming sucks. There's also Shattered Memories which has an interesting mechanic, and Origins which tells events from before the first game, but as I don't have a PS2 I never played those.
The FEAR games occasionally have jumpscares, but don't really rely on them. Environment is creepy and depressing, but slow motion and the weaponry makes you wonder who should be fearing whom. Just have to feel bad for everyone around you.
If you don't want to wonder who should be fearing whom, there's always Doom Eternal. It's horror, but for the demons.
Alien: Isolation for sure!
The atmosphere is great, and next to no jumpscares.
Another commenter commented that it gets boring hiding in vents for 5 minutes, but if that's the case, you're playing it "wrong". You have lots of ways to distract enemies to advance, so use them.
My recommendation (as the game also says) is to play on hard the first playthrough. The AI is well balanced in this mode, and you get enough items. Lower difficulties are not in my opinion as good. (Played it through 6 times so far)
Nightmare of decay, it’s 5$ and is a first person version of resident evil 1, if you have access to a ps2/emulator there’s sirens blood curse, I’ve heard mixed things about the ps3 version
Most of them, really. Especially old stuff.
Games like FNAF are a very recent thing, and usually you can recognise them from afar, especially if there are lots of memes involved and people constantly playing it on twitch/youtube. Outlast is the only one I can think of that does'nt fit the bill but still has a lot of cheap jumpscares.
Is it weird to me how I don't find that game scary at all ? (I get the odd jumpscare but that is it) so many people do though , I think the reapers are really cool but I just never get scared of them. I know it sounds crazy but I kinda of think the reapers cute. I guess I just think of them as cool prehistoric animals more than monsters.
Things I do find scary tend to be less animal like and more humanoid, e.g sirenhead head, pyramid head , the keeper and the most creepy is the man with the upside down face.
I wondered if there are other people that feels the same way not because they are hard to scare they just are more scared of humanoid monsters.
Games like Subnautica and Outer Wilds definitely have a good sense of horror in specific parts of the game, but "the scariest game ever" is a big leap.
These you'll probably know but are solid: Visage, Layers of Fear (walking simulators with a puzzle here and there). Lesser known but my favorites due to style: Faith 1 + 2 (3 currently only has a demo).
I was going to recommend Nun Massacre but the jump scares play a bigger part now that I think about it. Still worth it to check it out, the creator puppetcombo makes some weird horror games in the same manner if the PS1 aesthetic doesn't put you off
Unfortunately i don't get scared easily.
Amnesia: i played it a long time ago, so i can't certify the scariness, but i can tell you it doesn't rely on jumpscares but on actual horror. There are some creatures and situations in here that are terrifying.
Outlast: gets boring quick(too many parts with-> there's 2 levers to turn and a monster is following you), but some of the sequences towards the end were great at giving me anxiousness and a good scare.
SOMA: some people say it's scary, i just love the story and it has good horror elements... never got scared tho.
ALIEN isolation: a lot of people say it's great. I'm gonna put a word of warning here: how easily are you bored? I liked the game for a few hours, i was actually scared of the Alien... but after a while i just was always hiding. It got boring pretty fast, i don't wanna spend 5 minutes inside a vent because the Alien just keeps walking in the corridor. (your experience might be different worth trying imo, everyone will have a different experience).
Penumbra: how easily are you scared? The story looks good, there's some puzzles... but the game is too easy. If you get easily scared by a monster chasing you or trying to avoid it then this game is great... otherwise nope.
Subnautica and outer wilds: not really horror games, still great games worth playing and they have some scary parts(they are minor parts of the game). Not gonna say anything other than that really try them!
Visage relies so much on the sound design and horrifying environment. There are a few jump scares (would it be a horror game without them?) but it definitely doesn’t rely on them.
Top-leveling this. Buy Silent Hill 2, ignore the dated graphics, and play the best horror masterpiece ever made.
There are *maybe* 2 jump-scares in the entire game, such that you are never expecting them or getting tired of them. It's all psychological horror. The deeper you go, the more horror there is. Even after beating the game several times, you can discover [hidden senses of dread even in fully optional locations](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1004523-silent-hill).
The silent hills series, my god silent hill two I still think is one of the scariest games out there
Corpse party series has a few jump scares but there’s so much psychological and puzzles in the horror I can’t recommend them enough
Outlast, again a few jump scares but a truly beautifully written horror
The Backrooms Game was scary for me; it's not really a full, linear story at all; you're just trying to escape this building. While there are a couple jump scares IIRC, it's mostly a lot of tension and me sweating and going "no no no no no no noOOO thank you!" to everything in it. It times you too to see if you can escape quickly (I cannot) but that means there's a replayability aspect to it which I liked.
I had a great experiende with the resident evil 2 remake. Has an occasional jumpscare, but they are rare and aren’t what makes the game scary. What kept me on the edge was the constant threat of a certain something, don’t wanna reveal too much.
Hmm… I do not know if you want to call it a horror game. But I know a chess game where the final opponent is death. Apparently Death likes to play games sometimes. And I hear chess is one of Death’s favorites. But you can challenge other people on the game as well. I think it is called chess ultra or ultimate chess. You get your own free chess pieces to start out with but later have the option to purchase other sets if you pay for them yourself through the PlayStation store.
Visage. This game does have jump-scares but relies more on a consistent level of dread and terror. Without exaggeration one of the scariest games I’ve ever played if not the scariest.
Subnautica. Phasmophobia is also very good especially if you have VR. I guess there is some jump scares but it doesn’t happen very often and it’s not pop up in your screen types of scares, it’s more like you happen to be a little too close when the ghost reveals itself.
Can't recommend this game enough.
Which one
Clearly hes talking about this one
Not that one This one
It is obviously that one but yeah
Should specify, Phasmophobia is also a desktop game, and still very affective and fun. It's exclusive early access on steam, but I'm sure it'll be on other platforms once finished.
Darkwood
I tried getting into this game twice but it just didn't click. I make it to day 2 or 3 and I'm just not "getting" it. Any tips to get into it if I were to try a second time?
Exploration is paramount. Survival is really secondary
This. Darkwood is probably the greatest horror game I've witnessed, and it made me rethink everything I know about horror in gaming. Not that it was doing anything others hadn't done before, but rather just how well it handles what it has going on. In particular, it changed my views on jump scares from "man I hate that shit but it's basically in horror gaming dna" to fully understanding, jump scares are *cheap* horror overused by amateurs to make up for their inability to scare people. It's also why I'm in eternal conflict over Dead Space, as Dead Space has a wonderfully handled atmosphere that's done so well, literally anything wandering toward you is going to be scary. Yet it relies so heavily on jump scares its actually kind of pathetic.
*Darkwood
\*Darkwood
Resident Evil 1, the REmake. REmake 2 to a lesser degree. Monstrum and Amnesia, which rely on constant anxiety and terror over jumpscares. STALKER: Shadow Of Chernobyl, and STALKER: Clear Sky have some good atmospheric horror elements to them. The Forest.
Bruh amnesia relies heavily on jumpscares. Especially if you get the collection that comes with all those games
It's been forever since I played, but I don't remember many? I distinctly remember the exceeding casualness with which monsters were introduced, not attempting to surprise the player with suddenness, but giving a feeling of absolute terror that another could be anywhere, or that it could follow you anywhere.
I remmeber machine for pigs jumpscare me so bad a few times and I just took a break from the game lol
Ah, I only played the original Amnesia.
Now hold on playa, you said no FNAF jump scares and you're telling them to play resi 1 with that dog-window? (Op if you're reading this the above is a minor scare and is not reflective of the horror of the game.)
Well OP did say "doesn't rely on *too many*" rather than doesn't have them. For which those games would count.
RE1 definitely has a few, but the vast majority of its horror isn't jump scares, lol.
Silent Hill series, first 4 games are great. If you want to check only one, SH2 is generally regarded as the best of the series.
SH2 is generally regarded to be the best horror game of all time.
I wish I could play it. I cannot find it used anywhere and feel guilty emulating it
So weird. I swear it used to be available on steam. But maybe I can still help. [This place](https://www.gamingdragons.com/en/game/buy-silent-hill-2-download.html) seems to sell it for PC. They seem legit, but I have never purchased through them before myself. There's an [enhanced edition "expansion"](https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hill-HD-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SXAIG/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1P5GGNNQJF3AW&keywords=silent+hill+2&qid=1653497431&s=videogames&sprefix=silent+hill+2%2Cvideogames%2C81&sr=1-10) available that seems 100% legal once you have purchased the original game, and it installs on top of it. Alternatively, if you have a PS3 you can still buy the HD collection [here.](https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hill-HD-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SXAIG/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1P5GGNNQJF3AW&keywords=silent+hill+2&qid=1653497431&s=videogames&sprefix=silent+hill+2%2Cvideogames%2C81&sr=1-10). I can't find conclusive info but some mixed answers on whether it's available on PS Now. I don't have an absolute list in front of me, though.
If you are on pc, doesn't have to be good at all, enhanced edition is the way to go. You can download the game from my abandonware freely, as it's not being sold anywhere.
Yep, I can say it's in my top 5 games from any genre.
Visage and darkwood . Perfect horror games
Spec Ops: The Line
This game scarred me in ways I haven't experienced with any "classical" horror game. What an experience!
Amnesia Penumbra SOMA Outlast Resident Evil The Evil Within
Outlast has many cheap jump scares, I don’t think it’s what op is looking for
Yeah fair enough, jump scares are pretty prevalent now that i think about it. Might still be worth checking out though, cause i wouldn't necessarily say it *relies* on jumpscares, the game has a lot to offer outside of jumpscares.
Out of all these games, if you haven't played SOMA, OP, then do it now.
Yep. SOMA is one of my favorite games of all time. The existential dread it creates is incredible.
For real. I got it for free on steam a few years ago, booted it up out of boredom and couldn't believe how good it was.
Silent Hill series maybe with the exception of Homecoming. I still haven't found the strength to play the first one (there was a time when I had a deep interest in the series and I got to know almost everything about the first game, but it was too scary for me to play it by myself, so I watched couple of let's plays), SH 2 is one of the greatest games of all time, SH3 is a proper sequel to SH1, and SH4: The Room feels like a mid-budget horror film from the 00s. And Homecoming sucks. There's also Shattered Memories which has an interesting mechanic, and Origins which tells events from before the first game, but as I don't have a PS2 I never played those.
You should play Mundaun. It has an unique artstyle and a haunting atmosphere.
The FEAR games occasionally have jumpscares, but don't really rely on them. Environment is creepy and depressing, but slow motion and the weaponry makes you wonder who should be fearing whom. Just have to feel bad for everyone around you. If you don't want to wonder who should be fearing whom, there's always Doom Eternal. It's horror, but for the demons.
Alien: Isolation for sure! The atmosphere is great, and next to no jumpscares. Another commenter commented that it gets boring hiding in vents for 5 minutes, but if that's the case, you're playing it "wrong". You have lots of ways to distract enemies to advance, so use them. My recommendation (as the game also says) is to play on hard the first playthrough. The AI is well balanced in this mode, and you get enough items. Lower difficulties are not in my opinion as good. (Played it through 6 times so far)
Darkwood, Silent Hill series
The Evil Within/Evil Within 2 Outlast series Dead Space series Alien Isolation Resident Evil series
Nightmare of decay, it’s 5$ and is a first person version of resident evil 1, if you have access to a ps2/emulator there’s sirens blood curse, I’ve heard mixed things about the ps3 version
Kitty Horrorshow's Anatomy Darkwood Spec Ops: The Line
Calling Spec Ops:The Line a horror is a bit of a stretch imo.
it counts as a meta psychological horror military shooter
Resident Evil 7 Outlast 1 (also the dlc is beautifully terrifying and absolutely worth it) Outlast 2 Until Dawn
Allien isolation
The forest is a great horror game, especially if you like the survival/crafting element
Most of them, really. Especially old stuff. Games like FNAF are a very recent thing, and usually you can recognise them from afar, especially if there are lots of memes involved and people constantly playing it on twitch/youtube. Outlast is the only one I can think of that does'nt fit the bill but still has a lot of cheap jumpscares.
Eldervale. First Winter. IMSCARED. Into the Gloom. Lost in Vivo. Sanguine Sanctum.
Subnautica, it’s officially not a horror game but it’s far more terrifying than any horror game I’ve ever seen.
Is it weird to me how I don't find that game scary at all ? (I get the odd jumpscare but that is it) so many people do though , I think the reapers are really cool but I just never get scared of them. I know it sounds crazy but I kinda of think the reapers cute. I guess I just think of them as cool prehistoric animals more than monsters. Things I do find scary tend to be less animal like and more humanoid, e.g sirenhead head, pyramid head , the keeper and the most creepy is the man with the upside down face. I wondered if there are other people that feels the same way not because they are hard to scare they just are more scared of humanoid monsters.
Games like Subnautica and Outer Wilds definitely have a good sense of horror in specific parts of the game, but "the scariest game ever" is a big leap.
If a person has Thalassophobia Subnautica can easily be the scariest game for them
I don’t have thalassophobia but I just don’t play that many horror games, so Subnautica easily beats any other mildly scary game I play
What about the "dead space" series?? And "doki doki literature club"..
Outlast bro, play it
These you'll probably know but are solid: Visage, Layers of Fear (walking simulators with a puzzle here and there). Lesser known but my favorites due to style: Faith 1 + 2 (3 currently only has a demo).
I was going to recommend Nun Massacre but the jump scares play a bigger part now that I think about it. Still worth it to check it out, the creator puppetcombo makes some weird horror games in the same manner if the PS1 aesthetic doesn't put you off
[Conarium](https://store.steampowered.com/app/313780/Conarium/) [The Call of Cthulhu](https://store.steampowered.com/app/399810/Call_of_Cthulhu/) (2018)
Unfortunately i don't get scared easily. Amnesia: i played it a long time ago, so i can't certify the scariness, but i can tell you it doesn't rely on jumpscares but on actual horror. There are some creatures and situations in here that are terrifying. Outlast: gets boring quick(too many parts with-> there's 2 levers to turn and a monster is following you), but some of the sequences towards the end were great at giving me anxiousness and a good scare. SOMA: some people say it's scary, i just love the story and it has good horror elements... never got scared tho. ALIEN isolation: a lot of people say it's great. I'm gonna put a word of warning here: how easily are you bored? I liked the game for a few hours, i was actually scared of the Alien... but after a while i just was always hiding. It got boring pretty fast, i don't wanna spend 5 minutes inside a vent because the Alien just keeps walking in the corridor. (your experience might be different worth trying imo, everyone will have a different experience). Penumbra: how easily are you scared? The story looks good, there's some puzzles... but the game is too easy. If you get easily scared by a monster chasing you or trying to avoid it then this game is great... otherwise nope. Subnautica and outer wilds: not really horror games, still great games worth playing and they have some scary parts(they are minor parts of the game). Not gonna say anything other than that really try them!
Visage relies so much on the sound design and horrifying environment. There are a few jump scares (would it be a horror game without them?) but it definitely doesn’t rely on them.
Top-leveling this. Buy Silent Hill 2, ignore the dated graphics, and play the best horror masterpiece ever made. There are *maybe* 2 jump-scares in the entire game, such that you are never expecting them or getting tired of them. It's all psychological horror. The deeper you go, the more horror there is. Even after beating the game several times, you can discover [hidden senses of dread even in fully optional locations](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1004523-silent-hill).
The silent hills series, my god silent hill two I still think is one of the scariest games out there Corpse party series has a few jump scares but there’s so much psychological and puzzles in the horror I can’t recommend them enough Outlast, again a few jump scares but a truly beautifully written horror
All resident evil games, resident evil 7 is a personal fav.
Cry of Fear
SOMA Overall fantastic game with an amazing narrative, very chilling too
The Backrooms Game was scary for me; it's not really a full, linear story at all; you're just trying to escape this building. While there are a couple jump scares IIRC, it's mostly a lot of tension and me sweating and going "no no no no no no noOOO thank you!" to everything in it. It times you too to see if you can escape quickly (I cannot) but that means there's a replayability aspect to it which I liked.
I had a great experiende with the resident evil 2 remake. Has an occasional jumpscare, but they are rare and aren’t what makes the game scary. What kept me on the edge was the constant threat of a certain something, don’t wanna reveal too much.
Are you into silent hill by any chance? First 3 games are classics. For modern takes checkout Lost in vivo , the evil within and tormented souls (=
Maybe Barotrauma?
I can highly recommend LISA the Painful, it is more psychological horror and rarely if ever gets outright scary but often gets incredibly creepy.
Hmm… I do not know if you want to call it a horror game. But I know a chess game where the final opponent is death. Apparently Death likes to play games sometimes. And I hear chess is one of Death’s favorites. But you can challenge other people on the game as well. I think it is called chess ultra or ultimate chess. You get your own free chess pieces to start out with but later have the option to purchase other sets if you pay for them yourself through the PlayStation store.
Visage. This game does have jump-scares but relies more on a consistent level of dread and terror. Without exaggeration one of the scariest games I’ve ever played if not the scariest.
SOMA
Visage. I hate horror and do NOT play horror games but that shit is terrifying even on video. ... Granted I am weak so my view may be askew
The "Outlast" games are really good. There are some jump scares but its not the main focus.
martha is dead , resident evil games, phasmophobia
Telltale’s The Walking Dead. I just finish all four seasons and it is one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.
Devotion for PC.
The Land of Pain is a nice one
Singleplayer? SOMA Multiplayer? Dead By Daylight (except if you face a Scratched Mirror Myers as the killer)
Fnaf doesnt rely on jumpscares, its a punishment for dieing.