Best horror games to play right now

The best horror games aren’t just a testament to the genre’s greats, but a sprawling host of living nightmares to experience through the cracks between your fingers. Horror is all about creeping immersion, whether through complex worldbuilding, fearsome foes, or memorable intrepid heroes, and the very best of the best horror games feature all of the above. With razor-sharp combat mechanics – or an inventive lack thereof – to boot, each one is a bastion of quality and ingenuity that represents the genre at its terrifying finest.With so many delectable offerings on the table, though, you might be stuck on where to start – or where to turn next. Lucky for you, this list compiles the very best horror games from across the genre’s storied history, each laying in wait to give you the fright of a lifetime. From creepy indies to the blockbuster hits of the Resident Evil timeline, there’s something below to suit all with a taste for the terrifying. We’ve included a fair spread of the subgenres to help you make up your mind; the best survival horror games are known for their scarce ammo and need for strict inventory management, for example, while the likes of Amnesia: Rebirth, Still Wakes the Deep, and Outlast will render you scared, alone, and utterly defenceless in the dark.But even the best horror games are a living, breathing entity – just like this list. With even more chills and thrills awaiting you in all the upcoming horror games on the way in 2025, now’s as good a time as any to clear that backlog and dig into the demonic delights of titans new and old. Whatever you do, though…don’t look behind you. I’ll be right back…Recent updatesThis bumper list of the best horror games was updated on December 24, 2024, ensuring we’ve included nothing but the grisliest, nastiest gems of the genre. You’ve been warned.The 25 best horror games of all time, starting with…25. The Mortuary Assistant Developer: Dark Stone DigitalPlatforms: Nintendo Switch, PCPicture it: it’s your first day of your new job at River Fields Mortuary. You’re going about your day, happily embalming the dearly departed on your gurney, when you see an ominous woman in white staring back at you from the end of the long, long corridor toward the morgue. Whispering fills your ears, and when you look back at the table, the body is gone. This is just one of many procedurally-generated moments in The Mortuary Assistant, a horror game that places a scalpel in your hand and a demon in your soul as you fight to exorcise it before you become fully possessed.24. Returnal Developer: HousemarquePlatform: PS5This might not seem like an obvious scary game but there’s a strong vein of cosmic horror running through everything Returnal does. This time looping roguelike is littered with Lovecraftian alien ruins, wrong-shaped monsters, and a terror that comes from trying not to die every 10 minutes. I get that it’s a big ask to try this as it is all abouOnline Bettingt trying to fight through waves of monsters and impossible feeling boss fights. But there’s a great atmosphere to it all and a disturbing story that gradually unfolds as you piece together the past and your place in it.Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

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