Best Horror Games of 2024/2025

The horror gaming landscape has experienced a remarkable renaissance in 2024, with critically acclaimed remakes, innovative indie titles, and the return of beloved franchises creating one of the strongest years for the genre in recent memory. From psychological terror aboard doomed space freighters to cosmic dread on North Sea oil rigs, developers have pushed creative boundaries while honouring classic horror traditions.

The standout trend of 2024 has been the successful marriage of nostalgic appreciation with modern innovation. Silent Hill 2 Remake leads the pack with its masterful psychological horror, earning 86 on Metacritic and selling over 2 million copies while sweeping the Horror Game Awards. Meanwhile, indie darling Mouthwashing proved that low-poly aesthetics and compelling narratives can compete with AAA productions, achieving 96% positive reviews on Steam and viral social media success. The year showcased everything from multiplayer survival horror to historical WWI terror, offering experiences for every type of horror fan across all major platforms.

Top 10 Horror Games of 2024/25

1. Silent Hill 2 Remake

Release Date: October 8, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC (Windows), Xbox Series X/S (after 12-month exclusivity)
Developer/Publisher: Bloober Team / Konami Digital Entertainment
Story: James Sunderland receives a letter from his deceased wife Mary, drawing him to the fog-shrouded town of Silent Hill where psychological manifestations of guilt and grief await
Horror Type: Psychological survival horror with cosmic/existential elements
Critical Reception: Metacritic score of 86, swept Horror Game Awards 2024 with 4 wins from 8 nominations. Praised as one of the best remakes ever made, modernizing gameplay while preserving the original’s psychological depth

2. Mouthwashing

Release Date: September 26, 2024
Platforms: PC (Steam), PS5/Xbox Series X/S/Nintendo Switch (2025)
Developer/Publisher: Wrong Organ / Critical Reflex
Story: The crew of a doomed space freighter faces psychological breakdown through surreal, non-linear flashbacks exploring themes of responsibility and trauma
Horror Type: Psychological horror with body horror elements, PS1-inspired aesthetics
Critical Reception: Overwhelmingly Positive (96% on Steam with 27,000+ reviews), nominated for Game of the Year at 2024 Indie Game Awards, over 500,000 copies sold

3. Still Wakes the Deep

Release Date: June 18, 2024
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (Game Pass day one)
Developer/Publisher: The Chinese Room / Secret Mode
Story: Scottish electrician Cameron “Caz” McLeary trapped on North Sea oil rig Beira D in 1975 after drilling awakens an otherworldly entity
Horror Type: First-person cosmic/environmental horror with no combat mechanics
Critical Reception: Won Best Technical Achievement and Best Indie Horror Game at 2024 Horror Game Awards. Praised for authentic Scottish voice acting and oil rig setting creating “The Thing on an oil rig” atmosphere

4. Fear the Spotlight

Release Date: October 22, 2024
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Developer/Publisher: Cozy Game Pals / Blumhouse Games
Story: Two teenage girls perform a séance in their high school that unleashes supernatural horror in this 90s-inspired teen horror adventure
Horror Type: Coming-of-age psychological horror with PS1-era aesthetics
Critical Reception: Overwhelmingly Positive (97% on Steam), called “the best indie horror game of the year” by multiple outlets. Blumhouse’s first video game publishing venture proves successful

5. Crow Country

Release Date: May 9, 2024 (PC/consoles), October 16, 2024 (Nintendo Switch)
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Developer/Publisher: SFB Games (Snipperclips creators)
Story: Special agent Mara Forest investigates an abandoned 1990 theme park, uncovering dark secrets while solving puzzles and fighting monsters
Horror Type: Classic survival horror homage with PS1-style visuals
Critical Reception: Overwhelmingly Positive (98% on Steam), surpassed 100,000 copies sold. Features both traditional survival mode and exploration mode for newcomers

6. The Outlast Trials

Release Date: May 5, 2024 (full release after early access)
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Developer/Publisher: Red Barrels
Story: Set in 1959 Cold War era, players are test subjects in Murkoff Corporation’s twisted psychological experiments, supporting 1-4 player co-op
Horror Type: First-person psychological survival horror with multiplayer elements
Critical Reception: Very Positive (93% on Steam), praised for successfully adapting single-player horror to multiplayer while maintaining atmosphere. Over 1.5 million copies sold

7. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Release Date: May 21, 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC (Windows), PlayStation 5 (summer 2025)
Developer/Publisher: Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios
Story: 9th century Iceland setting follows Celtic warrior Senua battling Viking invaders while struggling with psychosis and hallucinations
Horror Type: Psychological action-adventure horror with dark fantasy elements
Critical Reception: Praised for stunning visuals, audio design, and mental health representation. Available on Game Pass from launch

8. Conscript

Release Date: July 23, 2024
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer/Publisher: Jordan Mochi (solo developer) / Team17
Story: Experience the Battle of Verdun in WWI through the eyes of a French soldier, where mundane wartime threats create genuine terror
Horror Type: Historical psychological horror with PS1-style visuals
Critical Reception: Positive reviews for authentic WWI atmosphere and unique approach to horror through historical realism rather than supernatural elements

9. Pacific Drive

Release Date: February 22, 2024
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Developer/Publisher: Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive
Story: Explore a supernatural Pacific Northwest exclusion zone in a 1970s station wagon, maintaining your vehicle while avoiding anomalous threats
Horror Type: Survival horror roguelike with driving mechanics
Critical Reception: Strong reviews for innovative blend of car maintenance survival and supernatural horror elements

10. Until Dawn Remake

Release Date: October 4, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC (Windows)
Developer/Publisher: Ballistic Moon / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Story: Eight friends return to an isolated mountain lodge one year after two sisters disappeared, facing wendigo creatures through choice-based gameplay
Horror Type: Interactive narrative survival horror
Critical Reception: Mixed reviews (69 OpenCritic), praised for Unreal Engine 5 visual improvements but criticized for performance issues and $60 price point

Special Mentions

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Release Date: November 20, 2024
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S (PlayStation after 3-month exclusivity)
Developer/Publisher: GSC Game World
Story: Open-world survival in post-apocalyptic Chornobyl Exclusion Zone featuring mutants, anomalies, and hostile factions
Horror Type: Survival horror with FPS elements
Critical Reception: Mixed due to technical issues, but praised for atmosphere and faithful continuation of beloved series. Available on Game Pass

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club

Release Date: August 29, 2024
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (exclusive)
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo
Story: Visual novel mystery following detectives investigating murders connected to an urban legend about a killer who strangles victims with paper bags
Horror Type: Mystery thriller with horror elements
Critical Reception: Notable as Nintendo’s first M-rated internally developed game, praised for mature storytelling and atmospheric tension

Horror gaming enters a new golden age

The 2024 horror gaming landscape reveals several transformative trends reshaping the genre. PS1-era aesthetics have proven commercially viable, with titles like Mouthwashing and Fear the Spotlight demonstrating that compelling narratives and atmosphere trump photorealistic graphics. The success of remakes, particularly Silent Hill 2, shows strong appetite for modernized classics that respect source material while improving accessibility. Multiplayer horror has matured significantly, with The Outlast Trials proving co-op experiences can maintain tension effectively. Perhaps most notably, the diversity of horror subgenres—from historical WWI terror to cosmic oil rig nightmares—indicates developers are confidently exploring beyond traditional haunted houses and zombies, creating richer, more varied horror experiences that appeal to broader audiences while maintaining genre authenticity.