While accused by some of being a walking simulator – which considering how many of the best horror games have received the same criticism should perhaps be considered a badge of honour – it has a lot more going on than first meets the eye much like the mysterious painting at the centre of its narrative. The notion of the tortured artist has rarely been as disturbing, or less romantic, as it is in Layers of Fear.

Like many of the best horror games, SOMA will plague your mind long after you have finished playing it. By the end of your adventure you won’t be able to tell up from down, or even alive from dead. It’s the sort of game that gets inside your head and then starts to slowly squeeze. You play as Simon, a young man who has recently experienced significant trauma to his head, but little else in SOMA is straightforward. The fact that most of the story takes place in PATHOS-II, a damaged underwater research station on the bottom of the ocean, only adds to the list of trigger warnings. SOMA explores the fascinating relationship between technology and humanity, focusing on the existential horror that comes when the line that divides them begins to blur. It also has a wonderful array of weapons to dispatch them with. It has all sorts of beasts: werewolves, madmen, giant spiders, you name it. The game starts with you waking up in an abandoned health clinic and, after a famously quick and grisly first death, never really lets up. The game’s seamless combination of gothic and cosmic horror works extremely well, almost guaranteeing that horror fans will find something to their taste. And in my opinion, it’s one of the scariest games on this list.ĭarkwood is available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, and Mac.īloodborne is a hellish journey through cursed lands, with a mystery so wretched at its heart that it will make your skin crawl. It’s what makes it one of the best horror games to come out in years. The tension this dynamic creates, and the fear of what may be lurking just out of sight, is critical to Darkwood’s success. Because at night, terrible creatures will come looking for you. So starts the nerve-wracking process of gathering supplies and exploring during the day, and trying to secure your home at night.

Darkwood doesn’t hold your hand, or give much direction in general, other than to tell you that you must escape the forest. The game starts in a twisted forest that has been cut off from the rest of the world. This little indie game is inspired by Polish folklore and feels a lot like a dream – until it begins to transform into a horrifying nightmare.

Resident Evil 7 is available for PS4 (including PSVR), Xbox One, Switch, PC and Game Pass.ĭarkwood is a truly horrifying experience that is a lot scarier than it initially looks.

Best free to play horror games