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Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason

Outer Wilds

Now, I'll start by saying this isn't a scary game. It's not a horror but an action adventure with no combat. You're stuck in a time loop tasked with solving the mystery of your impending doom before resetting right back to the beginning, only armed with the knowledge you've gathered.

It's a beautiful game that I believe everyone should play, but it does tap into a fear I never knew I had. Exploring the depths of space without any knowledge of what's out there and nothing to defend yourself against aggressive entities unsettles me more than any other game has.

It particularly hit me when I visited a planet full of hurricanes. The forces of nature chucking me around as if I'm nothing evoked a Lovecraftian sense of cosmic horror, even if that was never the intention.

I never did crack the code of why it bothers me so much, but I could only ever play the game in small stints at a time. Too long, and I'd sieze up with full-body pins and needles. Perhaps it's related to a form of thalassophobia in its vast emptiness. All I can say is that the sustained level of tension I feel when playing it is way more scary to me than the jumpscares I've experienced in the likes of Alien Isolation.

Boomer's avatar
BoomerMod
Damien Mason

Outer Wilds is easily my favourite game, but I don't know many people that have played it.

For anyone thinking of playing it, try to go in with as little knowledge as possible.

The best and worst part is never being able to play it again, so not I just watch streamers going through their first run.

I think of it as a roguelike cosy game with feelings of environmental and existential horror.

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
Boomer

Yes, exactly! It's that existential horror that forced me to keep playthroughs as small as possible. I guess the benefit there is that it made the game last longer. I've tried explicitly to keep information to a minimum because it's important to go in blind.

L
Laser-Bicep

Resident evil 7 in vr. It was literally the scariest game I've ever played. It was so bad I had to watch ahead and make a friend play the scary parts .

Second is alien isolation. Vr would have killed me off. But was enough running and hiding in lockers

EveOnlineTutorials's avatar
EveOnlineTutorials

Eve Online

Let me set this scene...

Response force is formed up, the Titan pilots (myself included) are sat at P.O.S awaiting orders, and our FC is also awaiting orders from the Supreme fleet commander.

Orders come to move away from the shield and be ready, sub-commanders are given orders to warp fleets to Titans, and a fleet of Tengus led by a command ship lands next to me.

Things are tense, commands are telling people to stop moving, we are waiting for the enemy fleet to escalate, and we've already sent a few carriers, to lure them into an all-out capital fight. Our orders are simple, bridge but do not jump unless ordered.

My tension level is rising, as with large-scale PvP my hands are shaking and my heart rate is up, with fights like this, so much can go wrong.

Orders come, bridge, bridge, I click... I jump...

I land in the middle of a massive fight underway, comms are "Hungo has jumped, Hungo has jumped" - SFC is not amused, I tell him it's a mistake, I am now scared shitless, BoB does not suffer errors lightly, my presence in my 90+ Bil Avatar with full officer fit, is a signal to enemy forces, cynos go down, Titans begin to drop, I am targetted. My fear level is now VERY high, my SFC does not suffer Titan losses due to stupidity.

Shields are dropping fast, SFC is calling for Dreads/Carrier and Capital Logi to undock, warp and jump, all fleets are on the field, I am now down to half armour, a private chat opens, I am warned, if I go down, I am done, chat closes.

Local is rapidly escalating. Three logi caps land next to me and start repping me, I am good, our Fc's start calling, we start decimating the enemy fleet.

For me, as a long-standing FC & member of BoB for over 8 years, my stupidity could have cost me everything, that was about as scary as it gets for me. BoB was my home.

Stella's avatar
Stella

Sounds lame but dead by daylight. I was playing it home alone at 4am. I had just started playing the game so didn't know some killers had no terror heartbeat thing so you can't hear them getting close. Out of nowhere I'm being snatched up and it really made me jump!!

Jenna 's avatar
Jenna
Stella

let me guess, ghostface?

Stella's avatar
Stella
Jenna

yup hehehe - i did let out a little squeak but i would never admit that irl hehe

Horror and Cats's avatar
Horror and Cats

https://youtu.be/rIx2z_Z6Kss?si=82GQF4UGlmxyIAHk

Just so happened to discuss the only game which made me quit due to fear (Alien Isolation) and what moment did it on my channel about a week ago, so this is perfect.

Key discussion points:

  • Living alone at the time

  • Huge Alien series fan

  • Feeling actually ill from fear

Jenna 's avatar
Jenna

ooo this is a good one! Mine would have to be my experience with Green Hell. If you’ve played it, you can probably guess what happened. But omg, the fear and anxiety this game gave me was crazy. Being in a survival situation and hearing in the distance, quiet growls of a jaguar waiting to pounce you. This game truly is hell. Being able to hear it, but not see it is what got me. Tensed up, looking every direction. The audio quality in the game is terrifying as well. The growls are SO scary. Literally gave me chills anytime I would hear it.

Philip's avatar
Philip

This may seem like a jokey response, but Pokemon Go.

My wife had been cooking in the kitchen and went to visit her sister and drop some food off, along with our daughter.

I was home alone and 10 minutes after my wife left I spotted the silhouette of a Nidoking in the nearby list on Pokemon Go. I decided to nip out of the house and go for a walk to catch it.

I came home 15 minutes later and the house was on fire!

As I approach the house I hear a smoke alarm, I walk faster and then run when I realised it's my house. I unlock the door saying 'shit shit shit' while smoke is coming out through the gap at the top of the door.

I open the door and smoke billows out, it's all dark, smoke alarm is making a huge racket and I can hear the flames.

I rush in and find the kitchen on fire, I turn off the gas, but the saucepans are blazing away, fire is licking the cabinetry and the rangehood steel mesh has dropped and melted.

After freaking out and panicking a bit, I manage to put out the fire. Water on an oil fire causes a woosh, but it's all I had and so I kept on chucking water till it went out.

We had emergency services come around, and the whole neighbourhood came out to watch the free show.

It was all because of a pot left with the heat on, there was oil in the pot from frying up spring rolls. When I was home and when I left I didn't notice a thing. But it only took the 15 minutes I was out for this fire to start, burn half the kitchen and cause smoke damage throughout the house.

This was a super scary experience and It was a result of playing Pokemon Go.

Luckily insurance covered the fire, but it took about 3 months for everything to get cleaned, fixed and replaced.

Not an experience I'd ever want to repeat. Needless to say Pokemon Go was uninstalled.

Rich's avatar
RichStaff
Philip

We debated this one as it's not a moment within the game, but can't deny that it was a game that made you feel scared! Feels unintentionally apt for an augmented reality game too. Sorry you went through that and glad your insurance had you covered!

BeyondBelief's avatar
BeyondBelief

I've played my fair share of horror games over the years and I do enjoy playing for the most part, besides they're great content. Without a doubt I've always said the scariest title I've played is Visage and then closely behind is Outlast 2. Visage brings this constant element of fear, jumpscares, whilst battling against the unknown. Since playing that title nothing has quite given me the same kind of fear and truly scary aspect. It's the one title where I've probably created the most content from, especially with all the clips I've got out of it haha. To sum up Visage, it's walking into a room and having the constant urge to look over your shoulder as you never quite know what's going to happen next. Ere, terrfying, and atmospheric. Always ere music, sudden movements, sounds, and terrifying monsters throughout your playtime. One for the die hard horror fans out theree if you haven't yet played!

N
Neilocity

To be honest, not many games are genuinely scary. The ones that pull it off are exceptional.

Resident Evil on PS1. Never experienced jump scares before but when the zombie dog crashed through the window, proverbial bricks exited my person.

Alien Isolation for me is the most genuinely frightening game in recent memory as it didn't rely on jump scares and managed to conjure up a constant cycle of dread with punctuated moment of genuine terror. You actually had to hold your breath and not make a peep for god's sake.

So there is it - Alien Isolation.

JB
Josh B

The outlast games were great in providing a real nerve shredding experience but, for me, nothing comes clothes to the horror of P. T.

While more a tech demo than a full game, this was by far the most horrific thing I've ever played, but I couldn't stop playing it.

The continual loop element was addictive in that you never knew what to expect the next time you end up back at the start of that corridor. The suspense for each of these loops and then the actual scares that would come with them were horrible. The addition of the section where you actually had to talk to Lisa to progress the game, even though really you DID NOT want to see what came next was the ultimate in gaming fear!

FUN INC's avatar
FUN INC

This one may come out of left-field, but I binged the Medal of Honour series on PC whilst my Mrs went on a girly holiday with friends aaaages ago. I basically played pretty much solidly for a weekend, and at the end of the weekend, I felt traumatised! I can only compare it to like video game PTSD. My nerves were shot! I don't know whether it was because I was so immersed in it, for such a long time, or what, but I felt super almost anxious after it - I think it may have been because there are elements of creeping around and also the overarching story of war etc. Not sure I would do that again in such a condensed time tbh!

AlexGra 's avatar
AlexGra

For me, the scariest moment I can remember in any game happened while playing "Outlast." I had heard it was terrifying, but I didn't fully comprehend what that meant until I found myself creeping through the dark corridors of Mount Massive Asylum. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and every creak and moan sent shivers down my spine.

But the moment that truly terrified me was when I encountered the game's main antagonist, Chris Walker, for the first time. I was hiding in a locker, heart pounding, as he stomped past, his heavy breathing echoing through the narrow space. Just when I thought I was safe, he suddenly ripped the locker door open, and I was face to face with his grotesque, mutilated visage. My hands were shaking as I desperately tried to escape, but he was relentless in his pursuit, and I knew that any wrong move would mean certain death.

That moment stuck with me long after I had turned off the game. It wasn't just the jump scares or the gore that made it terrifying; it was the feeling of helplessness, the knowledge that I was being hunted by something far more powerful than myself. It was a reminder that sometimes, the scariest monsters are the ones we can't see coming.

FrostySomething's avatar
FrostySomething

oh my, in the days before autosaves were a thing, anytime a game crashed or there was a power cut, it was terrifying! 😂

ThomasBlackflame's avatar
ThomasBlackflame

Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017)

So, hear me out.

There is a multiplayer mode in the game called Ewok Hunt. It is set on Endor and basically, it is a team of Imperial Stormtroopers against Ewoks.

So far, so normal. Except that it is set at night and everytime another player who is currently playing as a Stormtrooper gets killed, they get back into the game as an Ewok. So you have to survive like 7/10 minutes for the shuttle to arrive so you are forced to play in first person, hearing all the Ewoks screams and war horns all around you while you try to mow down Ewoks to survive. I played only a match because I found it stressful and scary. I felt like a Marine in Alien. Scared to death

Makster's avatar
Makster
ThomasBlackflame

Vader cutting down rebels and slowly closing in on you gave me the same chills as the final scene in Rogue One. I'll be surprised if one of the creators of that film didn't draw from a similar experience

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

I find it pretty interesting to read these posts, as most are not actually about games designed to be scary. I was expecting many mentions of Silent Hill, Soma, and Amnesia, but it seems everyone has a unique experience with different games that unexpectedly clicked with them in a scary way. This could be worth researching further, as I think it provides pretty interesting data for game designers.

Rich's avatar
RichStaff
Sturmer

It's fascinating, isn't it? But maybe not so odd as it first seems - action-adventure games are a very popular genre, and most games contain some form of conflict, so the potential to scare or at least thrill you exists in games of most genres. What matters is how well it's done.

greybill's avatar
greybill

Minecraft Creepers anyone?

The foreboding hisssss out of nowhere, and usually right behind one made me jump out of my seat every time. The frenetic attempts to run or build to safety usually ended with a deep fall off a cliff. sigh Creepers certainly kept cave exploration somewhat exciting...

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

One of the most terrifying gaming experiences I've ever had was with Thief: The Dark Project. It's important to note that Thief isn't typically a horror game—it's more about stealth and thievery.

The moment that haunts me occurred during the second mission. I was navigating an abandoned mine and stumbled upon a corpse swarmed by flies. Initially, I was cautious, sword at the ready, but as the body lay motionless, I let my guard down and moved deeper into the dark tunnels.

In another room, I encountered another body. I cautiously approached it, then, feeling safe, I turned away. That’s when I heard a chilling, zombie-like growl. Spinning around, I was horrified to see the previously inert body now missing from the floor. I quickly turned further to find the walking corpse inches from my face, ready to strike!

Panic took over. I bolted from the mine back to the safety of the level’s starting area. My heart raced so fast, I could hear the pounding in my ears. The fear was so intense that I uninstalled the game immediately and never played it again.

Here's a YouTube link to that moment. Looking back now, in 2024, it might not seem as scary as it felt in 1998, but the memory still sends shivers down my spine.

S
sumokitty

An old PS1 game called Herc's Adventures is a cheery greek-myth game. Child me was terrified of Hades and the underworld. I'm brave now!

Makster's avatar
Makster
sumokitty

Oh man I loved Herc's Adventure! I never got much further than the warthog boss though. I loved the atmosphere and sound design of that game!

Paul's avatar
Paul

During the 360 days there was one thing more terrifying then anything made by a developer.....

I once had this happen but as I pressed the eject button rather than the power button I managed to at least get my game back. Others had sent the console back for repair and never got the trapped game back.

cyruz's avatar
cyruz

I've been playing video games for over 25 years and I can still count the moments I was genuinely scared on one hand. Some games you expect to be spooky. When a creepy moment catches you off-guard though, it becomes way more memorable.

Max Payne 1

Scares in a game mainly about dual-wielding weapons and Matrix-style slow-motion dodging?! Oh yes! The Max Payne story is very tragic and especially the first two games have frequent nightmare levels. No shooting, no action, just you trying to navigate a weird level, conjured up by bad dreams reflecting the story.

In one such level of the very first game in the franchise, you enter an area that surrounds you in nothing but darkness. The only things you can make out are a thin red line on the ground and vague cries in the distance. As you follow the thin line that starts to look more and more like blood, you start to realize the cries are that of a baby. Pushing on, more red lines appear and you find yourself in a maze.

Image source: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/ujkvu/one_of_the_creepiest_scenes_in_all_of_gaming_max/

This is where it begins. As you you lose yourself in the maze, find dead ends, and miss jumps as you try to find the correct line leading you out of the maze, the cries of the baby become louder and louder and louder and louder!! They don't stop. They become more intense the deeper you fall into the maze. The only way to stop them is to find a way out.

Playing this level for the first time was a real trip. Just darkness and an the cries of a baby that just. Don't. Stop. Max Payne 1 and 2 are currently getting remade. I really hope this level makes the cut.

Honorary mentions to the Doll House in Resident Evil 4 and the Blindness Trial in Hellblade!

Makster's avatar
Makster
cyruz

The surreal elements of Max Payne 1 really made it special to me. It's not just an action game but also told Max's backstory in a way that was really interesting to explore. Like revisiting that apartment where the murders took place

Rich's avatar
RichStaff
cyruz

Great answer; those nightmare levels really freaked me out.

Makster's avatar
Makster

Just this picture will strike fear into any RE:4 players. The Regenerator's appearance has everything that sets you up for fear and panic. The lead up is laboratories with freaky monsters on the operatoring table and cadavers hung up like coats on a rack. You unlock the freezer for the thermal scope and suddenly the freezer door bolts and a body drops from the hook

Its the Regenerator that has arisen and slowly makes its way towards you. Shooting its limbs only causes it to re-grow, capping its legs (a tried and true practice in RE4) only makes it slither faster towards you and once it's in grabbing distance you see it's jaws open wide and chomp a massive chunk of health from Leon.

Honestly its the only time in RE 4 I felt humbled, scared, and unable to proceed. It something that haunts me to this day!

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