Video Games

Total Paid $40

When did a game make you feel most afraid? Tell us for $4!

We're not looking for a genre list of horror games here - though we expect a few to make an appearance! - but instead the moment of most intense fear you can remember feeling in any game, of any genre.

Don't tell us about the game or why it's scary in general. Tell us about the moment: what were you doing before, what did the game do to make you so scared and why was it so potent, what was the sensation like in your body?

Tell us about the experience in written or video form, and feel free to enhance your answer with third-party clips of the game, if you can find relevant ones. Submissions will be judged on how well they explain why the moment was so scary and - if you can - how well you make us feel it too. The best ten get $4 each. BOO!

Task: Tell us about the scariest moment you can remember in any game

Format: Written or video

How to submit a written entry:

Hit the 'submit to this bounty' button just below this description - do not use the reply button unless you just want to comment on the thread, as replies will not be counted as entries!
Add a written response and feel free to include images.

How to submit a third-party video link:

Hit the 'submit to this bounty' button just below this description - do not use the reply button unless you just want to comment on the thread, as replies will not be counted as entries!
Add a link to the YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok video you'd like to share, and click the 'expand' button so we can view the video on Just About.
Add a few sentences of context or commentary on the video or its creator.

How to submit a third-party image:

Hit the 'submit to this bounty' button just below this description - do not use the reply button unless you just want to comment on the thread, as replies will not be counted as entries!
Add the URL linking to the third-party image you'd like to submit (use the 'copy image link' function), and/or a link to the post on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter (X), to ensure proper credit.
Add a few sentences of context or commentary on the image or its creator.

Once the deadline closes, we’ll pick ten submissions, award $4 to each of the winners, and may share them as curated content.

Disclaimer: Geographical and age restrictions apply. Just About reserves the right to extend the bounty's duration. Please see our Terms of Use for more information on how bounties are created and rewarded on Just About. One reward available per member.

Take care not to breach copyright. Check our copyright policy before submitting.
Remember to link your social accounts before submitting multimedia assets!
Considering using AI to help? Think twice and first see our approach to AI content on Just About.

Image credit: Paul Garaizar on Unsplash

Bounty Rewards

$410 rewards

Reward closed

Created at 8:14pm, 25th March, 2024. Page last updated at 2:44pm, 16th May, 2024.
Deadline at 11:00pm, 2nd April, 2024.

Submissions (19)

Makster4/2/2024

Won$4

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!

0ffworld4/2/2024

Won$4

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!

Paul4/2/2024

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.

Sturmer4/1/2024

Won$4

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.

greybill4/1/2024

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...