While spooky times are generally reserved for around Halloween, there are plenty of people who enjoy getting scared all year long. Luckily, horror games have had a resurgence in recent years, giving fans all kinds of options. Here are the ten best horror games you can play on your Xbox, sorted alphabetically.
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The best horror games to play on Xbox
Alan Wake Remastered
Alan Wake is a classic Xbox 360 game that made a triumphant return with its remaster ahead of the long-awaited sequel. You play as author Alan Wake as he is pulled into one of his own thriller novels, attacked by shadow monsters and something sinister sitting at the bottom of a lake. This is the same game that people played back on the 360, just looking better. It’s still a great game and worth playing, even if you went through the original version. It could be worth the refresh before Alan Wake 2 eventually comes out.
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation has you playing as Amanda Ripley, the movie protagonist Ellen Ripley’s daughter, as she explores and investigates the fate of her mother aboard the space station, Sevastopol. While moving throughout the area, you begin to be hunted by a Xenomorph. As you sneak around, you will need to find hiding places and be as quiet as possible. You will not win a head-to-head match against this killing machine. You are the prey as you nervously move through each corridor.
Dead By Daylight
There are not many competitive horror games out there, but Dead By Daylight has definitely earned its place as the most successful asymmetrical multiplayer game. Four Survivors try to repair generators and survive the trial while being hunted by a supernatural Killer. While the game has plenty of original characters, many of your favorite horror icons, like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Pinhead, are playable. No matter what side you choose to play, this is one of the more fun multiplayer experiences you can have in gaming nowadays.
Dead Space
One of the best features of Xbox is its backward compatibility program. While a Dead Space remake is still on the way, the original Xbox 360 game still stands out as being a terrifying campaign. You arrive at a space station infested with Necromorphs, terrifying creatures that stop at nothing to tear you apart. The only way to kill them is to chop off their limbs, which is a unique take on taking out enemies instead of hitting them in the head. Until the new game is out, you can still get a lot of enjoyment out of the original and its sequel.
Little Nightmares
Little Nightmares is one of those creepy stories that you might expect to come from the mind of Tim Burton. You play as a small creature making your way through environments built for much larger nightmarish creatures that would love to capture and consume you. Getting through the levels will require quite a bit of platforming and puzzle solving, making this much more than a simple avoid-the-bad-guys game. This game is less terrifying than some titles on this list, but we are big fans of Little Nightmares and its whole aesthetic.
Outlast
Outlast is a first-person horror game that has you playing as an investigative journalist who infiltrates and explores an insane asylum taken over by the patients. Every one of the hospital’s inhabitants is a deranged homicidal maniac who would love to get a piece of you if they can catch you. Much of the environment will have you going through dark areas that you can only see while looking through your camera. However, managing the camera’s batteries is important, or you will be walking around blind in a dangerous location filled with hostiles. If you like jumpscares, this is the game for you.
Resident Evil 2
The 2019 release of Resident Evil 2 is one of the most high-profile remakes we have seen in gaming. It completely shifts gameplay from the original’s tank controls to an over-the-shoulder camera that is much more in line with current-day standards. You play as either Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield as Raccoon City is infested with zombies and Umbrella Corporation-mutated creatures. As you progress through the game, you will also have to contend with Mr. X, a hulking tyrant who is invincible and continually hunts you down. Resident Evil is the most classic survival horror series, and this remake is up there with the best in the series.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
We go from a classic Resident Evil game to one with new beginnings for the series. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the first mainline game to feature a first-person perspective. You play as a newcomer to the franchise, Ethan Winters, who is searching for his wife Mia in the Baker household. You quickly find out that the family here has been infected by a mind-controlling mold that forces them to be very hostile. The change to a first-person view makes this one of the more horrifying Resident Evil games ever, having you see everything that happens the way Ethan sees it.
The Medium
The Medium is one of the more unique horror games you will see on this list. The big special gimmick here is that you play across two realms at the same time, one normal-themed and the other a hellish reality. If anything, this is a one-of-a-kind way to handle puzzles. In one part of the screen, you will be blocked off from advancing, while the other has you interact with the environment and deal with demons.
The Quarry
The Quarry is essentially a playable horror game by Supermassive Games, creators of the Dark Pictures Anthology and Until Dawn. In this game, you control the fate of a group of camp counselors as they stay behind in an area where werewolves live. Of the games on this list, this is unique because your choices and performance in tense situations decide who lives and dies. Supermassive Games makes one-of-a-kind horror experiences, and The Quarry is definitely one of their best.
