The best horror game of all time is Silent Hill 2 — the 2001 psychological classic, rebuilt from the ground up in the 2024 remake, that still sets the bar for dread and storytelling. Close behind sit Resident Evil 4, the most influential survival-horror game ever made, and Alien: Isolation, whose learning xenomorph is the finest stalker in gaming. This ranking spans every kind of scare, so there is a top pick whether you want slow psychological unease, frantic survival or four-player co-op frights.
Below are the best horror games ranked on quality, influence and how well they hold up today, with release year, subgenre and platform. The list runs from decades-old classics to Resident Evil Requiem, which launched in February 2026 to an 89 Metascore — the highest-rated original Resident Evil since RE4.
The best horror games of all time, ranked
Ranked across every subgenre as of 2026. “Subgenre” marks the kind of horror so you can jump to the scares you want.
| # | Game | Year | Subgenre | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silent Hill 2 | 2001 | Psychological | PS2 / remake multi |
| 2 | Resident Evil 4 | 2005 | Survival horror | Multi |
| 3 | Alien: Isolation | 2014 | Stealth survival | Multi |
| 4 | Amnesia: The Dark Descent | 2010 | First-person survival | PC / multi |
| 5 | Resident Evil 2 (remake) | 2019 | Survival horror | Multi |
| 6 | Dead Space | 2008 | Sci-fi horror | Multi / remake 2023 |
| 7 | Resident Evil 7: Biohazard | 2017 | First-person survival | Multi |
| 8 | Alan Wake 2 | 2023 | Survival horror | Multi |
| 9 | SOMA | 2015 | Sci-fi psychological | Multi |
| 10 | Outlast | 2013 | Found-footage | Multi |
| 11 | The Evil Within | 2014 | Survival horror | Multi |
| 12 | Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly | 2003 | Japanese horror | PS2 |
| 13 | Resident Evil Requiem | 2026 | Survival horror | PS5 / Xbox / Switch 2 / PC |
| 14 | Phasmophobia | 2020 | Co-op investigation | PC / VR |
| 15 | Until Dawn | 2015 | Interactive drama | PS4 / remake |
| 16 | Visage | 2020 | Psychological | Multi |
Why there is no single scariest game
Horror splits into styles that scare in completely different ways. Silent Hill 2 unsettles with dream logic and guilt; Amnesia and Outlast strip away your weapons so all you can do is run and hide; Alien: Isolation builds one perfect predator and lets it hunt you for hours. What counts as “scariest” depends on what frightens you — helplessness, gore, tension or the slow wrongness of a place — so this list keeps a top pick for each. If your fear tolerance leans toward brutal, punishing combat instead of pure dread, our best soulslike games ranking is the natural next stop.
The horror games that define the genre
Four games mark the corners of horror.
The late-2010s were a golden run for horror, giving us the Resident Evil 2 remake, Resident Evil 7 and Alan Wake 2 — many of which sit on our best games of the 2010s shortlist. Horror also drives some of the biggest sellers ever, as our best-selling video games of all time ranking shows.
Best horror game by subgenre
Straight to the top pick for the kind of scare you want.
| Subgenre | Best pick |
|---|---|
| Psychological | Silent Hill 2 |
| Survival horror | Resident Evil 4 |
| Stealth / hide-and-seek | Alien: Isolation |
| Sci-fi horror | Dead Space / SOMA |
| Found-footage | Outlast |
| Co-op / multiplayer | Phasmophobia |
| Interactive drama | Until Dawn |
| Japanese horror | Fatal Frame II |
Some of the scariest experiences going are best in a headset — Phasmophobia, Resident Evil 4 and The Exorcist all play brilliantly in VR, which our best VR games guide covers in full.
