The best horror games of all time

By Jesse Lennox and Joseph Yaden Updated March 12, 2025

Video games can evoke every emotion under the sun depending on the genre. The best FPS games can inspire your competitive nature, while the best platformers might cause unbridled joy. Horror games, on the other hand, have a very specific goal: to deliver a feeling of unease that someone or something is on your tail — with sinister plans to take you out. Games have only become more frightening as technology has evolved, and with so many excellent horror games, it’s time to put a spotlight on the scariest games we’ve ever played.

Luckily, there’s no shortage of titles designed to send you into a heart-racing and adrenaline-pumping frenzy, and we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites below. Some of them lean into action, while others are more focused on survival, with a few options in between. The one thing they all share is that they’re designed to make you feel like anything could be lurking around the next corner.

Speaking of something being around the corner, there are plenty of horror titles on the way in our list of upcoming video games to be excited about.