Interest in the horror genre has continued to grow among all forms of media, and video games are no exception. From survival to hand-to-hand combat, video games have tackled the genre and have given us experiences that leave us with chills running up spines. The following six games, which are all playable on Xbox One, take on the horror genre with terrifying plots and game mechanics.
Alien Isolation
A direct connection to Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise, Alien Isolation follows the story of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley. Fifteen years have passed since her mother’s disappearance, and she joins a team tasked with obtaining the flight recorder from her mother’s ship. She finally gets the chance to find answers as she boards the Nostromo.
You play as Amanda, who must now enter uncharted territory and survive encounters with androids, humans, and of course, the Xenomorph. If the plot isn’t enough to give you a scare, then the fact that normal weapons don’t work on the Xenomorphs will. You’re forced to limit your weapon use, hide in lockers and corners, and ultimately try to survive the enemy-infested ship.
Dead Space
An engineer in search of his girlfriend who he lost communication with, Isaac Clarke, alongside a team, investigate the Ishimura‘s distress signal. Isaac and his team soon find that everyone aboard the ship has either been slaughtered or become reanimated corpses known as Necromorphs.
As Isaac, you maneuver through the dead ship and complete various tasks in order to escape, while mentally fighting images of your girlfriend, Nicole. Enemies appear in small groups to hordes, and the game adds pressure to the player since you possess limited ammo. This sci-fi horror game successfully puts you on the edge of your seat, and you’ll never see the scares coming until it’s too late.
Outlast
Playing as a journalist, you will find that Outlast‘s mechanics are unlike most titles. There is only escaping. You have no means of defending yourself against the lethal number of inmates inside of the Mount Massive Asylum who are out to get you — or want you involved in something much bigger.
Investigative journalist Miles Upshur is not a fighter. Your only weapon is your camcorder, which will get you through the dark halls and secrets hidden within the eerie asylum and what lurks beneath. The vulnerability you feel from this game is sure to constantly keep you on your toes. You’ll always be on the hunt for batteries, because you never, ever, want that camera to go out.
Layers of Fear
In this psychological journey, you wander aimlessly through the mansion as a mentally disturbed painter on a mission to complete the perfect painting. The game is story-driven and makes you take your time as you reveal bits and pieces of this painter’s tormented past and present. A beautiful yet terrifying experience, Layers of Fear shows the struggles of this artist through his own eyes.
There is no combat in the game, but there is plenty to run from as you find yourself standing between delusions and reality. Picking up items reveal dialogue from unseen character or from your character, which can affect the plot. Various rooms act as puzzles, and you will often return to previously explored areas to find they have been altered by your hallucinations.
Little Nightmares
Waking in the depths of the place known only as the Maw, you play as Six, a hungry girl on a journey to make it to the top of this mysterious place while avoiding contact with the monsters out to make a meal out of her. The game functions as a side-scrolling platformer in which you must solve puzzles to reach heights, open doors, and occasionally run from the clutches of a hungry monster.
Six is incapable of combat due to her size, making stealth necessary when exploring and avoiding interactions with monsters. Despite presenting itself as something simple, the game grows increasingly complex. As you travel across eerie places, encounter jump scares, and notice key moments, you can determine for yourself who Six is and what the Maw truly is.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
You play as Ethan Winters, searching for his wife, Mia. He had originally believed she died three years prior, but he receives an email asking for him to pick her up. Following her email leads him to a plantation, where Ethan finds out about a suspicious and dangerous plan happening within the property for the past three years — and that Mia is somehow connected to it all.
The first-person perspective constantly has you looking over your shoulder and the scarce ammo pressures you to limit yourself during combat. The setting is constantly covered in black mold, creating a dark and eerie environment. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is story-driven, and, although you have a variety of weapons to defend yourself with, you will find that exploration is a key element, and it’s nothing short of frightening and true to the series.