Fear, how interesting: the best horror games of the last five years
The year 2026 has passed half, which means that the autumn "horror season" is getting closer. Izvestia has compiled a selection of the best games of the genre of the last five years, which will help you prepare for it properly.
Amnesia: The Bunker
When it was released: 2023
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
The action of Amnesia: The Bunker takes place during the First World War and confronts the player with the creature hiding in the walls of the bunker — a monstrous insatiable hunter. Like the xenomorph from Alien: Isolation, the monster in The Bunker does not behave according to a pre—prescribed scenario - its actions and goals change slightly with each passage. Due to this, the project has the greatest potential for replayability among all the games in the series.
The Mortuary Assistant
When it was released: 2022
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
It's hard to say which scares you more in The Mortuary Assistant: the ghosts that inhabit the morgue, or the work routine of a thanatopractor. Opening bodies, draining blood from them, embalming the dead and preparing them for burial or cremation — all this is disturbing. According to the laws of the genre, it takes very little time in the game before the doors slam shut on their own, strange sounds begin to come from body bags and other paranormal events occur. And the new Definitive Edition for consoles and PCs adds even more creepy content to the game.
The Complex: Expedition
When it was released: 2023
What to play on: PC
Liminal spaces are a new horror trend. Steam is literally flooded with games on this topic. And The Complex: Expedition is one of the best. In terms of atmosphere, plot, and visuals, she stands head and shoulders above most of her competitors. You need to play as an employee of an organization who explores this liminal space. The game doesn't explain why, when, or where, but that's not the main point. The atmosphere of a maddening, volatile world is important, in which imaginary emptiness scares more than crowds of bloodthirsty monsters.
Signalis
When it was released: 2022
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Nostalgic Signalis pays homage to its sources of inspiration, the classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil, but does not get bogged down in the legacy of horror classics of the past. The game builds its own frightening pixel universe and, without further ado, throws the player into the midst of the psychological nightmare of the main character, the hadroid. She expertly creates an atmosphere of constant anxiety that works much better than head-on screamers.
Dark Hours
When it was released: 2024
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
The player and up to three companions break into museums and other places with "treasures", intending to make a profit. Unfortunately, there are monsters inside. This cooperative horror game is like a mix of Payday and Phasmophobia: you have to avoid several different types of monsters, and the main goal is to get out alive and well, taking more loot.
The Headliners
When it was released: 2025
What to play on: PC
In The Headliners, up to seven players as photojournalists explore a city besieged by monstrous aliens. The goal is to take spectacular pictures in exchange for money, preferably without losing your life. The monsters here come in a variety of sizes, including Godzilla-like giants like in the movie "Monstro". All sessions are different from each other, and the difficulty increases after each successful mission.
Cronos: The New Dawn
When it was released: 2025
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2
Cronos: The New Dawn is the Bloober Team's first game since the magnificent remake of Silent Hill 2. And even if it does not reach the same heights, it is quite an original and impressive project. There are echoes of Dead Space in this sci-fi horror story, but at the same time the project demonstrates its own vision. The main gameplay find of Cronos is the "fusion" combat system: opponents can absorb the dead lying around, strengthening themselves and gaining new abilities.
Luto
When it was released: 2025
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
The studio's debut game begins as another P.T. clone: the player is sent to wander through ordinary corridors while the world around him slowly sheds its familiar shell and reveals something much darker. But despite all the curtsies to Hideo Kojima's projects, this horror has a lot to tell. The player assumes the role of a man unable to leave his home. Every attempt to escape leads deeper into the nightmarish unknown.
No, I’m Not A Human
When it was released: 2025
What to play on: PC
Recently, there have been a lot of horror games that beat the idea of Papers, Please. Figuring out which of the visitors came in peace and who is actually a monstrous doppelganger is quite a popular plot. No, I'm Not A Human copes best with this concept: by letting in a creature disguised as an ordinary person, you can quickly say goodbye to life. The game forces you to carefully study each visitor, look for suspicious details and make decisions that directly affect the survival of everyone in the house. Instead of the usual screamers, she scares with doubts: let a person in or slam the door in front of a potential monster.
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake
When it was released: 2026
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
A brilliant remake of the classics of the PS2 era. The oppressive atmosphere of Crimson Butterfly is perfectly combined with the creepy setting. The story centers on twin sisters who get lost in the woods and stumble upon a village rumored to have disappeared many years ago. The plot is deliberately confusing: the picture begins to take shape only closer to the finale. The player will have to fight off ghosts using a pinhole camera, a special device capable of seeing spirits. And if many horror movies require you to run away from danger, Fatal Frame makes you face it over and over again.
Directive 8020
When it was released: 2026
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Directive 8020 sends The Dark Pictures anthology of cinematic games into space. The enclosed ship, the hostile void outside, and the crew who have to repair life support systems are clearly inspired by "Alien" and "Something." But at the same time, the creators tried to update the formula of the series: there were technical improvements and new gameplay solutions, even if not all of them were certainly successful.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
