Steam’s Best Japanese Horror Games

From the picturesque horror of the Fatal Frame series to PS2 hidden gems to the unrelenting psychological horror of Silent Hill, Japan has given us more than our fair share of spooky games with terrifying elements, but with so many titles to choose from, it can be hard to know which Japanese horror games are a good fit for your Steam library.

Whether you’re just dipping your toes into J-Horror or you’re a veteran of the dark and disturbing, no Steam library is complete without these terrifying tales from Japan.

While there are a ton of Japanese-inspired horror games out there, Steam has so many great ones that we decided to stick to games made by Japanese developers this time around, with the aesthetics of the region taking a back seat to genuine cultural origins.

10

Homicipher

Learn The Language Of The Dead

Homicipher is a strange game, both because of the unique language learning system that brings to mind hits like Chants of Senaar, and the fact that the game describes itself as being for those who want to experience “romance with horror men.

Thanks to some chilling vibes and incredibly engaging language deciphering mechanics, Homicipher is difficult to put down once you pick it up, which is to say that you’ll get a lot out of the experience even if you’re not down to clown with all the monsters in town.

9

Ib

Art Vs. The Artist

Set in a haunted art gallery, Ib is a beloved title from the Japanese indie scene. You play as Ib, the eight-year-old daughter of a loving mother and father, both of whom share a passion for the arts. As a child, you’ll enjoy exploring the artwork of the artist Guertena on your own until mysterious writing on the wall beckons you to “come on down below”.

Ib is a wonderfully charming horror experience with a unique setting. The game is flooded with interesting artwork, a mysterious storyline, and gorgeous spritework, all of which come together to make Ib one of Japan’s most memorable indie hits, horror or otherwise.

8

Hollow Cocoon

A Different Kind Of Silk Song

A short and sweet horror-stealth adventure, Hollow Cocoon and its twisted tale set in 1980s Japan will creep deep into the back of your mind and stay there for many nights to come. Embarking on a journey into a rural village in the mountains, a young man must face the horrible truths lurking there if he wants to save his dying grandmother.

Steeped in the rich culture and atmosphere that only inaka villages can truly provide, Hollow Cocoon provides all the thrills of Japanese horror without ever feeling like it’s overstaying its welcome.

7

Yume Nikki

It Was All Just A Dream

Yume Nikki, or ‘Dream Diary’, is a game that exists solely to provide you with a vehicle for exploring abstract and unexplainable imagery. Any and all hints of story deliberately hidden away, if they even exist at all. As a result, Yume Nikki is not going to be for everyone, but if it’s for you, it’s really for you.

Yume Nikki and LSD Dream Emulator have since spawned an entire subgenre of surrealist exploration horror games, each drawing player discomfort not from what does happen within their cerebral depths, but simply what could.

There are two games officially titled ‘Yume Nikki’ on Steam. Yume Nikki: Dream Diary, the pseudo reimagining of the original game, is fine and all, but make sure you play the original version, which is available for free on Steam, before jumping into the remake.

6

Unsought

The Unsung Horror Gem

Thanks to its haunting presentation as a so-called ‘poloraid 3D horror game‘, Unsought looks downright chilling from the moment you hit start. The game’s deep themes of tainted nostalgia and old urban legends are emboldened by this artistic direction, of course, but it also lends the whole experience a dreamlike feel, as if you’ve stepped directly into someone else’s fading memory.

Unsought has yet to garner the attention it deserves on the indie horror scene, but that lack of hype or recognition only heightens the game’s mysterious atmosphere and chilling secrets.

5

Spirit Hunter: NG

The Spirit Hunter Series At Its Best

Spirit Hunter: NG is the companion piece to Spirit Hunter: Death Mark, but the game stands on its own merits well enough that if you aren’t looking to get into the series and just want to check out one of the Spirit Hunter games to see what they’re all about, Spirit Hunter NG is a great jumping off point.

In this horror visual novel, Japanese urban legends begin to come to life in new and terrifying ways. Filled with delightful artwork and a killer musical score, Spirit Hunter NG is for you if you can’t get enough of Japan’s relentless urban legend subculture.

4

Anything By Chilla’s Art

The Undisputed King Of Japanese Indie Horror

With so many fantastic horror games all coming from one creator, picking just one didn’t feel right. Anything Chilla has made post 2020 should be on your wishlist if you’re into Japanese horror.

Often set in mundane or otherwise standard situations, the games Chilla’s Art makes excel at transforming ordinary life into some of the genre’s most effective scares, from the building dread of The Convenience Store to the uncomfortable vulnerability of The Kidnap, and beyond.

3

Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse

Smile For The Camera

Arguably the definitive J-Horror video game experience, Fatal Frame – or Project Zero in PAL regions – is literally a picture-perfect horror series. Armed with the now iconic Camera Obscura, each of the series’ entries tasks you with taking pictures of the entities before you to defeat them, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘face your fears’.

While the series has had its ups and downs, the best Fatal Frame entry has got to be Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, which is thankfully no longer trapped behind a Japan-only release as of March 8, 2023.

2

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil At Its Most Resident Evil

Far and away the Resident Evil series’ most celebrated entry, Resident Evil 4 sees you take on the role of Leon Kennedy on the search for the president’s daughter. Over the course of your action horror adventure, you’ll fight lake monsters, frozen terrors, and hordes of plague-infected people, all while uncovering the terrible truth behind the outbreak in the backwoods of Spain.

Whether you’re playing the remake or the original, Resident Evil 4 is one of horror’s finest achievements, and manages to strike the perfect balance between action gameplay and spine-tingling scares.

As a bonus recommendation, be sure to check out The Evil Within duology on Steam if you enjoy the Resident Evil 4 experience. Particularly The Evil Within 2, which is the better of the two games.

1

Silent Hill 2

In My Dreams, I See That Town

While technically the Silent Hill 2 remake wasn’t developed by a Japanese team, the original title absolutely was, and Masahiro Ito as well as Akira Yamaoka did return to aid in development, so we say it counts.

Silent Hill 2 is one of the best games ever made, let alone one of the best psychological horror titles. While for the longest time a series of baffling decisions by IP owner Konami made the game in its original form nearly impossible to come by, Bloober Team’s incredible remake has fully rectified that issue, perfectly preserving the game’s character and giving the town a fresh coat of paint.