The Hardest Horror Games Ever Made, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Horror games tap into a unique feeling of terror that movies cannot replicate, making them immensely popular and mainstream.
• Some survival horror games are not just scary, but also extremely challenging, requiring players to navigate difficult puzzles or combat.
• The article provides a list of the top hardest horror games ever made, ranking them based on their level of difficulty and the challenges they present to players.

It’s been amazing to see the horror genre of video games grow into one of the most popular and mainstream interests. There’s something undeniably powerful about getting terrified and these video games are able to tap into that feeling in a way that movies cannot.

It’s paramount that a horror game is actually scary, but this level of terror is sometimes reflected in the game’s difficulty. Some survival horror games are a challenge to not get scared, but others are a feat to even finish. Accordingly, here are the 10 hardest horror games ever made, ranked.

Updated on November 25th 2024, by Mara Cowley: Halloween season may officially be over, but that doesn’t mean it has to end for horror enthusiasts, especially with the Halloween Steam sale having not long been over, giving gamers the chance to score themselves some inexpensive scary titles, some of which may be the hardest horror games out there. Though this genre is primarily known for its ability to frighten its players, there are more than a few intent on challenging players with gameplay such as puzzles or combat. This article has been updated to include more scarily difficult horror games for fans who want a challenge with their horror.

16 Outlast

Can’t Fight Back

Outlast is a series that changed the landscape of horror games, as influential to the genre as the Amnesia series was in popularizing horror games that declaw the players, and leave them defenseless to whatever horrors share the environment with them.

Traveling to Mount Massive Asylum for what might be the biggest scoop of his career, Miles quickly finds out he is in over his head when he encounters several hostile inmates such as the terrifying Chris Walker. Armed with only a video camera, players have no chance to fight back against any enemies, leaving them with only the options to run or hide, and even while cowering under beds or inside lockers, he might not be safe.

15 Visage

Little to No Hints

Inspired greatly by the Silent Hills Playable Teaser, Visage takes place mostly in an ordinary suburban home, but the twisting trail of the plot will take the player to some interesting and horrific locations. Playing as Dwayne Anderson, it is up to the player to explore the house, avoid the dangerous ghosts, and find a way to escape. As it soon becomes apparent, Dwayne committed suicide after killing his own wife and child, and is now tormented by the weight of his guilt.

As with most psychological horror games, the player has very few means of defending themselves other than avoiding the detection of hostile spirits, and unfortunately, they are given very little direction by the game. The lack of clear objectives and hints leave the player to try and guess where they might need to go next, which can result in futile exploration, which could lead them right into the cold arms of death.

14 Eternal Darkness

The Red Path

Eternal Darkness is notorious for being one of the most ambitious survival horror games on a Nintendo console, exclusively releasing on the GameCube. Eternal Darkness draws inspiration from the works of Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft with a branching narrative that covers many different periods of time through history.

Eternal Darkness features three “paths” to play through, with each route being difficult in different ways. The “red” path is the most challenging due to enemy strength, but the fact that all three paths must be played through to fully finish the game is where the labored difficulty comes in to play.

13 Resident Evil 4

Tough Boss Fights

The remake of RE4 brought upon a few changes from the original, altering the characters’ personalities and stories, removing and expanding on some content, and overhauling a few of the bosses. These changes were very well received by fans, as none can deny the remake was a huge success.

But one can also not deny that some of the bosses definitely felt a bit tougher than the original, such as Mendez fight, especially on higher difficulties. HarDcore and Professionals game modes offer grueling challenges to even veteran players who are confident in the RE4 game skills, and may be hard to the point of frustration for first-time players of this particular title. Plus, the remake exclusive shooting range offers a plethora of challenges that test the players aiming and timing in exchange for rewards and achievements.

12 Siren

Punishing Gameplay

Known as Forbidden Siren in Europe, the PlayStation-exclusive survival horror series tries to re-invent the genre in some creepy ways. The Siren series really embraces mob mentality and the idea of an enemy that operates with a terrifying hive mind.

Siren is such a challenge because the game doesn’t spoon-feed its audience answers. Additionally, the quests in the game are especially punishing and the enemies are so powerful that it turns stealth gameplay into a necessity, rather than a suggestion. Siren is still harder than the standard survival horror title.

11 F.E.A.R

Precise Play Needed

F.E.A.R is a creative hybrid of the horror genre & tactical shooters that finds ways to get the best out of both genres. F.E.A.R embraces the aspects of a shooter more than a horror game, even with the inclusion of the terrifying Alma at the heart of the plot, but that balance shifts when playing in the title’s Extreme Mode.

Extreme Mode offers an actual challenge where strategy is essential, otherwise players will get mowed down by the precise enemies. Wasted ammo or careless movements are a death sentence on this difficulty. Extreme Mode is only for the seasoned horror fans that appreciate a less forgiving adventure.

10 Resident Evil Remake

Limited Resources

Resident Evil Remake takes what’s already a challenging & polished game and pushes it to an even more accomplished level. The Resident Evil games have made things easier for players over the years, but none of that is present in the first game.

Additionally, Resident Evil Remake makes the zombies considerably smarter, makes ammo management more of a struggle, and doesn’t pamper the gamer. The addition of Crimson Head Zombies also turns Resident Evil Remake into one of the more stressful and difficult games in the series.

9 Cry of Fear

Limited Resources to Face the Tough Enemies

Originally a Half-Life 2 mod, Cry of Fear became its own standalone game only a year after its original release, available to download on Steam free of charge, which is generous considering the quality of this indie-horror game. It follows the story of Simon Henriksson, who wakes in an alleyway in a deserted town shortly after a car crash. Perhaps he hit his head too hard, as Simon soon witnesses horrors that defy reality.

Monsters and hallucinations visit him during his exploration and search for answers, forcing him to arm and defend himself. Unfortunately for the player, there are very limited resources scattered around to aid them, even less than other survival horror games such as classic Resident Evil. Pair that with the tough enemies, and players will have one hell of a time escaping with their life.

8 Dead Space 2

Limited Saves on Hardcore

Dead Space remains a serious horror contender, especially with the release of the long-awaited remake. The game’s approach to enemy dismemberment and claustrophobic space horror leads to excellent and atmospheric horror games.

Dead Space 2 is hard to begin with, but the games’ Hard Core mode is for true masochists. In addition to stronger Necromorphs, players are only allowed to use three saves throughout the entire game. This not only makes death a consequence, it adds a whole new level of strategy to the sequel.

7 Fatal Frame 2

Difficult Missions

The Fatal Frame series has not gained the same notoriety as Resident Evil or Silent Hill, but the franchise is more frightening in a lot of ways due to its focus on lost spirits and the first-person camera mechanic. Fatal Frame 2 is the apex of the series and is full of difficult missions and intimidating ghosts.

However, the game’s Nightmare Mode turns up the difficulty in some considerable ways, whether it’s through new bosses, stronger enemies, or weaker health items. It’s the perfect way to make a creepy game even scarier.

6 Silent Hill 3

Extreme Difficulty

The Silent Hill games are especially difficult because of how they put a fair bit of thought into their puzzles. Silent Hill 3 even features a notorious puzzle that requires a reasonable amount of knowledge pertaining to the works of Shakespeare.

Puzzles and strong enemies make Silent Hill 3 a challenge, but this entry is a particularly difficult game due to how ten variances of Extreme difficulty can be unlocked after the base experience is over. Extreme 10 is the most punishing experience possible and it takes an already challenging game and makes it nearly impossible.

5 Alien: Isolation

Intelligent A.I. Enemies

There have been horror games based on the Alien series coming out for decades, but Alien: Isolation is the first to really get the experience right. The game prioritizes claustrophobic environments and stealth gameplay in a way where players truly feel in danger from the giant Xenomorph.

The AI on the Xenomorph is also on a whole other level and it’s terrifying to feel like this monster is smarter than players. It takes something like the intimidation factor of Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis and pushes it to an even scarier place.

4 Pathologic 2

No Hand-holding

Those who have heard of this game have likely done so through the reputation it has garnered from its small but devout fanbase. Pathologic 2 is known to be one of the most bizarre but toughest horror games to have ever been released, and for those faint of heart and short of patience, this title might just be too much to bear.

The game drops players into the plague-ravaged open world with only the main objective – survive – being known to them. The game doesn’t hold players’ hands and tell them where they go and what to do with no tutorial to speak of, as most games offer at the start. Players will need to figure out how to play and what to do without any hand-holding.

3 Welcome to the Game 2

Players Face Multiple Threats

• Platforms: PC
• Release Date: April 3rd, 2018
• Developers: Reflect Studios

The deep web is a dangerous place to explore, as reporter Amelia Lewis learns the hard way as she is kidnapped by a masked couple known as Noir. Now the player is placing themselves in the line of fire as they explore the deep web looking for the necessary codes they can use to unlock the correct chat room.

There is a catch, however, as surfing the deep web is anything but safe. The player must be constantly vigilant of their surroundings to avoid being detected by the police, Noir, Lucas, and the Breather, who might kill them on their way to picking up deliveries. Death is final, as failure will result in players needing to start over from the beginning. Being caught is all too easy as well, so many players will find themselves starting over a frustrating number of times.

2 Bloodborne

Deadly Combat

FromSoftware has made a strong reputation for themselves for creating some of the most difficult and frustrating video games of the modern era. Every title in the Dark Souls series is bound to cause headaches, but Bloodborne is particularly unforgiving.

The entire game is a challenge and the lack of support items & the wealth of enemies constantly creates suspense. Most bosses will cleave the player’s health in a single hit, which means that a few careless moments will easily result in a game over. There’s zero room for error in a game like this. While Bloodborne is primarily an action RPG, the horror elements encountered along the way make it worth consideration.

Soulslikes tend to be contained within their own separate genre, but
Bloodborne
has enough horror elements and imagery to warrant a mention.

1 The Evil Within

Akumu Mode

The Evil Within is a frightening and challenging game that may have not rejuvenated the survival horror genre, but it’s still made a strong impression. The Evil Within throws hordes of enemies at the player, and it’s technically not harder than the standard Resident Evil game.

However, the true challenge comes in with The Evil Within’s maximum difficulty, Akumu Mode. In this mode, not only will one hit result in a game over, but it will send players back to the start of the game. This means that Akumu Mode must be beaten without ever taking a single hit.