Best Modern Horror Games That Use PS1 Graphics

Key Takeaways

• Modern horror games with PS1 graphics offer nostalgic experiences for indie horror enthusiasts.
• Titles like “The Shopping List” and “Employee of the Month” deliver retro aesthetics and eerie atmospheres.
• The charm of blocky PS1 graphics in horror games provides uncanny and scary experiences for players.

Almost everything in life is cyclical – literature, fashion, music – and video games are no exception. While there are many 8-bit and 16-bit video games that successfully achieve the aesthetic and feel of the era they’re paying homage to, there aren’t as many games that call back to that golden age of blocky PlayStation 1 graphics.

It’s been said before that the defects and mistakes of any medium will eventually become the aspects of it that trigger audiences’ nostalgia (Brain Eno). While the tracking lines, bad textures, and low-poly character models were once the PS1’s weak points, in the modern age, they are some of the most endearing parts of the retro gaming experience. For any horror gamers who reminisce about the old-school Resident Evil or Silent Hill days, here are a few great modern titles that mimic that iconic PS1 aesthetic.

Updated on December 4, 2024, by Rachael Phillips: Most gamers, new and old, will have some connection to the PS1. Many will look back at the console with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, others will at least be familiar with the low poly graphics. While the console itself has largely fallen victim to the rapidly developing gaming industry, PS1-style games are still being developed, published, and enjoyed, particularly by indie horror enthusiasts. The distinct low-resolution and stylized environments continue to contribute to some genuinely uncanny and scary experiences. This article offers a comprehensive list of modern horror games with PS1 graphics for nostalgia-seekers and newcomers alike.

Not Everything Is As It Seems In This Sleepy Town

• Developer: JordiBoi
• Release Date: 2022
• Platform: Windows
• itch.io Score: 4.6

The Shopping List follows the protagonist, who has just moved from their hometown to the city, on a mission to complete their shopping before heading to the new apartment. The catch is, there has been a string of disappearances, and the paranoid locals are acting strangely.

Not only does this game have a mix of interesting locations and characters to interact with, but it also maintains an unnervingly quiet atmosphere that will leave players on edge as they walk around the dark, dimly lit streets.

34 Night Stop

Uncover The History Of A Suspicious Gas Station

• Developer: Jonny’s Games
• Release Date: 2022
• Platform: Windows
• itch.io Score: 4.8

A gas station appearing in the middle of nowhere can and has been a saving grace for many a hungry driver. Night Stop follows the protagonist as they commute through America’s rural landscape when they come across one such building. It does not, however, offer the expected respite.

Amid the strange graffiti, suspicious pentagrams, and missing person posters a mystery is waiting to be uncovered. The developer of Night Shift uses shifting time and body horror with VHS effects to create a compelling game that is well worth every second of the short playtime.

33 Employee Of The Month

A Bizarre Comedy Horror With A Lot Of Unexpected Moments

• Developer: Projeckt Skeleton
• Release Date: September 21, 2022
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 96%

The plot of Employee of the Month is complex, to say the least. Taking on the role of a new employee, the player must repeatedly attempt to complete the manager’s instructions for their first shift. But it is easier said than done; a deformed monster-slash-ex-employee hunts them down every step of the way.

Employee of the Month’s combination of trippy locations and self-referential meta-humor complements the angular, retro design of the game to make for a truly surreal experience.

32 Fears To Fathom: Norwood Hitchhike

A Disturbing Plot Based On A True Story

• Developer: Rayll
• Release Date: January 6, 2022
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 88%

Norwood Hitchhike is the second game in the episodic series Fears to Fathom. All the games in the series are based on true stories submitted by fans, and this entry sticks out as particularly distressing. The game follows Holly, a young lady who hitchhikes to the Rodeway Inn motel when her car breaks down on her drive home. From here, things take an awful turn.

Norwood Hitchhike strongly emphasizes the dangers of solo traveling, especially regarding the trustworthiness of strangers. It is definitely worth replaying this game, as there are lots of warning signs to spot that will likely go unnoticed in the first run.

31 Arctic Eggs

A Sci-Fi Horror Cooking Simulator

Arctic Eggs is a surreal sci-fi/horror cooking simulator that sees the player wielding a frying pan to feed the inhabitants of a cyberpunk-inspired Arctic city. There is not necessarily a strict plot, but by cooking for each character, they can learn the backstories of some unusual personalities.

The dystopian landscape is cold and unforgiving, and the meals get increasingly disturbing. Learning how to maneuver the pan is fun, and feels weighted depending on what’s inside. Overall, Arctic Eggs is weird, unsettling, and oddly compelling – well worth playing for sci-fi horror fans.

30 Cannibal Abduction

Uncover Disturbing Family Secrets And Escape

• Developer: selewi
• Release Date: January 13, 2023
• Platform: PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Xbox Series X/S, Linux
• Top Critic Rating: 68

In Cannibal Abduction, the player takes control of Henry as his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Luckily for him, a kind older man happens to be driving by and offers to tow Henry and his car to his family farm just down the road. The man then offers to fix Henry’s car in exchange for fixing an old wardrobe for his wife.

As night falls, Henry finds himself locked inside the house, seemingly alone. He slowly finds diary entries about the family’s strange and disturbing behavior and realizes that he is in danger and must escape.

29 The Night of The Scissors

A Cautionary Tale About Urban Exploring

• Developer: selewi
• Release Date: May 13, 2022
• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
• Steam User Rating: 95%

The game begins with Kevin and Adam, ready to break into and rob a seemingly abandoned post office, ready to find some valuables to sell for pocket money later. However, as Adam (the player) makes his way inside, the shutter to leave the building suddenly shuts, with Kevin nowhere in sight.

As Adam makes his way through the dilapidated building, he finds red markings in the shape of scissors on the walls along with newspaper clippings about a mysterious individual called “the Snipper” who is still on the loose. The player must find their way out of the building, avoiding the Snipper by listening for the sounds of snipping scissors.

28 Happy’s Humble Burger Farm

A Restaurant Harbors Unimaginable Horrors

• Developer: Scythe Dev Team
• Release Date: December 3, 2021
• Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
• Top Critic Rating: 69

While it may seem like just another wholesome food prep/cooking simulator, Happy’s Humble Burger Farm is much more sinister than it first appears. Strange happenings begin to occur throughout the night as the player is still expected to manage the restaurant and serve customers.

However, the game begins to mix mediums and art styles, suddenly taking a terrifying turn. For any horror lovers who are in for a strange and terrifying ride filled with tons of unpredictable twists, the Happy’s Humble Burger Farm series may just be the perfect answer.

27 Feed Me Billy

Can You Satisfy Its Hunger?

• Developer: Puppet Combo
• Release Date: 2018
• Platform: Windows

Feed Me Billy is an interesting take on the PS1 horror genre, as it flips the script and gives the player the chance to be the one doing the terrorizing, instead of the other way around. While typical horror titles force the player to hide, run, or fight a terrifying killer, Feed Me Billy puts the player in the role of the killer that others must flee from.

Billy is a young man who one day wakes up to a horrific flesh-eating monster in his closet. It is his job to find and hunt down victims to feed the massive monster in order to satiate its hunger.

26 Broken Through

A Psychological Horror With Integrated FMV

• Developer: JordiBoi
• Release Date: 2022
• Platform: Windows
• itch.io Score: 4.6

Broken Through begins with the player finding out that their best friend, Leo Williams, has been legally declared dead after going missing for seven years. The player visits Ava, Leo’s mother, as she hands off some of Leo’s most treasured belongings, stating he would have wanted his best friend to have them, rather than go to waste.

However, after trying out a game found in Leo’s old possessions, it seems as if Leo didn’t die after all. The game blends the PS1 era graphics with FMV footage to create an eerie dream-like world to give a new twist to a classic genre.

25 Night Security

This Night Security Job Has More In Store Than Expected

• Developer: Chilla’s Art
• Release Date: June 17, 2023
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 90%

In true Chilla’s Art style, Night Security is a horror game that merges the terrors of real life with more classic horror tropes. The game follows the long, tedious, and (purposely) repetitious life of a nighttime security guard for an office building.

While there are definitely elements of supernatural horror, Night Security also hones in on the harsh reality of how common overworked employees are in almost any workplace. Just as the player feels as if they’ve grown accustomed to their patrol route and gotten used to their banal duties, Night Security throws them for a loop, keeping players on their toes, flashlight at the ready.

24 Deadly Night

A Horror Game That Just Keeps Getting Worse

• Developer: Cubyte Games
• Release Date: September 1, 2022
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 78%

Heavy content warning for this particular entry.

Deadly Night follows the tale of a young lady named Carol who decides to spend the night in a shady motel before she heads out once again to make the long trip to see her parents the next morning. She is immediately put off by the aggressive Mr. Shiny, the perverted motel owner.

After discovering that he has been secretly filming Carol showering, it becomes clear that the deranged Mr. Shiny is the dangerous antagonist the player must escape. However, things take a huge turn as Carol finds Mr. Shiny’s bloodied corpse on her way out of the motel. The player must then help Carol out of the true nightmare.

23 Rewind Or Die

An Experience Both Nostalgic And Terrifying

• Developer: Comp-3 Interactive
• Year: April 14, 2023
• Platform: Windows, macOS
• Steam User Rating: 93%

For any fans of old-school slasher flicks who are itching for a fun thriller with matching old-school graphics and a banging 80s soundtrack, Rewind Or Die just might be the perfect game. Rewind Or Die follows the tale of a bloodthirsty, masked serial killer who goes by the name Slaw.

The player takes on the role of a video rental store employee who is surprised by a visit from a detective who reveals that every missing person in the Slaw case had one thing in common: an account at Video-2-Go. After shaking it off as a coincidence, the player continues their menial duties but is soon interrupted by the terrifying Slaw himself. It’s then up to the player to make their way out alive and discover the truth behind the killer.

22 Parasocial

Explores Online Safety With A Very Real Threat

• Developer: Chilla’s Art
• Year: August 26, 2023
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 94%

It’s a bit of an inside joke within the gaming community that Chilla’s Art games are particularly popular among V-tubers (virtual YouTubers). In Parasocial, players get a taste of the illusive V-tuber life and take control of Nina, a young girl who uses her 3D virtual model to stream games online to her loyal fanbase.

After a terrifying moment where her identity (behind the camera) gets leaked by accident, Nina’s life begins to sour. She begins to notice unusual happenings around her apartment and starts receiving messages from an unknown number that threatens to blackmail her. It seems as if everyone is worthy of suspicion, not just Nina’s online audience, but even the people in her real life.

21 Haunted Cities (Collection)

A Unique And Stylized Collection Of Short Horror Games

• Developer: Kitty Horrorshow
• Release Date: 2015
• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
• itch.io Score: 4.6

Kitty Horrorshow’s Haunted Cities is a collection of short horror experiences that first began back in 2015. Haunted Cities was initially released for free as a gift to Kitty Horrorshow’s loyal Patreon members, but was later released to the public to download for free.

There are currently four volumes of Haunted Cities for players to explore. Each installment within the volumes is an experimental horror short that gives players a variety of scares; both subtle and shocking.

20 The Karaoke

Beware Of The Dangers That Lurk At Night

• Developer: Chilla’s Art
• Release Date: 2023
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 82%

One of the newest releases from Chilla’s Art, The Karaoke, is not the type of horror game for the faint of heart. Rather than using terrifying monsters that only exist in players’ imaginations, The Karaoke uses regular human beings as the villains. The story begins as innocent and follows the young Mira and her friend Moeka as they decide to stay after school to practice some basketball. When their coach kicks them, the two decide to visit their local 24-hour karaoke joint.

As simple as this premise seems, Mira and Moeka’s story can pan out in many different ways. Mira and Moeka must safely make it through the night, avoiding terrors that roam the darkness of the city. The Karaoke proves that sometimes the most terrifying things one can fear are the heinous actions of everyday people.

19 The House

A Fun Group Trip Quickly Escalates

• Developer: Spring Rabbit
• Release Date: 2022
• Platform: Windows
• itch.io Score: 4.5

The House may seem like it’s bound to wind up just like any old slasher horror flick, but things take a turn the moment the player feels as if they can predict how things will unfold. The story takes place in 70s Colorado and follows Amanda and her friends as they decide to spend a weekend in her buddy Scott’s inherited house in the countryside, away from the noise of the city.

However, the group later realizes that Scott lied about his inheritance and that his parents had no idea he and his friends decided to stay the weekend in the abandoned house. While it may seem cliché enough to have each of the teens be killed off one by one, courtesy of a crazed masked murderer, Amanda, and the others slowly realize that their predicament is much more complicated.

18 The Bathhouse (Remake)

A Terrifying Job Simulator With A Surprisingly Touching Twist

• Developer: Chilla’s Art
• Release Date: August 10, 2024
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 91%

More often than not, Chilla’s Art games use an antagonist that is well-rooted in reality. Instead of a terrifying ghost or supernatural being, the player must avoid another human who is malicious and wishes to harm them. However, The Bathhouse takes a different route, and leans more towards the supernatural side of horror; perfect for fans of ghost stories or hauntings.

The player takes control of a girl named Akimura Maina as she decides to take a job at a bathhouse after moving from the busy city to the countryside. In need of money and a place to stay, she takes the job as it promises both pay and a rent-free apartment. Many players may accurately find her ordeal a bit too good to be true; slowly, they will realize that a presence lurks within the walls of the bathhouse. The question is: is it trying to harm Akimura or warn her?

17 Pigsaw

Escape Murderous Pigs With A Penchant For Human Meat

• Developer: Christopher Yabsley
• Release Date: August 1, 2023
• Platform: Windows
• Steam User Rating: 92%

Pigsaw, aside from being a fantastic pun, is an indie horror game that places the player in a dystopian world in which pigs are butchers who incarcerate and slaughter human beings. The player is dropped into the middle of the chaos right from the get-go, so players beware, time for learning is short.

The player must venture through the depths of the “Butchers”‘s slaughterhouse-prison in order to find their way out. Throughout their journey, the player is forced to fight against armies of Butchers and make their way through secret colonies of other human survivors to escape. If the player does indeed make it to the end, they can either fight their way to freedom on their own or by the side of their fellow prisoners.

16 Night Ripper

A Scary Stealth Horror Based On A Real Life Killer

• Developer: Puppet Combo
• Release Date: 2017
• Platform: Windows

Night Ripper follows protagonist Rachel as she leaves a diner late at night to find out that she had forgotten her keys back at home. With no way inside her apartment, Rachel is forced to roam around the city at late hours of the night to find loose change for a nearby payphone to call her roommate to unlock the apartment door for her.

Unfortunately for Rachel, a killer by the name of the Night Ripper, inspired by the notorious Jack-the-Ripper, stalks the streets at night, looking for helpless victims to claim as his prey. The terrifying killer drives around the city hunting for the player wearing his signature yellow duck mask. If Rachel panics too much, she becomes paralyzed and loses her ability to run at full speed, making hiding (and being patient) an imperative part of Night Ripper‘s gameplay.