Best Horror Games Set During The Day

Summary

• Daytime horror games can be impactful, showcasing details and unexpected scares.
• Examples like Moving Houses offer subtle scares through mundane tasks and changing environments.
• Games like Resident Evil 5 and Dead Island set terrifying scenarios under the sun.

Nighttime seems like the perfect setting for a horror game. There’s nothing quite like sneaking through the forest, not knowing what shadows are lurking between the trees, or investigating a haunted house without the light of the sun shining through the windows. With these scenarios in mind, the potential for horrifying experiences to happen during the day is often overlooked.

Oftentimes, when something terrifying happens in the daytime, it can be more impactful, both because it’s unexpected and because players witness every detail without them being obscured by darkness. From zombie outbreaks to disturbing military operations, these are some of the best horror games set during the day.

This list does not include horror games with a continuous and timed day/night cycle, such as The Forest, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or Dying Light.

10

Moving Houses

A Mundane Task Turns Sinister

• Platform: Windows
• Release Date: October 1, 2024
• Developer: Gordon Little

Some of the best horror games are those disguised under seemingly innocent premises. Moving Houses, it won’t come as a surprise, is about moving house. The player takes on the role of the homeowner, packing up their belongings and transferring them into the moving van.

Amid the basic gameplay of carrying boxes and filling them with items, players experience the gradually unfolding story about what happened in the house, told via the fourth wall breaking of the instructions and the changing environment. While the scares are subtle in Moving Houses, it will leave players feeling uneasy throughout.

9

Hello Neighbor

Break Into A House In Search Of The Truth

Hello Neighbor is a home invasion horror game with a twist. The player, after witnessing the neighbor locking something in his basement, must find a way to get into his house, uncover his secrets, and escape.

Minus a few short segments of the game that take place at night, Hello Neighbor takes place during the day. This setting makes the gameplay all the more tense, leaving players feeling exposed and at risk of being caught at any moment. With puzzles, stealth sections, and a need for strategy, this game will definitely keep players on their toes.

8

Resident Evil 5

One Of The Best Selling Games In The Franchise

As a well-known survival horror franchise with numerous major titles, Resident Evil has produced a diverse range of storylines and environments. With a surge of remakes, including Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, one of the now lesser-talked-about entries is Resident Evil 5.

Although still a survival horror, Resident Evil 5 has a wildly different vibe to the majority of the other games, largely owing to the fact that most of it takes place outside during the day. The player must prevent the sale of a bioweapon, uncovering something much larger in the process.

Resident Evil 4 also has a large portion of daylight gameplay, but Resident Evil 5 has comparably more.

7

Dead Island

A Classic Co-Op Zombie Game With Satisfying Melee

If the post-party hangover wasn’t bad enough, imagine waking up to discover that there has been an outbreak of a contagious zombie plague. Dead Island follows four immune survivors attempting to escape the island of Banoi while being pursued for their blood to make a vaccine.

While Dead Island 2 introduced a day/night cycle, Dead Island’s story takes place over the course of a day, meaning that the majority of the game is set under the sun. But players shouldn’t let the tropical paradise fool them, as there is plenty of satisfying close-quarters combat with the flesh-eaters.

6

Left 4 Dead 2

A Disturbing Action-Packed Zombie Shooter

Left 4 Dead was characterized by its gloomy evening gameplay, with the characters traveling by night to avoid the more aggressive zombies. In Left 4 Dead 2, however, the survivors are attempting to reach New Orleans, the only safe city left, as quickly as possible, no matter the risks of traveling during the day.

Although some missions take place in the evening, such as Dark Carnival and Hard Rain, a significant number of them occur in broad daylight. With plenty of weapon types and a disturbing roster of zombie types, this is a must-play for action horror game fans.

5

Alice: Madness Returns

Re-imagines The Classic Children’s Story

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will be a familiar title to bookworms, film enthusiasts, and gamers alike. Lewis Caroll’s children’s story has been subject to a number of adaptations, both live-action and animated, and has even made its way into the realm of horror games.

Alice: Madness Returns is notable for twisting the quirkiness of the original tale into a much darker story that follows Alice after her release from Rutledge Asylum. Complete with fantastical environments, odd characters, and gore, Alice: Madness Returns is a great interpretation of hack-and-slash horror.

4

The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter

Use Supernatural Abilities To Uncover The Past

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter follows paranormal detective, Paul Prospero, who has traveled to investigate Red Creek Valley after receiving a distressing letter from the titular young boy. Finding Ethan missing, the player must embark on a manhunt while uncovering the darker secrets of the town, piecing together clues and communing with the dead using their supernatural abilities.

The main shtick of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is that there are no big scary jumps or combat. Instead, the game focuses on the mystery and exploration elements. That being said, there are still a fair share of unnerving moments which the sunlight does little to prevent.

3

Silent Hill 2 (Remake)

The Definitive Psychological Survival Horror, Upgraded

A defining title for psychological survival horror, Silent Hill 2 was praised for its exploration of dark themes and its impeccable atmosphere. Thankfully, to the relief of fans, the remake lived up to the original with new and improved puzzles, combat, and collectibles.

The Silent Hill 2 remake is a great example of how a horror game set during the day can still be terrifying. For all the dingy indoor exploration, players would expect reaching the outside areas to be a breath of fresh air, yet the surroundings are constantly characterized by the iconic oppressive fog. This is not a game for the easily disturbed.

2

The Last Of Us Part 1

Navigate A Post-Apocalyptic America

The Last of Us Part 1 is a post-apocalyptic horror adventure set in an America overrun by a mutant fungus. The game follows the infected but immune Ellie and a smuggler, Joel, as they attempt to reach the cure-seeking Fireflies faction amid political tensions and dangerous Infected.

The Last of Us has had both a remaster and a remake (Part 1). The storytelling was so good, in fact, that a TV show based on the game was released in 2023 with a second season on the way in 2025. The game’s exploration of the realities of an outbreak makes it one of the best narrative-driven games, with plenty of daytime action.

1

Bramble The Mountain King

Explore Beautiful Scenes Inspired By Nordic Fables

Bramble: The Mountain King follows a boy, Olle, in search of his missing sister. Venturing across stunning landscapes, the player will encounter monsters and creatures derived from Swedish Folklore. While first and foremost a platforming game, Bramble also has puzzles and a fair share of exploration.

As the story progresses, so does the time of day, meaning players get to experience the world in the bright morning, the orange afternoon, and the blue twilight. During the night, every shadow seems dark and ominous, but when dawn cracks, the player is washed with relief, the sun shedding light on the game’s beautiful environments. Overall, Bramble is both visually and audibly cinematic, combining horror and magic with artistic finesse.