When it comes to horror games, there’s a wide variety with different emphases — some utilize jump scares while others favor grotesque imagery, a la Silent Hill. However, the spookiest gaming experiences are often more minimal. They typically invoke vulnerability and uncertainty, as players are placed in ambiguous, shadowy scenes with few survival tools and little awareness of what’s even happening.
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These psychological horror games unnerve players in a deeper way than jump scares ever can.
After all, it’s typically one’s own imagination that conjures up the scariest moments, and these more stripped-down games can set the stage for creepy interactive experiences. Despite — and often because of — their more limited nature, mobile platforms can ironically be the best way to enjoy the genre; playing alone in the dark, with nothing but a limited touch screen and one’s own wits to survive their haunting simulation. These are some of the best examples of such mobile gaming frights.
6
Slender The Eight Pages
Be Sure Not To Gaze At Him
- Released
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June 26, 2012
- ESRB
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t
- Developer(s)
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Parsec Productions
Slender Man began as a chilling Creepypasta legend, and has since sprouted into a pop-cultural horror phenom. Tapping into the figure’s eerie, ambiguous nature, this mobile version of the PC horror game takes players into a forest at night with nothing but a flashlight in hand. The experience is akin to a wandering nightmare fused with a minimalist survival game.
In The Eight Pages, players must aimlessly seek several pages scribbled with calls for help and warnings related to the long-limbed suit-wearing man. The game uses the (typically) more humble mobile hardware to its advantage — with crude, shadowy visuals and droning ambient sounds that add to the spookiness and intensity. Any lack of action is made up for by the unanticipated jump scares that will have players sweating.
5
Samsara Room
An Off-Kilter Puzzler That Will Keep Players Off-Balance
- Release Date: April 29, 2020
- Developer: Rusty Lake
- Publisher: Rusty Lake
- Genre: Adventure, Puzzle
Taking the form of a mobile prequel to the Rusty Lake & Cube Escape series, this point-and-click puzzler will keep players guessing as they try to make sense of the unsettling scenario they find themselves in. While stripped-down in terms of presentation and interaction, Samsara Room utilizes creepy atmosphere, mysterious themes, and unpredictable elements to round out a memorable trip.
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Most critical is the slew of intriguing puzzle elements, which entice players to dig deeper, unveiling details regarding their background and how to escape this peculiar room. Tasks succeed in keeping players off-balance — often involving rearranging, manipulating, and tinkering with various objects absent much guidance.
4
Vampire Survivors
Vampiric Chaos
- Released
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December 17, 2021
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Luca Galante
- Publisher(s)
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Luca Galante
While horror games often stress slower pacing and intricacy to build tension, sometimes it’s fun to just let loose and blast away countless waves of enemy hordes (in this instance, without even pressing a button). Case in point? This retro-style shooter from Poncle. Vampire Survivors flings an absurd amount of Gothic-themed creatures and demonic foes at players, steadily dialing up the intensity in each 15-to-30-minute run within several distinct biomes.
Taking a rewarding roguelite approach, players gather a limited pool of weapons and buffs from a selection of countless items, which include everything from axes to Castlevania-style whips to fiery wands and AOE-damaging garlic. Playing as most of the default or unlockable characters brings a scary vulnerability from the outset — but depending on the random goodies, and how one approaches the monster-slaying task at hand, they’ll soon find they can blaze through most anything creeping towards them.
3
Limbo
An Unsettling Adventure On The Go
- Released
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July 21, 2010
- ESRB
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T For Teen due to Animated Blood, Mild Violence
- Developer(s)
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Playdead
- Publisher(s)
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Playdead
When it comes to atmosphere, Playdead does a lot with a little in this puzzle-solving scroller. Relying on a dark, eerie aesthetic and ominous pursuing foes, Limbo has players on their toes as they scurry across the desolate wilderness, bracing for whatever unseen obstacle comes next. As expected with a 2D mobile romp, the interface, like the game at large, is minimal.
Yet, it does all that it needs to — which is to advance the boy hero as he seeks his missing sister, and maneuver objects cleverly interwoven into puzzles and stage design along the way. Limbo proves that neither cheap jump scares nor gratuitous violence are necessarily needed in a compelling, chilling horror — instead favoring an unsettling aura, stylish shadowy visuals, and subtly effective sound design.
2
Five Nights At Freddy’s
Perhaps The Kids Should Stay At Home
- Released
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August 8, 2014
- ESRB
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m
- Developer(s)
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Scott Cawthon
- Publisher(s)
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Scott Cawthon, Clickteam LLC USA
Frightening jump scares and intense, brow-sweating moments await players in this point-and-click escapade. This hit series of adventure games, now a standout horror for mobile gadgets, invites players into a seemingly abandoned kid-themed pizza joint, rife with spooky animatronic figures that happen to be both alive and malicious.
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The following horror games strike fear into players at a deeper, more psychological level.
Assuming the role of night security, the mission at hand involves repairing these off-kilter characters, though the journey evolves into one of resource management, traversing dark hallways, solving puzzles, and indeed, survival against these freaky foes. Five Nights at Freddy’s entices with its sense of mystery, impressive detail (with elements like security cameras painting a greater picture), and the looming threat of the unknown around every corner.
1
Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals
A Captivating Transmission
- Released
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June 12, 2023
- ESRB
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T for Teen – Fantasy Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
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Night School Studio
- Publisher(s)
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Netflix Games
Available on mobile devices and services that even include Netflix, this follow-up to the graphic adventure by Night School Studio impresses with its rich style and gripping narrative. The game’s plot is enhanced by great writing, branching pathways, and a slew of dialogue options. Taking place five years after the original, players this time take the role of the dynamic Riley.
She is tasked with setting up transmitters to explore the origins and details behind strange radio anomalies. What follows is a compelling mystery tinged with eerie undertones, as players will experience everything from hallucinations to time warps to dimensional portals along with the protagonists.