Best Horror Games That Are Immediately Immersive

Horror games often excel with their immersive atmospheres, even relying on immersion to drive the experience in place of gameplay. While this isn’t always the case, immersion remains an important aspect of many, if not all, horror games.

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While not all of these titles leave gameplay by the wayside, each of them emphasizes immersion in their own way. These games work to immerse players from the get-go, typically making use of immersive sound design, ambient music, thematic gameplay, and a dense atmosphere.

8

Dredge

Tranquil Fishing & Eldritch Horror

Released

March 31, 2023

Developer(s)

Black Salt Games

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Dredge isn’t the scariest of horror games, with half of the experience being more relaxing than anything else. Players spend daytime cruising soothing waters in the sunshine, listening to the lap of waves, but the tone quickly changes with the falling of the sun.

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At night, Dredge channels eldritch horror to create an unsettling atmosphere, elevated by a sanity system and an evocative art style. What makes Dredge so immediately immersive, however, is its dense soundscape and evocative musical stings, effortlessly controlling the overall tone.

7

BioShock

Twisted Body Horror In A Unique Sci-Fi World

BioShock isn’t likely to scare horror game veterans, but its emphasis on unsettling atmosphere and frequent body horror is likely to disquiet many players. The game is also bolstered by an immediately immersive atmosphere, supported by cinematic lighting and rigorous attention to detail within each environment.

The underwater city of Rapture is the clear star of the show, and BioShock wastes no time in introducing players to its grandeur and the inky darkness beneath its surface. The sound design and music help a great deal, but it’s the game’s subtle way of leading players through each scene, naturally progressing the narrative, that keeps BioShock immersive from the get-go.

6

Dead Space

Frantic Action & Gory Horror In Deep Space

Released

October 14, 2008

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Dead Space is a survival horror game that relies on unsettling imagery, jump scares, and truly disquieting creatures for its frights. However, these standard horror elements are elevated by its immersive atmosphere, something that players are party to from the very start.

The distinctive design of the heads-up display, the environmental storytelling, and the lighting all work to build a dense and immersive atmosphere. This is further supported by the setting, a creepy mining ship packed with unique environments that bring the chills in distinctive ways.

5

Little Nightmares

A Quiet, Creepy Adventure

Survival Horror

Puzzle

Platformer

Released

April 28, 2017

Developer(s)

Tarsier Studios

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Little Nightmares is a haunting platformer/puzzle game that excels with its dark world and deep atmosphere. The unique 3D visuals are both stylish and creepy, but it’s the design of the environments and characters that fill in the world, creating an immersive backdrop for this eerily quiet adventure.

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The simplicity of the gameplay helps a great deal in making Little Nightmares an immediately immersive experience, allowing players to delve into the adventure with ease. This is further supported by the limited exploration, focusing on contained scenes that keep players from getting lost or confused. As a result, players are able to soak in the dark atmosphere from the very start.

4

Telltale’s The Walking Dead

An Immersive & Utterly Somber Narrative

Telltale’s The Walking Dead is a somber narrative adventure game that takes players on a harrowing journey across a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse. Despite the familiar setting, The Walking Dead excels with its truly human characters and immersive atmosphere.

The game’s music is perhaps its greatest strength, punctuating emotional beats and tense sequences with a deft hand; from the funereal strumming of a guitar to the bleak and fleeting hope of a solemn string, each track helps to set the tone. The stylized visuals, writing, and — perhaps most importantly — the performances of the ensemble cast all help to immerse players in the desolate world and its desperate characters from the very start.

3

Lethal Company

Minimalist Co-Op Horror With Emergent Gameplay

Systems

Released

October 23, 2023

Developer(s)

Zeekerss

Publisher(s)

Zeekerss

Lethal Company makes no attempt to be a serious horror game, encouraging frequent shenanigans with a multiplayer-focused design that excels with its emergent gameplay. However, Lethal Company remains an immediately immersive experience thanks to the addition of proximity voice chat, heavily stylized visuals, and stark lighting.

While the multiplayer aspect can at times detract from the overall immersion, playing with friends can greatly elevate moments of horror, especially when members of the party are prone to panicking. The dynamic nature of Lethal Company’s asymmetric threats also helps to champion emergent gameplay, resulting in frequent moments of unscripted and often immersive terror.

2

Alien: Isolation

Immediately Immersive Environments & Terrifying Foes

Released

October 7, 2014

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Alien: Isolation is a first-person horror game that fans of the source material are sure to appreciate, thanks in large part to the game’s loyalty to the aesthetic of the original film. The truly terrifying Xenomorph with its dynamic behavior is the clear stand-out, offering a consistently immersive threat throughout the experience — though, the malfunctioning ‘Working Joe’ synthetics also inject their own unique terror to the experience.

The cinematic lighting and stylish visuals of Alien: Isolation are among its greatest strengths, working in tandem with the game’s dynamic alien adversary to provide players with an immersive experience. The attention to detail in each of the game’s environments also helps, ensuring the trading station of Sevastopol feels truly lived-in and making its vacant halls all the more unsettling.

1

Resident Evil 2

Immersive Exploration & Cinematic Lighting

Released

January 25, 2019

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

​​​​​​​Resident Evil 2’s remake may change too much for die-hard fans of the original, but its updated visuals, new perspective, and fluid action make for an experience that’s immediately immersive. However, it’s the game’s detailed setting, cinematic lighting, and immersive sound design that make Resident Evil 2 so frequently thrilling.

Resident Evil 2’s hands-off approach to design also helps dramatically, frequently allowing players to freely explore without much in the way of interruption. This results in an experience that’s often immersive, especially in the opening stages of the game. This becomes even more so with the arrival of Mr X, Resident Evil 2’s dynamic and heavy-footed villain.

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