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.
10 Eternal Darkness
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.
9 Siren
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.
8 F.E.A.R
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, 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.
7 Resident Evil Remake
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.
6 Dead Space 2
The Dead Space franchise has fallen into cryo-sleep, but it was a serious horror contender for a while. 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.
5 Fatal Frame 2
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 full of difficult missions & 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.
4 Silent Hill 3
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.
3 Alien: Isolation
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.
2 Bloodborne
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.
1 The Evil Within
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.
Next: 10 Weirdest Horror Games Ever Made
