Horror game fans had no shortage of high quality experiences to check out in 2022, with some titles standing out as especially noteworthy. Thehorror genre had a variety of games on offer, ranging from big budget blockbusters to terrifying indie projects that left a lasting impression on fans.
Remarkably, 2022 was a stellar year for horror games even without some of the genre’s giants putting out new releases. While there was theShadows of RoseDLC forResident Evil Village, no new full-fledgedResident Evilgame hit the market.Silent Hillcontinued its absence streak this year as well, though the franchise is looking to make a comeback in the years ahead. In the more immediate future, horror fans have theDead Spaceremake to look forward to in January, while the highly-anticipatedResident Evil 4remake is set to launch in March.
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While horror fans wait for the big horror games of 2023, they can check out the horror titles that defined 2022. Here are the 10 best horror games of the year, listed in alphabetical order.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Don’t be fooled byA Plague Tale: Requiem’s sunny locations and gorgeous scenery. Underneath its pretty graphics is a gut-wrenching tale of survival, with siblings Amicia and Hugo subjected to all kinds of atrocities over the course of its runtime. There’s always the threat ofbeing eaten alive by massive tsunamis of rats, but the human enemies inA Plague Tale: Requiemtend to be even scarier than the ocean of rodents, capable of genuine cruelty and quick to brutally beat our protagonists to death.A Plague Tale: Requiemmay not be quite as focused on scaring players as the other games on this list, but it still works as an engrossing stealth horror experience that will leave players on the edge of their seats.
The Callisto Protocol
Striking Distance Studios’The Callisto Protocolmay not have lived up to the promise of being aDead Spacespiritual successor, but it still brings a lot to the table for fans of the horror genre.The Callisto Protocolis a sci-fi horror game that, while not reaching the same heights asDead Space, does borrow a lot from that classic game. What setsCallisto Protocolapart are its cutting-edge graphics and focus on melee combat, putting players in close-quarters combat against a variety of twisted monstrosities. Future updates will look toadd more gameplay features toThe Callisto Protocolas well as smooth out some of its rougher edges, so it should be an even better game by this time next year.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me
Supermassive’sDark Picturesgames have been an annual horror game tradition since 2019, withThe Devil in Meserving as the 2022 iteration and the finale of the franchise’s “season one.” Each installment inThe Dark Picturesseries has incorporated more gameplay elements to be more interactive and engaging than its predecessor, withThe Devil in Mebeing no exception to that rule. Players will find themselves completing puzzles and directly controlling the characters more than previous games in the series, all while exploring a replica of the Murder Castle, the terrifying home that belonged toreal-life serial killer H.H. Holmes.
Dead by Daylightmay be the undisputed king when it comes to asymmetrical multiplayer horror games, butEvil Dead: The Gamegives it a run for its money. Featuring iconic locations from theEvil Deadhorror movie franchise,Evil Dead: The Gamelets players take on the role of familiar characters, including multiple iterations of Bruce Campbell’s Ash, as they battle against the unrelenting forces of the Deadites. Four players team together to rally against the forces of Hell, but a fifth player controls the Deadites.Evil Dead: The Gamehas enjoyed strong post-launch support, givingEvil Deadfans reason to keep coming back for more.
Immortality
Sam Barlow has made a name for himself with what are essentially modern day FMV games, butImmortalityis perhaps his most ambitious project yet.Immortalitytasks players with sifting through a mountain of clips from three distinct movies, behind-the-scenes footage, and talk show interviews to determine what exactly happened to actress Marissa Marcel. As players bounce from one clip to the next, rewinding and fast-forwarding, it becomes apparent that there is something far more sinister going on than what’s on the surface.Immortalitywill shock players and leave them with a serious sense of dread, especially after they have unraveled its haunting mystery.
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Madison
Madisonis an absolutely terrifying game, with data to back it up. Those brave enough to play it for themselves will find a first-person psychological horror experience where players are tasked with exploring a spooky house, armed with nothing but a camera. Not content to simply bombard players with jump scares and a foreboding atmosphere,Madisonalso challenges players to complete puzzlesto get through the game, so there’s more meat on the bones than many similar first-person horror titles on the market.
The Mortuary Assistant
Steam is a great place to find more obscure, but still great, horror game experiences, andThe Mortuary Assistantcertainly fits the bill. As the title suggests, players take on the role of a mortuary assistant, tasked with embalming dead bodies. As is typical of the horror genre, things quickly go off the rails, and players have to deal with all manner of frightening sights and demonic forces while going about their work. The game is an absolutely nerve-wracking experience and horror fans can rest assured that it doesn’t waste its creepy setting.
The Quarry
Supermassive has not one, but two standout horror games this year. WhereasThe Dark Picturesgames are relatively small in scale,The Quarryattempts to be more likeUntil Dawn, offering a longer story for players to experience. Boasting an ensemble cast of unlucky 20 somethings who find themselves stranded in a forest full of dangerous threats,The Quarryis an effective horror game that is even more entertaining when played with a friend. Players can go through the entire experience in co-op, controlling specific characters that they choose at the beginning in an attempt to keep everyone alive by the time the credits roll.
Saturnalia
Not knowing what lies around the corner is a big reason why many horror games are so scary, andSaturnaliadials that concept up to 11. A roguelite horror game with a striking neon art style, players explore a dangerous, shape-shifting village that changes form every time they die. The constantly-changing village does a great job of keeping players on their toes and creating a powerful horror gaming experience that fans of the genre won’t soon forget.
Signalis
Potentially the best horror game of the year,Signalisis quite simply a must-play for fans of the genre. Mixing a retro art style with gameplay that calls back to survival-horror’s classics,Signalisis a sci-fi horror game like no other. Players take on the role of Elster, a Replika who finds herself stranded on a mysterious planet without her memories. The goal of the game is to discover the truth about Elster’s past, all the while fighting to survive against dangerous enemies and engaging with classic survival-horror gameplay mechanics.
