The epitome of what I’m trying to refer to is the Playdead games (Limbo and Inside). Dark Souls and BioShock both hit on this idea but not quite so directly. The game BADLAND is also a great example of this, too. The mobile game The Silent Age also did this exceptionally well. Never quite knowing what’s going on, and maybe some tension without release, but again not straight up horror. A feeling of uneasiness is what I’m looking for.
When playing through Inside, there’s never any moments where you’re scared, but you’re never sure what’s going on and there’s always a level of unease. What are all the mindless zombie-like people? Why is everyone hunting the player? What happened to this city? What’s the goal of the character the player controls? What exactly is going on here? That’s what I’m looking for. If you know of any other games which do this, I’d greatly appreciate hearing about them. It’s a very specific niche so I’m not sure how many games do this, but the games that I’ve seen do this tend to be some form of post-disaster or dystopia. I’ve seen some great artwork do this too. Zdzisław Beksiński had done some stuff like this. Some great dystopian novels also do this quite well.
Subnautica has some creepy overtones.
I’ve heard as such. I also love nautical themes in general (no surprise given my username), so I’ve been meaning to play it for quite a while. Thanks for reminding me of this game
If you like crafting bases, this sounds like it would be right up your alley, then
Be sure to clear off the next few evenings when you start it
I usually only get one day off work at a time so I’ll use up my paid vacation to play this game 😎
Seconding Subnautica.
It was one of the few games I’ve played where I felt sad finishing it.
The sequel does not have the same vibe, though, so be aware of that. It’s an okay game, but it definitely misses the vibe the original.
I loved Subnautica, but it was too scary and claustrophobic for me to finish because I am a weenie. The first time I had to go down to that abandoned underwater cave base shivers
I’d recommend Control by Remedy. It’s got some SCP vibe and has liminal spaces, spooky supernatural shit and great looking environments and game play.
I’ve received lots of suggestions for Control, I think I’ll be playing it soon
Control was so unbelievably good and creepy. Can’t recommend it enough. Really recaptured the love of gaming and exploring a new world that I had started to lose.
Absolutely Control. I’ve just gotten back to it after a too long hiatus. About half way through and loving every beat. The logs and docs are 100% worth reading.
Outer Wilds. It’s better to play it without knowing much beforehand. All I’m gonna say is: it will make you feel very lonely and even vulnerable at times, although it’s not a horror game by any means. It’s a beautiful videogame with a mind-blowing story.
I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews for that game, but I haven’t had any aspect spoiled for me at all. Thanks for the recommendation!
I agree. The DLC adds creepy.
Half Life/Black Mesa. I replayed it recently and I had forgotten the level of unease that pervades most of it. While short of horror, there’s been an obvious disaster, people are panicking, and it’s unclear to the PC what is going on for most of the game.
I played Black Mesa a few months back and loved it. It also did a really good job with what I’m trying to explain. I kind of want to go through the original as well at some point, too.
The original is great. I actually haven’t played Black Mesa all the way, but played the original recently… I have to admit it looks quite dated, which isn’t surprising considering it is (amazingly) 25 years old.
I don’t mind outdated graphics (unsurprising, given that I mod this community). I’ve been meaning to get to the sequels too. Are they similar in terms of creepiness?
Oh, definitely! I don’t really recall the add-ons (Opposing Force, etc) but Half-Life 2 is a very worthy sequel.
I know some people say the second is the best one, others swear by the first. I own all the Half-Life games so I really should continue the series
I am not sure which is better. I played the first at a seminal time, when the only other FPS I knew was quake. We also played a lot of HL P2P (back when it was ‘deathmatch’…). I played HL2 much later, several years after it was released, and did no PvP ever. All in all, I like about 60% of each one, as far as the single player story experience.
Fair. There are some advantages to playing games at the time they were popular for sure. I’m a little bit younger though and Halo CE was my first ever video game so I didn’t really experience Half-Life as a brand new game
Control does a good job of starting out uncomfortable and weird, and continuing to escalate as the story progresses. A great deal of unease since you don’t understand what’s going on with your character or the environment she finds herself in.
That sounds perfect. Thanks for the recommendation. I own it so I really should play it
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Bloodborne
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Control (definitely what you’re looking for)
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The Last of Us
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Little Nightmares (quite similar to Inside, horror-inspired and creepy but barely any jump scares)
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Inscryption
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Dying Light (admittedly not very scary, but at night where you get chased by creatures can be very intense)
Control was so good! I found it was a little tough at times, but it maintains the creepy vibes throughout the game. And the more you progress, the more Jesse feels like an absolute badass without undercutting the game’s atmosphere. Just a fantastic game all around.
I’ll be bitter about Bloodborne not being on PC until the day they release it on Steam. I’ll look more into the other ones though. I think I own Control already so I might play that one soon
Control is definitely 10/10 for me, very satisfying once you get used to the mechanics.
Yes, Control hit all the right spots for me. Its got an X-files/Twin Peaks feeling about it. I loved every minute of my playthrough. Its architecture and level design also really appealed to me.
Seconding Control. It’s an absolutely amazing game. Very creepy vibes in most of the game but not quite horror.
Inscryption is such an amazing, surprising, mind-bending and downright crazy experience. Everyone should play it absolutely blind.
Bloodborne is my favorite game of all time.
So amazing. The music in the goal… shivers!
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Portal series
Absolutely. I forgot to mention those in my post but I’ve played them many, many times and they’re some of my favourites. Once you leave the test rooms in Portal 2 and explore the rest of Aperture after it became abandoned is one of the coolest experiences in video games for me. I love abandoned stuff, creepy in all the right ways
Yes, the games are not especially creepy but the implications are really horror material the more you think about it. Like the reason why Aperture is abandoned, what experimentations were conducted there, what are the consequences, who is the rat man… Chills.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice kinda fits this description. It’s a game about a mentally ill viking(ish) warrior so it’s more “psychological” creepiness than zombies, but it definitely achieves what it seeks out to do as with its atmosphere without being outright horror. The game is not for everybody since the gameplay can be a bit offputting.
This is the most skin crawling game in the thread. In VR it’s super creepy, the voices are just downright harrowing.
Oof, I can only imagine VR. The voices with good headphones and a long play session gave me a headache the next day haha
I’ve heard really good things about that one. Good to know it fits what I described, I’ll be checking it out for sure. Thanks!
If you have issues with too-close FOV in games, you may want to make sure you play the PC version and not the console one. PC you can adjust the FOV. Console version is one of the few games I’ve played that made me straight up barfy. Dishonored 2 was another.
Duly noted. I always play on pc anyway, so no big deal. Thanks for the tip
Definitely try Hellblade. And definitely play with headphones.
I have an extra key for Senua if you’re interested.
If you’re willing to, that would be awesome.
Play it with good over-ear headphones. It’s SO good that way.
STALKER for that horror undercurrent, Deus Ex Mankind Divided probably has the best atmosphere of any game I’ve ever played and the fact the franchise was abandoned for that marvel brain-rot is a crying shame.
STALKER was my first thought as well. amazing atmosphere. The zone doesn’t care if you’re there or not.
Metro games are pretty good too, especially the first two for that creepy vibe.
I’ve been playing DREDGE and it definitely has the creepy element down. It’s gotten me hooked for sure
I’ve been absolutely loving DREDGE. Picked it up in the summer sale without really knowing anything about it and I’ve been having so much fun with it.
OP, I’d strongly recommend this game but don’t look anything up, it really adds to the suspense and eerieness.
Duly noted, I’ll check it out. Thanks!
Second dredge.
I pirated it and then like it enough to buy it on steam.
What Remains of Edith Finch. It’s not horror at all but you’re the last person alive in your family, exploring your childhood home, which is a crazy house with tons of weird add-ons and secret passages, exploring how your family members died. Mental illness, insane unlucky accidents, all that. It’s a really truly excellent game. It’s unsettling in a way that keeps you on edge without ever being actually afraid
I forgot about that game but I’ve heard really good things. I’ll take a closer look, thanks!
That game left SUCH an impression on me. It’s so poetic and the emotions are so raw.
Segments of most 3d Zeldas are like this, but the one that takes the cake is definitely Majora’s Mask. The entire game is like one bad dream.
Most Metroid games also qualify, which makes sense since they draw heavily from the Alien movies.
Seconding basically all the (mainline) Metroid games.
If only the Zelda games were on pc :( I could emulate though
I’ll look more into Metroid too
Hollow Knight
I absolutely love Hollow Knight. One of the best games I’ve ever played. Not sure how I didn’t think of it when writing my post. That game is a masterpiece
Firewatch. The story and gameplay don’t lead you to believe you’re in for a paranoia existential plot but it certainly goes there. Sounds right up your alley. It’s an amazing game and certainly hits the point of scaring you without jump scares with an uneasy tension.
I heard lots of good things when it first came out and then sort or forgot about it. I’ll look into it some more, your description sounds exactly like what I’m looking for
Returnal. It has an unsettling atmosphere on an unknown alien planet and a mysterious story that you piece together. It’s very tense and you are isolated with just your character’s thoughts, I highly recommend it.
The story is straight Lovecraftian style horror, even if the game play style isn’t typical of a horror game. 🤷🏻♂️
I’ve heard of this one. It’s a very pretty looking game, if it goes on sale on Steam I’ll consider getting it. AAA price for a “we’ll see” isn’t worth it imo especially given my backlog on steam is massive. But it’s now on my wishlist so thanks!
