Horror games are created to instill fear, but nothing is scarier than games directly challenging with one’s psyche. This is what psychological horror video games are about. They put players in almost real-life situations that frighten them. Whether it’s being locked up in an old house with a murderer or isolated in an unknown place filled with supernatural occurrences, psychological horror games put you in a place of a defenseless victim, trying to fight for his survival.
Think you can handle it? If you do, then here are six deeply disturbing psychological games you should download on your gaming PC to start with:
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Imagine waking up in the dark and deserted halls of an old castle with a little memory about yourself? And if that isn’t worse enough, that castle happens to be the Prussian Brennenburg Castle which is filled with terrifying monsters known as gatherers. The worst part is that you can’t fight back these monsters and the only way you can survive is by avoiding them. This is what Amnesia: The Dark Descent is all about. Unlike other horror video games, it gives a different sense of fear knowing you can’t fight back.
Layers of Fear
Layers of Fear isn’t all about monsters, it’s all about fighting the devil inside your mind. In this psychedelic horror game, you delve deep into the mind of an insane painter, exploring his Victorian-era mansion to complete his Magnum Opus. Layers of Fear lets you uncover visions, fears, and horrors that entwine the painter with the masterpiece he has strived so long to finish.
Silent Hills P.T.
Silent Hills P.T. is a game developed by Kojima Productions, which was first introduced under the pseudonym “7780s Studio.” With the collaboration of the award-winning film director Guillermo del Toro, one can experience a truly terrifying experience with P.T. The player controls a nameless protagonist awakens in a haunted suburban house. With no means of defense, you must solve puzzles and protect yourself from the hostile ghost named Lisa.
Outlast
Outlast is the critically-acclaimed first-person horror survival game from Red Barrels. It lets you play the role of an investigative journalist named Miles Upshur as he explores the Mount Massive Asylum. What he discovers though is a terrifying line between science and religion, something that will prove to him that sometimes the most terrifying monsters comes from the human mind.
Resident Evil: Biohazard
Resident Evil: Biohazard is the first game in the franchise that offers a first-person perspective, bringing a new dramatic shift to the series. Set in the modern-day rural America, it follows the story of Ethan Winters who sets out on a journey to look for his wife, Mia. He finds her imprisoned in the basement of a house owned by the Baker family. Little does he know the horror that has corrupted the house.
SOMA
SOMA is another masterpiece from the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Unlike other survival horror game, SOMA is set below the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean. You woke up all alone in an isolated underwater facility filled with machines and robots that are starting to take on human traits. Slowly, the world around you is turning into a nightmare, and you must do everything to escape.