Scariest games you've played

[DragonBlade64]

The games that made you scream out loud, kept you up all night, or made you question reality.

Some of my favorite picks

- Eternal Darkness
Great gameplay, awesome storyline, and all-around creepy. Honestly, the sanity effects were the best part

- Resident Evil
Mainly the older games in the franchise. I remember watching the beginning of the Gamecube remake of Resident Evil 1 and getting completely freaked out by the dogs and the first zombie you encounter. I got Resident Evil 4 a few years ago and had a blast with it

- Dead Rising
Didn't actually own it, but a watched a friend play it when I was younger years ago and I couldn't sleep for days

- Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Easily one of the scariest games I've played. Having no means to defend yourself really keeps you on edge

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Don't deny it. You've played it. You do not wanna go back in the well.

 

[finalark]

- Eternal Darkness
Great gameplay, awesome storyline, and all-around creepy. Honestly, the sanity effects were the best part

I thought Eternal Darkness was pretty good, but far from scary. For me personally the sanity effects were way too over the top and goofy for me to ever be really afraid by them. I never forget the time I tried to drop a healing spell only to have my character's torso explode. It wasn't scary for me, but freaking hilarious. Not to mention that they stop being surprising early on. IMO it was a neat idea, but could have been much better implemented.

Anyway, while I could list a ton of games that genuinely frightened me as a child (The infamous Redeads from Ocarina of Time, the Abominations in Warcraft III, the menu theme from the first Halo believe it or not) but not all that many scared me as I got older. Like, Amnesia was freaking terrifying back when I first played played it in 2010 when I was fifteen or sixteen, and back then I'd call it the most frightening game I've ever played, but I can't think of anything recent.

Resident Evil 3 used the scare the **** out of me when I was ten, though. I played it on my friend's Dreamcast and was so scared that I couldn't even get to the first Nemesis encounter. I was too afraid to touch a RE game until I was eighteen when I finally got around to playing RE4, which really wasn't all the scary IMO. I actually found the infamous regenerators to be one of the least intimidating enemies in the entire game.

One of the problems with horror games is that by the time you get to your 20s your rational adult mind takes over and it's harder to get spooked.

 

[IvanQuote]

For me it is Star Fox Command. I just find the enemy designs really uncanny. It also gave me a phobia of Manta Rays, as in looking at a live one causes me to feel short of breath now.

 

[Dem Bones]

Alien: Isolation is probably the scariest game experience I've had in a loooong time. I got a little too immersed in it lol. Outlast tends to sp00p me awful, but there isn't much beyond that.

Oh and System Shock 2.

 

[M.C.Jeducation]

Silent Hill 2

 

[Cyn]

Original Resident Evil. After that, I was desensitized to scary games.

 

[ProGamer]

Original Resident Evil. After that, I was desensitized to scary games.

I gotta agree with you the original scared me to death but the 3rd game really gaved me Nightmare fuel.

 

[SphericalCrusher]

Hmm.. well, back in the day - Clive Barker's Undying was one of the best that ever truly made me jump. Eternal Darkness had some great jump scares. I'm a huge Resident Evil and Silent Hill fan, but they never truly made me afraid. I'm going to pick Undying mostly due to me being a lot younger when it came out. I wish I could be afraid of games now. lol

 

[finalark]

Eternal Darkness had some great jump scares.

Eternal Darkness only had one jump scare in it, and said jump scare nearly made me drop my controller from how out of nowhere it was.

Needless to say, was much more wary about checking anything and everything for the rest of the game.

 

[Twewy]

- Dead Rising
Didn't actually own it, but a watched a friend play it when I was younger years ago and I couldn't sleep for days

I used to be scared out of my wits of zombies when I was younger, and Dead Rising quickly became one of my favorite games when I first played it (how ironic they also threw in my fear of wasps in the same game!). Dunno how it can be that scary when we're talking about the same game you can pie zombies in the face then immediately OHKO it with a giant fish. Concept-wise, zombies can be very terrifying, but when placed in a game where you can do just about anything you want with them, the fear and horror slowly leaks out by the time you've found the lawn mower. Plus, Frank's covered wars, you got nothing to be scared of when he's fighting them.

Scariest game I've played? REmake got me pretty good, the atmosphere and lightning do a great job of encouraging the player to fear whatever was around the corner, or in the next room. The fact that zombies didn't die unless you lit them on fire or make their heads red mist put some pressure on you especially. The Ocean Hotel bit of Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines did a good number on me too. What better way to put fear into a player than....you know what? Play the game yourself someday, it's a crime to ruin a good surprise like that. Let's just say you will be paranoid as hell.

 

[Lythium]

I found a bunch of Resident Evil games to be pretty scary. RE3, RE4, and Revelations stick out the most in my mind. Although I think Revelations is more stressful than scary. Same with Alien Isolation. The first three Silent Hill games all have their moments too, but I think 3 takes the cake for me. Also Fatal Frame 2 has some pretty creepy ghosts.

Generally not a fan of jump scares in horror games though, they kind of cheapen the fear and make me lose immersion.

 

[SphericalCrusher]

Eternal Darkness only had one jump scare in it, and said jump scare nearly made me drop my controller from how out of nowhere it was.

Needless to say, was much more wary about checking anything and everything for the rest of the game.

It's been so long since I've played it... but yeah I remember one big one and I thought there were others but could have been wrong. That was such a great game though man!

 

[Twewy]

I hate jump scares because I frighten too easily, but still know they're a cheap way to provide a scare. It just feels like a lazy scare unless it's some kind of punishment for the player like FN@F does. "You screwed up? Get ready to touch the sky."

 

[SomewhatMystia]

Eternal Darkness only had one jump scare in it, and said jump scare nearly made me drop my controller from how out of nowhere it was.

Needless to say, was much more wary about checking anything and everything for the rest of the game.

Was it the bathtub one? I still get paranoid entering the bathroom whenever I play, even if I know it's not happening.

Also, Echo Night scared the hell out of me as a kid. Like, 'never got more than 20 minutes in' scary.

 

[radio silent]

Silent Hill 2 is probably the #1. The Penumbra games were pretty scary. I enjoyed them more than Amnesia, even. Fatal Frame had some good atmosphere.

For the most part, games with a ton of jump scares don't really scare me; they kinda just make me mad. Gimme the creepy psychological stuff.

 

[mimgrim]

I don't really play scary/horror games.

As a result the scariest games I've played are Souls games and 999. xP

 

[finalark]

I hate jump scares because I frighten too easily, but still know they're a cheap way to provide a scare. It just feels like a lazy scare unless it's some kind of punishment for the player like FN@F does. "You screwed up? Get ready to touch the sky."

I feel like FNAF is one of the few games to do jump scares right, despite the hate it gets because some people have a mindset that if they dislike something that's popular it somehow makes them better than everyone else where they're a punishment rather than a scripted event. In most games where there's a jump scare you jump back in your seat a bit, say "how spoopy" and then keep going. Here? That scream means it's game over.

Plus the timing of the jump scare always changes just a little bit to keep you on edge.

 

[Dem Bones]

FNAF (the original) is a fine horror game. Namely for the sheer amount of tension it brings. I think the sequels lost that touch of dread, even though the formulas were almost the same. The franchise gets hate mostly because of popularity and it's fandom.

 

[Lythium]

Silent Hill 2 is probably the #1. The Penumbra games were pretty scary. I enjoyed them more than Amnesia, even. Fatal Frame had some good atmosphere.

For the most part, games with a ton of jump scares don't really scare me; they kinda just make me mad. Gimme the creepy psychological stuff.

I feel this. I need that atmosphere to really get me going.

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

When I first started playing the Halo series the solo moments in a dark room with the flood is always a bit unnerving. Getting attacked from behind and stuff at random moments.

 

[Twewy]

When I first started playing the Halo series the solo moments in a dark room with the flood is always a bit unnerving. Getting attacked from behind and stuff at random moments.

The Library level, I think it was called? Now that was a good "game suddenly turns into a horror film" moment.

 

[radio silent]

The Library level, I think it was called? Now that was a good "game suddenly turns into a horror film" moment.

Another one of those moments was the level "Robbing the Cradle" in Thief 3. Probably one of the most intense levels I've seen in a game.

 

[mimgrim]

When I first started playing the Halo series the solo moments in a dark room with the flood is always a bit unnerving. Getting attacked from behind and stuff at random moments.

Your post reminded me of some of the intense moments the first Gears of War game had. The first encounter with the first Berserker is intense as **** and leaves my heart pounding every time (thankfully the later encounters with them aren't quite as intense). There is also the first part of the factory that gives a very "horror" vibe to it. The night level and final boss can be pretty intense to.

 

[Draco74]

Resident Evil 1 for PSX. In that moment I was a kid and the experience was very terrifying!

 

[synesthe-sia]

The zombies mode in Call of Duty is kinda scary. I hate it when I get far and then there's no more revives. It's intense and when I die, I usually let out a few expletives I cannot say on Smashboards.

 

[Xavix]

FNAF, NOT THE JUMPSCARES. The "story" behind it is what I really find unsettling and creepy. (Oh, and the animatronic designs for FNAF4. Pure nightmare fuel)

 

[Psionic]

antichamber. like, something about it just makes it like, way scarier than any other game i've played. i guess it's just how much it ****s with your mind?

 

[Twewy]

FNAF, NOT THE JUMPSCARES. The "story" behind it is what I really find unsettling and creepy. (Oh, and the animatronic designs for FNAF4. Pure nightmare fuel)

The lore can hit a few buttons to make you squirm, but really I think the horror from FN@F comes from the concept: You're defenseless, you can't move, and you have to make it through the night while these killer ghost furries try to raid your "base" (get your mind out of the gutter, you know I meant the security room). The fear mostly came from the tension of you having to keep an eye on the bots in this unsettling, dimly lit pizzeria. Couldn't find Bonnie/Chica/Freddy? Better get ready to freak out.

Then 2 came along and became:

 

[SkyboundTerror]

Amnesia: The Dark Descent had me strangling coat hangers at 4 am because of cold sweats and nightmares. It stopped being scary when I found out you can basically run the entire time and never get caught, but the atmosphere continued to be disturbing and dense, especially in the dungeon sections. Good stuff, would never play again.

Another game that left an impression was Blood: One Unite Whole Blood. Yeah, it's an old game and leans more on the action side of things, but there are some levels that constantly have you on edge. God forbid you install the Death Wish expansion/mod. The main game never had jump scares, but this mod capitalizes on them and will have you playing in daylight.

 

[Xavix]

The lore can hit a few buttons to make you squirm, but really I think the horror from FN@F comes from the concept: You're defenseless, you can't move, and you have to make it through the night while these killer ghost furries try to raid your "base" (get your mind out of the gutter, you know I meant the security room). The fear mostly came from the tension of you having to keep an eye on the bots in this unsettling, dimly lit pizzeria. Couldn't find Bonnie/Chica/Freddy? Better get ready to freak out.

Then 2 came along and became:

1. 2 is my favorite game in the series, but I kind of have to agree that the last 3 nights looked exactly like that. 2. FNAF 3 also does really good by NOT TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO. It really instills a sense of terror when you don't know how to fight your enemy, and the hallucinations connecting with the air flow was a nice touch.