We all deserve to be a little spooked at times. A small jump scare here and there is probably good for the soul, or at least your nervous system. Horror games are incredibly popular because so many of us enjoy being terrified while sitting on the edge of our seats.
PlayStation Plus features a wealth of horror games that you can download and play at any time, day or night. While some are more of a narrative adventure, others require the help of friends, some are all-out action with some spooky thrown in. So, turn off the lights and get prepared to be scared by the best horror games PlayStation Plus has to offer.
Resident Evil 2
One of the best horror games ever created got a fancy remake a few years ago and, some would say, it got even better. Resident Evil 2 took what made the franchise great and doubled down on the drama and the zombie virus. With the action in Raccoon City being split over two characters, and the story levelling up to more intense proportions, it’s clear to see why this is a fan favourite. It may get a little silly at times, but that’s par for the course with melodrama like this, and at least the zombies and monsters are still as violent and scary as ever.
Alien Isolation
If you want tension and fear, it doesn’t get any better than Alien Isolation. Using simplicity, much like the original film, you find yourself trapped in a space station with a Xenomorph on the loose. The only way to survive is to hide and run. While this isn’t filled with action, it doesn’t suffer for that, it only makes the alien even more of a threat. Throw in some rogue synthetics that will also hunt you down and there’s danger everywhere you turn. Nothing is more tense than waiting in a locker for the Xenomorph to pass by, knowing you need to make a run for it.
Dead Island: Definitive Edition
Your definition of horror may differ from others. If it’s got monsters or creepy creatures in it, surely it’s classed as a horror, no matter how much it might make you laugh too. With Dead Island: Definitive Edition, that’s what you’re getting. It can be very silly at times, and will often feel very over-the-top, but for zombie stomping action, it’s up there as one of the best. This is a great place to start if you want some gross undead to bash. The story is very daft, but the bone-crunching combat holds up well and while you might not be scared, it’s a guarantee you’ll have a blast.
The Evil Within 2
Okay, if you want actual creepiness, as in the sort of stuff that gets under your skin good and proper, The Evil Within 2 has that in abundance. We’ve gone for the sequel as it made good on everything from the first game and dialled it up, but the original is also on PlayStation Plus so you can start there. Expect lots of blood, plenty of surreal monsters, and it harks back to the days of survival horror feeling like a fight for survival. Don’t expect action, unless you’re being chased, this is a slow burn with bursts of frantic fear.
Until Dawn
Pure narrative horror, Until Dawn is like a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ where someone dies on every page. Or they are in peril of some kind. You could also view this as a horror film where you control how a survivor, well, survives. Though a lot of the time they won’t, especially if your reflexes aren’t too great, or you choose the wrong option under pressure. While this is great to enjoy on your own with the lights low, it’s also great to play with friends so you can each play as a character and see how far they make it into the story. This gets extra points for some of the gnarly deaths, too.
Dead By Daylight
You’re definitely going to need some friends for this one. Dead By Daylight is ridiculously popular among many because of its high-intensity situations. Imagine it this way, it’s your job to survive as a party of four and escape an area while a killer is hunting you down. It sounds simple, but it’s really not. You have to find machines and fix them, or spend time in one place activating doohickies all while one of many killers is barrelling down at you wanting to hang you up on a meat hook. Once they started adding Hollywood killers it got even better.
What Remains of Edith Finch
The horror in What Remains of Edith Finch can shift from subtle to in your face. It’s a collection of interwoven stories that all stand apart for their visual and narrative styles but come together to form an engaging mystery. If you prefer your horror to be more art house than splatter house, then you need to get this downloaded. To say any more about the plot would give away too much, but know that this game seems to be universally loved for its tremendous story that will sometimes tug at the heartstrings as well as unnerve you.
Days Gone
At certain points, Days Gone is a bit cringe. However, it’s also funny, dramatic, and bursting with action. There are a lot of zombies on this list, but that’s because they’re often gaming’s hot topic. You get a lot of undead monsters here too, and when I say a lot, I mean it. Hordes by the hundreds will be swarming you and hunting you down. Days Gone prides itself on throwing huge numbers of enemies at you in between scenic rides across the towns on your hog. Sure, it’s a little rough around the edges, but it does have its charms.
Topics: PlayStation, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Playstation Plus, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil, Bethesda, Capcom, Dead by Daylight, Days Gone, Sony