Summary
Agood survival horror gameis often a mixture of good stories and bone-chilling moments. It doesn’t rely only on cheap jumpscares but develops interesting and terrifying monsters that hunt down the main character. With horror being such a big franchise, it’s not often that people see an excellent title put out on the market. That being said, if players are survival horror fanatics and are looking to play something new, there are many candidates who more than fit the bill in this regard.
Many games have left a lasting impression in the genre in the past years and will continue to define survival horror for decades to come. Whether it’s because of their intense resource management, tense combat, nerve-wracking story, or a combination of all three, there’s no denying that the best survival horror games around let players experience a feeling that makes every small victory as satisfying as can be while trying to deal with a wealth of horrifying humans and monsters.
Updated on July 11, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:Thanks to its long presence in the industry, every gamer has had their share of survival horror games sometime in the past, be it classic Resident Evil titles, or the recent innovative horror experiences like Outlast Trials.
As the name implies, Survival Horror games must include both survival and horror elements, but the ratio is different from one game to another. So, in a game like Outlast, the survival element is as little as finding batteries, but in another game like The Forest, there is a good balance between survival and horror gameplay. This list will include all the varieties.
The list includes both single-player and multiplayer survival horror games even if the survival elements are minimal.
A Multiplayer Horror Experience Where Players Must Cooperate To Survive
Not all survival horror games are story-driven.Dead by Daylighthas proven over time that the survival horror genre could also be a great framework for PvP multiplayer experiences if enough thought is given to carve out the gameplay mechanics.
Dead by Daylightrevolves around a 4v1 game mode, where one player takes the role of the killer, and theother four playersmust work with each other to trap the killer and complete their objectives to finally find a way out before the time is over.
21Metro 2033
When Metro Tunnels Become The Only Safe Haven For Humanity
Metro 2033is a first-person shooter at its core, but it also comes with a strong horror setting and some survival elements to keep players engaged with the intense atmosphere. The game follows the exploration of a post-apocalyptic Russia, where the surface of the country is swarmed by mutated creatures.
As a single-player, story-driven experience, players are required to delve deep inside the metro tunnels and sometimes even climb up to the surface to complete tasks, gather resources, and feel the horrors of being trapped in a ruthless world.
20Alan Wake Series
Surviving In The Dark And Fighting With Nightmares Within
The first iteration ofAlan Wakewas a great attempt from Remedy to create a brand-new universe that revolves around a writer who is trapped inside the darkness of the world it tries to create. While the story was well-narrated, the game had some gameplay issues at the time.
The sequel, however, took the series to the next level by delivering significant improvements to both gameplay and storytelling, allowing players to control a new character other than Alan Wake, and also hinting them towards the events ofControl, which is also happening in the same universe.
Unlike most other horror games that attempt to imply fear with jumpscares or eerie sounds,Barotruamacreates a heavily dark environment in deep space, where the player’s only hope for survival is their submarine, but as long as it operates properly.
Playable in solo and co-op modes,Barotraumatasks players with operating the submarine under any condition, while facing space monsters and challenging situations. Players will always need to deal with the fear of losing the submarine, which is why they have tomaster their skillsin managing the resources and fixing the submarine’s problem one by one, before they are exposed to mutated creatures.
Thanks to its VR support,Phosmophobiais an ultimate experience for anyone who wants to feel the sense of fear deep within. Similar toBarotrauma,Phsamophobiaalso supports online co-op mode, which allows players to explore the horrific world of the game together!
Phasmophbiarevolves around hunting ghosts with a theme similar to The Exorcist movie. Players are ghost hunters, and they need touse all the toolsand devices at their disposal to find the source of paranormal activity, but it is not going to be easy to face these otherworldly beings.
BothThe Forestand its sequel,Sons of the Forest, deliver a superb survival experience on an open-world island, where players can build their own bases, though it is not about living a happy life there! Both games follow a crash onto an unknown island, where life looks much different from the rest of the world.
The survival elements are quite bold inThe Forestseries, as players need to find food and water, craft weapons, and build safe bases where they could rest for a single night at least. However, the island is inhabited by a cannibal tribe, who will raid players at night. ExploringThe Forest’sworld during nighttime andsneaking inside cavesfull of cannibals could be among every gamer’s most horrifying experiences ever.
Similar toBarotrauma, theSTALKERseries also tries to imply fear by creating a realistic world where access to resources is limited and people struggle to survive. While this game is more action-oriented than most other games on this list, players still feel the horror in the post-apocalyptic world ofSTALKER.
After a nuclear catastrophe, all radiation-infected zones are locked down, but there are still bandit groups smuggling cargo in and out of the zone. The player, however, is looking for someone special inside the radiation zone, and this journey, will force them to deal with many horrifying situations.
Haunting Groundis easily one of the most underappreciated survival horror games of all time, channeling the pursuit energy ofClock Towerwith a fresh coat of paint that makes this title such an unnerving experience from start to end. Fiona is a pretty engaging protagonist, even if her use as fanservice can be rather harrowing to watch given the gruesome subject matter of this game.
Thankfully, players aren’t completely alone as they deal with the many pursuers who are trying to chase her down for their nefarious purposes.They have a dog called Hewiewho aids Fiona every step of the way, allowing her to secure some much-needed items and have some sort of protection against her pursuers whenever Hewie tries to protect her by biting her enemies.
While many horror games today opt for a first-person perspective,The Evil Withinis a throwback to the days when games likeResident EvilandSilent Hilldominated with their classic third-person perspective.The Evil Withinputs us in the shoes of a detective who’s desperately trying to solve a mass murder.
During his investigation, he’s transported into an otherworldly placefilled with terrifying monsters. With the original creator of theResident Evilseries as one of the primary developers, players can expect a haunting survival story full of horrors and scares.
For those who love shaping their own story,Until Dawnis one of the greatest survival horror games. It’sset up like a classic slasher horror film, where multiple characters must try to survive the horrors that haunt them. As players control numerous characters in different scenes, they’ll need to collect clues to help them move forward.
Sometimes, players will make decisions and find items that will affect the future, providing them with a brief vision of the future. This will help them make the right choices when the time is right. Players should keep in mind that, for everyone to survive, every detail must fall perfectly in place.
