2024 has been a landmark year for horror video games, from highly anticipated sequels likeSons of the Forestto the against-all-odds success of theSilent Hill 2 Remake. Whether it was triple-A or indie, physical or psychological, it seems like every major horror game had something new to offer this year.
Still, a select few games stood out among their peers, boasting immersive atmosphere, unrelenting frights, or fearless dives into the darkest parts of the human psyche. Based on Metacritic scores, accolades, andScreen Rant’s own reviews,these are some of the best horror games of 2024.
10Indika Is A Stylish, Surreal Iconoclast
Metascore: 80
Brooding, atmospheric, and cinematic,Indikais a narrative-focused game that tells the story of a 19th-century nunwith a unique set of problems. She’s an outcast among the other nuns at her convent, she’s grappling with a mysterious illness she can’t pray away, and she’s subject to frequent visions and visits from the Devil himself.Indikais split between immersive, 3D walking simulator segments, in which the protagonist explores the convent and the world around it and solves simple puzzles, and innovative, 8-bit platforming flashbacks to her troubled past.
Indikais as disturbing as it is daring, presenting a surreal vision of an unrelentingly harsh world. It’s artful and challenging, forcing the player to engage with a pointless point and perk system to augment its nihilistic narrative. It’s undeniably a horror game, but it’s unlike anything else on this list, and must be experienced to be believed. Available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S,Indikaearned an 80 onMetacritic, and apositive 7/10 review fromScreen Rant.
9Pacific Drive Is A Melancholy, Car-Based Survival Game
Metascore: 79
Few things are more terrifying than the prospect of running out of gas along an isolated stretch of country road.Pacific Drivetakes that fear and spins it into an atmospheric game, in which players are tasked with crossing the Olympic Exclusion Zone, a span of abandoned highway in the Pacific Northwest pockmarked by inexplicably deadly anomalies.Pacific Driveplays like a standard survival game - players scrounge for resources, maintain their equipment, and seek to understand their environment by clinging to the vestiges of those who didn’t make it out, while trying to avoid the same fate themselves.
10 Best Upgrades To Get First In Pacific Drive
Pacific Drive has a total of 143 upgrades and blueprints. This can be overwhelming for new players. Here are 10 upgrades that you should get early on.
But of course, it’s all themed around keeping a car fueled up and running, a prospect which is often more difficult than it seems. By turns alternately terrifying, tragic, and tranquil,Pacific Driveweaves a memorable story. Its innovative blend of the survival, horror, and driving game genres earned it a 79 onMetacritic, and anexcellent 8/10 review fromScreen Rant.
Metascore: 62
Slitterheadis the latest creation of Keiichiro Toyama, creator of theSilent Hill,Siren, andGravity Rushseries. Those two series clearly lend a lot of their DNA toSlitterhead, a bloody body horror game with unique puzzle platforming mechanics.InSlitterhead, players control a bodiless being called a Hyoki, using it to possess unsuspecting civilians. Set amid the neon-lit back alleys of Kowlong City, it follows the Hyoki (dubbed Night Owl) and the people he possesses as they investigate a string of mysterious murders tied to the sudden appearance of mutated monsters called Slitterheads.
Between its platforming sections,Slitterheadplays like an action RPG, with a diverse cast of characters whose abilities can be leveled up throughout the game. With aMetacriticscore of 62, it’s clearSlitterheadwas divisive. Many reviewers bristled at its repetitiveness (which does have a narrative purpose), but praised it for its undeniable and often irresistible originality, which earned it apositive 6/10 review fromScreen Rant.
7Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Is An Atmospheric Dark Fantasy
Metascore: 81
A sequel toSenua’s Sacrificefrom 2017,Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2is a story-focused dark fantasy game by the legendary Team Ninja. It tells the story of Senua, a Viking warrior who contends with invading cannibals and territorial giants. Along the way, she experiences auditory and visual hallucinations that can serve as anything from a distraction to a danger. Stunningly rendered in grimly gory detail,Senua’s Sagais a darkly fantastic, but ultimately hopeful story about the dangers of unchecked power and the malleability of destiny.
Senua’s Sagais short but sweet, wavering between thrilling, no-holds-barred combat sequences and gorgeously scenic exploration scenes, occasionally featuring environmental puzzles. The secondHellbladegame is currently only available for PC and Xbox Series X/S, although like the original, a PlayStation release may follow. It received an 81 onMetacriticand aglowing 9/10 review fromScreen Rant,praising its widespread improvements over the original game.
6STALKER 2 Marks A Triumphant Return To The Zone
Metascore: 73
The first new series installment in over a decade, the release ofSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylfelt like a small miracle. Developed entirely by the original Ukranian studio, GSC Game World,STALKER 2was over 15 years in the making. It follows a new protagonist, Skif, as he delves into the irradiated Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in order to discover the truth behind an anomalous artifact that destroyed his home. As he explores the vast and deadly region,he uncovers all manner of horrors: mutated creatures, inexplicable phenomena, and, of course, cruelly selfish humans.
Survival is a struggle inSTALKER 2, and not just because of the rampant bugs that have become something of a series staple, categorizing it as “Eurojank.” Still,reviewers enjoyed its immersive survival mechanics, gorgeously rendered environments, tough-yet-fair difficulty, and strong sense of identity, netting it a 73 onMetacriticand astellar 9/10 review fromScreen Rant.
5Crow Country Is A PS1-Inspired Romp Through A Haunted Theme Park
Metascore: 84
Fans of retro horror games ate well this year, but one of the most delectable dishes at the buffet wasCrow Country. Developed by British studio SFB Games, known for its work on Newgrounds as Super Flash Bros. and the Switch puzzle gameSnipperclips,Crow Countryis an absolutethrowback to PS1-era horror gamesin every way. Chunky characters, blocky backgrounds, and gawky gunplay adorn this delightfully simple game. It follows a special agent who comes to the titular abandoned theme park to search for its missing founder, and the strange characters she meets along the way.
With intensely challenging resource management, old-school gunplay, and terrifying surprises around every corner,Crow Countryis a feast in and of itself. It received an 84 onMetacritic, and a 9/10 fromScreen Rant, making it one of, if not the bestSilent Hill-stylethrowback to come out this year.
4Sons of the Forest Is A New-And-Improved Survival Horror Sequel
Metascore: 86
Sons of the Forestis the sequel toThe Forest, and had its full launch in February 2024 after a year of early access. It plops players down on a remote island, inhabited almost exclusively by hungry cannibals and bloodthirsty mutants.Players are tasked with building and defending basesas they complete a series of story missions that bring them closer to the heart of the island’s secrets, and ultiamtely, the hope of escape. Co-op is available for up to eight players, so it’s possible to share the burden of gathering resources, building new structures, and staying alive.
Sons of the Forestis genuinely terrifying, with plenty of tense enemy encounters and a story that occasionally veers into the disturbing. With more impressive graphics, more realistic enemy AI, a bigger map, and a more linear story,Sons of the Forestbuilds on its predecessor in almost every conceivable way. It earned an 86 onMetacritic.
3Alan Wake 2’s Lake House DLC Brilliantly Crosses Over With Control
Metascore: 72
The second piece of DLC forAlan Wake 2,Screen Rant’s best horror game of 2023,The Lake Houseprimarily exists to tie the reality-bending, metafictional duology together with Remedy Entertainment’s other major horror title,Control. Gameplay-wise, it’s much the same as the base game: classic survival horror near-perfectly executed, with strictly limited reserves of ammo and tense, overwhelming encounters. ButThe Lake Housetakes the surreality exhibited in the base game and cranks it up to the maximum, with disorienting, ever-changing environments, and some of the most terrifying monsters the series has seen yet.
The Lake Housedeserves its spot on this list, if only because it’s moreAlan Wake- but even then, it’s an excellent piece of DLC in its own right. For its brilliant expansion on the worlds of bothAlan WakeandControl, its adrenaline-inducing gameplay, and an engaging story some have interpreted as a cutting satire of AI art,The Lake Houseearns a 72 onMetacritic.
2Mouthwashing Is A Disturbing Dive Into Deep Space
To explain everything that makesMouthwashingso great would be to spoil it completely, but here’s the gist: it opens with the intentional crashing of the freighter ship Tulpar, which causes protective foam to spread throughout the hull. Lacking sufficient supplies to complete the journey, the crew resigns to their fate, turning on the cargo hold’s ethanol-based stores of mouthwash, and then each other as dark secrets come out and their interpersonal conflicts come to a boil. Suffice it to say thatthe rest of the game is disturbingly surreal, hauntingly atmospheric, and unrelentingly grim.
The story is told subtly and nonlinearly, frequently flashing back and forth as new information is revealed. Gameplay is barebones, but effective, with simple environmental puzzles and challenging chase sequences. Its themes can be read variously, but everyone forms their own takeaway, and all of them equally unpleasant.It’s hard to forgetMouthwashing, even after the credits roll. Its memorable characters, evocative soundtrack, and gasp-inducing twists make sure of that. One of the biggest horror game surprises this year,Mouthwashingscore an 86 onMetacritic.
1The Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Screen Rant’s Best Horror Game Of 2024
No one, least of allSilent Hillfans, expected theSilent Hill 2remake to be any good. Remaking any beloved classic is a tough sell, and this one’s marketing didn’t do it any favors. But when it finally came out in October,Bloober Team’s take onSilent Hill 2blew all expectations out of the water. Here was a pitch-perfect, next-gen recreation ofSilent Hill 2, with almost every element of the original intact, but plenty of new twists and turns. It would never replace the original, but it would make an excellent complement to it, and would prove that theSilent Hillseries still has some juice, even all these years later.
Of course,Silent Hill 2follows James Sunderland as he comes to the fog-shrouded town in search of answers about a letter he received from his late wife. Once there, he encounters all manner of terrifingly twisted creatures, each of which is a manifestation of his own inner turmoil. A brilliant examination of guilt, grief, and trauma,Silent Hill 2is the series' most enduring classic for a reason, and its remake does it justice in every conceivable way. As a result, with aMetacriticscore of 86 and an 8/10review fromScreen Rant, theSilent Hill 2remake cements its place as the best horror game of 2024.
