A Guide to Horror Games this Halloween

As we enter the month of October, what better to help you acclimatise to the spooky atmosphere than learning about horror games and their subgenres? In this article, we’ll discuss some popular categories of horror games, providing examples as well as the beloved tropes, mechanics, and aesthetics that they feature. 

Action Horror 

These games favour fast, intense gameplay as opposed to more atmospheric and subtle genres. They feature common elements of horror like unsettling locations, disturbing narratives, and creepy enemy designs, but their protagonists are usually more equipped to deal with the overwhelming threats they face, meaning that the player is able to confidently mow down any foe that crosses their path.   

Mechanics: first or third person shooters, QTEs (quick time events), fast pacing, intense combat, weapon upgrades, boss fights  

Tropes: hordes of enemies, zombies, military or trained protagonists  

Aesthetics: abandoned cities, spaceships, labs, guns, military gear, wilderness  

Examples: Left 4 Dead, The Last of Us, Dead Space 

Slower pacing, disturbing clues, and unreliable narrators

Survival Horror 

This horror genre features limited sources, with an emphasis on inventory management and ammo conservation. The protagonists of these games are often alone in hostile environments, and may need to solve puzzles in order to progress. Protagonists are often resourceful, relatable to the player, and put on a brave face despite their unfortunate circumstances. 

Mechanics: Limited resources, puzzle solving, stalker enemies 

Tropes: Detectives, civilians, zombies, experiments gone wrong, mutations 

Aesthetics: Mansions, castles, mental asylums, science labs, military facilities, abandoned places 

Examples: Resident Evil, The Evil Within, Fatal Frame  

Psychological Horror  

This horror genre focuses on scaring the player in a more subtle and atmospheric way than other genres, making use of slower pacing, disturbing clues, and unreliable narrators. They often explore deep-seated fears and mental illness. The main characters are often alone, encountering little to no NPCs during their journey, and anyone they do encounter may be untrustworthy.  

Mechanics: Subtle tension, disturbing settings, fourth-wall breaking, environmental storytelling, few NPCs 

Tropes: Plot twists, mental illness, physical manifestations of distress, guilt, ghosts, hallucinations 

Aesthetics: Isolated and claustrophobic locations, memories, nightmares, familiar locations such as schools and homes that have become distorted and unsafe 

Examples: Silent Hill, Amnesia, The Mortuary Assistant 

Stealth Horror 

Whereas many players are used to shooting down everything they encounter, these types of games encourage the player to hide from enemies which are way too strong to fight. This creates moments of heightened anxiety when players are almost discovered and wrenched from their hiding places.  

Mechanics: Hiding, suspense, strong enemies, minimal combat, breath-holding  

Tropes: Hiding under the bed! monsters, aliens, torturers, small spaces, labyrinthine maps   

Aesthetics: Sci-fi labs and spaceships, abandoned hospitals and mental asylums, seemingly innocent homes with a dark secret…   

Examples: Outlast, Alien: Isolation, Hello Neighbor  

Jumpscare Horror  

Jumpscares feature in many horror games at least once or twice, but some games are based around them. These usually involve players being given a simple task to complete, such as collecting items or surviving the night, hindered by limited resources (e.g, stamina, battery life) and marauding enemies which suddenly pop up and scare the player, often initiating a ‘game over’ message and forcing them back to the title screen. These enemies tend to have iconic designs, tying into their backstories as urban myths. 

Mechanics: Sudden frights, quick ‘game over’s, limited resources 

Tropes: Missing children, urban myths, mascots, costumes, iconic villains 

Aesthetics: Toys, lost media, drawings, forests, restaurants and other familiar ‘fun, family-friendly’ locations after dark,  

Examples: Five Nights At Freddy’s, Slenderman, Poppy Playtime 

Reverse Horror  

Reverse horror is sometimes known as asymmetrical horror. It is multiplayer, where participants may take on the role of antagonist and hunt down the other players. These games are renowned for their repetitive yet engaging and fun gameplay loops, and remain popular even with gamers who don’t normally enjoy horror games. 

Mechanics: Multiplayer, asymmetrical, repetitive gameplay, many playable characters with different abilities  

Tropes: chase sequences, serial killers, civilians, sabotage, team goals, in-universe lore 

Aesthetics: Horror movies, unique character design 

Examples: Dead by Daylight, Friday the 13th, Among Us 

It’s important to remember that almost all of these genres overlap with each other in terms of inspiration, features, and aesthetics, and many games belong to multiple genres, and act as homages to the games that have come before them.  

We hope this breakdown helps you pick out the kind of horror games you want to play this Halloween!