10 Terrifying Horror Games to Play in the Dark

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Experiencing terror in video games is intensified when the room is dark. In this dimness, the shadows on your screen seem to pulse with life, and every sound from your own house merges with the game’s atmosphere. These games are meticulously designed to immerse you within their haunting realms, where dread persists even after you’ve stopped playing.

I’ve selected ten horror games that truly excel in the dark, each providing a distinct type of fear. Ranging from psychological terrors to terrifying jump-scares, these game titles will have you on the edge of your seat. So put on your headphones, lower the lights, and immerse yourself in these thrilling haunted experiences.

10. ‘Oxenfree II: Lost Signals’

In this enchanting independent production by Night School Studio, you’ll encounter a blend of spine-tingling supernatural elements and heartfelt storytelling. You assume the role of Riley Poverly, a character who’s tasked with installing transmitters in the hauntingly beautiful coastal town of Camena. However, things take an ominous turn as the story unfolds.

In this game, the eerie red entities and chilling background sounds build an intensely suspenseful ambiance. When you play it in the dark, the crackling radio static and spine-tingling visuals seem incredibly lifelike, immersing you more profoundly within its unsettling storyline.

9. ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

In the original installment of Scott Cawthon’s renowned series, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza’s night shift is still thrilling. Here, you monitor surveillance cameras while the animatronic characters mysteriously spring to life.

In the darkness, the intermittent glimmers from the security cameras, coupled with unexpected laughter from the robots, create an unadulterated sense of fear. Each sudden shock has a greater impact when one is isolated, sharing the only light with their computer screen.

8. ‘Dead Space’ (2023)

In this modern adaptation of the 2008 original, character Isaac Clarke is an engineer who finds himself on board the USG Ishimura, a spacecraft overrun by terrifying Necromorph creatures. The upgraded graphics and audio effects create a chilling, immersive atmosphere.

In the absence of light, the ship’s hallways echo with a heightened creaking sound, and the growls of the Necromorphs become more intense. Your own dimly lit space seems to mimic the game’s gloomy passageways, making each confrontation seem more intimate.

7. ‘The Mortuary Assistant’

Created by DarkStone Digital, this independent horror game immerses you in a mortuary filled with corpses that haven’t fully succumbed to death. As the sole assistant, you find yourself battling against possessed bodies and the supernatural turmoil they bring.

In the darkness, the game’s lifelike environment and spine-tingling sounds become even more intense. Every corner of your room seems potentially menacing, merging the game’s frightening elements with your immediate environment.

6. ‘Alan Wake II’

In 2023, the sequel from Remedy Entertainment combines chilling psychological terror with an engrossing narrative. The perspective alternates between Alan Wake, a writer ensnared in a terrifying dreamscape, and FBI agent Saga Anderson, probing mysterious occurrences.

In the darkness, the forest of the game seems foreboding with its shrouded trees and mysterious storyline. The eerie imagery and spooky soundtrack will leave you wondering about reality, making it hard to look away from the screen.

5. ‘Resident Evil 2’ (2019)

In the remake by Capcom, the 1998 original’s storyline is revisited as we follow Leon S. Kennedy, a new cop, in a city overrun with zombies within a police station. The ominous figure of Mr. X persistently pursues you, creating an ongoing sense of fear and tension.

In the dimly lit corridors or your darkened room, each step taken by Mr. X seems to reverberate more, making every turn a suspenseful, heart-racing experience.

4. ‘Signalis’

In this independent survival horror game by rose-engine, reminiscent of masterpieces like ‘Silent Hill’, you take on the role of a technician, venturing through a barren, pixel-style facility teeming with terrors, in search of your missing partner.

The two-dimensional art style doesn’t diminish its chilling effect, particularly in the darkness. The game’s spooky sound effects and intermittent lighting make you sense a foreboding atmosphere, as if you’re truly immersed within its ominous universe.

3. ‘Little Nightmares’

In Tarsier Studios’ 2017 platform game, you find yourself imprisoned within a nightmarish realm, assuming the role of Six – a petite girl. This minuscule heroine confronts colossal monsters in her path. The chilling art design effectively translates childhood anxieties into reality.

In the darkness, the twisted creatures from the game and their eerie sounds seem as if they’re straight out of a nightmare. With no lights in your room, Six’s small flashlight becomes your sole source of comfort.

2. ‘SOMA’

In 2015, Frictional Games’ science fiction horror game delves into themes of identity and endurance within a submerged research facility. As the character Simon Jarrett, you navigate through treacherous waters, encountering corrupted humans and malfunctioning artificial intelligence in an oppressively confined environment.

The darkness intensifies the game’s foreboding ambiance, making each step seem like a plunge into chaos as you hear the moans from the facility and see only a faint light emanating from your screen.

1. ‘Amnesia: The Dark Descent’

2010’s seminal work from Frictional Games set the standard for contemporary horror genres. In this game, you assume the role of Daniel, an archaeologist who finds himself imprisoned within a foreboding castle, suffering from amnesia, and pursued by sinister entities shrouded in darkness.

Experiencing total darkness feels incredibly intense. The castle’s intermittent candlelight and distant growling noises merge with your completely dark space, creating an unparalleled horror ambiance.

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2025-07-04 19:18