5 best psychological horror games

The scariest character in Outlast (Image via Microsoft)
The scariest character in Outlast (Image via Microsoft)

Psychological horror games may have a greater psychological impact on the human mind than films and novels because game creators have the freedom to include awful elements in a plot that filmmakers and authors may be unable to provide.

This genre offers a very dark and sinister storyline, and protagonists are portrayed like any other imperfect and weak person. Characters' mental stress, on the other hand, is considerable.

Otherworldly beings like ghosts and monsters, as well as hallucinations of the main character's troubled psyche, might all be part of the "horror" theme in such games. A survival horror game differs from a psychological horror game in several aspects.

Five awesome options for fans who love the psychological horror genre


1) Outlast

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux OS X, Nintendo Switch

youtube-cover

Investigative journalists frequently put their lives on the line to uncover information that the public needs to know. In the universe of Outlast, an investigative journalist is on a dangerous journey to uncover dark truths at a psychiatric hospital controlled by the multinational Murkoff Corporation in the Mountains of Colorado.

Miles Upshur, the game's protagonist, approaches the Mount Massive Asylum after receiving information about weird incidents and experiments taking place within. He discovers dead all around the area and must continue exploring before escaping.


2) Silent Hill 2

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 3

youtube-cover

Silent Hill 2 is often regarded as the finest game in the series. It nails every aspect of an excellent psychological horror game, from the plot to the aesthetics, gameplay, and soundtrack.

Silent Hill 2, the sequel to the first game in the series, contains numerous endings, each of which is determined by how the game is played.

Released in 2001, it follows a man called James Sunderland who receives a letter from his allegedly dead wife, Mary, begging him to visit Maine town of Silent Hill.


3) Home Sweet Home

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

youtube-cover

Home Sweet Home is primarily influenced by Thai culture and mythology, with the game's horrors and mythology and the world itself originating in the Asian country. The first-person title focuses primarily on stealth and concealing, with only a few action-oriented gameplay elements.

Exploration is also vital, and many locations have no risks at all.

Home Sweet Home portrays the twisted story of Tim, a man still grieving the loss of his wife who wakes up in a nightmare circumstance. He must find a way out of this horrible maze and figure out why he is there in the first place.


4) The Conjuring House

Platforms: PC

youtube-cover

The Conjuring House is another game from the genre that immerses gamers in a continual state of dread that builds to a climax of pure panic and despair. On the plus side, it looks fantastic.

The massive home is both beautiful and terrifying. The lighting, in particular, does a wonderful job of highlighting the building's ancient design. The gloomy glow of moonlight, the glow of candles, and the flash of illumination contribute to the sensation of terrible alone in a world of horrors.


5) Devotion

Platforms: macOS, PC

youtube-cover

Devotion, Red Candle Games' second title, was released in 2019. This gloomy game, like Detention, reaches new gaming heights with its psychological fear-driven narrative, but it is not a sequel.

Devotion depicts the darker side of blind faith in religion, while Detention exposes the horrors of a cruel political system.

Its protagonist is Du Feng Yu, a selectable character who lives in an apartment complex in Taipei in the 1980s with his family. A chain of circumstances brings the family into the clutches of a cult leader, who exploits his power to bring the Du family to their knees.

Note: This article reflects the author's views.

Quick Links