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Because of the interactive nature of horror games, they are subject to significantly more scrutiny than other mediums, which has led many countries to ban the sale of certain games in the genre based on the intimate manner in which they affect consumers.
As a result, rating boards have prevented the release of certain games in fear of their intense themes, which range from genuinely uncomfortable to downright horrifying. The most prevalent of these themes being "disturbing" content, whether sexual or violent in nature.
Of course, in today's global culture, it's easy for clever gamers to import banned titles - or in the case of PC gamers, to simply change their region settings - but in other nations, those wishing to legally acquire these games were out of luck.
Here are the five horror video games that have been banned because they were “a bit too much”
1) Manhunt 2
Rockstar's first murder simulator, Manhunt, was ruled injurious to the public by the New Zealand government and was erroneously blamed for a high-profile UK murder. Surprising everyone, the studio doubled down with the game's sequel.
Manhunt 2 was given the classification of "Adults Only" by the ESRB, and since Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony don't allow AO titles on their platforms, Manhunt 2 was effectively banned in the United States.
The game was eventually released in America some months later after Rockstar made extensive changes to the game's brutality, either removing or blurring horrific killings and abolishing the kill rating system.
However, it took another year of legal battles to persuade the BBFC to change their minds, and the censored Manhunt 2 was finally released in the UK.
2) Silent Hill: Homecoming
Throughout its history, the Silent Hill series has provided the genre of horror video games with some of its most memorable and frightening images. Many fans point to the release of Silent Hill: Homecoming in 2008 as the peak example of this.
The Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification took particular offense to a horrifying sequence in which protagonist Alex and cultist Margaret Holloway battle over an electric drill. The scene ends with either Holloway's face being drilled into a bloody mess or Alex being drilled in the eye.
The OFLC considered this and numerous other mutilation sequences in the game "high impact," effectively prohibiting Homecoming from being marketed in the United States. In Germany, a similar strategy was employed.
However, the game was eventually released in both countries after Konami prepared a censored version a few months later, in which these scenes were modified to hide much of the brutal violence.
3) F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin
Due to its severe brutality and disturbing tone, Australia's OFLC banned the horror FPS F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. They expressed dissatisfaction with the game's "improved graphics" and "realistic behavior of human and mutant adversaries."
The organization cited multiple examples in which the player could perform acts of extreme violence, such as dismemberments and the slicing of throats, with both involving gratuitous displays of blood.
However, the ACB intervened a month later and overturned the OFLC's judgement, ruling that F.E.A.R. 2 could be released with an MA15+ rating.
4) Left 4 Dead 2
Despite the fact that the previous game was launched without issue, the OFLC ruled that Left 4 Dead 2's "realistic, frantic, and relentless violence" made it unfit for sale in Australia.
In the weeks leading up to the game's intended release, Valve (the game's developers) opposed the ban, but the Classification Review Board upheld their ruling, citing "insufficient distinction between the representation of zombie characters and human beings."
Valve eventually relented, releasing a heavily cut version of the game, in doing so removing "decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail, and piles of dead bodies" until five years later in August 2014, when the uncut version was finally reclassified as R18+ and authorised for sale.
5) Condemned: Criminal Origins
Both Condemned games are terrifying psychological horror games in which the player must melee their way to safety while being hunted by murderous psychopaths.
Curiously, the original Condemned was outlawed for two months due to a "representation of violence" regulation, even though it had been commercially available for more than two years at the time.
The game was banned because it featured "cruel or otherwise inhuman acts of violence against human beings in a manner that expresses a glorification" and "injure[s] human dignity," according to the statute.
