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There are numerous techniques for instilling fear in an audience. Some of the best horror games on Steam are more likely to panic when they encounter something unexpected, whereas others become uneasy during long, suspenseful periods of silence. Developers are aware of this and strive to employ all available methods in their work.
Horror videogames have found a way to keep the genre fresh and interesting, whether it’s through the supernatural, psychological, or just plain gore. Indie horror games like Phasmophobia and MADiSON, which recently came out, are a breath of fresh air that will help bring the genre back to life.
Whether you like gore, survival horror, text-based chills, a little action, or even a deck builder, this list has something for horror fans of all types – even if you can’t stand a jump scare. Several of the games on this list are free of jump scares! We take a broad approach, but in general, if a game scares us, it counts as horror and may appear on the list.
Best Horror Games on Steam
Layers Of Fear
Layers of Fear is a game about both insanity and art. The game’s design reflects this vitality. There will be numerous occasions when exquisitely detailed areas will corrode as a result of terrifying black delusions. The goal of the best horror games on Steam is to provide an experience for the player rather than to be extremely difficult.
The player will discover a clever story about an artist family. As the plot progresses, there will be many memorable moments, such as the one in the kid’s room, which will make the player fear music boxes after its startling occurrence.
Daylight Death
Dead by Daylight is the best asymmetric multiplayer best horror games on Steam. You can play as a lone killer or one of four human survivors frantically trying to escape the map. The survivors have no ability to defend themselves, but by banding together, they can divert, entice, and frustrate the murderer while preparing to flee.
But it’s the game’s ever-expanding roster of playable killers that really shines in Dead by Daylight. From revered video games like Silent Hill’s Pyramid Head and Resident Evil’s Nemesis to iconic slashers like Ghostface and The Shape, nearly every horror symbol you can think of has been added to the developer Behaviour Interactive’s library.
The Alien Swarm
Despite being more than ten years old, Valve’s top-down shooter Alien Swarm is still a blast to play. Even more unusual in the free-to-play market, the game supports cooperative multiplayer games. Of course, given the company’s size and reputation, players should not be surprised.
Alien Swarm, unlike some of the other excellent free-to-play, best horror games on Steam, does not use jump scares or frightening graphics, but it can still be quite frightening as an alien swarm begins to close in around the player’s position. In this regard, the game excels at creating suspense while also rewarding players’ efforts with gratifying power-ups and weapon drops.
Pathologic
Pathologic was groundbreaking when it was first published in 2006. Pathologic combines horror and mystery for a completely unique experience set in a mysterious hamlet plagued by an unknown plague. Choose one of the three player characters who must survive for 12 days while discovering the truth about the “sand plague.”
Every day, new tasks will become available, bringing characters closer to the truth. But keep in mind that these tasks will only be available on a specific day, and once that day has passed, they will no longer be available. Pathologic and Pathologic 2 have a fantastic atmosphere.
Detention
A good horror story can teach you a few things, and Detention is not only one of the best horror games on Steam, but it also takes place in a time and location that I was unfamiliar with prior to playing. The protagonists are students who become stranded at their school after hours.
Other than the ghosts and ghouls that prowl the halls, there are other dangers. Although some sneaking is required because ghosts lurk in the rooms and hallways, the majority of your time will be spent exploring and determining which objects belong where so that you can progress through the plot.
Isolation of an alien
Alien: Isolation is not only one of the best horror games on Steam, but it is also a rare example of a videogame based on a film franchise that is truly excellent. The title does an excellent job of depicting the legendary Xenomorph. You have the impression that an intelligent, lethal creature is stalking you.
The game is played in first-person perspective and will look familiar to fans of the original film. It perfectly captures the retro-futuristic aesthetic associated with Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece. While playing, you take control of Amanda Ripley, the protagonist’s daughter.
The Backrooms Game
The Backrooms began as an online urban legend, claiming that there were some parts of the world where you could clip out of reality and into the Backrooms’ world.
This is an alternate dimension made up of liminal spaces where you transition between destinations, giving you the strange sensation of being nowhere and everywhere at the same time. In the best horror games on Steam, you explore the Backrooms while avoiding a creature that is following you and trying not to go insane.
The Walking Dead
Though not as interactive as other mainstream best horror games on Steam genres, the graphic adventure games has its own appeal for feeling like an interactive movie or TV show. Telltale Games specialises in this genre, and the studio’s first The Walking Dead game was a shining example of quality in its heyday.
The Walking Dead is an original story set within franchise creator Robert Kirkman’s world that follows the story of Lee Everett and the adoptive daughter named Clementine whom he rescues during the zombie apocalypse. It received praise for its meaningful player choice-driven gameplay, diverse cast of characters, and emotionally charged story.
Final Words
The paranoia of having to rely on someone else to help when it all goes wrong can make for exciting and terrifying moments, and many of the best horror games on Steam have recognised this. There are many of them, and each one can send shivers down your spine and screams throughout your home. Even though it can be difficult to find the gold among the mountains of copy-paste clones, there are a few gems worth checking out. So, with that in mind, here are some of the best horror games on Steam for friends to play on Steam.