The scariest games to play right now

Now we’ve moved into October, it’s time to revisit our list of the best horror games on Xbox. Halloween is fast approaching, so when better to take a deep-dive into which terrifying horror game is more horrifically terrifying?

The TrueAchievements news team ranges from those who race to play every new horror game to those who literally jump at their own shadow, so it’s been interesting to put this list together. We’ve based it off of the game’s ratings here on TrueAchievements, personal opinions, and the type of horror featured, but the floor is open for your opinions on which screech-worthy horror games you think are the best.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in to the best horror games on Xbox.

10. Signalis

• Release date: October 27, 2022
• Developer: rose-engine

One of the more recent games on our list is 2022’s psychological survival horror game Signalis, which takes place in a future where androids, known as Replikas, live alongside humans. Signalis revolves around one of these — a Replika called Elster who wakes up on a strange planet and has to figure out the horrors of the unknown all while managing resources and solving riddles.

It’s a fantastic throwback to older survival horror games, with fixed camera angles, limited resources, and plenty of head-scratching puzzles.

9. Amnesia The Bunker

• Release date: June 6, 2023
• Developer: Frictional Games

Amnesia: The Bunker is the latest entry in the Amnesia series, and launched earlier this year. It’s a first-person horror game where you, a French soldier by the name of Henri Clément, are trapped in a WW1 bunker and armed only with a single bullet and your desperate attempt to keep the lights on.

You’re left to figure out what happened to everyone else while facing unimaginable horrors — something that reacts to every decision you make — entirely on your own.

8. Soma

• Release date: December 1, 2017
• Developer: Frictional Games, BlitWorks

Then we have Soma, which manages to pack in a load of horror despite being shorter than some of the others on here (with an estimated completion time of around six to eight hours). It’s set in an underwater facility which is rapidly running out of food and which is full of violent robots, a cryptic AI, and a myriad of other threats.

As if this wasn’t enough, you aren’t just trying to survive but also to become immersed in the question of “what it means to be human.” So, physical dangers and existential terror alike, all tied up in a truly horrifying bow.

7. Layers of Fear

• Release Date: June 15, 2023
• Developer: Anshar Studios, Bloober Team

Layers of Fear is essentially a walking simulator with a creepy theme and jump scares, but offers interesting puzzles and a fantastic story. We take control of a disturbed painter who’s on a mission to complete his magnum opus while exploring a Victorian manor that reveals secrets of his past in some of the freakiest ways possible. It’s a great game that can be both relaxing and unnerving at times, offering interesting scenes and memorable encounters.

6. Alien: Isolation

• Release date: October 7, 2014
• Developer: Creative Assembly

Creative Assembly’s fantastic attempt at bringing the horrifying Aliens universe to our screens as a true horror experience. Alien: Isolation was a hit when it was released due to the game’s continuous tension and the feeling of being hunted. You’ll be in the not-so-enviable shoes of Amanda Ripley as she attempts to outsmart a ruthless Xenomorph while she learns the fate of her mother, Ellen, aboard the Nostromo.

Alien: Isolation is mostly played out though stealth, with no real way to protect yourself. It’s a clash of willpower, pitting you against a relentless adversary that’ll have you feeling helpless at times. There’s word of a new single-player Aliens action-horror game in development, but for now it’s Alien: Isolation which sits on our list.

5. The Evil Within 2

• Release date: October 13, 2017
• Developer: Tango Gameworks

A follow-up to 2014’s The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2 came with some lofty expectations aimed at it, which the game exceeded. You’ll reprise your role as detective Sebastian Castellanos who, after the events of the first game and the apparent disappearance of his family, is on a journey back into a failing STEM to save his missing daughter, Lily.

The Evil Within 2 is an action-horror game at heart with a large focus on gunplay and stealth mechanics, but features plenty of frightful creatures that’ll keep you entertained throughout.

4. Resident Evil 4

• Release date: March 24, 2023
• Developer: Capcom Entertainment

The excellent Resident Evil 4 remake very much deserves a spot on this list. Six years after Leon’s Raccoon City adventures, Leon sets out to a remote village to search for the president’s daughter. Capcom’s Resident Evil games are always good at creating a tense atmosphere and tricking you about where its jump-scares might be (I always fall for the tricksy human-shaped shadows which turn out to be nothing more than a lamp).

The remake has a number of changes throughout, so you can’t even rely on well-remembered or favorite approaches to certain situations. Plus, it means you can never be sure where a new jump-scare might be thrown in, making the game highly tense to play whether it’s your first time playing it or your tenth.

3. Alan Wake Remastered

• Release date: October 5, 2021
• Developer: Remedy Entertainment

Then we have a remaster and a whole different type of horror with 2021’s action-thriller Alan Wake game. Alan Wake Remastered sees Alan Wake himself setting out to find his missing wife, only to find a horror story which he can’t remember writing, before grappling with his own sanity and the darkness.

The Remastered version also comes with two story expansions, The Signal and The Writer, so you have even more content to keep being terrified.

2. Dead Space 2

• Release date: January 28, 2011
• Developer: Visceral Games

Visceral Games’ sci-fi horror sequel to 2008s Dead Space has you reprise your role as Isaac Clarke, who’s awoken from a coma in the huge space-city called The Sprawl. From there, it’s a battle for survival against some of the ugliest creatures known to man, and one you won’t soon forget. You’ll be tearing through beasties using advanced mining tools, sloshing around in gore, left screaming from the jump scares, and questioning every life decision that brought you to the moment you played.

Although Dead Space 2 brought more action to the party than its predecessor, it’s still worth packing your brown pants for this adventure.
(worth adding in about upcoming server closure)

1. Resident Evil 2

• Release date: January 25, 2019
• Developer: Capcom Entertainment

This is one of the big daddies of horror and one that often takes the crown when it comes to offering players a frightfully good time. Resident Evil 2 originally released in 1998 and then made a full return in 2019 when Capcom completely rebuilt the game using its RE Engine (yes, we know the E stands for engine) so we could experience the terrors of Raccoon City all over again, but this time in 4K.

It’s a terrifying journey that sealed the franchise’s place in the horror hall of fame and spawned myriad sequels and spin-offs that to this day continue to entertain millions. We ummed and ahhed about where Resi 2 and Resi 4 should be, but ultimately decided that while Resi 4 might be the better game, Resi 2 is the better horror game.