Horror gamescome in different tastes and categories, but arguably the most popular one, especially in gaming, is sci-fi horror. Not only is there a fear of what’s lurking out in the dark, but also of the unknown environment that uses unexplained technology in an unfamiliar time and uncharted location. This paves the way for the developers to create some hauntingly vivid and creative environments and atmospheres.
10 Terrifying Horror Games That Use Your Mic
Don’t let the monsters hear you!
Players who want a fix for horror and sci-fi in a single genre should wishlist the following games that faithfully capture the feeling of terror in outer space or on alien worlds.
Well-Designed 2D Survival Horror
Developed by a German indie studio called Rose-Engine,Signalistakes the original Resident Evil gameplay and visual aesthetic to heart in this survival horror title. The game is a gift for people who like inventory management and route-planning in horror games as Signalis nails this aspect of the genre.
Players are in charge of controlling Elster, a humanoid whose ship crashes on a mining planet. The story slowly starts to unravel and eventually players will face off against zombie-like creatures on this dark, futuristic, and desolate planet, making for one of the best revamp of the classical survival-horror genre in a sci-fi setting.
Shapeshifting Aliens In A Horror RPG
Players who haven’t played Prey should consider themselves lucky as it has one of the bestopening scenesof any game. The game, set on a space station called Talos I, instantly hooks players into its terrifying world that’s been overrun by black, shape-shifting aliens that can shape-shift into any real-world object. This means that anything that the players see could be an enemy, making way for an unnerving experience.
Review: Prey
Prey is a fun game with its highlights rooted in beautiful yet creepy levels that contain a lot to explore, but its lack of originality holds it back.
The game is a first-personhorror RPGthat combines survival and exploration. Players scavenge for resources, craft weapons, and use a mix of stealth and combat to survive. It gives players the freedom to approach situations in different ways, whether it’s hacking into locked areas, using alien powers to outsmart enemies, or just blasting their way through, making for an excellent sci-fi horror experience.
Atmosphere Of Terror
SOMAis less about typical jump scares and more about a slow, creeping terror that gets under the player’s skin. Developed by the team behind Amnesia, it’s set in an underwater research facility where things have gone very, very wrong.
The game explores heavy, existential themes about consciousness and identity. Its setting can make players feel extremely vulnerable and isolated, mainly because they’re defenseless, which means a lot of hiding and running, but it’s the unsettling atmosphere and the way the story messes with the player’s mind makesSOMA stand out as a chilling sci-fi horror experience.
4Moons Of Madness
Visual Setpieces With A Bone-Chilling Storyline
Moons of Madness
If it’s Lovecraftian horror that you’re after, mixed with a sci-fi setting on Mars, no other game executes this combination better than Moons of Madness. Players are put in the shoes of a technician on a research base as they deal with mysterious, supernatural events that seem to be tied to the strange things being dug up on the planet.
It’s a slow burn sprinkled with plenty of creepy hallucinations and disturbing discoveries, building up a sense of dread in the players along with a feeling that they shouldn’t be there in the first place.
Dark Corridors And Alien Gore
Dead Space (2023)
This remake of a classic title is just as good, if not better in some ways, as the original, 2008 release. Playing as Isaac Clark, an engineer who’s trapped on a massive spaceship called the USG Ishimura, trying to find out what happened to the crew of this ship, players soon discover the horrible truth. The entire ship has been overrun by Necromorphs who have taken over the bodies of the crew members.
Review: Dead Space
Whether it’s the new puzzles or simply the added storytelling elements, Dead Space has never felt so complete.
The setting is claustrophobic and eerie, with narrow, dimly lit corridors that make every step feel dangerous. Sci-fi horror has never been scarier and more authentic than it was inDead Space.
For some reason, I personally never liked Dead Space all that much. I loved the atmosphere of the game but was never really a fan of the combat and inventory management. But I recognize its fandom!
Words Fail To Describe Its Visuals
Inspired by the works of H.R. Giger,Scorndoesn’t rely on dialogue or traditional storytelling; instead, it immerses players in a bizarre, organic world filled with grotesque, disturbing imagery. The puzzles on this futuristic depiction of the Earth are as cryptic as the biopunk setting, and the whole game feels as if the player is wandering through a fever dream that gets more horrifying the deeper they go.
Scorn is the perfect pick for players looking for something unique and unlike the traditional zombie/survival horror experience that the genre is full of.
1Alien: Isolation
Your Heart Rate Will Rise
Alien: Isolation
No other game captures the essence of what a sci-fi horror game is more thanAlien Isolation. Inspired by the original Alien film from 1979, the title acts as a follow-up to the movie. Fifteen years after the events of the film, Riplay’s daughter, Amanda, goes to Sevastopol to find out what had happened to her mother.
She doesn’t have any weapons, at least for the majority of the game, and is up against a bloodthirsty Xenomorph that has one of the best AI in a game. This means that no two encounters with this terrifying life form will be the same and players will need to adapt and figure out new ways to stay one step ahead. The atmosphere and setting of Alien Isolation’s space station and spaceships are suffocating and augmented with bone-chilling sounds, much like the original film, that can make the player’s skin crawl.
10 Horror Games Where You Get to Play the Monster
Become the terrifying creature hunting down prey in these reverse-horror games!
