Summary
- Horror games test both skills and mental endurance, creating intense, immersive experiences.
- Negative reviews can sometimes misrepresent a game's true potential.
- Horror games let players explore fear without real-world risks.
If you’re looking for excitement and adrenaline in games, then you’ve got great taste in horror titles. Horror games don’t just challenge your skills; they challenge you psychologically. On the flip side, you get to experience a 'safe' kind of fear since it's all just a game.
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Posts 2Of course, checking reviews before buying games helps you avoid blindly picking up duds, protecting you from bad choices. But sometimes, reviews unfairly slam games, leaving players with doubt. This is especially true for horror games. So here’s a list of games that got bad reviews but aren’t really as terrible as they’re made out to be.
The survival games featured in this list were selected based on having a score of 60 or below on OpenCritic.
10 Rise Of Insanity
OpenCritic Score: 53/100
CloseIf you're looking for a psychological horror game inspired by films of the same genre, Rise of Insanity might just be your twisted cup of tea. Set in the 1970s, you play as Dr. Stephen Dowell, a psychologist with some serious baggage—his wife and child are dead, and his latest patient seems to make things... worse.
Delusions, trauma, and a whole lot of 'what the heck is going on?' will follow. The game’s biggest sins? It's short and a bit too linear. But hey, the hallucination scenes are so trippy they could make Freud sweat. Pick it up on sale, and enjoy a quick descent into madness.
9 Finding Frankie
OpenCritic Score: 59/100
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Horror Platformer Adventure Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 59/100 Critics Rec: 24% Released October 25, 2024 ESRB Rating Pending Developer(s) SUPERLOU Publisher(s) SUPERLOU, Perpetual Europe Engine Unreal Cross Save NoWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALIf you love horror games and want to mix in some pulse-pounding parkour, Finding Frankie might be your jam. It starts all sweet and silly—you're in a colorful play zone with a cute cartoon mascot… until it all goes full nightmare. Suddenly, you're racing against two unlucky contestants, dodging deadly obstacles, and getting hunted by terrifying enemies.
Critics have bashed the game for its punishing design and clunky difficulty spikes, and yes, the scares can feel a bit copy-paste. But surprise! Nearly 90 percent of Steam players actually liked it—especially those who expected trash and got a snackable, streamer-friendly chaos-fest instead. Fast, flashy, and mildly unhinged? Could be your next guilty pleasure.
8 Dead Effect 2
OpenCritic Score: 57/100
CloseDead Effect 2 blends sci-fi and horror in the most “zombies-in-space” way possible. Set in 2083 aboard a giant spaceship, you play as a super soldier dealing with the aftermath of a very bad science experiment. Think mutants, zombies, and whatever else you don’t want crawling out of a lab.
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Posts 3While surviving the madness, you're also trying to uncover the dark secrets behind the virus outbreak. Originally a mobile game, its transition to PC and consoles drew criticism for repetitive gameplay, weak AI, and a clunky mobile-style UI. Still, if your expectations are low and your wallet light, this budget-friendly shooter has decent RPG elements, fun mini-games, and more upgrades than a sci-fi vending machine.
7 Daymare: 1998
OpenCritic Score: 56/100
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Puzzle Shooter Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 56/100 Critics Rec: 19% Released June 1, 2019 ESRB m Engine Unreal Engine 4WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALIf you’re a fan of old-school Resident Evil-style games from the PS1 era, Daymare: 1998 might just scratch that retro horror itch. After a bio-weapon is accidentally unleashed, people start turning into bloodthirsty monsters, and you’ll get to experience the chaos from three different characters’ perspectives.
The gameplay is slow-paced, the controls are clunky, and the camera angles scream “1998” — and that’s exactly the point. It’s a love letter to survival horror’s awkward golden age. If you’re after fast action and slick modern design, you’ll probably bounce off this one. But for retro horror fans? It’s cheesy, creaky, and oddly charming.
6 35MM
OpenCritic Score: 50/100
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Released May 28, 2016 Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand CollapseIf you’re into moody, post-apocalyptic road trips through abandoned Russian towns, 35MM might be your cup of irradiated tea. The game follows two travelers making their way through a world gutted by a global pandemic. It’s slow, quiet, and combat is... well, barely there.
Think of it more as an emotional walking simulator with a hint of survival horror than a run-and-gun thriller. If you're patient, love heavy atmosphere, and don’t mind a little existential dread between train tracks and moldy buildings, this could be a hauntingly good time. But if you’re craving explosions every five minutes, you’ll probably fall asleep at the wheel.
5 DreadOut
OpenCritic Score: 46/100
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Survival Horror Systems Released May 15, 2014 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Partial Nudity, Violence Engine UnityWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALIf you’re a fan of The Ring and have a soft spot for creepy Asian folklore, then this supernatural horror game is your eerie cup of tea. In DreadOut, you play as Linda, a high schooler who gets stuck in an abandoned Indonesian town that’s basically haunted real estate.
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PostsExpect ghostly encounters, puzzle-solving marathons, and lots of screaming—some from you, some from the ghosts. The game’s clunky camera, challenging puzzles, and occasionally dull gameplay drew some criticism. But if you're curious about Indonesian folklore and enjoy indie horror games with a unique vibe, it might just charm you (while scaring the life out of you).
4 Slender: The Arrival
OpenCritic Score: 57/100
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Survival Horror Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 57/100 Critics Rec: 7% Released March 26, 2013 ESRB T For Teen due to Violence, Blood Developer(s) Blue Isle Studios, Parsec Productions Publisher(s) Midnight City, Blue Isle Studios Engine unityWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALIf Slenderman had a resume, “terrifying internet legend” would be at the top. First creeping into our lives with a spooky page-collecting indie game in 2012, he returns in Slender: The Arrival—and guess what? He’s still not a fan of personal space. You play as someone searching for a missing friend with nothing but a flashlight and poor life choices.
The game’s biggest criticisms are its repetitive gameplay, super short length, and barely-there plot. But if being stalked by a faceless horror sounds like a good time, and you’re cool with cheap jumpscares and simple mechanics, give this creepy classic a whirl—you might even sleep with the lights on.
3 Lucius
OpenCritic Score: 54/100
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Horror Adventure Systems Released October 26, 2012 Developer(s) Shiver Games Publisher(s) Shiver Games Franchise LuciusWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALIf Lucius were just another ordinary kid, his story would be boring—but thankfully, he’s Satan’s favorite little guy! On his sixth birthday, Lucius gets gifted with supernatural powers and decides it's time to turn his family estate, Dante Manor, into a horror show. Your goal? Take out the household one “accidental death” at a time.
It's the perfect game for anyone tired of hiding from monsters and ready to be the monster. With stealth and puzzle-solving baked into your deadly missions, things get creatively creepy. Still, some players found the gameplay repetitive and the storytelling a bit shallow. But hey, if you liked The Omen and ever wondered what it’s like to be Damien, here’s your chance.
2 Choo-Choo Charles
OpenCritic Score: 57/100
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OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 57/100 Critics Rec: 11% Released December 9, 2022 Platform(s) PC, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 OpenCritic Rating Weak Powered by Expand CollapseIf you're into creepy trains but prefer a demonic spider variety instead of a friendly Thomas, Choo-Choo Charles might be your nightmare come true. In this game, you face off against Charles, a bloodthirsty, monstrous train, while your goal is to destroy this spider-train terror. You'll be constantly paranoid with your old, trusty train, because Charles might be lurking behind you at any moment.
But don't worry, you can turn your train into a battle machine. The game may be repetitive and short, but it's definitely unique. If you're expecting a deep story, look elsewhere. But if you love the idea of fighting a giant, creepy train with a terrifying vibe, this might be your ride.
1 Hello Neighbor
OpenCritic Score: 42/100
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Stealth Survival Horror Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 42/100 Critics Rec: 8% Released October 8, 2017 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Mild Violence Developer(s) Dynamic Pixels Publisher(s) Tiny Build Games Engine Unreal Engine 4WHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONYou've probably heard of Hello Neighbor – it’s a horror game with surprisingly cute graphics, but don’t let that fool you. In this game, you sneak into your neighbor’s house and try to uncover his secrets. One of the coolest parts is how the neighbor learns your every move and sets traps or takes countermeasures accordingly.
Although the game is quite popular with 86 percent positive ratings from over 14,000 Steam users, critics weren't as kind at launch, citing technical issues and the neighbor’s inconsistent, confusing behavior. The puzzles were also criticized for being nonsensical. But hey, people criticize everything, and Hello Neighbor is overhated – its unique gameplay and impressive graphics can make you overlook those pesky bugs!
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