Dang, 2024 was a great year for horror game fans

When it comes to new horror games, there are times of feast and famine, and last year we ate until our bellies bloated and our mouths dripped hideous grease. In 2024, we receive a rich collection of dark experiences from individual creators, indie teams, AA developers, and AAA studios in a wide range of visual genres and styles. It was great there Silent Hill 2 New edition and major updates to contemporary classics such as Phasmophobia, Alan Wake 2 and Recent trialsand there has also been a steady rhythm of brand-new horror franchises expanding the genre in unexpected ways.

First, let’s take a moment to celebrate a sampling of this year’s new horror worlds. In 2024, we have the following new titles:

This isn’t an exhaustive list of new horror franchises in 2024, but it’s a decent guide to how broad and diverse the offerings are this year. Independent studios lead the way when it comes to new ideas and original mechanics. to turnbut there are also plenty of references to early 2000s graphics and PS1 or PS2 era survival horror on this list. The combination of innovation and nostalgia is especially strong in titles like Fear of lights, Crow country, Mouthwash and Holobody. These games infuse 3D worlds with fresh sensibilities and smooth animation, resulting in experiences that highlight lasting memories. Vampire and silent hill That lies in our heads. This is the way we wanted those games to look, regardless of fixed camera angles – or in case Holobodyembraced lovingly.

This should also be noted Fear of lights It marks acclaimed horror filmmaker Blumhouse’s debut as a video game publisher. Fear of lights It is the first release in the Blumhouse lineup — which includes future titles from Eyes outHalf Mermaid, Perfect Garbage, Playmestudio, Vermila Studios – an excellent exploration of teen drama and horror. The horror gaming revolution has begun, and Blumhouse is sure to disrupt.

It may be the least scary game on the list above Kunitsu-gami: The Way of the Goddessand it also happens to be the only title from the AAA studio. I included it because, as a fan of horror games, I guess Kunitsu-gami It checks a lot of boxes: it features massive, disgusting demons and a deadly blight that envelops entire cities in skeletal but strangely sexy organic matter. Its brutal designs feature colorful displays of debauchery and body horror, and there’s comfort to be found in the tense action and strategy gameplay loop. Kunitsu-gami It’s not marketed as a horror experience, and it certainly has as many scenes of stunning beauty as it does gruesome scenes, but I highly recommend it to any horror fan. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Indica It’s another entry that spans the horror, camp, and religious satire genres, but it definitely features some soul-piercing horror scenes. Additionally, the real demon is your friendly companion throughout the game, and this should count. Amidst scenes of sadness, brutality and destruction. Indica It’s a laugh riot, and a prime example of mature themes handled well in video game form. An additional feature in the field of genre bending from 2024 is Simogo Lorelei and laser eyes. It has incredibly satisfying logic puzzles in a hotel made of puzzles – but ghosts haunt the hallways, there’s a dead body in the back garden and every scene drips with palpable unease. Lorelei and laser eyes It is one of the best and most disturbing games of the year.

It still awakens the depthsmeanwhile, offers a familiar and beautiful brand of monster-chase horror on an oil rig in the middle of the angry North Sea. It’s a must-play for any horror fan, serving as a vessel for The Chinese Room to show off its skills at building authentic worlds and building constant tension with a supernatural edge. Plus, it’s one of the best games I’ve played on PS5 all year. Salterhead is another game for horror and action gamers, offering a supernatural mystery set in a version of Hong Kong infested by body-snatching demons, and featuring buckets of blood and frenetic close-quarters combat.

The year began with the release of Home Safety Hotlinea 1990s call center simulation where players help diagnose and treat household pests, which include other-worldly threats such as Bed Teeth, Fae Flu, The Horde, Laundry Gnome, Mirror Nymph, Toilet Hobb, Unicorn Fungi and others. Home Safety Hotline It was truly the funniest of 2024’s horror game collection – and Mouthwash It’s candy.

All children of horror Nowadays they are playing Mouthwasha polygonal first-person shooter set across a stranded spaceship filled with doomed crew members who are steadily losing their minds, overseen by a disfigured captain with a maniacal, bandaged smile. Mouthwash It’s strange and claustrophobic, and a great way to end the year in horror games.

But we haven’t even talked about the perks yet. the Silent Hill 2 New edition of Bloober Team, Polish studio Behind the layers of fear and Blair Witchwas a remarkable success, even in the face of the exacting standards of longtime fans of the series. The remake feels like the game players remember, just spit and roll Silent Hill 2 He remains as terrifying in 2024 as he originally was in 2001. Maybe even more so. The Bloober team had a lot to prove with this game, and they made us older millennial horror gamers proud.

Alan Wake 2 He was One of the best games For 2023, horror or otherwise, it has received two big batches of DLC this year: Springs night It landed in June and Lake house It was broadcast live in October. Each piece of content not only keeps the hellish world of Alan Wake alive, but adds depth to the world of the shared franchise Remedy is building between Control and Alan Wake. Personally, I always want more from Alan Wake, and in that regard, 2024 did not disappoint.

Two independent live service games, Recent trials and Verbalophobiahas also seen major updates in the past 12 months. After entering early access in May 2023, Recent trials Red Barrels Studio has been creating a strong rhythm of new content being released, and this year they are really getting into the groove. Recent trials It was fully released in March 2024 and has received multiple updates since then, introducing new enemies, maps, game modes, and limited-time events for players trapped in Murkoff’s secret Sinyala facility. The amount of work that Red barrels enter Recent trials Endlessly impressive, especially considering there are only about 65 developers at the studio.

Verbalophobia He has a smaller team than the Red Barrels, but they are making big moves. The UK studio crew at Kinetic Games has kept it that way Verbalophobia has been alive since its Steam launch in September 2020, and this year, they’re finally bringing the ghost hunting game to consoles. Verbalophobia He hits PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S On October 29, it has also arrived on PS VR2. Kinetic Games has big plans for continued support and expansion Verbalophobia In 2025 onwards, so even though the console release happened four years after launch, this is just the beginning.

Here’s our humble ode to horror games in 2024. It’s been ten months of indie innovation and great gore, with a side dish of great mods and big updates. Some new horror games push the boundaries of the genre, expanding our ideas about what’s scary and why, while others find new ways to dissect classic tropes. It’s a case of modern cuisine versus comfort food, and on my plate, there’s plenty of room for both.