Scariest Indie Horror Games to Play in the Dark
Everyone remembers their first horror movie. More than likely, it kept them on edge for days to come. Whether they were worried about Goggles from The Hills Have Eyes watching them, or jumping at every breaking twig on a camping trip right after enduring The Blair Witch Project, that first taste of horror leaves a profound impression. Despite how creeped out we all felt, some atavistic trait keeps us coming back, just craving the fear, loathing, and despair of that first fright. Though the golden age of horror films may have passed, in the world of gaming it has only just begun! Unlike films, games are deeply immersive and can trick the player’s mind into thinking they are actually a part of the story. Furthermore, most players won’t go sauntering through an unsolved murder scene in the still of the night like the buffoon victims in 80’s slashers, which means gamedevs have to work hard to set players up for a good jumpscare. Through elaborate string-pulling, games funnel players in for some truly unforgettable frights. Whether you love gore, jump scares, or deep psychological horror – there are plenty of games out there for you. Here is a list of some of our favorites at Argentics!
Explore the Body and Mind in Anatomy
Kicking things off with an older, lesser known game, Anatomy is a psychological horror game released by Kitty Horrorshow way back in 2016. In Anatomy, you play as a nameless, voiceless, and seemingly bodyless essence, floating around a derelict house in search of clues about what you are, and where you are. Your main objective is to locate cassette tapes, which are hidden around the house. Locating and listening to these will trigger confusing, disorienting audio to play and often bring forth some glitch-like changes to your perception of the house. Though the messages at first sound like gibberish, players with an acute ear will soon start to pick up on patterns within the narrative, making the game a tad more logical and a ton more frightening.
Anatomy is an outstanding example of a successful less-is-more approach to gaming. The graphics and render distance evoke memories of very early 3D video games, but the low poly count and barren interiors only feed into the absurdity of the gameplay. Wasn’t that dresser on the other side of the room a minute ago? Or am I slowly going insane? The game is raw like a punk-rock song, dishing out tiny spoonfuls of flair right when the player least expects it. This design causes players to hyper-fixate on the few details the game includes, and makes the changing tides of the house that much trippier.
Anatomy is an outstanding example of a successful less-is-more approach to gaming. The graphics and render distance evoke memories of very early 3D video games, but the low poly count and barren interiors only feed into the absurdity of the gameplay. Wasn’t that dresser on the other side of the room a minute ago? Or am I slowly going insane? The game is raw like a punk-rock song, dishing out tiny spoonfuls of flair right when the player least expects it. This design causes players to hyper-fixate on the few details the game includes, and makes the changing tides of the house that much trippier.
Explore an eerie, ever-changing house of horrors in Anatomy.
Kitty Horrorshow took a unique approach to the gameflow of Anatomy as well, with games only taking about 5-10 minutes each before the player must start anew. The weird part is that each “game” is a continuation of the last, and the more times you play, the more secrets you will uncover. As you slowly start to sort out the house’s viscera, the creepy monologues and ever-changing rooms will start to make more sense to you. To top it all off, with a low price tag of $2.99, jumping into Anatomy is no big investment. Turn the key and see what’s inside today!
Kitty Horrorshow took a unique approach to the gameflow of Anatomy as well, with games only taking about 5-10 minutes each before the player must start anew. The weird part is that each “game” is a continuation of the last, and the more times you play, the more secrets you will uncover. As you slowly start to sort out the house’s viscera, the creepy monologues and ever-changing rooms will start to make more sense to you. To top it all off, with a low price tag of $2.99, jumping into Anatomy is no big investment. Turn the key and see what’s inside today!
Don’t Stray too far from Your Friends in Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia [noun]: an extreme fear of ghosts or the supernatural. It may cause people to feel intense anxiety or dread in certain situations, such as at nighttime or in the dark. Symptoms include, but are not limited to:
If there was ever a more aptly named game, we have yet to come across it. Phasmophobia, a 2020 co-op horror game from Kinetic Games, invokes all the feeling of the infamous condition. Playing as a team of ghost hunters, you and up to three others accept contracts to search for paranormal evidence set across 14 different locations. These range from places that seem harmless, like a small farmhouse or a local high school, to more sinister locations like an abandoned asylum. Each location has a truly unique feel to it and will heavily influence how each round plays out.
- Anxiety
- Panic Attacks
- Fear of the Dark
- Intense Fear of Ghosts or Spectres
If there was ever a more aptly named game, we have yet to come across it. Phasmophobia, a 2020 co-op horror game from Kinetic Games, invokes all the feeling of the infamous condition. Playing as a team of ghost hunters, you and up to three others accept contracts to search for paranormal evidence set across 14 different locations. These range from places that seem harmless, like a small farmhouse or a local high school, to more sinister locations like an abandoned asylum. Each location has a truly unique feel to it and will heavily influence how each round plays out.
Set up equipment, capture footage, and run like hell in your quest to prove ghosts are real in Phasmophobia.
On top of the huge variety of maps, Phasmophobia also boasts a whopping 24 different types of ghosts! The ghouls and their abilities are all rooted in folklore or popular culture, which impacts their behavior in-game. Having such well-researched and designed foes is one of many places where Kinetic went above-and-beyond while making this title. The type of ghost you are hunting impacts how your team will approach each round. Depending on difficulty, your team has a short, on-site prep period before the ghost starts causing any ruckus. During this time it is crucial to gather as much intel on the ghost as possible, so you know how to tread going forward. Some ghosts come out swinging, causing a stir early on. Others are more timid and may need to be persuaded out of hiding using clues you find. Oftentimes it is these slower, more methodical phantoms that cause players the most fear. Creeping on pins and needles around a decrepit location just waiting for things to hit the fan can have the heart racing well before any signs of danger!
Phasmophobia has very smooth gameplay that takes advantage of modern tech. One sweet feature is AI’s ability to recognize a player’s voice. Player voice recognition made its rounds at the start of the millennium in games like SOCOM (2002) and Lifeline (2003) and then up and vanished. With major advances in machine learning over the years, the tech is more viable than ever and it is fun to see it being implemented in games again. In Phasmophobia, certain words can trigger ghosts to hide, lash out, or even begin hunting players! During a hunt, all of the map’s exits lock down and players must choose between fleeing or hiding from the bloodthirsty ghost. Doing your research and knowing your enemy will give you the best chance at survival, but sometimes the ghosts never give you the chance… If you choose to try just one game off this list, it should be Phasmophobia. The game is unlike any other, and the devs heaped attention to detail into every aspect of this game which makes for hours of thrills, frights, and gutbusting laughter as your dysfunctional team of ghost hunters works their way up in the world
On top of the huge variety of maps, Phasmophobia also boasts a whopping 24 different types of ghosts! The ghouls and their abilities are all rooted in folklore or popular culture, which impacts their behavior in-game. Having such well-researched and designed foes is one of many places where Kinetic went above-and-beyond while making this title. The type of ghost you are hunting impacts how your team will approach each round. Depending on difficulty, your team has a short, on-site prep period before the ghost starts causing any ruckus. During this time it is crucial to gather as much intel on the ghost as possible, so you know how to tread going forward. Some ghosts come out swinging, causing a stir early on. Others are more timid and may need to be persuaded out of hiding using clues you find. Oftentimes it is these slower, more methodical phantoms that cause players the most fear. Creeping on pins and needles around a decrepit location just waiting for things to hit the fan can have the heart racing well before any signs of danger!
Phasmophobia has very smooth gameplay that takes advantage of modern tech. One sweet feature is AI’s ability to recognize a player’s voice. Player voice recognition made its rounds at the start of the millennium in games like SOCOM (2002) and Lifeline (2003) and then up and vanished. With major advances in machine learning over the years, the tech is more viable than ever and it is fun to see it being implemented in games again. In Phasmophobia, certain words can trigger ghosts to hide, lash out, or even begin hunting players! During a hunt, all of the map’s exits lock down and players must choose between fleeing or hiding from the bloodthirsty ghost. Doing your research and knowing your enemy will give you the best chance at survival, but sometimes the ghosts never give you the chance… If you choose to try just one game off this list, it should be Phasmophobia. The game is unlike any other, and the devs heaped attention to detail into every aspect of this game which makes for hours of thrills, frights, and gutbusting laughter as your dysfunctional team of ghost hunters works their way up in the world
Try not to Break all of your loot in R.E.P.O.
Just because a game is classified as a horror title, does not mean it can’t be absolutely hilarious to play. This is certainly the case in R.E.P.O. (Retrieve, Extract, and Profit Operation), a 2025 cooperative horror game from Semiwork which blends jump scares and humor in a way that brings back fond memories of horror comedies like Zombieland and Scary Movie. A lot of this humor comes from how intentionally clumsy the devs made the gameplay. Just when you think you’re about to complete a mission, your idiot friend might back into a wall and cause all of your loot to go tumbling down a staircase! Precision is the key to success, but it’s hard to stay calm, cool, and collected when there’s a killer clown chasing you around the map.
Don't let the adorable character design fool you, R.E.P.O. is plumb-full of jump scares!
Gameplay in R.E.P.O. revolves around up to 6 players using grabbers to extract valuable items from the map to line the pockets of your faceless, heartless boss. As previously mentioned, the devs made the carrying mechanic comically difficult to use. Add this to the highly advanced physics engine, and hilarity ensues. If you’re running with a glass item and it catches the edge of a table, it will shatter into useless smithereens. If you are hauling something larger like a T.V. and drop it on the floor, it will lose value based on how much damage it takes. The ultimate goal is to reach a quota for your boss in order to level up, but your boss’s greed makes these efforts futile, as the game goes on indefinitely until either all players die, or you fail to meet a quota. That said, the intensity really ramps up when you start getting close to a previous high score!
Gameplay in R.E.P.O. is very similar to Zeekerss’ Lethal Company (2023), but is generally viewed as easier to learn, thus less complex. Whether this game is a ripoff, spiritual successor, or competitor in a new genre has left gamers and critics divided. If you enjoy some Reddit drama, snag a bag of popcorn and go see what all sides have to say. Where R.E.P.O. is noticeably different is in its artstyle and lighting. The devs opted for a less realistic look than Lethal Company, which to many makes for a more fun experience. Instead of using their limited budget to create realistic human models, they conjured up dome-headed creatures whose style is reminiscent of early Ratchet & Clank games. This carefree style, coupled with the fact that the tops of characters’ heads bobble around as they speak (are they just South Park Canadians in disguise?) makes for some pretty memorable moments. When a game is already as absurd as this, throwing all character realism out the window only makes things better!
Gameplay in R.E.P.O. revolves around up to 6 players using grabbers to extract valuable items from the map to line the pockets of your faceless, heartless boss. As previously mentioned, the devs made the carrying mechanic comically difficult to use. Add this to the highly advanced physics engine, and hilarity ensues. If you’re running with a glass item and it catches the edge of a table, it will shatter into useless smithereens. If you are hauling something larger like a T.V. and drop it on the floor, it will lose value based on how much damage it takes. The ultimate goal is to reach a quota for your boss in order to level up, but your boss’s greed makes these efforts futile, as the game goes on indefinitely until either all players die, or you fail to meet a quota. That said, the intensity really ramps up when you start getting close to a previous high score!
Gameplay in R.E.P.O. is very similar to Zeekerss’ Lethal Company (2023), but is generally viewed as easier to learn, thus less complex. Whether this game is a ripoff, spiritual successor, or competitor in a new genre has left gamers and critics divided. If you enjoy some Reddit drama, snag a bag of popcorn and go see what all sides have to say. Where R.E.P.O. is noticeably different is in its artstyle and lighting. The devs opted for a less realistic look than Lethal Company, which to many makes for a more fun experience. Instead of using their limited budget to create realistic human models, they conjured up dome-headed creatures whose style is reminiscent of early Ratchet & Clank games. This carefree style, coupled with the fact that the tops of characters’ heads bobble around as they speak (are they just South Park Canadians in disguise?) makes for some pretty memorable moments. When a game is already as absurd as this, throwing all character realism out the window only makes things better!
Get Famous or Die Trying in Content Warning
Rounding out our list today is Content Warning, a 2024 co-op survival game from Landfall Publishing. If you’re beginning to notice a trend here, you’re onto something. Ever since the massive success of streaming Among Us during the pandemic, studios have been trying to hit it big on games that are both engaging to play, but fun to watch when larger-than-life personalities pick them up. This trend has breathed a ton of creativity into the indie scene, as studios are less afraid than ever to take a few design chances. Content Warning is no exception to this rule. In this game, you and up to three friends are tasked with diving into “the Old World” to film monsters in order to get famous on the platform “SPOOKTUBE”. It’s like streamer-ception!
The giant running joke aside, gameplay in Content Warning is top-notch and pretty different from anything on the market right now. The objective of the game is simple: film as many scary things as possible during each 3 day trip to the terribly haunted Old World, and then kick back for a watch party with what’s left of your 4-person squad, and watch the views run up! Whether your fans crave a low-angle Federico Fellini shot, or a long and ominous Tarkovsky pan is a true mystery, but remember: the more views, the more revenue. This money can then be reinvested in your character for better equipment, more batteries, or cosmetic changes.
The giant running joke aside, gameplay in Content Warning is top-notch and pretty different from anything on the market right now. The objective of the game is simple: film as many scary things as possible during each 3 day trip to the terribly haunted Old World, and then kick back for a watch party with what’s left of your 4-person squad, and watch the views run up! Whether your fans crave a low-angle Federico Fellini shot, or a long and ominous Tarkovsky pan is a true mystery, but remember: the more views, the more revenue. This money can then be reinvested in your character for better equipment, more batteries, or cosmetic changes.
Strive for stardom and keep count of your flashlight batteries as you pull off daring trips to the Old World in search of the next viral video in Content Warning.
Graphics in Content Warning are nothing to write home about, but they get the job done. The player models are unique, and the elastic movement of their limbs makes for some good slapstick humor when someone goes tumbling down a staircase (better yet if you catch it on film)! Like many other games on this list, the art team and animators did a good job on a presumably small budget, and are able to showcase a truly fantastic game concept. We’re excited to see what the future of this game holds!
Graphics in Content Warning are nothing to write home about, but they get the job done. The player models are unique, and the elastic movement of their limbs makes for some good slapstick humor when someone goes tumbling down a staircase (better yet if you catch it on film)! Like many other games on this list, the art team and animators did a good job on a presumably small budget, and are able to showcase a truly fantastic game concept. We’re excited to see what the future of this game holds!
Take Photojournalism to the Extreme in The Headliners
In a world overrun by disaster and trepidation, the only way to ensure people keep watching the news is by capturing up-close photos of the eldritch beasts that have overrun New York City. You and up to 7 other friends get to do just this in The Headliners, a new game from KAFI that will have your stomach in knots as you lurk through the city, hunting for the perfect shots of the aliens, beasts, and general chaos that have swept through the city. As the game’s Steam description says: your goal is to “make the headlines without becoming one.”
EXPLOITING DISASTER for PROFIT | The Headliners
If the pretense of The Headliners sounds similar to Content Warning, that’s because it is. Both games focus on capturing footage/images of supernatural beings in order to increase your rank, but the differences between these games far outweigh the similarities. For example, The Headliners sends you to a real world location which gives the game a far more apocalyptic feel than Content Warning. Seeing familiar sites getting ravished by supernatural foes feels a lot more immersive than diving into a fantastical underworld. That isn’t to say one setting trumps the other, but they do make for very different experiences.
Like many horror games, your main objective in The Headliners is to survive. The devs made it comically hard to do this, plopping you into a bloodied, chaos-ridden city with almost no means of protection. You are but a measly journalist, equipped with your trusty camera, a flashlight, and a few other gadgets. Standing toe-to-toe with violent foes is pointless, so much of the gameplay turns into hide-and-seek and high speed chases through the streets and alleys of the city. This can lead to some absolutely bonkers shots of your teammates being shredded mid-air as they rush to join you in cover! The best part? Shots like these score extremely high, because there’s nothing the public loves more than seeing their nightly news reporter get crushed to a pulp on the six o’clock news.
It’s important to note that The Headliners is a fresh game. It just exited beta in late April so there is still a lot to smooth out. That said, the devs have laid out a tangible roadplan for the future, and have collected feedback from over 8000 early players about how to best improve the game. The next update will determine the levels of player-developer trust going forward, and will hopefully turn this game into the gem that it can be!
We hope you enjoyed reading about our top picks for the scariest indie horror games on the market right now! These games exemplify the spirit of well-made indie titles that can stand toe-to-toe with big-budget productions. The devs’ willingness to take a shot using new ideas that stray from the industry meta is what really makes these titles stand out. And, if you are considering making a horror game of your own, reach out to us at Argentics at any step of the way for expert assistance with artwork, animation, or making your game run smoothly on Unreal or Unity. Happy gaming and watch out behind you!
EXPLOITING DISASTER for PROFIT | The Headliners
If the pretense of The Headliners sounds similar to Content Warning, that’s because it is. Both games focus on capturing footage/images of supernatural beings in order to increase your rank, but the differences between these games far outweigh the similarities. For example, The Headliners sends you to a real world location which gives the game a far more apocalyptic feel than Content Warning. Seeing familiar sites getting ravished by supernatural foes feels a lot more immersive than diving into a fantastical underworld. That isn’t to say one setting trumps the other, but they do make for very different experiences.
Like many horror games, your main objective in The Headliners is to survive. The devs made it comically hard to do this, plopping you into a bloodied, chaos-ridden city with almost no means of protection. You are but a measly journalist, equipped with your trusty camera, a flashlight, and a few other gadgets. Standing toe-to-toe with violent foes is pointless, so much of the gameplay turns into hide-and-seek and high speed chases through the streets and alleys of the city. This can lead to some absolutely bonkers shots of your teammates being shredded mid-air as they rush to join you in cover! The best part? Shots like these score extremely high, because there’s nothing the public loves more than seeing their nightly news reporter get crushed to a pulp on the six o’clock news.
It’s important to note that The Headliners is a fresh game. It just exited beta in late April so there is still a lot to smooth out. That said, the devs have laid out a tangible roadplan for the future, and have collected feedback from over 8000 early players about how to best improve the game. The next update will determine the levels of player-developer trust going forward, and will hopefully turn this game into the gem that it can be!
We hope you enjoyed reading about our top picks for the scariest indie horror games on the market right now! These games exemplify the spirit of well-made indie titles that can stand toe-to-toe with big-budget productions. The devs’ willingness to take a shot using new ideas that stray from the industry meta is what really makes these titles stand out. And, if you are considering making a horror game of your own, reach out to us at Argentics at any step of the way for expert assistance with artwork, animation, or making your game run smoothly on Unreal or Unity. Happy gaming and watch out behind you!
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