9 Terrifying Games to Play While You Wait for Alien: Isolation 2
Topics: List, Resident Evil, PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
Featured Image Credit: EA/ Saber Interactive/Red Barrels
Topics: List, Resident Evil, PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
If you love Alien: Isolation, one of the scariest games of all time, then you should check out these terrifying alternatives, if you dare.
In October 2024, SEGA and The Creative Assembly announced that the long-awaited sequel to 2014’s Alien: Isolation was in production. However, since that time, news on the sequel had gone radio silent.
That was until last weekend when Alien: Isolation 2 was teased for the first time across its social media channels. Although it was a brief teaser that simply featured the in-game save point, it was enough to send fans into a frenzy. Now, we patiently await its first proper reveal, whenever that might be.
There are plenty of other first-person horror games to play in the meantime which will not only keep us busy but also scare us witless.
I could have included any of the games in the Amnesia series, so I thought I should include them all. This is arguably one of the most important horror franchises of all time, credited for setting a benchmark for making the player feel helpless and alone, stalked in the darkness by horrific creatures.
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Sometimes, the scariest aspect of this series is what you can’t see, but you feel something is watching. If you’re a horror fan, then you need to at least check out the first game in this series, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, to see how it all began.
Based on the hit horror movies about super-hearing aliens invading Earth who will tear humans apart for a mere sniffle, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead took the Alien: Isolation formula and made its own take on the feeling of helplessness. Much like Alien: Isolation, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a stealth game that creates its tension by forcing the player to remain as quiet as humanly possible without alerting the aliens to progress. It’s tense, the aliens have clever AI, and the story is intriguing. A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is also one of 2024’s most underrated games, which should be worth your consideration.
Both the original Dead Space games (I’m pretending that DS3 didn't happen) are not only inspired by the Alien movies, but also the cult sci-fi horror movie Event Horizon. In truth, the Dead Space series probably has more in common with Aliens (1986) than Alien (1979). Stranded on the USG Ishimura, you play as Isaac Clarke, helpless in outer space with demonic entities known as Necromorphs and a bonkers satan-like cult. What could go wrong? Both Dead Space games are some of the most intense and gruesome horror games you’ll ever play, and are inspired by the legendary Resident Evil 4. If you’ve never played this series, I would wholeheartedly recommend beginning with the fantastic 2023 Dead Space remake.
Ok, hear me out. When you first see the cartoon art style for Hello Neighbor, as well as its sequels, you might think that there’s no possible way this game could ever be like Alien: Isolation, but like me, you’d initially be very mistaken. In the first Hello Neighbor game, you’re tasked with sneaking into a neighbour's basement to see what sinister creation he’s cooking up in his basement. To much surprise, similar to Alien: Isolation, Hello Neighbor turns into an intense horror game of cat and mouse, trying to stay away from a clever AI that learns directly from your in-game actions. It’s creepy, strategic and, at times, damn right unnerving.
When the first Outlast game was released in 2013, it rekindled that feeling of hopelessness made famous by the Amnesia series. In both games, you play as a defenceless protagonist, but arguably, the first game has the creepiest location of a psychiatric hospital, which is also a place of demon-like humans and a sinister cover-up (I’m trying to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers). Its first-person perspective also had an optional night-vision mechanic, which somehow made the game even scarier. Whether it’s Outlast, Outlast 2, or the multiplayer spin-off, The Outlast Trials, this horror series is the ultimate cat and mouse game that will test your resolve.
Prey is a fantastic game; its first-person shooter mechanics were tight, it looked gorgeous and had an interesting sci-fi story. But how does this compare to Alien: Isolation, I hear you ask? Well, it took place on a space station, featured aliens, and it was surprisingly tense. While you’re not technically stalked by an alien or aliens, you do have the constant unease of being watched. The alien entities in Prey can take the form of any object in the game, and can jump scare you at any moment. It might not be like-for-like, but it has more in common with Alien: Isolation than some might think. Trust me, check it out, especially if you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass.
When you first wander onto the Baker compound in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, you quickly realise that this is going to be a scary and intense game. However, the moment when you begin to be stalked by Jack Baker instantly gives vibes of the Xenomorph from Alien: Isolation. Through a fairly sizeable section of the game, Jack is relentlessly stalking and taunting you. Honestly, being harassed by this man was one of the most stressful feelings in the Resident Evil series, plus, like the Xenomorph, he’s nearly indestructible. Like Alien: Isolation, it’s also played in a first-person perspective. There’s even a short moment of the game when you’re stalked by his wife, Marguerite, though her stressful sections are much more short-lived. I don’t think being stalked by Jack was quite as scary as the Xenomorph, but he wasn't that far off. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is an amazing game and is credited for bringing the horror back to the Capcom series.
Routine is a fairly new sci-fi survival horror, released in December 2025 by the indie studio Lunar Software - and to be honest, this game had totally flown under my radar, until I did some research for this article. Routine clearly takes inspiration from the Alien movies with its retro vision of what the future may have looked like. Taking place on an eerily abandoned lunar base, you’re tasked with investigating what went on in this station, and it’s not long before you realise, you’re not alone. Routine looks visually great, has an intense and unnerving vibe, a slow-burning story, puzzle-solving and inventory management. All the ingredients that any good survival horror game would need. Routine is available on PC, but also with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on console. So, as soon as my backlog clears, this is an Alien-inspired game that I will be checking out.
Released just a year after Alien: Isolation, SOMA is developed by Frictional Games, the creators of the Amnesia series, and can be considered somewhat of a sci-fi cult classic in the video game realm. While SOMA doesn't share the intense combat of Alien: Isolation, what it does share is the dreaded feeling of loneliness and isolation. It’s one of the most miserable games that you’ll ever play; it will have you questioning what it means to be a human, and the choices you make will, at times, have you believing you’re a terrible person. Set in an underwater base, SOMA is dark, claustrophobic and downright haunting, sharing some similarities with the location of Alien: Isolation, Sevastopol (apart from being underwater, of course). SOMA is one of the most thought-provoking, philosophical horror games that you could ever play.
READ MORE: Ranking the 13 Best Horror Games of All Time!