The Scariest Moments in Horror Games Ranked From Spooky To Nightmare Inducing
When it comes to the horror video game genre, we all have memories to share of being scared witless - and here, we’ll relive some of those nightmare-inducing moments.
Before we proceed, it’s worth keeping in mind that what scares us is subjective, and with a restricted list, there will be plenty of iconic moments not featured in this list.
What’s more, we're implementing a rule of one moment per franchise. With that in mind, though, here are some of the scariest and most iconic moments in horror games that have certainly given us nightmares of the years.
Alien: Isolation (2014)
All of the scariest moments in Alien: Isolation are provided by the star of the show, which is the giant and absolutely terrifying Xenomorph that relentlessly stalks you throughout the game.
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From the moment you first see this creature, crawling from the air vents above, you know it’s going to make your life a living hell.
Even when you don’t see this monstrous creature, hearing it in the vents as it stalks you in the shadows are memories that will never leave you. I can still hear that awful hiss.
Due to how scary this game is, there are probably a lot of gamers who were unable to finish it. If that’s you, get cracking, because Alien: Isolation 2 is on the way.
Dead Space (2008/2023)
Whether it's the original game that was released in 2008 or the 2023 remake, Dead Space will forever go down as one of the best horror games of all-time. When Isaac Clarke responded to the distress call that led him to the USG Ishimura, a planet-cracking, mining spaceship, I bet for one second he never thought he’d land in a place of grotesque alien mutations called Necromorphs and sinister cults.
Dead Space has so many scary moments to share, we could be here all day. However, I’d have to go with the very first encounter with the Necromorphs when you land on the USG Ishimura. The lights cut out, you crewmates are torn apart, and unarmed, you’re restlessly chased by a pack of Necromorphs.
This moment of sheer panic perfectly set the tone for the torment that was still to come in Dead Space. If you’ve never played it, you need to change that ASAP!
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (2014)
Hear me out, I know, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is by far not the scariest game in this spooky series from Koei Tecmo. That honour would probably belong to any of the three games in the original trilogy.
That’s not to say that this seventh entry in the series isn't without scares, because it most certainly packs a spooky punch.
The Fatal Frame series centres around ghosts and defeating them with the Camera Obscura. Trust me, it’s a lot more fulfilling than it seems. The game features haunted houses, Japanese folklore, and terrifying ghosts that will send shivers down your spine.
Perhaps the ghost that sends more shivers than most is the one known as the “Tall Woman” from Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. An urban legend comes to life, standing at roughly eight foot tall, with gangly, long arms, and a grimacing smile. She’s horrid, and I never want to see her again!
Little Nightmares 2 (2021)
Talking of gangly, it doesn't get much more gangly than The Teacher in Little Nightmares 2. The face of this tyrant teacher (the creepy lady in the thumbnail) is scary enough but if she sees you, her neck extends and she can pursue you through multiple rooms and vents.
If she catches you, she’ll eat you. On top of that, her neck makes this horrible creaky noise. Even as I type this, she still makes me uncomfortable. I hate her, but she is, without a doubt, one of the scariest creatures you’ll ever encounter - and that's quite unexpected given that Little Nightmares 2 is perhaps considered a more accessible horror.
P.T (2014)
We couldn't talk about the scariest moments in video games without bringing up the legendary P.T. - and to think that this was only a demo, or “Playable Teaser”, for the long-cancelled Silent Hills, created by Hideo Kojima and starring Norman Reedus.
Players were thrown into the haunted house of P.T with no handholding on how to progress or, hopefully, escape.
It’s a place of a grizzly murder, hellish puzzles, and an endless winding corridor that would be very befitting of any worst nightmare. What’s more, you’re not alone in this house, because you’re accompanied by a sinister ghost known as Lisa.
When you first see her standing at the end of a corridor, that alone is one of the scariest moments in video game history. However, it doesn't quite compare to when you’re wearing a headset and, suddenly, you hear her heavy breathing and sobbing right behind you. It was a truly terrifying moment.
It’s such a shame that Konami cancelled what could have been an absolute masterpiece.
Resident Evil Remake (2001)
For me, the 2001 remake of the original Resident Evil, first released on the Nintendo GameCube, is the greatest remake of all time. It did what all great remakes should do, improve the gameplay and visuals, as well as add new areas, enemies, and story beats all while still retaining what made the OG on the PlayStation in 1996 such a legendary survival horror offering.
I could pick many scary moments from this remake, but the instant memory that comes to mind is the first encounter with the Crimson Head zombie.
Typically, in the Resident Evil series, when you’ve blasted enough bullets into a zombie or decapitated its head, it is dead. However, in the remake, unless that zombie was decapitated or its body burned, it would spring back to life, faster, stronger, with sharp claws, and more terrifying than ever.
In 2001, far fewer homes had access to the internet, meaning that it was easier for video game developers and publishers to keep many aspects of an upcoming game a secret. Man, I miss those times. So, when we first casually strolled past a downed zombie later in the game, it caught many of us by surprise that they suddenly shot up and chased us down the 2F West corridor of the Spencer Mansion. It triggered a wave of sheer panic, and alongside the first zombie encounter in 1996, became Resident Evil folklore.
So, there you have it, those are some of the scariest moments in video game history.
READ MORE: Resident Evil’s Most Terrifying Moments Ever!
Topics: Features, List, Opinion, Resident Evil, Silent Hill