THE BEST HORROR GAMES FOR HALLOWEEN

Photo by Antonio Gabola on Unsplash

A new study has revealed Bloodborne as the most loved horror game to play this Halloween, achieving the highest rating by users.Hearts.land analyzed user reviews for over 50,000 games to determine which horror game achieves the highest average rating. This study also analyzed the best year for horror games, based on the highest average rating by year, with 2023 ranking fourth.

1. Bloodborne (2015)

Developer: FromSoftware

Platforms: PlayStation 4

Bloodborne has the highest rating on average, at 4.54 out of 5. Of 3,700 reviews, over half (55%) rated the game five stars.

Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft and Bram Stoker, the story follows a hunter exploring the Gothic, plague-stricken city of Yharnam, whose people have become twisted creatures, to find the source of the disease.

FromSoftware is best known for the Dark Souls series, so popular it created a new subgenre – Soulslike games – known for high levels of difficulty, intricate combat, and immersive, dark fantasy settings.

Bloodborne is the second-highest-rated video game of all time, behind Disco Elysium. It has won many awards, including PlayStation Game of the Year and Best Original Game at the Golden Joystick Awards.

Despite its release eight years ago, it is one of the most Googled in the top ten, with a global monthly search volume of 377,000.

 

2. Silent Hill 2 (2001)

Developer: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360

Silent Hill 2 is the second-highest-rated horror game ever, almost tied with Bloodborne at 4.53 stars. According to over 3,000 ratings, four-fifths (79%) are 4.5 stars or more.

The psychological horror follows James Sunderland, who returns to the rural town of Silent Hill after his wife, presumed dead, sends him a letter wanting to meet. Upon arrival, James faces monsters and troubled residents as he discovers the town isn’t what it once was.

Silent Hill 2 remake is currently in development for Windows and PS5. It’s currently ranked the third-best game of all-time.

 

3. Half-Life: Alyx (2020)

Developer: Valve Corporation

Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Half-Life: Alyx is the third-highest-rated horror game of all time at 4.42 stars out of 5, based on 459 ratings.

Half-Life: Alyx is a virtual reality (VR) first-person shooter survival horror set in a dystopian future where Earth has been conquered by a hostile alien empire known as the Combine. The player controls resistance member Alyx Vance, searching for the alien’s superweapon.

The game received high acclaim, including a 93/100 Metacritic score. Users rated it the ninth-best game of all time.

 

4. Resident Evil 4 (2023)

Developer: Capcom

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, iOS

A remake of Capcom’s classic 2005 game, RE4 is rated the fourth-best horror game, with a 4.36 score, according to over 700 users.

The game follows Leon Kennedy, a U.S. government agent, on a mission to rescue the President’s kidnapped daughter from a religious cult. It is primarily an action horror with third-person shooter mechanics.

The original game is considered one of the best of all time, winning many awards, including Game of the Year. According to Guinness World Records, it is the best-selling survival horror series.

Resident Evil 4 is the most Googled game in the top ten, racking up 604,000 global monthly searches.

 

5. Pathologic 2 (2019)

Developer: Ice-Pick Lodge

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Pathologic 2 is the fifth best-rated horror game, with 4.3 stars according to 482 user ratings.

Set in an open world, the player controls Artemy Burakh, a surgeon in a secluded town ravaged by a deadly disease. The player must struggle to survive through 12 days, facing impossible choices while trying to heal the town and fight the plague.

 

6. System Shock 2 (1999)

Developer: Irrational Games, Looking Glass Studios

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux

According to gamers, System Shock 2 is the sixth-best horror game, with 4.24 stars according to 930 ratings.

The sci-fi horror follows a soldier who wakes from cryo-stasis aboard a starship to find the crew slaughtered and mutated as a rogue AI haunts you while discovering the ship’s mysteries.

 

7. Resident Evil 2 (2019)

Developer: Capcom

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch

RE2 ranks seventh, rated 4.21 stars from over 2,200 users.

A remake of the original 1998 game, Resident Evil 2 is set in the iconic Raccoon City, gripped by a deadly viral outbreak surrounding the mysterious Umbrella Corporation.

 

8. Resident Evil (2002)

Developer: Capcom

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo Wii

According to gamers, the remake of the original Resident Evil from 1996 ranks as the eighth-best horror game, with an average of 4.2 stars from over 1,600 users.

Remastered from the 1996 game featuring Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, players visit Raccoon City for the first time to investigate a recent string of murders and the disappearance of their team, discovering a zombie infestation in its wake.

 

9. Pathologic (2005)

Developer: Ice-Pick Lodge

Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Pathologic ranks ninth, with 4.15 stars from 389 user ratings.

The game sees the player control three protagonists seeking a cure to a deadly plague ravaging a strange town. It is a hidden gem of the horror genre and the least Googled game of the top ten, with a global monthly search volume of 3,600.

 

10. Silent Hill 3 (2003)

Developer: Konami

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2

Silent Hill 3 ranks tenth, with 4.14 stars from over 1,200 users.

Players take on the role of teenager Heather, who wakes up in a shopping mall, trying to find her father. Heather navigates monsters, combat, puzzles, and exploration as her experiences blur the lines of reality and nightmare.

Even 20 years from its release, Silent Hill 3 is still Googled 23,000 times monthly.

Written By
More from Muhammad Ali
0 replies on “THE BEST HORROR GAMES FOR HALLOWEEN”