Every Horror Game Announced for Release in 2026

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Fans of horror games have been eating good lately, with several different survival horror behemoths leading the pivot away from action horror back to the genre’s terrifying roots. Plus, many innovative indie titles have firmly planted their feet into horror and have stayed ever since.

We saw an incredibly strong year for horror gaming in 2025 (despite being snubbed time and time again at The Game Awards), and it looks like 2026 is going to be following that same trend. There are a ton of horror games slated for 2026, and it’s got fans of the genre (such as myself) absolutely buzzing with excitement.

Now that we’re at the start of the new year, now is as good a time as ever to see what’s coming out and get our wishlists filled. There is a solid mix of both AAA and indie games, all with unique ideas and the same measure of intrigue.

Either way, I’m very excited to see how we’ll continue to be well-fed with each new release.

17 Pathologic 3

Already Released: January 9th

So far, only a single one of these horror games has come out already, and it’s Pathologic 3, released on January 9th.

Very similar to the previous Pathologic games, you’re a doctor trying to figure out a cure to a town’s plague before everyone runs out of time, all while keeping yourself alive in the process. However, new and unique mechanics were introduced as additional measures, such as time travel.

This game is rich in detective work for those who love the art of deduction, but it’s also dark and gritty enough to keep the player in a state of unease. While I’ve not had the chance to play the game myself yet, those who have tend to leave with a positively satisfying experience, claiming that it’s a great continuation of the series.

Or if you want to just wait for your favorite content creator to react to this game and try to work it out for your entertainment, it’s equally entertaining to watch someone problem-solve, so no shame there.

16 The 9th Channel

Release Date: January 29th

Coming up next (and very soon) is The 9th Channel, which seems to have similar vibes to George Orwell’s 1984 — with corrupt governments and a selfish humanity in a hostile world of their own making. You play as Michael J. Jones, who has just woken up from a car accident, and you have to look for your friends from there.

This game has a focus on stealth, with players having to carefully navigate their environment if they want to maintain the best possible odds for survival. Plus, there’s an emphasis on inventory management and other methods of strategy, meaning that survival is not only a test of strength, but also a test of wit.

Plus, it seems to be dipping its toe into the FPS genre some (at least based on what we can see), so this is looking to be an entertaining genre-hybrid that encourages you to be quick on your feet.

15 Fear the Timeloop

Release Date: January 30th

Video games having strict time limits isn’t a new concept, but it’s always tense and anxiety-inducing when it’s incorporated into a game. In horror gaming, it’s even more intense.

In Fear the Timeloop, you play sheriff James Cooper as he’s slowly bleeding out — and it’s up to you to crack your case before you leave the mortal coil. It’s similar to Outer Wilds in the fact that you start where you are after a set amount of time (15 minutes), and you have to utilize what you learned from your last life and take it into how you approach your current one.

It seems to have all the survival horror staples: intricate puzzles, vicious monsters, and even different dialogue options, all while fitting neatly into a unique Metroidvania.

In all honesty, this looks really cool – it’s games like this that make me wish I had a gaming PC, but until then, I’ll just have to hope that this game makes its way to the PlayStation 5.

14 I Hate this Place

Release Date: January 30th

There is a special place in my heart for games that focus on style over realism, and the upcoming I Hate This Place is immediately oozing with style – all the way down to comic book sound effects when you walk. It’s described as «80s vibes meets comic book flair,» and it seems to fit that aesthetic perfectly.

In I Hate This Place, you’ll have to scavenge materials so you can craft various weapons and items, which will be essential to surviving all the enemies that you’ll encounter, especially with the day-night cycle where the horrors fully come out. Plus, you’ll have to sneak around and use sound to your full advantage, so it’s going to be another horror game where it’s absolutely crucial to wear headphones.

The demo is out for this game for those who are wanting a taste — but if you’re someone like me who avoids demos and prefers to play the game proper, that’s fine too. We won’t have to wait too long, thankfully.

13 Perished Truth

Release Date: January 30th

A lot of survival horror games are directly inspired by Resident Evil, but not many cross the inspiration with the movie Saw at the same time — and Perished Truth aims to be a direct intersection of these two IPs. Continuously inspired by the classics, it’s got fixed camera angles and a modern control scheme.

In Perished Truth, you play a man named Shinji Ueda who has just lost his wife — and tragically, his daughter is suffering the same terminal illness as what took her. Determined not to let her suffer the same fate, you end up on the dark web and cross paths with something you could never have anticipated.

The first act will be released alone, which is said to have about 6–8 hours of gameplay, with additional acts from there being free updates when they’re finished. As far as when that is, it will likely be within the year.

12 Pinewood Valley

Release Date: February 13th

Kicking off the month of February is Pinewood Valley, about a man returning to his hometown only to find that a new evil lurks there – a twisted group of serial killers – so it’s up to you to figure it out, stop it, and save your hometown.

This hometown is an open world, with various other survivors trying to survive the group of killers just the same as you are. These serial killers are described as a lineup, each with their own distinct abilities and hunting style, so it keeps the gameplay from getting monotonous or repetitive.

While you do have different weapons, the game encourages you to pick your battles, allowing you to run, hide, or fight from the various encounters you have to come out alive from.

This seems to be a compact, tiny but mighty game, and I’m curious about how they’re going to balance horror in an open world.

11 Welcome to Doll Town

Release Date: February 13th

There’s something distinctly special about Japanese horror games, with Silent Hill f being the most recent addition to take the stage; so I was definitely excited to see that we aren’t leaving the region anytime soon with Welcome to Doll Town. True to the name, you’re exploring a cursed town of lifelike dolls.

This town, however, is full of secrets for you to uncover, all while being thoroughly freaked out by the Japanese countryside. It doesn’t mention anywhere that this game was directly inspired by Silent Hill, but it seems to have taken some amount of inspiration at least when it comes to the aesthetics.

Described to be a «chilling love story at heart,» we can only eagerly anticipate what exactly that would entail.

10 Reanimal

Release Date: February 13th

The creators of the first two Little Nightmares games have a distinct, moody vision of how they approach horror games: deep shadows, dramatic lighting, impeccable ambience — cut to the announcement of Reanimal, and where we get to see an entirely different (yet equally grotesque) world, and the hype was instant.

Upon first glance at the game, it looks to be everything that we loved about the developers’ previous works, all while allowing a new, creative vision for potentially haunting experiences. From what little we’ve seen so far, the game seems to be hauntingly beautiful, childish, and whimsical while completely unnerving you.

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Especially since developers completely dove into Reanimal, I’m really excited to see how their new game is going to play out. There’s something about the first Little Nightmares that had immaculate vibes, and Reanimal is shaping up to be similar.

Either way, I just know the quality is going to be fantastic.

9 LOVE ETERNAL

Release Date: February 19th

Video games were born off platformers, so it just makes sense for platformers to blend so well with other genres: including horror. In the case of the upcoming LOVE ETERNAL, it’s a horror platformer where you navigate a haunted castle full of «bittersweet memories» — and based on the title, we can only imagine what that means.

In LOVE ETERNAL, we play as a child named Maya, who was taken from her family by a selfish and malevolent goddess, who keeps us trapped as a plaything. It’s up to us to find our way home

While you make your way through the precision platformer, the game shows that we’re able to talk with various characters to piece together what else is going on in the background. I love some good layered storytelling, so this is automatically intriguing.

Just be ready for what looks like a healthy amount of trial-and-error.

8 Resident Evil: Requiem

Release Date: February 27th

We all have our most anticipated games for 2026, and for me, I am unbelievably excited for Resident Evil Requiem. I grew up playing the classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, and considering how well we’ve been eating with the latest entries of both series, something tells me Requiem is going to be another feast.

In Resident Evil Requiem, we play Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil: Outbreak, as she returns to Raccoon City to figure out what happened to her mother. It’s also recently been revealed that we will, in fact, be playing as Leon S. Kennedy as well.

This game promises new, uniquely thinking zombies and even a crafting mechanic. Plus, with Grace being realistically terrified, that fear is going to very easily rub off on us, adding to the tension and anxiety-inducing situations we’ll find ourselves in.

Either way, I am buzzing with anticipation for what’s in store.