Are you looking for the best horror games on Xbox? We’ve got you covered. Who says horror games are just for Halloween? With so many to choose from, you can frighten yourself silly at any time of the year. From jumpscares to creature features, foreboding atmospheres to being pursued by a terrifying monster, there’s just about every type of horror game imaginable to be played on Xbox. And we’re here to walk you through the best of them.
Every game on this list has been tried and tested by us, and so it comes highly recommended. Each and every one of the games on this list of best horror games on Xbox will leave you shocked, scared or hiding behind a pillow – maybe all three. If you really want to up the scare factor, we recommend turning out the lights and playing with headphones. Or if you’re a bit of a scaredy-cat, maybe grab a friend for some moral support.
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1. The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me
The latest game in the Dark Pictures Anthology is undoubtedly our favourite: The Devil in Me is surprising, truly horrifying and filled with so many twists and turns you’ll be kept on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Like all games in Supermassive’s Dark Pictures Anthology series, you’re in charge of a group of characters, and their fate is completely in your hands. The choices you make will determine who lives and who dies. And literally everyone can die if you don’t watch your step.
The Devil in Me is both a tale of a supposed haunted house and the tale of a serial killer, but telling you much more than that will ruin the surprises that the game has in store for you. Go into this blind and just know you’re going to have a great time. Playing with friends makes this one much more enjoyable, too: you can each take control of different characters, being responsible for their individual fates.
Read our review of The Devil In Me
Buy The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me
2. Resident Evil 7
Sure, we love Resident Evil Village, and the recent remakes have been fantastic too – you’ll find them further down this list. But despite being seven years old now, we still absolutely love Resident Evil 7. This game completely reboots the Resident Evil formula by returning to its true horror roots, borrowing many a convention from popular horror films and games of the past. There’s a whiff of Evil Dead in here, a taste of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and an air of Condemned, but Resident Evil 7 is a masterpiece in its own right.
Playing as Ethan Winters, a man who finds himself at the home of the Baker family as he searches for his wife who went missing three years ago, all is certainly not as it seems. Within minutes of stepping through the door and being reunited with Mia he finds himself being attacked by her and her “family”. From then on, Resident Evil 7 is pure nail-biting terror. Resident Evil 7 is undoubtedly one of the best horror games on Xbox – if not of all time. Its first-person viewpoint just pulls you into the action.
Buy Resident Evil 7
3. Blair Witch
Based on the seminal horror film franchise, Bloober Team’s Blair Witch might just be one of the scariest games of the last generation. In it, you take on the role of Ellis, a former police officer who’s heading to the infamous Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville to search for a missing boy. There’s more than a nod back to the original found-footage film here, and the legend surrounding the forest means you’ll be nervous before you even start.
It has atmosphere in droves, keeping you on the edge of your seat. And, unlike other titles on this list of best horror games on Xbox, Blair Witch doesn’t rely on an overuse of jumpscares to get your adrenaline pumping. That’s not to say there aren’t a few moments to catch you out, though. It takes a while to really get going, but if you’re looking for a truly scary time, Blair Witch is definitely worth a play or two.
Buy Blair Witch
4. The Medium
From one Bloober Team game to another, next up on our list of best horror games on Xbox is The Medium. Okay, we weren’t so enamoured with The Medium at launch. In our review, we criticised some of its animations and proclaimed its gameplay to be a little old-fashioned and clunky. While at least the latter is still somewhat true, a number of patches since launch have improved the game, making it a worthwhile addition to any horror catalogue.
What stands out most about The Medium, aside from its unique “dual world” mechanic, is its story. It will keep you hooked from beginning to end, with its twists and turns genuinely surprising you at intervals. Bloober Team can certainly tell a good story, and while The Medium didn’t wow us quite as much as we’d hoped at launch, it’s still well worth your time.
Read our review of The Medium
Buy The Medium
5. Outlast Trinity
Outlast is one of the best horror games on Xbox, hands down. It’s long in the tooth now, but we feel like it’s responsible for inspiring many horror games since. It’s presented like a found footage horror film, you see; one of the first games to do so – and do it well. Outlast Trinity includes both Outlast games along with the Whistleblower expansion, making for a truly horrifying collection of games.
At just about every moment in the game, you never know what awaits around the next corner. You’ll constantly be second-guessing yourself, hiding in lockers and sneaking around corners as you run from the unspeakable horrors of the world of Outlast. Turn out the lights for this one: it’s incredibly atmospheric, and you really ought to make the most of it.
Read our review of Outlast 2
Buy Outlast Trinity
6. Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2 makes zombies scary again, and that’s quite an achievement. This remake of the PlayStation classic goes beyond expectations, delivering a horror experience that’s familiar in the right ways yet also unpredictable, exciting and fresh. Anyone that’s played the original Resident Evil 2 will find themselves enjoyably toyed with, while those that haven’t will just enjoy this remake for what it is: a great horror game.
Zombies are plentiful and are harder to put down than ever, creating tense moments as you explore Raccoon City Police Department and its surrounding areas. But of course, there are bigger foes for you to worry about as well, including the mysterious Mr. X who seems to tirelessly pursue you as you go about your business. Resident Evil 2 has everything: romance, intrigue, action and horror. It’s quite simply one of the best horror games on Xbox. Of course, the remakes of Resident Evil 3 and 4 deserve to be up here too, but Resident Evil 2 just holds a special place in our haunted, infected hearts.
Buy Resident Evil 2
7. Little Nightmares II
The protagonists of Little Nightmares II may be children, but they both have some dark secrets under their sleeves. You’ll not be all that worried about them while playing Little Nightmares II, however. Instead, you’ll be running away from mannequins brought to life and other ghoulish horrors.
Little Nightmares II tells the story of Mono, who at the outset of the game befriends a young girl called Six. From that point on they travel together, venturing into a dark and overbearing city. Being a single-player game, players take exclusive control of Mono, though they can call upon Six to help them from time to time. In any case, being seen generally results in them both being chased, and that’s when Little Nightmares II genuinely gets your heart racing.
From its melancholic atmosphere to its wonderfully unsettling creature designs, Little Nightmares II is surprisingly terrifying. So, if you’re after the best horror games on Xbox, be sure to check it out.
Buy Little Nightmares II
8. Home Sweet Home
Rooted in Thai mythology, Home Sweet Home places you in the shoes of a man called Tim. Tim’s wife has gone missing, and so of course he’s doing all that he can to find her. But the further you get into Home Sweet Home the more you think Tim should just go home, grab a whiskey and put his feet up, because boy there’s some freaky stuff going on. His wife would understand, surely.
Home Sweet Home’s gameplay is fairly simple. You wander around, sometimes finding your progressed blocked by simple puzzles. Every once in a while though, you encounter a paranormal entity that requires you to do some sneaking. If you’re seen a chase ensues, and unless you can find somewhere to hide in time you’re likely to find yourself dead.
It’s the set-pieces and more unusual encounters that we’ll not say too much about because of spoilers that make Home Sweet Home a horror game worth playing through. It might not be a big budget classic, but it certainly delivers on the scares.
Buy Home Sweet Home
9. Infliction: Extended Cut
Taking obvious inspiration from P.T., Infliction: Extended Cut sees you exploring a house from the first-person perspective. Things seem rather normal at first – but dare to look away for just a second, and you’ll find everything changing around you. While you’ll find yourself trekking around the same rooms time and again, the game messes with you in clever and unexpected ways, forever keeping you on your toes.
There’s little action or adventure to speak of in Infliction; its gameplay consists of you exploring the house – and a few other areas – as you attempt to dispel an evil spirit. But it packs in a whole load of atmosphere as you do. It’s tense and creepy from start to finish, and it’s a horror game you’ll struggle to put down until you’ve finished. Needless to say, if you’re after the best horror games on Xbox, you’d be wise to check it out.
Buy Infliction: Extended Cut
10. Layers of Fear
You’re never quite sure what’s happening in Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear. Perhaps you’re in a really haunted house, or perhaps the protagonist is slowly losing his mind. Perhaps it’s a little bit of both. Either way, it makes for a genuinely scary horror game. We loved the original Layers of Fear back in 2016, but 2023’s remake – which combines Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2, along with a visual overhaul – makes things even better.
Making your way around an old, seemingly empty house, you’ll solve puzzles and discover clues, helping piece together the story. You’ll soon find that you’re not entirely alone though; there’s plenty of things lurking around corners ready to scare the bejesus out of you.
Buy Layers of Fear
11. Alien: Isolation
Based on the popular movie franchise, Alien: Isolation stands out from the other games on this list because it’s not filled to the brim with monsters and terror. Rather, there’s just one monster that’s terrorising you: the alien. Well, okay, there are androids to watch out for as well. But they’re not very scary, just troublesome.
Alien: Isolation’s scare factor comes from its tense atmosphere as you carefully peer around corners, wondering where the alien is going to come from next. You never feel safe, you’re always on edge – and that makes for a fantastic horror experience. Perhaps the best video game ever made that’s based on the Alien franchise, if you have a liking for tense, nail-biting scares, then this is one of the best horror games on Xbox you can play. Don’t let the fact it’s a little old now put you off: it’s just as fantastic as ever.
Buy Alien Isolation
12. The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2, just like its predecessor, is an action-packed example of the survival horror genre that shouldn’t be missed. Playing as ex-police detective Sebastian Castellanos, you’ll find yourself questioning reality as you move from one harrowing situation to the next, forced to face off against a bevy of grotesque creatures. And while you’re fairly well-armed and quite capable of instantly dispatching some foes if you can creep up on them, The Evil Within 2 can still pile on the scares when it wants to.
The Evil Within 2 is scarier than its predecessor, managing to unsettle you in more ways and question your sanity even more. With twists around every corner, if you’re looking for the best horror games on Xbox, you can’t go wrong here.
Buy The Evil Within 2
