Summary
- The PlayStation 5 offers a rich selection of horror games that cover various gameplay styles and narrative focuses, all with the ability to effectively scare and entertain.
- The horror genre has expanded over the years, with indie games tapping into lo-fi aesthetics and AAA games pushing for greater immersion and cinematic value.
- From remastered classics like The Last of Us Part 1 to narrative-driven games like Martha is Dead, there is no shortage of terrifying and captivating titles available on the PS5.
The PlayStation 5 has already amassed a strong library of horror games, but only a select variety stands out as truly must-play experiences. The best horror games for the PS5 cover a wide range of gameplay styles and narrative focuses but share the ability to scare in effective and interesting ways. From reborn classics to entirely new experiences, there's no shortage of titles that tap into fear for the noble purpose of entertainment value.
The rich selection of horror games available on the market has only grown over the years, expanding from a niche genre into a major industry. Plenty of indie games aim to tap into the primal fear of lo-fi aesthetics, while AAA experiences push for greater immersion and more cinematic value than ever before. The PlayStation 5 is a great home for the latter style in particular, opening up the door for improved versions of cross-generation games and exclusive experiences alike.
The Last Of Us Part 1
Many zombie stories are more focused on the horror side of things than The Last of Us Part 1, but there's still plenty of fear in its engaging story. This isn't necessarily worth a purchase for those who have already played The Last of Us on prior consoles, as the original game hasn't aged particularly poorly, but anyone who hasn't yet wrestled with its narrative can find an updated version of the game on the PS5. With plenty of tense encounters and heartbreaking moments, it's hard to walk away from The Last of Us Part 1 without some part of it sticking around.
In Sound Mind
In Sound Mind tells the story of psychologist Desmond Wales, who wakes up in a dilapidated apartment building and has to navigate his way through the creepy locale while taking on the fears and psyches of some of his patients. The game starts as a more quietly atmospheric venture but eventually grows into something more focused on a big story. Those uninterested in puzzling through gameplay can leave In Sound Mind alone, but there's plenty to enjoy in solving the mysteries of its environments, which are effectively dreamlike and even seemingly hallucinatory in a way that effectively lends to the creepiness of the game.
The Quarry
Featuring choice-based gameplay, The Quarry takes place at a raucous party with a bunch of typical teen slasher movie characters celebrating the last day of camp. And just like a good slasher movie, the horror comes out after the sun has gone down. The after-dark world of The Quarry is full of the spooky atmosphere of the deep dark forest filled with creatures, forces, and characters that are strange and deadly. This isn't the lonely sort of horror game, with a focus on interpersonal relationships and narrative development in solo or online play.
Martha Is Dead
Martha is Dead for the PS5 is a narrative-driven horror game that shows how effective a good story can be for a good fright. This first-person perspective game set in 1944 Italy tells the story of Guilia, who is on a mission to find out how her twin sister Martha ends up dead. Guilia’s quest is all the more disturbing as she takes on Martha’s identity to piece together what led to her death. The narrative and storyline are the strong points here, and captivating sound design and creepy yet beautiful visuals make navigating the expansive world of Martha is Dead a frightening proposition.
Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is an excellent new entry in Capcom's long-running Resident Evil series and one more piece of proof that the franchise is nowhere close to falling off. Protagonist Ethan Winters is searching for his kidnapped daughter, Rose in a village filled with mutant creatures, but the game finds plenty of ways to surprise and evolve beyond that basic premise. Full of horror tropes like a Dracula-stylized castle, a laboratory that only Frankenstein could love, a static snow television that obviously broadcasts from the Poltergeist network, and more, Resident Evil Village still manages to carve out a niche as a unique and memorable PS5 horror game.
Alan Wake Remastered
The advent of Alan Wake 2 returns Remedy Entertainment's intriguing series to the forefront in a major way, but it's already seen a modern rebirth with the release of Alan Wake Remastered on modern consoles. This game tells the story of a writer searching for ideas at a remote cabin, an innocuous trip that soon spirals into something else entirely. Although this isn't the most explicitly terrifying game, existing on the bridge between action thrillers and proper horror experiences, its psychological elements can have a big impact.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent hasn't received any PS5-specific overhaul, but the mere fact that it's playable on the console makes it worthy of mention. The first title in the varied Amnesia franchise, The Dark Descent is a survival horror experience with a uniquely oppressive atmosphere. Threats that can't be defeated and a sanity mechanic that makes time spent in the darkness punishing help to dial up the fear factor and a pervasive sense of helplessness, but the lack of a power fantasy never takes the fun out of the engaging gameplay and discovery.
Dredge
Dredge isn't pushing the PS5's hardware capabilities in the same way as many of the console's best horror games, but it doesn't need to when it can build horror so effectively in a simpler style. As a fishing game, Dredge plays with a genre typically prized for its relaxing qualities, but this experience is much more unsettling than the standard trip out onto the lake. The horror within is more of the creeping and unsettling type than anything, but not every PS5 horror game needs to open with jumpscares to get the point across.
Dead Space
Dead Space was a hit upon its original release in 2008, and the PS5 remake of the title successfully resurrects it for a new generation. This is the perfect choice for sci-fi fans, finding fear in spaceship corridors instead of dark woods or abandoned buildings. Although futuristic shooters weren't exactly in short supply around the time of its original release, Dead Space set itself clearly apart with its grim terror, and the remake follows the same overall plan while rebuilding the game entirely and taking advantage of PS5 hardware to elimate loading screens.
Resident Evil 4
The latest in a series of chronological Resident Evil remakes, Resident Evil 4 sets a higher bar than ever for the potential of video game remakes. Capcom has managed to thoroughly update their flagship horror franchise without losing its soul, making comprehensive experiences that carry most of what fans have always loved about the games over to a modern experience. Special agent Leon S. Kennedy is tasked with a rescue mission that doesn't take long to go through a dark path, featuring an exciting balance of survival action and scares that entertains as much on the PlayStation 5 as ever.
