30 Best First-Person Horror Games - Gameranx (2024)

Horror games are plentiful every year. Developers love to provide fans with a scare and if you’re after some video games that puts players into a first-person perspective then we have you covered. In this list, we highlighted some of the best horror-focused games that have a first-person perspective.

#30 Demonologist

Platform: PC
Release Date: September 25, 2023

Steam

Do you think you have what it takes to flesh out the evil that lies in certain places? Will you attempt to do such tasks on your own? Or will you ask your friends to help you no matter what lies inside the walls of cursed homes?

If so, you’ll want to dive into the co-op horror titleDemonologist. The game will feature you and up to three of your friends going into spooky and haunted places so that you can figure out what it is that haunts them.

With every adventure, there will be something new and unexpected. So be ready to figure out what haunts the halls.

#29 The Outlast Trials

Platform: PC
Release Date: May 18, 2023

Steam

If you’re a fan of horror games, then you’ve likely either played or at least know about The Outlast franchise. Two mainline installments have been released, and before we get The Outlast 3, we’re getting a multiplayer-focused horror experience. Set well before the events of the first two games, and players will find that The Outlast Trials is set during the Cold War. You will soon find yourself being nothing more than a test subject locked behind the cruel imprisonment of the Murkoff Corporation. You are used to test brainwashing and other unethical experiments further. To get out, you’ll need to complete a series of tests. But much like the other games, you’ll find a slew of enemies looking for you to meet your demise. Within the game, you’re sent off to complete a series of tasks, and again, just like the previous two games, you’re best to avoid enemies when possible, which means running for your life or finding a quick hiding spot. Fortunately, you can either play this as a solo experience or seek some help with friends through online cooperative multiplayer.

#28 Demonologist

Platform: PC
Release Date: March 27, 2023

When an evil spirit haunts a place, it must be removed by any means necessary to ensure the safety of those who call the space home.

InDemonologist,you can either take on this challenge alone or with friends. Just be ready, as there are spirits in virtually every room you enter, and it’s your job to seal them away. But it won’t be as easy as waving a magic wand.

You’ll need to interact with the spirits and the places themselves. Your words can drastically affect what happens around you, so be careful. The more successful you are, the more you can customize your character and their safe house.

#27 Ghost Watchers

Platform: PC
Release Date: July 26, 2022

While many TV shows and movies will tell you that it’s somewhat “easy” to catch a ghost or spirit if you have the right equipment,Ghost Watcherswill show you how it’s really done. In the game, you are your friends will head to various locations that are infested with dark entities.

It’s your job to study the location, figure out the truth about what’s happening, and then use your knowledge to catch them.

You’ll have nearly two dozen tools to help you sus out what entity you’re dealing with. There are eight different kinds of ghosts/spirits to capture, so pay attention!

Are you ready to start the hunt?

#26 Inside the Backrooms

Platform: PC
Release Date: June 20, 2022

Welcome to “The Backrooms,” you’re all likely to die here if you can’t find your way out. Good luck with that.

In this mysterious place, you and some of your friends can team up to see what each room has to offer you. There are puzzles and mysteries that you need to solve while also avoiding the terrifying creatures that lurk within. If you want to live, you’ll want to stay out of their reach!

The game has five main levels, and each will have an increasing difficulty. For example, will you get out of the backrooms alive? Or will you be their next victim?

#25 Sons of the Forest

Platform: PC
Release Date: February 23, 2023

Steam

It was meant to be a simple mission. You were supposed to go to an island and find a billionaire who had disappeared. No one could’ve known that when you arrived, you’d find it incredibly hard to leave!

In Sons Of The Forest, you’ll be trapped on an island with cannibals and other horrors that will not hesitate to attack if you get too close.

As you explore the island, you must think carefully about how you want to survive and what you arm yourself with to take on these threats. Will you survive the island? Or will you be its next victim?

#24 Martha is Dead

• Publisher: Wired Productions
• Developer: LKA
• Platforms: PC
• Release Date: Feb 2022

Martha is Dead came out earlier this year and follows the story of Martha’s twin sister, the woman found drowned at the height of conflict between German and Allied forces. The game follows a first-person narrative that focuses on puzzles to get you through to the next area. Voice acting is in Italian by default to accentuate the atmosphere of 1940s France and the historical accuracy that went into the final product is something that the development team should take a lot of pride in. While this description might not sound like it, definitely expect a psychological thriller with tons of clever dialogue lines and scenes that will genuinely make the hair on your arms stand on end.

#23 Five Night at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5

Release Date: December 16, 2021

Genre: Survival Horror

Five Nights at Freddy’s became a massive hit horror game franchise. The games have been aimed more towards kids, with the premise mainly centered around a fictional play center. Essentially, players are locked in a building made for kid’s birthday parties. With the building filled with different animatronics, it’s soon discovered that these machines turn murderous at night. Players are then fighting to survive the night until the building doors unlock once again. In Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, players are given free-roam and combat to deal with the animatronics. It’s a very stealth-based survival horror experience. You’ll have to manage your devices which require batteries to recharge. However, these devices prove crucial as they can either be a means to fight back against an enemy or even hack into the camera system to see where everyone is located in the building. Furthermore, this game installment features multiple endings depending on your decisions.

#22 Dead Secret

Platform : PS4, PC, macOS, Macintosh operating systems, PS3

Release Date : 28 March 2016

Genre : Adventure game, Puzzle Video Game, Survival horror, Indie game, Adventure

In Dead Secret players take the role of a journalist seeking to solve a case, the death of Harris Bullard. Harris was a professor but someone had slaughtered the man with very little evidence to show for it. Here, players are investigating the area in search of any clue that may point you to the suspect, but there is someone always watching and secrets that are meant to stay buried with Harris. It’s a bit of a point-and-click puzzle game with a lot of exploration although you can expect a few jump scares throughout.

#21 Ghostwire: Tokyo

Platform: PC, PlayStation 5

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Genre: Action-Adventure

GhostWire: Tokyo comes from Tango Gamworks, who you might know from The Evil Within franchise. Here players take the role of a protagonist that can see and vanquish spirits. With this ability, you must free Japan from supernatural entities wreaking havoc. It looks to be done through an assortment of special powers that the player can summon from their protagonist. This is a supernatural game as well since you’re working through why this sudden attack has turned everyone in the area into demonic ghosts and monsters. Of course, you can’t fully explore the world. In order to unlock areas, you’ll need to cleanse shrines scattered about. This makes it worthwhile exploring the different sections of the map that’s unlocked.

#20 Blair Witch

Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One. Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest

Release Date : PC, Xbox One August 30, 2019 / PS4 December 3, 2019

Nintendo Switch June 25, 2020 / Oculus Quest & Quest 2 October 29, 2020

Genre : Survival horror

While Blair Witch got its fame from the horror movie franchise, fans of the IP can dive into a unique storyline based around a video game. This is developed by Bloober Team, get used to that name because we’ll be talking about them a bit in this list. Players are taking the role of a former police officer that helps out on a search for a missing child.

While searching the woods with their dog, players find that there is something more sinister out here in this dense forest. It’s a pretty quick game with exploration and puzzles. Not to mention that there are some endings available to give players a bit of an incentive to jump back into the title after finishing the game initially.

#19 Kona

Platform : Linux, PC, PS4, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Stadia

Release Date : PC, PS4, Xbox One March 17, 2017 / Nintendo Switch March 9, 2018 / Stadia August 1, 2020

Genre : Adventure

Kona is a detective horror atmospheric title that is set during the 1970s. Here players take the role of a private investigator who is called into a hunting manor that’s constantly being vandalized. Taking on the job, players ends up in a bad snowstorm keeping them stuck at the manor which is seemingly devoid of all life. This game is set up in a first-person perspective and is a bit of a walking simulator. Players are mainly exploring different areas, taking in clues, and solving puzzles. However, the atmosphere helps bring out a somber tone.

#18 Layers of Fear

Platform : Linux, PC, OS X, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Release Date : Linux, PC, OS X, PS4, Xbox One 16 February 2016

Nintendo Switch 21 February 2018

Genre : Psychological horror

Layers of Fear is a psychological horror video game by developers Bloober Team who has made a name for themselves when it comes to developing horror titles. In this particular video game players are following a painter who’s attempting to finish his masterpiece though as the protagonist roams the mansion, disturbing secret information begins to bleed out.

This is more of an exploration and puzzle-solving video game with a variety of jump scares littered throughout. Not to mention, there is a DLC expansion available for this game called Layers of Fear: Inheritance which puts players into the role of the main protagonist’s daughter who ventures back into the horrific nightmare fueled home.

#17 Layers of fear 2

Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One

Release Date : May 28, 2019

Genre : Horror game, Adventure game, Action game, Puzzle Video Game, Indie game, Casual game, Adventure

Speaking of Layers of Fear we have Layers of Fear 2. Playing out much like the first game, players can expect another first-person psychological thriller game. Here players take the role of a Hollywood actor that gets another big gig. Taking place on an ocean liner, our actor is forced to endure a terrifying world with the ship changing rapidly around them. It’s full of disturbing moments as a walking-type simulator. Still, you’ll find plenty of interesting puzzles and a storyline that will keep you pushing forward.

#16 Observer

Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One, Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PS5

Release Date : PC, PS4, Xbox One 15 August 2017 / Linux, macOS 24 October 2017

Nintendo Switch 7 February 2019 /

System Redux PC, XSX|S 10 November 2020 / PS5 12 November 2020

Genre : Psychological horror

Another Bloober Team developed game makes our list and this time it’s the 2017 release of Observer. Here within this game players are stepping into the role of Daniel Lazarski who is a detective with a unique tool. During interrogations, Daniel can hack into people’s minds and investigate surroundings memorized by the person. This is one of those games that is best to go in with as little knowledge as possible due to the length of the game. Still, those that decide to give this game a try will find that there’s no real combat here although there is a slew of puzzles to solve during your explorations.

#15 Condemned: Criminal Origins

Platform : Xbox 360, PC

Release Date : Xbox 360 November 22, 2005 / PC April 11, 2006

Genre : Survival horror

Condemned: Criminal Origins is a bit different than most other survival horror titles. The game is played as a brawler with a heavy emphasis on melee-based combat rather than gunplay. Players will take on the role of Ethan Thomas, a crime scene investigation agent for the FBI. While on the job, Ethan learns that he has been framed for murder.

To clear his name, Ethan will have to find an evasive killer known only by his codename Serial Killer X. However, his journey to find Serial Killer X is tough thanks to an evil force that has taken over the city. Now citizens are driven into madness, forcing Ethan to defend himself from their attacks while still following the trail of his target.

#14 Alien: Isolation

Platform : PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, linux, OS X, Nintendo Switch

Release Date : 7 October 2014

PC,PS3,PS4,Xbox 360,Xbox One 7 October 2014 / Linux 29 September 2015

OS X 28 October 2015 / Switch 5 December 2019

Genre : Action-adventure, stealth, survival horror

Alien: Isolation is set fifteen years after the events of Alien, where players will take on the role of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley who is on an investigation of tracking down the mysterious disappearance of her mother. Much like the old school survival horror titles, Alien: Isolation has an emphasis on players avoiding the hostile alien enemy, and instead, gamers must rely on some stealth mechanics to maneuver around the game. If the creatures happen to get in close quarters you’ll get killed off, but you can use a device to keep track of where these enemies are, which may help you get into a hiding spot.

#13 PT

Platform : PS4

Release Date : 12 August 2014

P.T. is a game that will continue to live on despite Konami’s best efforts to kill it off. Announced through a trade-show from an indie development team, players were able to download a copy of P.T. through the PlayStation Store. It’s here that players were given a creepy home to walk through with cryptic puzzles to solve. Eventually, players were able to finish the game demo and solve all the puzzles in which we learned that this game was an announcement trailer for Silent Hills, the next thrilling installment to the beloved Silent Hill franchise.

Developed under Hideo Kojima, this was also a game to be developed under Konami which hasn’t been done in a very long time. Unfortunately, Hideo Kojima and Konami had a pretty public split resulting in Silent Hills getting killed off and Hideo Kojima opening up his studio, Kojima Productions. Meanwhile, fans have continued to bring out remakes to the infamous P.T. demo for a game that could have been great.

#12 Visage

Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One

Release Date : October 30, 2020

Genre : Survival horror

Visage is a spiritual successor to P.T., the teaser game that was set to be Silent Hills before it was canceled. Overall, players step into the role of Dwayne Anderson who lived in a large suburban home. After committing suicide, Dwayne is stuck inside the residence and is being tormented by other supernatural entities.

Players are essentially getting to piece together the lives of other past members of this home which all had an untimely death. In that regard, we get a bit more of a horrific gameplay version of What Remains of Edith Finch if you’re familiar with that game. There are some endings to unlock as well so there is some replay value here.

#11 Outlast

Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One, Linux, OS X, Nintendo Switch

Release Date : PC September 4, 2013 / PS4 February 4, 2014 / Xbox One June 19, 2014

Linux, OS X March 31, 2015 / Nintendo Switch February 27, 2018

Genre : Survival horror

Outlast follows freelance investigative journalist Miles Upshur, who decides to check out a psychiatric hospital. Once there, Miles learns that the hospital has become overrun by homicidal patients. As Miles has no combat background, players are forced to evade rather than confront the enemies, often running away or hiding in areas like lockers or under beds. One of the items Miles carries with him is a night vision camcorder, however, it requires batteries, forcing the player to constantly scavenge for items. It’s a title with plenty of jump scares and tense moments, especially if you find yourself with a camcorder that’s ran out of batteries.

#10 Outlast 2

Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Release Date : PC, PS4, Xbox One April 25, 2017 / Nintendo Switch March 27, 2018

Genre : Survival horror

Speaking of Outlast, we have Outlast 2. This time around, players are again taking the role of a journalist that’s named Blake Langermann who is traveling with his wife Lynn. The duo begins their search for more information based around a mysterious murder of a pregnant woman but upon their initial travels, the couple is separated from a helicopter crash. Now players are forced into finding their wife while being dropped into a middle of an unusual cult that believes the end of time is coming.

Just like the first game, players are not meant to fight back but instead flee from danger, hide, and use their camcorder as a means to get a night vision view of the area. Fortunately, this time around the camera offers some more tools to make use of such as a microphone that can pick up footsteps. However, just like the first installment, there are still batteries that need to be picked up to power the device.

#9 Phasmophobia

Platform : PC

Release Date : 18 September 2020

Genre : Survival horror

Phasmophobia was a huge hit and a game that had plenty of players logging on together as this is a title that works best as a cooperative multiplayer horror game. Here players are taking the role of paranormal investigators who will get various missions presented to them. Using an assortment of gear, players are forced to enter a building and attempt to locate the ghosts. With AI, players can even use their microphones to call out to the ghosts. It’s a simple game that’s a thrill to play and it’s likely to be supported for a long time to come.

#8 The Forest

Platform : PC, PS4

Release Date : PC 30 April 2018 / PS4 6 November 2018

Genre : survival horror video game

The Forest was a big hit that blended horror and survival gameplay elements. Players take the role of a father traveling with their son on a plane. However, when the plane malfunctions and crashes onto the forest, players find that they are alone among the wreckage of the plane with no survivors outside of the disappearance of their son. Now players are forced into venturing through the island in search of their son along with keeping themselves safe from an unusual mutated cannibalism faction.

What had so many players interested in this game was the enemy AI system. These mutated humans would start just by watching the player, finding where they are building up a base and as they continue to get more curious, they’ll attempt to get closer. However, there will be times that the enemy AI will attempt to see what you would do simply by charging up to the player or wrecking your buildings crafted up around the area. Slowly, they’ll become more of a problematic enemy that will force players to face against them directly using the makeshift weapons they’ve crafted up.

#7 Soma

Platform : Linux, PC OS X, PS4, Xbox One

Release Date : Linux, PC OS X, PS4 22 September 2015 / Xbox One 1 December 2017

Genre : Survival horror

Frictional Games has done well in the horror genre in the past with the likes of Penumbra and Amnesia. One of their more recent launches into the marketplace is Soma which puts players into the role of Simon Jarrett. After going through a serious car injury, our protagonist agrees to undergo a brain scan to see the damage caused to his brain. However, during the scan Simon blacks out and wakes up in an unusual underwater facility. Here Simon must figure out what’s going on while finding robots that share human characteristics running the place.

Meanwhile, the gameplay is mainly centered around exploration and solving puzzles. It’s a very atmospheric video game and one that’s gained a big fan base. However, as mentioned, this development studio has brought out other iconic horror titles into the marketplace including Amnesia: The Dark Descent which we’ll be covering in our next point.

#6 Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Platform : Linux, Mac, OS X, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Release Date : Linux, OS X, PC 8 September 2010 / PS4 22 November 2016

Xbox One 28 September 2018 / Nintendo Switch 12 September 2019

Genre : Survival horror, adventure

Amnesia: The Dark Descent was first released as an independent download by developers Frictional Games. Players awake in a dark castle with no memory other than their name and that something is hunting them down. As players lurk throughout the castle to regain their memory they’ll be subjected to the main gameplay element, puzzle solving.

However, within the castle are grotesque enemies that not only will kill the player character but also cause their sanity level to decrease. This sanity level acts as a health indicator. If not managed properly, the player will start to witness unsettling events, eventually leading to their death. We would also suggest checking out the sequel if you find this game of interest. Amnesia: Rebirth was released just last year, 2020, which is set nearly a hundred years after The Dark Descent.

#5 Devotion

Platform : PC, macOS

Release Date : February 19, 2019

Genre : Survival horror, puzzle

Devotion is a first-person horror title based on Taiwanese folk religion. It was a game that initially received plenty of praise online for its stunning visuals and gameplay. However, the big reason this game received so much attention was the controversy it sparked. There was a small meme reference to the Chinese government leader which sparked a ton of hate towards this game. So much hate came out that just days after its release, Devotion was review bombed leading to its removal.

It wouldn’t be until well after a year that the developers, Red Candle Games, attempted to bring this project back out into the marketplace which contained a build removing the meme reference. While GOG announced that it was going to offer a DRM-free version, the digital marketplace received a ton of attention calling for the marketplace to not release this project. GOG ended up folding under the pressure and refused to pick the title up leaving Red Candle Games to once again work on another means to sell their game. Eventually, the project was released through their online digital marketplace which would be the future home for all Red Candle Games releases.

#4 Chernobylite

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Release Date: July 28, 2021

Genre: Survival

Chernobylite is a fictional survival horror type of game. Here we’re placed into the role of a physicist named Igor, formerly an employee of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. Now present day, which is thirty years after the disaster, Igor has an urge to return to the exclusion zone. It’s here that he hopes to piece together the events which caused his wife to disappear mysteriously. However, the zone is far from a stable and pleasant place to be at. You’ll have to be mindful of the armed military, other stalkers, and mutated creatures that roam the area. Meanwhile, you’ll have to manage your vitals to ensure that you don’t perish in your desperate attempts to find out the truth of what happened. You can make some choices in this game that will result in a specific ending, but we’ll, of course, refrain from spoiling anything here.

#3 Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S, NS

Release Date: February 4, 2022, TBA 2022 NS

Genre: Action RPG

After Dying Light’s immense success, there wasn’t a big shock to learn a sequel was coming. Unfortunately, that sequel took quite a bit of time to bring out, but players now have a new installment to go through. Within Dying Light 2 Stay Human, players are taking the role of a young man named Aiden. After the world was hit by a plague that turned humanity into mindless zombies, Aiden and his sister were used in child experiments. Unfortunately, one day Aide and his sister become separated, which has him on a journey to track her down.

Throughout the game, players explore the world in search of clues. However, it’s a hostile world to deal with. You have the onslaught of zombie hordes bursting into the area. There’s a variety of these beasts you’ll be dealing with as well. Outside of the typical slow-moving biters, newly transformed undead are far faster. Then you have banshees that have greater jumping power, beasts that can spit acid, along with variants that will alert others. You’ll find that Dying Light 2 Stay Human is also an open world where you’ll freely explore, help out those in need, and be forced into making some critical decisions.

#2 Resident Evil Village

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Release Date: May 7, 2021

Genre: Survival Horror

Resident Evil Village is the latest installment to the long-running video game franchise. Here we’re once again tossed into the role of Ethan Winters, who was the leading protagonist in the previous mainline installment, Resident Evil 7. Fortunately, Capcom did provide a recap, so you don’t necessarily have to go back and replay the game. This time around, Ethan Winter is back trying to live a normal life with his wife Mia and their newborn daughter Rose.

Within the opening moments of the game, Chris Redfield bursts into the door with an operative team. Here Chris kills Mia, kidnaps Rose, and forcefully takes Ethan into a transport convoy. Suddenly, the convoy is attacked, and once again, Ethan finds himself alone in the middle of a remote village. With no signs of Chris, Ethan is forced into searching this village to uncover some answers. Of course, just with any good Resident Evil game, the village is home to all kinds of cryptic puzzles, monsters, and plenty of lore.

#1 Resident Evil 7

Platform : PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Stadia

Release Date : 24 January 2017 / Stadia April 1, 2021

Genre : Survival horror

Resident Evil is such an iconic survival-horror franchise that’s been around for decades. Its series typically stayed the same with a third-person perspective while players venture through some terrifying gameplay that was full of undead enemies to battle against and puzzles to solve. However, after the franchise started to become more action-oriented, fans were expressing their desire to see Capcom go back to its roots. That’s when the studio revamped the gameplay after Resident Evil 6. Resident Evil, 7 brought out a new protagonist, Ethan Winters, who is your typical average guy.

With no professional background to deal with any kind of hostilities, Ethan’s search for his missing wife leads him to the oddity Baker Family which was full of torment and terror. This title brought back the survival-horror feel with less focus around action gameplay and more aimed at difficult battles and an eerie atmosphere. Likewise, Capcom opted to bring out the first-person perspective with even PSVR support to really immerse players. This is a game that’s worth checking out and it’s one that doesn’t need players to go through the previous installments to understand the story.

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