Each year brings with it its own batch of horror gaming experiences, and 2020 was no different. 2020 saw sequels to some of the video game industry’s most well-established horror franchises, and it also saw some brand new IP make big waves. VR horror games in particular were impressive in 2020, showcasing how virtual reality technology can enhance horror gaming experiences and in many cases, be much scarier than their traditional counterparts.
There were all kinds of horror experiences in 2020, and with them, plenty of scary moments.
Here are the scariest gaming moments of 2020.
10 Amnesia: Rebirth – Quartermaster Stores
At the start of Amnesia: Rebirth, players are relatively safe from any monsters or other supernatural creatures. While protagonist Tasi’s exposure to excessive heat in the Algerian desert is of concern, she only catches glimpses of creatures here and there. That sense of safety is ripped away from Amnesia: Rebirth players when they reach the Quartermaster Stores area of the game, which is where they have one of their first and scariest encounters with a monster.
While exploring the Quartermaster Stores, Amnesia: Rebirth players will spot a strange creature, though it doesn’t approach them until later on. Upon exiting the area, players will see it perched on some rafters, and then later on, it will chase them down a hallway. In one especially terrifying instance, Tasi has to move heavy sandbags out of the way of a door, all the while the monster is running full-speed at her. It’s one of the most intense and scariest moments in Amnesia: Rebirth, and one that is sure to stick with players long after the credits roll.
9 Amnesia: Rebirth – The Maze
With Amnesia: Rebirth being the direct sequel to one of the scariest games of all time in Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it’s no surprise that it’s full of scary moments that will set players on edge. Some time after Tasi has her encounter with the Quartermaster Stores creature, she finds herself exploring a maze in an otherworldly area. The maze is difficult to navigate through due to a lack of light sources, and that combined with the relentless pursuit of strange creatures makes it one of the game’s most particularly nerve-wracking moments.
8 Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition – Black Hills Forest in VR
Bloober Team’s Blair Witch was a natural pick to make the jump to the virtual reality realm, with the game’s first-person viewpoint and slow-movement making it a smart choice for a VR adaptation. It’s true that there is quite a bit lost in the transition from the console version of Blair Witch to the Oculus Quest Edition, but there is also something to be gained as well. Namely, Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition greatly enhances the game’s ability to scare players, especially when they’re walking around the woods at night in VR.
Once players advance far enough in Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition for it to be nighttime in the Black Hills Forest, the value of playing the game in VR becomes immediately clear. As they explore, players will constantly hear noises off to the side, creating the sense that someone, or something, is always watching them.
7 Half-Life: Alyx – Jeff
Half-Life: Alyx has been hailed as perhaps the greatest VR game made to date, currently enjoying its status as the top-rated virtual reality title yet. But while Half-Life: Alyx is not a horror game, there are definitely moments in the game that are scary, and wouldn’t feel out of place in a traditional survival-horror title. One of the game’s scariest and most memorable levels is Jeff, where players have to stealthily make their way through an area while being pursued by a grotesque monster that reacts based on sound. It’s one of Half-Life: Alyx‘s best levels, and one that will be talked about by VR enthusiasts for years to come.
6 Half-Life: Alyx – Quarantine Zone
Long before Half-Life: Alyx players reach the Jeff level, they have to make their way through the Quarantine Zone. The Quarantine Zone in Half-Life: Alyx is full of headcrabs and the zombies they create, leading to some startling encounters and well-timed jump scares. Half-Life: Alyx players have to be smart about how they fight off these creatures, as resources are scarce in the game, which helps these sections come across as legitimate survival-horror. In fact, the Half-Life: Alyx levels where players explore the Quarantine Zone are arguably the best representations of survival-horror in the virtual reality space to date.
5 The Last of Us 2 – Rat King
The Last of Us 2 bombards players with horrific moments and terrifying imagery. The game is more or less a nonstop sequence of terrible things happening, with players having to witness all kinds of brutal murders and encounters with zombie-like creatures. However, The Last of Us 2‘s Rat King boss is one of the game’s particularly scary moments, and arguably its scariest from a gameplay standpoint. The Last of Us 2‘s Rat King sees Abby face off against a massive blob of infected creatures that puts up a serious fight and is able to make very short work of Abby. It’s intense and memorable, and quite possibly The Last of Us 2‘s scariest gameplay moment.
4 Phasmophobia – Playing for the First Time
A surprise horror hit, Phasmophobia has taken the streaming world by storm. In Phasmophobia, players work cooperatively to hunt ghosts and other supernatural entities, exploring haunted locations like houses and more recently, an abandoned prison complex. Phasmophobia has all kinds of clever tricks to build a creepy atmosphere and build tension, and there’s nothing like experiencing all of it for the first time.
3 Resident Evil 3 – First Nemesis Encounter
Resident Evil 2‘s Mr. X was a huge hit among horror fans thanks to its dynamic AI and how it relentlessly pursued protagonists Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy throughout Raccoon City. The Nemesis monster in the Resident Evil 3 remake is not quite as scary as Mr. X, but the first time players encounter him is still one of the scariest and most jarring moments in the entire game.
Resident Evil 3 starts off with Jill Valentine in her apartment. After exploring it for a bit, players will get a phone call from Brad Vickers. Jill and Brad don’t talk for long, as the Nemesis monster suddenly bursts into her apartment. What follows is an intense, action-packed sequence where Valentine flees from Nemesis, setting the tone for what’s to come. Later encounters with Nemesis can provide plenty of scares as well, especially when he’s following Valentine on-foot instead of attacking her in one of the two’s scripted encounters.
2 Visage – Opening Sequence
When Konami canceled Silent Hills and pulled PT from the PlayStation Store, it inspired a number of developers to create spiritual successors. Some of these projects never really got off the ground, but Visage is one such PT successor that has not only launched, but has managed to earn mostly positive reviews in the process. Clearly taking inspiration from PT, Visage has players explore a creepy house full of unsettling happenings and frightening encounters, all the while trying to keep a lid on their sanity and solve puzzles.
Visage in general is a scary experience, but the game’s opening is especially unnerving. Visage starts with a man slaughtering his entire family, shooting his children and wife in one of the most sickening displays ever seen in a video game. Eventually, the man turns the gun on himself, with this tragic incident being the apparent catalyst for the horrifying events that follow.
1 The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners – Zombie Encounters in VR
2020 was a good year for VR games. The year started off strong with The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, which stands as one of the finest Walking Dead games and one of the better VR games in general. The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is a pure survival-horror game, forcing players to manage their resources carefully if they want to make it through alive. Players have to contend with human enemies as well as hordes of the undead, with the zombies in the game posing a significant and imposing threat.
The stakes are high in The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, which makes zombie encounters memorable and terrifying. One of the scariest things players can encounter in VR is when they’ve been swarmed by zombies in The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, and so it’s an experience that horror enthusiasts should seek out for sure.
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