There are a lot of old horror games that are worth re-visiting or even playing for the first time despite their age. Some are not even that old, but they are forgotten due to the immense popularity of other titles like Silent Hill and Resident Evil.
Many of these games are highly rated and well-reviewed but are hardly discussed. They have un-deservingly been forgotten in the piles of other games and in the merciless flow of time.
Here are 15 forgotten horror games any horror fan needs to check out.
Updated on March 8, 2021, by Allison Stalberg: Horror games and obscurity can often go hand-in-hand. The genre can be risky as the games often only attract a niche audience. There is also a balance to consider between being not scary enough and too scary. However, over the decades, there have been brave souls who took on the risk to make such games. Some of these games, while forgotten, even influenced the horror game industry. They do not deserve to be forgotten.
15 Sanitarium
This point-and-click adventure horror game came out in 1998 and was beloved enough to win awards such as Computer Gaming World‘s 1998 “Best Adventure” award. It was also a nominee for GameSpot’s “Best Story” and the AIAS’s “Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development,” but that was awarded to video game titans like Pokemon Red & Blue.
Basically, you play a man who wakes up from a coma from a car accident in a scary asylum and has to uncover the mystery as to what is going on.
14 Nightmare Creatures
Released in 1997, this game is perfect for those who like 19th-century Gothic horror. The game takes place in 1834 in London, and people are mutating into ungodly monsters. The game can actually be pretty difficult, as the game has an optional mechanic for an adrenaline bar which causes health to be lost if it runs out. Basically, players are forced to continuously seek out and win battles to keep the adrenaline bar full. That is stressful!
Most of the reviews for this game were favorable, however very few remember it.
13 Rule Of Rose
This survival horror game came out for the PS2 in 2006. While fans love Rule of Rose for its story, art, and music, the game’s reviews were actually pretty middling. The game focuses more on psychological horror than violence. In terms of story, many have compared it to Lord of the Flies but with young girls instead of boys.
Rule of Rose could very well be one of the most misunderstood horror games of all time, especially when looking at the negative reviews it received back in 2006. Getting a copy of the game now is a challenge though, as it sells for about 400 dollars and can only be bought second-hand. It is likely due to those prices that this game will only become more and more forgotten with time.
12 Harvester
In this point-and-click horror game, you play as a man named Steve with amnesia who wakes up in a town called Harvest. The characters are pretty entertaining, as they seem to be satire of different stereotypes rather than full-rounded people. You go around solving puzzles, helping NPCs, and figuring out what is going on in this mysterious town.
The game received mixed reviews and is actually a little controversial due to its violent content. It was banned in Germany and censored in Europe.
11 The Suffering
For a forgotten horror game, this one had pretty positive review scores across the board. It was released for the Playstation 2, Windows, and Xbox in 2004. It was praised for taking a risk in distancing itself from horror classics like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Fatal Frame. The game blended horror and action and focused a lot on combat.
The game’s themes and story are very clever and dive into the death penalty, slavery, racism, and prison culture. You play a man on death row at a time when the prison is being invaded by a supernatural threat. Depending on your actions, you get one of three different endings.
10 Nosferatu: The Wrath Of Malachi
Released in 2003, the story of this game takes place in 1912. Players step into the shoes of the son of a wealthy British family that plans to marry off the protagonist’s sister to the son of a count. However, when the family is shown to their rooms, the doors lock and they realize they have become the count’s prisoners.
Nosferatu: The Wrath Of Malachi is a first-person shooter and a survival horror game. As old as the title has gotten, it has stood up to the test of time. It is available on Steam.
9 Condemned
This series has faded into the background, despite not being that old. Like Harvester, it is another game prohibited in Germany due to violence. The game is quite violent and not for the faint-hearted.
You play a member of the FBI, Ethan Thomas, in a fictional (and rather spooky) American city. You have to find an evasive serial killer and fight your way through violent citizens who seem to have mysteriously lost their minds.
8 Phantasmagoria
This point-and-click game came out in 1995. You play as Adrienne Delaney, a writer who is haunted by supernatural forces. It’s the typical “writer moves into large mansion” kind of story.
This was made back when it was popular to use live-action actors for games and it was released on seven discs! Reviews for the game were mixed, but it left a bit of a legacy due to its commercial success.
7 D
D was also released in 1995, and you play as a woman named Laura Harris. She goes to a hospital after learning her father went on a mass killing spree and locked himself inside. The hospital turns into a castle once she enters, and she is on a quest to find her dad.
Depending on the players’ actions, the game has different endings. While the game is on this list of forgotten titles, it is known to have a decent cult following.
6 Cold Fear
Released for the PS2, Xbox, and Windows, Cold Fear hit game shelves in 2005. Unfortunately, it was compared to the famous Resident Evil 4 that came out in the same year. Cold Fear was no Resident Evil 4, but it still attracted its share of fans.
Cold Fear was actually Ubisoft’s first horror game. The story’s protagonist is a member of the United States coastguard who helps a Russian whaler, only to discover some horrid parasite has taken over the crew members and made them zombie-like monsters.
5 Dino Crisis
For those that still remember Dino Crisis, many hope for the game to get a remake. The first game of the series came out in 1999, and it was developed by some of the same people you can thank for the Resident Evil series. Indeed, the two actually have a lot of similarities.
The game is a little like Jurassic Park, in that you are escaping from man-eating dinosaurs in a research facility. While the game did get a number of sequels, the series seems to have been forgotten by many.
4 Clive Barker’s Undying
This first-person horror shooter video game dates back to 2001. As suggested by its name, Undying was actually produced by famed horror writer Clive Barker. The story takes place in the 1920s and players take the role of a WWI veteran, Patrick Galloway, who is investigating occult happenings.
Despite fading into obscurity, Clive Barker’s Undying received very positive reviews. The game also sold poorly, so not many horror fans even gave the game a chance.
3 Cry Of Fear
Compared to other titles on this list, this game is more recent. It came out in 2013 and has plenty of positive reviews on Steam. Despite being good though, it is a game that is rarely mentioned or talked about in the world of horror video games. The most recent reviews note that they are hoping for a remastered version.
You play a man slowly descending into madness in Scandinavia. One interesting note is that this game originally started off as a Half-Life mod.
2 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Released in 2002 for the GameCube, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem had many similar mechanics to the Resident Evil series. Despite garnering a lot of praise, the game was not a commercial success. It was even going to get a sequel, but that got canceled.
It is a pity, as Eternal Darkness got nearly perfect reviews from game publications across the board. It was even awarded “Best Story on GameCube” “Best Graphics (on GameCube,” and “Best Sound on GameCube” by GameSpot in 2002.
1 The 7th Guest
Steam actually released a 25th-anniversary edition of this game last year. It also called the title, “the father and mother of all haunted mansion games.” They are right too, as this game was released in 1993 and won a decent number of awards. It was well-loved enough to get a number of sequels as well.
The player character is a disembodied consciousness named Ego, so that’s fun.
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