The PC market has all the benefits of the AAA space — with a handful of console exclusives and Nintendo games being the main exceptions — along with the largest supply of indie, mods, and experimental projects on any platform. There is no genre PC gaming is lacking, and the openness of the platform for both gamers and developers has unleashed an overwhelming amount of games over game past few decades.

PC horror games can take on just about any form. That also means that there are way too many PC horror games to horror games for pc windows 10 know how to pick out the best ones. Alien: Isolation had at least two major hurdles to overcome before it was even released. First was the incredible damage to the Alien brand that Colonial Marines had done. Second was being a sequel horror games for pc windows 10 one horror games for pc windows 10 the most beloved sci-fi horror films of all time.

Despite everything stacked against it, Alien: Isolation turned out to be one of the best horror games of the generation, if not the decade. It takes the hide-and-seek style approach to horror by bringing the scale down to how it was in the original film of there being one alien hunting you throughout the ship. It is a slightly older game now, having come out inbut still looks amazing — especially on powerful rigs. You take the role of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley in the films, set 15 years after the original Alien ended and her mother has been missing ever since.

As it turns out, she finds the answer much sooner than she realizes as an alien has been running rampant on this ship, killing nearly the entire crew. Equipped with iconic tools like the motion tracker and flame fir, you need to find a way to survive as the alien, and some other threats, hunt you down with impressive AI. As a love letter to the Alien franchise, this game looks, sounds, and plays exactly as you would hope.

That is to say: Terrifying. Amnesia: The Dark Descent is just plain scary. Amnesia: The Dark Pf understands that what you think you see stalking you in the dark, or what could be making those sounds, is far scarier than anything an artist could actually design and show you. Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a simple story that is heavily influenced by Lovecraft tales.

The majority of the lore is presented in notes and journal entries you find, most left from the main character to himself who knowingly induced himself with amnesia, which is a fantastic storytelling device to keep the player and character on the same level. The game takes place in a single stone castle, which can get a little repetitive, but it does ooze sometimes literally with atmosphere.

Enemies will stalk ror halls and hunt you down, but looking at them directly will lower your sanity. Keep a candle lit while playing this one, because this tale is dark in every way possible. But, outstanding indie horror games on PC have been around perhaps longest of all.

It originally launched way back inbut was given a full release on Steam in Like the best indie games, and horror games in general, it uses its limited budget and technical limitations to its advantage in creating a deeply unnerving experience horror games for pc windows 10 all angles.

That being said, and without spoiling too much, it does play with your expectations and how you interact with games to an extent. Visually, this game is very rough on the eyes. Horrror horror games may seem antithetical to what a horror game is. Having one, or more, people with you just makes the illusion and atmosphere of horror break so much easier when you can crack jokes with a friend.

Despite all this, Phasmophobia utilizes a bunch of innovative techniques, along with plenty of tried and true tropes, to make a hit multiplayer horror game on PC that put a massive spotlight on the game.

It has horrpr the trappings of a haunted house-type game, with dark hallways, ghosts, limited lights, creepy sounds, and all that, but Phasmophobia has a pretty ingenious gimmick. The game can pick horror games for pc windows 10 your bames and reacts based on you speaking and making horror games for pc windows 10.

This goes beyond just triggering a ghost to track you down, too. You can speak to ghosts and ask tons of questions to get information vital to your investigation. Stupid title aside, this was one of the earliest games to attempt to blend high octane, cinematic FPS action with horror. R, or First Encounter Assault Recon, pulled it off extremely well. A technical marvel for the time, this game still hits lists of both best horror games, as it has done so here, and best shotguns.

While most of the borror in F. R is earned, it does pull a few tricks and jump scares that may put some people off. Some jump scares are actually well-crafted, such as a certain ladder double whammy often referenced, while others like hallucinations flashing on screen are less so. The uphill battle this game took on was perspective. Horror thrives in 110 person perspectives, through can be great in third as well.

We even see plenty of fantastic 2D side-scrolling types perhaps even some later on in this listbut 2D from an overhead perspective is rare horror games for pc windows 10 horror. This is mainly because of how much this camera angle lets you see. This game gives you, the player, a very accurate and brutal vision cone as you explore this overgrown world.

You can see nothing behind your character, and anything obstructing your horror games for pc windows 10 ahead will cast large blind spots exactly as they would in real life. Adding in elements from the survival genre, Darkwood puts you in the role of a man stuck in a malicious forest that is constantly changing. You have a home you need to stock up with supplies and defenses to hold out against what appears when the sun goes down.

It also features a small cast of NPCs that you can interact with. Depending on how you speak and act with them, the game can go in some very different directions. What is always constant in Darkwood, however, is the difficulty. For most people, a game focused on Taiwanese horror, made by a small team of devs from Taiwan, will be a completely fresh horror experience.

As a game, it takes the form of a 2D point-and-click-style game, featuring plenty of puzzles and no combat whatsoever. The art is a horrr simple, but it has a great sense of atmosphere and place that all work, especially when they become distorted. You will swap between two horror games for pc windows 10 characters in Detention.

They are both trapped in a Taiwanese school during a true historical period in history that would later be named the White Terror. You will get to know them, and many other aspects of this time and Taiwanese spiritual lore, through very strong writing. Check out Detention for a lesson in borror you may never have learned before. Horror is a hard genre to sustain for a long period of time in any medium. Stories Untold is one of the few packages of shorter horror games on PC and is packed with quality scares that will stick with you long after each experience has ended.

This collection comes from Horror games for pc windows 10 McKellan, who worked on another game in this list, Alien: Isolation, as well as a free version of winddows of the games included in this collection.

In a somewhat meta setup, you are playing as a character who themselves is playing a series of games. That should inform you of the graphical style most games will take, primarily that of an 8-bit aesthetic but not exclusively. The first game, for example, is a text-based adventure, and later events even go into first person. While each game on its own is a great little horror tale, there is an overarching plot windkws connections to be made that are better left horror games for pc windows 10 than explained.

This anthology is windws for those gamee feel horror games eventually lose their edge the longer you engage with them. Of any game on hrror horror games for pc windows 10, this is likely the most high profile. Certainly the most recent, Resident Evil 2 Remake is a re-imagining of the already beloved Resident Evil 2 from so many years ago.

While this new version ditches the fixed camera angles and tank control system of movement, it manages to retain the core of what made that game horror games for pc windows 10 horrifying and windods.

The main location you explore is dim and in disarray, yet brimming with personality and details. Sure, it makes no logical sense why there would be puzzles to open secret doors in a modern city building, but looking beyond that is a satisfying test of exploration, puzzle-solving, item and resource management, and, of course, zombie combat. You will slowly expand your arsenal of weapons and tools, only just enough to keep up with the threats, as you unlock more of the building in a very satisfying sense of progression.

Unlike those games, this is a pure single-player, or co-op, survival horror experience. Created by a small team of Swedish developers, Cry of Fear mixes a lot of inspiration from other survival horror games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil. The game focuses on exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving, as most horror games do.

What Cry of Fear excels in, and what makes it stand out from the crowd, are the horror games for pc windows 10, realism, disturbing designs, and horror games for pc windows 10.

Light, for example is cast from a cell phone that also displays text messages that horror games for pc windows 10 story tidbits, as well as horrifying warnings or messages. The plot is easy enough to horror games for pc windows 10. In Cry of Fear, you play as a year-old named Simon who is hit by a car.

After waking up, he finds himself in his city, which is now devoid of most normal people and stalked by monsters. You will swap between the more normal version of the world and a nightmare version, dealing with extremely limited resources and being led astray by messages trying to return home.

The game is broken up into seven chapters, adding up to about an eight-hour experience in total, but with four possible endings. In fact, the dated look of it might even make it scarier now than it was then.

Genre Adventure. Developer The Creative Assembly. Release October 07, Alien: Isolation - E3 Trailer Official. Amnesia: The Dark Descent Trailer. Genre Puzzle, Adventure, Indie. Developer Frictional Games. Publisher Frictional Fir. Release September 08, Amnesia: The Dark Descent - Trailer. Platforms PC Microsoft Windows.

Genre Adventure, Indie. Release February 03, Phasmophobia Trailer. Genre Puzzle, Tactical, Indie. Developer Kinetic Games.

PC is one of the best platforms for horror games. Not only do you get a huge variety of games to choose from thanks to platforms like Steam and itch. You're up close to your monitor, your headphones are on, and the lights are off. It can't get much better than that. If you're looking for something to scare the pants off of you, here are the best horror games for PC.

Alien: Isolation opens in new tab. It's been over six years at this point, but few games have come close to delivering as many horror games for pc windows 10 as Alien: Isolation does. If you've seen the first two Alien movies, Isolation will seem familiar, but it does such a great job at translating the tension of running from an alien that can hide in the vents norror a video game. It's a great throwback to a classic horror franchise, but it manages to be a great entry all on its own.

Resident Evil was stumbling there for a while but returned to its horror roots horror games for pc windows 10 Resident Evil 7. Taking place after the events of Resident Evil 6 which you don't actually hoorror to horror games for pc windows 10 to enjoy this entryyou're tasked with figuring out what happened at the Baker household.

It's filled with atmosphere, and while there are clear tie-ins to the franchise, it feels like the dawning of a new age for it all. Any horror games fan will tell you to check out Amnesia: The Dark Descent. This winrows by Frictional Games tasks you with exploring a gothic manor filled with monsters, evil experiments, and mysticism you can't even begin to understand.

What makes this game stand out, though, is the lack of horror games for pc windows 10 and the darkness mechanic. As you sit in the dark, you grow more unstable, making the game even more horrifying as you play.

While there were a few smaller entries in the Amnesia series after The Dark Descent, including the experimental A Machine for Pigs, the true direct sequel is Amnesia: Rebirth, which came out in It raises horror games for pc windows 10 stakes on pretty much everything introduced in the first game; it has better graphics, a much larger world, and a huge, world-shattering story to sink your teeth into.

It doesn't have quite the same dark, grungy charm as The Dark Descent, but it's more horror games for pc windows 10 and beautiful. Borror tasked with trying to escape an underwater science facility, horror games for pc windows 10 almost everybody is dead, and the machines seem to be alive. Along the way, you'll uncover a secret that may either save or doom the future of humanity. Putting Doki Doki Literature Club on our best horror games horror games for pc windows 10 PC list is technically already a spoiler, but the less you know going into this seemingly upbeat visual novel, the better.

You horror games for pc windows 10 the titular Literature Club at school and have horror games for pc windows 10 form relationships with some of the members. Then, things take a turn. Red Candle Games made something special with Detention, an atmospheric horror game set in s Taiwan. To escape your mysteriously empty school, you must wander around solving puzzles and trying to avoid all the monsters that seem to lurk around every windwos.

Detention takes a point of view not often seen in games, and those not familiar with the history of Taiwan will learn a lot while being unnerved. If you want more fun and gore eindows your horror, you might want to check out Carrion. This platformer makes you the monster, with you having to escape the lab that imprisoned you. Take out the scientists that experimented on you and grow your move set along the way. Pathologic 2 is as masterful as it is confounding.

In this open-world horror RPG, you must save your hometown from a plague, but whether people want your help horror games for pc windows 10 another story. Not only must you discover what happened, but you need to survive. Horror games for pc windows 10 a reputation, don't starve, and don't get too overwhelmed by all the bizarre imagery.

Oxenfree is a supernatural adventure game that is both creepy and tear-jerking. You play Alex, who is with friends at an island party, but it all goes horribly wrong. You must find your friends, repair relationships, and discover the truth under the surface of the island. Horror games for pc windows 10 get a great horror experience, but also a beautiful story with amazing s-inspired visuals. If survival horror is more your style, why not go for what might be the ultimate survival horror experience on PC?

In Windws Forest, your plane crashes on an island filled with cannibal mutants, and you have to survive. If you like starting from scratch — building, exploring, making weapons, eating — then this is a game to check out.

Bloober Team has windos synonymous with horror these days thanks to Observer, Blair Witch, and the upcoming The Medium. It made a huge splash ohrror this space with Layers of Fear in You play a painter who's trying to create his magnum opus, but you're stuck horror games for pc windows 10 a mansion and must find secrets from your past. It's disturbing, creepy, and atmospheric — everything you could want in a horror game. Playdead astounded everybody with Limbo, the dark platform puzzle title, but outdid itself with the follow-up, Inside.

You play a child forced to wander through a dystopian landscape filled with mutated animals, monsters, and mysterious scientists. It doesn't come together neatly in the end, but it presents one of the most disturbing finales of any game in recent memory. Fans of horror movies and multiplayer games should check out Dead by Daylight.

Each round in this 4v1 title puts you in the role of a survivor who must escape or the killer who has to try and stop them. It takes a lot of inspiration from horror movies, not including all the DLC packs that allow you to play as Pyramid Head, Leatherface, Michael Myers, and more. It was tough to choose between Alan Wake and Hoeror for this list, but we thought we'd go back to the beginning here.

It may be a little janky these days, but it is worth playing due to some fun combat scenes, its cheesy tone, and how it sets up a surreal universe. Phasmophobia came out of nowhere in and has since become one of Steam's horror games for pc windows 10 games.

This early access game allows you to jump in teams of up to four players and investigate a haunted place with your ghost-hunting tools. Solve the mystery, exorcise the spirit, and leave unscathed — or die trying.

OK, you can truly play horror games however you want, but there are few better ways to do it foe on a PC. Sure, there are a lot of great horror games on Xbox.

Still, the best horror games for PC take advantage of everything the platform has to offer, including audio design that can lure you in if you have one of the best PC gaming headsets and great visuals. Having so many platforms on PC also means you have a large collection to choose from. Unfortunately, we had to keep our list limited, so feel free to explore Steam or itch. However, if you're looking to get started, you can't do better than Alien: Isolation.

The horror game from Creative Assembly takes everything that made the first Alien film work and translated it into video game form.

You have to lurk around a spaceship while trying to avoid the deadly Xenomorph, which can hide in vents and in the walls. It builds so much tension, and you'll be on the edge of your seat. There are a bunch of Frictional Games titles on this list hey, it's made some incredible horror gamesbut SOMA is a creepy sci-fi title that tackles a lot of profound subjects.

It also has a special mode that allows you to get through the story without worrying so much about the monsters, which is great for players who don't like many scares. Finally, if you want to play one of the most talked-about hoeror fromcheck out Phasmophobia. This indie multiplayer game is still in early access, but it's a great way to get scared with friends. You join a ghost-hunting squad and have to get rid of the ghosts or die trying.

Her last name also will remind you of a dinosaur. Follow her on Twitter or email her at carli. Windows Central Windows Central. Alien: Isolation opens in new tab Featured Favorite It's been over six years at this point, but few games horror games for pc windows 10 come close to delivering as many scares as Alien: Isolation does. View Deal opens in new tab. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. A new beginning Resident Evil was stumbling there horfor a while but returned to its horror roots in Resident Evil 7.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Amnesia: Rebirth. Bigger and scarier than ever While there were a few smaller entries in the Amnesia series after The Dark Descent, including the experimental A Machine for Pigs, the true direct sequel is Amnesia: Rebirth, which came out in Doki Doki Literature Club. No spoilers! East Asian horror Red Candle Games made something special with Detention, an sindows horror game set in s Taiwan.

Reverse horror If you want more fun and gore in your horror, you might want to check out Carrion. Pathologic 2. Get lost Pathologic 2 is as masterful as it is confounding. Horror and friendshp Oxenfree is a supernatural adventure game that is both creepy and tear-jerking. The Forest. Real survival horror Gwmes survival horror is more your style, why not go for what might be the ultimate survival horror experience on PC?

Layers of Fear. A haunted house Bloober Team has become synonymous with horror these days thanks to Observer, Blair Witch, and the upcoming The Medium. Oh god that ending Dead by Daylight. Be the killer Fans of horror movies and multiplayer games should check out Dead by Daylight. Alan Wake. Horror homage It was tough to choose between Alan Wake and Control for this list, but we thought we'd go back to the beginning here.

A surprise indie Phasmophobia gaames out of nowhere in and has since become one of Steam's top-selling games. Carli Velocci. Gamex Central Newsletter.