The Best Horror Games Coming in 2026
“if they can take that concept and turn it into a full experience, this could be the greatest horror game of all time”
This is what we said about our second most anticipated horror game of 2026, but before we reveal it, along with our number one pick, we have a whole list of incredible horror titles that deserve just as much attention.
From Indies to AAA, from proven horror legends to newcomers and even a game that looks like a 2D pixel art reimagining of The Last of Us that you definitely haven’t heard of, these are the twelve best upcoming horror games of 2026 that focus on narrative, atmosphere, and tension as opposed to cheap jump scares and gore.
MOST ANTICIPATED HORROR GAMES 2026
Directive 8020
With every new game from Supermassive, the same question always comes up: Is this the game where the studio returns to form like 2015’s Until Dawn?
Supermassive return with what is technically the fifth entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology, however they are avoiding marketing it as part of the series. Hopefully, this is an indication that the studio might view Directive 8020 as a fresh start, since the last entry in the anthology was in 2022 and overall the series hasn't garnered a whole lot of goodwill.
Directive 8020 is largely inspired by The Thing, but set in the distant future and on a planet 12 light years away from Earth. A shapeshifting alien has come aboard and just like The Thing, you will constantly be second guessing who is real and who isn't. Directive 8020 still features Supermassive staples including multiple playable protagonists that can all live or die along with multiple branching paths for all.
One of the big new features is called “Turning Points”, which allows the player to rewind during pivotal decisions, which is good for those who want it, but removes the immediacy of the decision making and tension, however, you have the option to turn them off as well. The other new addition is that now the game will feature real time combat, which will be in addition to the familiar QTE actions.
I had the chance to play a small section of Directive 8020 with the developers at Summer Game Fest Play Days and it felt good, but it was just a small slice. Will this be the game where Supermassive finally match or even surpass the quality of Until Dawn?
ILL
ILL is the debut title from Team Clout, who are composed of a little over 30 people who mostly have background in horror working on film series like It and V/H/S, just to name a few.
ILL is a first-person action survival horror game that takes place in a huge research fort. What immediately jumps out with ILL is the realism, which is in large part due to incredible lighting, realistic physics and one of the most visceral dismemberment systems ever seen.
In the words of the studio “ILL pushes the limits of the genre with gory realism: grotesque monsters can be maimed and mercilessly torn to pieces. Shredded flesh, exposed bones, and eviscerated carcasses will make an unprecedented impression and shock you to your core” When you combine this extreme violence with the binaural audio system, dynamic enemy behaviour, and realistic physics, ILL has the chance to seep into your subconscious.
There were a few guns shown in the trailer and they both looked very different and this is purposeful as the developers are aiming for distinct weight and feel of each weapon. In addition, you will have to navigate weapon defects, as well as modify and upgrade them. Finally, in keeping in line with tradition of the survival horror, ILL will feature strategic inventory management with the devs saying that “your ability to create an item could determine the outcome of the battle”
Silent Hill Townfall
Back in 2022, Konami held a Silent Hill showcase, which they called transmission about how they planned to bring life back to the Silent Hill franchise with original, new entires from within and collaborations with other studios. Three games were shown during the presentation.
In the years since, we have seen how fruitful this has become with the fantastic remake of Silent Hill 2 from Bloober Team in 2024, which completely honored the source material, but also added nearly double the length without adding filler, but by adding meaningful content, that somehow surpassed the original. Then in 2025, there was Silent Hill F
The third and final game announced was Silent Hill Townfall from developer No Code and Annapurna Interactive, both of which have undergone major changes since Silent Hill Transmission in 2022. On the developer side, No Code rebranded to Screen Burn in 2025, but insisted that development was still progressing on Silent Hill Townfall. On the publisher side, the entire 25 person staff of Annapurna Interactive resigned in 2024, but Annapurna has rebuilt and continued development on their existing projects including Blade Runner 2033 and Silent Hill Townfall.
It might be a coincidence, but it seems that the plan of Konami is to keep Silent Hill on the minds of people with at least one major release each year. In 2024, Bloober Team released Silent Hill 2 Remake, which was a critical and commercial hit as it recently passed 2.5 million copies and in 2025, NeoBards released Silent Hill F, which had a more mixed reception, but was still a high profile release.
Silent Hill Townfall is the only game remaining from the Silent Hill Transmission presentation in 2022, so there is hope that we could see it release in 2026 as Konami’s big Silent Hill release of the year. We know very little other than what the studio has worked on before including Observation and Stories Untold, both of which explored deep psychological horror and the developers said that Townfall will do exactly the same. They mentioned how they would weave psychological horror into every aspect of game design from sound, visuals and even things like UI. If Townfall can deliver the same tension that their one minute teaser did, this will be an excellent addition to the franchise.
Decrepit
Decrepit is a first person dark fantasy, roguelike dripping with horror and tension created by just one person. There are no maps and no quest markers, just the hope of escape. In Decrepit, you start deep within the cells at the bottom of the castle trying to fight your way out. Every death strips you of your gear and puts you back at the depths, but in a new cell. All that remains is the knowledge that you have of the castle and the enemies that lurk within its walls. The castle has been designed for mastery with an interconnected layout that allows you to memorize areas, discover passages, shortcut and unlock elevators that stay active in a metroidvania or souls-like manner even after you are dragged back to the bottom.
You have three slots: one for a weapon, one for a staff and one for a piece of armor. You will need to hunt down this gear from the bodies of the dead that populate this dark and oppressive castle. You will also need to take the equipment from the enemies you slay. The equipment within will define your playstayle, as it belongs to four different archetypes including Mage, Warrior, Rogue and Shaman. You will have to decide if you want to continue to pursue a complete set, which will unlock bonuses and new unique abilities or adapt to what fate has offered you.
There is horror everywhere from the haunting sounds, the claustrophobic stone walls, the flickering light that hides what remains in darkness and the nightmarish creatures that await you around every corner.
The Road of Dust and Sorrow
The Road of Dust and Sorrow is a short, story driven, atmospheric thriller with gorgeous pixel art visuals and survival horror elements inspired by genre classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. However, if there is one game that looks to be the major source of inspiration, it has to be The Last of Us Part 1, as Katherine and her daughter Ava try to keep hope alive ten years after a massive cataclysmic event.
Reminiscent of Black Mirror, The Road of Dust and Sorrow uses a narrative that doesn’t feel impossible to believe. Mega Corporation Dustech engineered a remedy to end world hunger, but unfortunately, it didn't work and humanity paid the ultimate price as the majority of the world is now clickers or as their referred to in this game, Dusters.
Just like The Last of Us, the prominent source of dangers isn't the dusters, it’s the remnants of civilization who have become uncivilized. As you trek across America in an old, beat up RV, you search for answers, hope and sanctuary.
In the words of the developers, The Road of Dust and Sorrow will be “short, intense and unforgettable” This is exciting because this is exactly what you want from survival horror. An experience that doesn’t linger and diminish the high emotional narrative stakes.
Silver Pines
Silver Pines is a love letter to classic survival horror, but experienced through a unique 2D art style with metroidvania elements. Inspired by games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, Silver Pines is a story about Private Investigator Red Walker who has been hired to track down missing musician Eddie Velvet. This case has brought Red to the half abandoned and forgotten town of Silver Pines. Just like the great games that it was inspired by, the environment of Silver Pines is a major character as the town is shrouded in non stop rain, which is melancholic and creates a sense of strong sense of depression on the entire investigation.
Resources are scarce and the management of them will be crucial to your success as you attempt to navigate this haunting and surreal town. Keeping with tradition, bullets will be scarce and you will need to smartly decide which enemies are worthy, as you can choose to get risky by engaging in melee combat, which puts you in danger. To keep the tension high at all times, even when you have the bullets needed, each gun features a different reload mechanic that looks akin to the active reload system in Gears of War as timing is critical.
Puzzles are abound, locked doors everywhere as you search and each path could be the clue you need to break the case open or it could be something sinister waiting for you. Drawing navigational inspiration from Metroidvanias, you will be able to access more of the town as you find better tools and equipment.
During your investigation, clues will lead to you explore the town using a map very reminiscent to the one from Silent Hill 2 and take you to places like a diner, a meat packing plant, a pier, a motel, and even the forest on the outskirts of town.
REANIMAL
There was nothing wrong with Little Nightmares 3 and Supermassive did a decent job stepping into big shoes to keep the series going, but something was missing. The absence of Tarsier Studios left a giant black hole in the series and the third entry just didn’t manage to capture the same emotions as the first two.
After playing the demo for REANIMAL, even though it didn’t feel like a direct sequel to Little Nightmares, there was a very familiar Tarsier feel to the game that was immediately identifiable. In REANIMAL, you play as orphan siblings who have to go through some form of hell to rescue their three friends, which might be a metaphor for hope and redemption. This is why I love atmospheric platformers because they offer something different to everyone, since the meaning is very open to interpretation, just like the best art.
One thing that they have said was with their first two games, they kept the players in the dark with a mysterious world, which lead to a lot of different interpretations. While the world of REANIMAL will still be rich with mystery, according to Narrative Director David Mervik “we definitely give player more than in previous games, but it’s nice to keep a little bit back and meet in the middle to see what people make with what you’ve given them”
One of the big differences is that REANIMAL seems to be leaning more into 3D worlds as opposed to their previous work that was a lot of 2.5D side scrolling platforming and puzzle solving. REANIMAL has been designed to be a co-op adventure either locally or online, but can also be played single player. Unlike recent co-op adventures from studios like Hazelight that feature a dynamic camera that separates when the characters go their different ways, the camera system in REANIMAL has been designed in a way that ensures everyone has the same experience.
Neverway
Neverway is psychological horror infused RPG about a girl named Fiona who quits her dead end job and decides to move to Montgomery Island. The plan is to create a fresh start by purchasing a farm away from all of the distractions of reality. However, not all is well as you need to stop the horrors of the Neverway from bleeding into reality in a concept that feels reminiscent of Stranger Things. The intent from the developers was to create a bold juxtaposition by blending wholesome and horror, which they feel create moments that are a lot more intense that resonate stronger.
However, what has me truly interested is that Neverway appears to be capturing the spirt of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past as Fiona jumps between reality and the Neverway in a similar manner that Link jumped between the light and dark world. Neverway is also features a 2D world, with a 16 bit pixel art aesthetic, but with a very stylized color palette. There are plenty of smaller similarities too like fast paced combat, dungeon exploration, and upgrades.
There will also be a big social aspect as you can meet, become friends and even romance dozens of people with each bond unlocking buffs and abilities to use in the Neverway.
Neverway is co-created by the pixel artist of Celeste and considering that EXOK are now defunct, this means more now than it ever did. The score is also being composed by Disasterpiece, who created one of best soundtracks of the last decade with Hyper Light Drifter. Disasterpiece also scored the soundtracks for It Follows and Fez. It might not look like the typical horror game, but with the score from disasterpiece along with the visuals and story that we know so far, there is a very good chance that Neverway will burrow under your skin like the best horrors can.
End of Abyss
End of Abyss was first revealed at Summer Game Fest 2025 from brand new studio Section 9 Interactive. My first thought was that this game looks like an atmospheric puzzle platformer and since INSIDE and LIMBO are dearly beloved to me, I look forward to new experiences in the genre. Unfortunately, little else was known about the title, but within hours, I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with the developers behind End of Abyss and what I learned blew my mind.
The first thing I was told was that End of Abyss was more than just a top down atmospheric platformer because it was also a metroidvania, which was extremely pleasant to learn. Somehow the good news kept coming because it was revealed that the founders of Section 9 Interactive, were many of the original founders of Tarsier Studio, the team behind Little Nightmares 1 and 2, including tech leads, art leads and creative directors that left to start their own studio.
The more they told me about their game, the more I became enthralled. I felt like I was part of The Truman Show as everything about the game felt tailor-made for me. End of Abyss is deeply inspired by the early NES classics The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, two games that strongly embrace the less is more approach. Worlds that were vast, full of mystery, danger and begged to be explored. The focus was on exploration, non linearity and atmosphere. There was something so intriguing about never knowing whats around the next corner and that is echoed in End of Abyss.
The list of inspiration for End of Abyss is long and extends far outside of gaming. Anime like Akira, Ghost in The Shell, as well as movies like The Thing, but most prominent inspiration is easily Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror film Alien. In End of Abyss you play as a female protagonist, but also just like the crew of the Nostromo who followed a distress signal in the deep reaches of space that fated most of the people aboard, End of Abyss follows a similar structure by investigating a distress signal that says “to the one that hears this, we are waiting for you” The alien inspiration carries forward with an environmental design that feels very retro futuristic.
End of Abyss was easily the best thing I played at Summer Game Fest with a dark, atmospheric tone, paired with a unique perspective and twin stick controls. End of Abyss felt as much like survival horror, as it did twin stick shooter as it did a metroidvania, which ultimately meant that it felt like nothing I have experienced before.
TOP 3 MOST ANTICIPATED HORROR GAMES OF 2026
Resident Evil 9: Requiem
Including Resident Evil 9: Requiem on this list almost seems like cheating, but not including it would be even worse because not only is the franchise responsible for making survival horror a household term, it has also been reinventing itself for nearly 30 years and Requiem looks to be no different.
Resident Evil 9: Requiem has me more excited for the return of the series more than previous entries for three or four good reasons. An even deeper push towards psychological horror, the return to the iconic Raccoon City, an all new character and the hybrid gameplay.
For the first time in a mainline entry since Resident Evil 3:Nemesis in 1999, we are going back to Raccoon City. Spoiler alert for a 27 year old game, but at the end of Nemesis, the government approved a sterilization operation in an attempt to control the zombie outbreak with a missile strike at the heart of Raccoon City that was swiftly covered up. Not only are we returning to continue this lingering storyline, but Capcom have created an all new character with a deep connection to the events that happened nearly 30 years ago.
In Resident Evil 9: Requiem, you play as FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, who has been assigned to an unsolved case featuring an unidentifiable disease. In a dark twist of fate, the body was discovered at the same hotel that her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft died at over eight years ago. Grace’s mother Alyssa was a journalist and one of the survivors of the Raccoon City incident, who was determined to find the truth behind what happened.
The death of her mother has made Grace somewhat introverted and has buried herself in work to occupy her mind and emotions. Due to this, Grace has decided to investigate the case at the hotel alone, where she will also be confronting demons from her past. While going back to Raccoon City makes it nostalgic, what’s more important is how it’s incorporating a new level of psychological horror, which is the way the genre has been moving over the past decade.
Finally, with the most recent trailer, the big reveal is that Leon Kennedy would be returning as Capcom are trying to please both sides of the Resident Evil fanbase. Leon’s portion of the game will be high octane action, which is more reminiscent of Resident Evil 4, and that Grace’s portion of the game would be more tension and psychological, which is more in tune with the slower gameplay that the other fans love. The hope is that the stark contrast between the two portions will allow each one to resonate on a greater level. After recent entries, it’s hard to expect anything less than excellent.
OD
The chances are very low that OD will release in 2026, but I don’t want to risk making a most anticipated horror list without this game being on it, with a possibility that it might come out. OD is without a doubt the spiritual successor to PT, which is my choice for the best horror game of the past decade, if we can look past the fact that it was just a prototype.
OD was revealed at The Game Awards 2023, which means that it has been in development for at least 2 year now, which doesn’t seem that long ago, but Kojima Productions first game, Death Stranding, was announced in the summer of 2016 and released a little over three years later. Horror games are typically smaller experiences and if they can release an open world action/adventure within 3 years of announcement, then it’s not unfathomable that OD could release in 2026.
On stage Kojima said that the goal was to create something immersive that hasn’t been seen before. “It’s a game, but at the same time a movie, and at the same time, a new form of media” Shortly after announcing OD, it was revealed that Kojima was collaborating with not only Jordan Peele for OD, but Kojima also revealed that there are many other legends working on the title as well, that he dubbed “The Avengers” who shall remain nameless for the time being.
Very little is known about OD currently, but it was a similar case with Death Stranding almost right up until it released. The premise of OD is to test your limits with fear, and if Kojima mentioned he was collaborating with Peele and others, then I would assume that it will be something along the lines of a horror anthology with each collaboration having their own horror game the size of PT. This makes a lot of sense as Kojima admires many film directors and getting to work with many different ones for a bite sized game would be bucket list item for him.
The OD Knock teaser showed the game running in Unreal Engine 5 which looked incredible and was dripping with the same atmosphere that PT had over a decade ago. If they can take that concept and turn it into a whole experience, OD could be the best horror game of all time.
Ontos
As I just mentioned, PT is probably my personal choice for the best horror game of the past decade, but that was technically a concept and not a full game. However, if you ask most people, there is a good chance that the majority of the people would say SOMA, as it’s widely regarded as the best horror game of the past decade and if it’s not the best, it definitely on the shortlist.
Frictional Games are back with a brand new IP and after their work on Amnesia and SOMA, this would be good enough reason for Ontos to be the most anticipated horror game of 2026, but there is a pleothora of other justifications.
The excitement for the upcoming sci-fi horror begins with an ultra unique premise. Ontos is set on the moon inside the repurposed hotel Samsara, which was built on top of a failed lunar mining colony as you are trying to find the truth surrounding your estranged father. The setting and premise provide a rich backdrop for heavy ethical questions as well as deep emotional and psychological themes. The devs has said “where SOMA tackled consciousness, Ontos does the same thing with the very nature of reality”
Furthermore, there is a lot to like about how Ontos is being created as it has been in development for over 10 years, which is the most time the studio has spent on a single project and if the quality of their other titles is any indication of what can be done with less time, what can be done with more is extremely promising. The devs have also said that there is no”one solution” and that players will have to face the consequences of their choices. Ontos is also being developed using Frictional’s new, proprietary game engine, which based on the trailer, is going to heighten the immersion.
Finally, as a bonus, Ontos will also feature the vocal talents of Stellan Skarsgard within its talented cast, who has a voice well suited for this type of disturbing psychological horror.
It’s for all of these reasons and the fact that Kepler Interactive is going to be publishing and after they have published some fantastic games like SIFU, Bionic Bay, and Clair Obscur Expedition 33 that Ontos is our most anticipated horror title of 2026.
