By: Oriana Cuenca
Everyone has heard about horror movies, but few appreciate how games can be an even more terrifying alternative. There are no main characters making poor life choices. All the choices are yours, so there’s no looking away even when you want to.
There’s no need to spend money for a good horror game. Some of the scariest games are indie and free to play online. Ditch the movies because here are 8 free terrifying games.
Warning: Some of these games may contain explicit themes that may trigger some players. Be careful! Check the warnings before playing.
8. Ao Oni
You play as Hiroshi, a teenager trapped in a haunted mansion. Hiroshi tries to save his friends by gathering items and completing tasks while being pursued by the purple demon Ao Oni. Ao Oni seems to appear randomly with a shrieking chorus, and the player has to hide or outrun him to get out of the mansion alive.
Available on Windows and Mac
7. Eyes: The horror game
The objective is to break into a haunted mansion to steal money, but the ghost is watching you. There are more difficult puzzles in this game, and the player has to solve them while staying out of the ghost’s site. If the ghost touches your character, it’s game over.
Available on Android and iPhone
6. IMSCARED
Do not let the simple graphics fool you. A first person meta-horror game, IMSCARED is as immersive as it can get. Horror games aren’t all about jump scares, and the psychological horror will haunt you as it seems to reach beyond the screen. Look around. Pick up items. Find the exit if you can. Most importantly, do not listen to it.
Available for Windows.
5. Slender: The Eight Pages
No list of horror games would be complete without this undeniable classic. Slender: Eight Pages is a first-person survival horror game where the player must collect eight notes in a foggy forest while avoiding Slender Man. The fog gets thicker as the game goes along, and the player must be careful to conserve their flashlight’s limited battery. A minimalist horror game, but it’s the simple gameplay and unnerving soundtrack that made this one a critic’s favorite.
Available on Windows, Android, and Mac
4. Consternation
Consternation is a pixel horror maze where the player takes the role of an urban explorer trying to escape an empty maze-like building. The player has to find a key on every level, but you’re never alone. Each level has a new creature with its abilities to keep the player guessing. No spoilers, but there are plenty of unexpected twists in this small game. Think a pixel game can’t possibly scare you? You’ve never played Consternation.
Available on Windows
3. Haunted Cities Volume 2
For those who are tired of jump scares, Haunted Cities has four short games that offer a completely different experience. The game is a collection of four different experimental games with different styles of graphics and gameplay. Unlike the more common escape and adventure games, Haunted Cities focuses on the atmosphere of the game to create an overall surreal experience.
Available on Mac, Lenux, and Windows
2. Doki Doki Literature Club
This the most deceptive game of them all. Doki – Doki club starts as a visual novel where the player joins the school book club. The player picks dialogue to interact with the characters, and the story almost looks like it would end with a sweet date with one of the girls. This is act one. A completely unexpected turn of evens marks the beginning of the twisted horror game Doki Doki Literature Club is really known as.
Doki-doki Literature Club redefined the metafiction as a genre. You will never trust a game again after playing this.
Available on Mac and Windows
1. Scary Maze
To end the list is a childhood throwback. Scary Maze is a game most Millennials and Gen ZÂ have played at least once in their lives. The father of all jump scares, Scary Maze doesn’t have the intricate metahorror or stunning graphics of newer games, but its a great quick play to scare the younger cousins and nephews.
Available: Online
Know any more Indie Horror games? Share your favorites with us!
