One of the most popular video game genres over the past few years is horror, and you can now find many successful horror-inspired video games.
There are several different types of horror-themed subgenres, which we will be taking a closer look at right here.
We will also be revealing some of the world’s best horror-themed games you can enjoy playing online today from your smartphone or tablet, laptop or desktop computer, provided it has Wi-Fi/internet connectivity.
Many of these games can also be accessed from consoles, such as the Sony Playstation or Microsoft Xbox and don’t require an internet connection.
What are the most popular horror video game subgenres?
Horror video games can often be categorised into one of the following subgenres. You will also find that many horror games fall into more than one of these subgenres. They include:
- Action horror games
- Psychological horror games
- Stealth horror games
- Reaction & jump scare horror games
- Survival horror games
One of the other main video game genres and its subgenre is the role-play games (RPG) genre. In this particular genre, you have action RPG, MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing games), tactical RPGs, and Sandbox RPGs.
Other popular action genres, apart from horror, are stealth, arcade, platformer, beat ‘em up, fighting, and shooters. You also have strategy games (e.g., construction, life simulation, management, and driving simulation). The other two main video game genres are sports games and puzzle games.
What’s so special about horror games?
Horror games put players in dangerous and scary situations without the player having to worry about physically getting hurt.
The horror genre offers a unique video gaming experience, just like horror movies offer a similar thrill for cinemagoers. Today, many people can’t seem to get enough of this genre, and there are lots of fantastic games out there for all ages and all types of players.
However, the best horror games you can play online today are often age-restricted, meaning you must be at least 18.
For example, there are many horror-themed online slots you can play at some of the world’s best online casinos, and to play these games, you have to be 18, 19, 20, or 21 (depending on which US state, Canadian province, or other regions of the world you live in).
Also, many of today’s best high-end, more graphically demanding horror-themed video games have a PEGI-18 age rating.
What are the best horror video games to play in 2023?
The following top 10 horror-themed video games are all new in 2023. They are scheduled to arrive any week or they are already available to play. They include these epic titles:
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl
- The Evil Within 2
- Alan Wake II
- Dead by Daylight
- Sons of the Forest
- Resident Evil: Biohazard
- Resident Evil Village
- Silent Hill 2
- Greyhill Incident
- Dead Space
If you have fun playing any of these exciting new releases and want more horror-themed video games, don’t forget to try Alone in the Dark, System Shock, Little Nightmares, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
If that’s not enough to keep you going, you also have Scorn, Outlast, Cryospace, Dead Island 2, Phasmophobia, and The Outlaw Trials, to name just a few hit titles.
Are there any horror-themed online slot machines?
Yes, but as mentioned, you must be at least 18 to play these games in most countries where online casinos are legally permitted. In certain Canadian provinces or US states, you may find that the legal minimum age to play online slots in the real money mode might be 19, 20, or 21.
If you’re old enough, some of the most famous horror-themed slots worth checking out are from market-leading game development studios and software providers, such as Red Tiger Gaming, Yggdrasil Gaming, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Playtech, Play’n GO, Blueprint Gaming, and Microgaming/Games Global, among others.
Examples to keep an eye out for are Red Tiger Gaming’s Dracula Awakening slot, Pragmatic Play’s Day of Dead slot, Microgaming/Games Global’s Halloween slot, and Playtech’s Halloween Fortune II slot.
You also have Red Tiger Gaming’s Devil’s Number and Blood Suckers Megaways slots, Blueprint Gaming’s Ghost Slider slot, and Inspired Gaming’s Book of Halloween slot. Other hit titles include A Dark Matter from Slingshot Studios and Games Global, Halloween Jack from NetEnt, Immortal Romance: Mega Moolah from Microgaming/Games Global, and Curse of the Werewolf Megaways from Pragmatic Play.
If you still want more, remember to check out Play’n GO’s Alice Cooper and the Tome of Madness slot, Lost Vegas from Microgaming/Games Global and NetEnt’s Universal Monsters: Dracula. Some of these games are available to play in the free-play demo mode and real money mode, and others are only available in the real money mode.
Are there any new horror movies worth watching in 2023?
If you’re not into video gaming or playing any other these other horror-themed games, and would prefer to watch a horror movie instead, some of the latest horror movies you can watch this year if you can pluck up enough courage are Scream VI, We Have a Ghost, Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, and The Exorcist.
Others include The Nun 2, Run Rabbit Run, Cuckoo, Infinity Pool, Beau is Afraid, Teen Wolf: The Movie, Evil Dead Rise, Shelby Oaks, Knock at the Cabin, and Sister Death.
