The scariest horror games we’ll be playing in 2026.

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The fascinating human tendency to consciously expose ourselves to fear and discomfort is still one of the drivers of the gaming industry. This is clearly shown by the fact that among the upcoming horror titles we also have some of the most anticipated games of 2026. You can practically choose what will attack you in the current year: zombies, mutants, aliens, cosmic beings or your own psyche… Here are the horror experiences we are looking forward to in the next 12 months.

Resident Evil Requiem

The new Resident Evil could be just what the doctor ordered. And a zombie doctor with a chainsaw. For the first time, we have a choice between a first- and third-person camera, and we have a combination of a new and familiar protagonist. This will also be the first Resi made for the current generation of hardware, as well as the first in this century that takes us back to the remains of Raccoon City. Rumors say that for the first time in the series we will drive vehicles (no less than a Porsche), and who knows what else awaits us in the unknown corners of Umbrella’s city. Maybe someone gets a fifth eye on their backside – nothing is impossible here!

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival

The almost 40-year-old horror series Hellraiser has never had its own video game, and that will finally change in 2026. Serbian Mad Head Games has all kinds of bad things to show us. Just be prepared that these are very sexual nastiness and kinks, as befits the original template. In the game, we will control a guy called Aidan, who is trying to find his girlfriend Sunny in the hellish Labyrinth and escape from the cult that is chasing them. The gameplay will consist of solving puzzles and fighting with cold weapons, and we will see all the horrors from a first-person perspective.

Reanimal

Little Nightmares 3 was a mild disappointment, and that’s why we turn our attention to the true successor of that series, a game called Reanimal, which is being worked on by the original creators of Little Nightmares. Essentially, Reanimal is very similar to previous Tarsier studio games, only this time with a pronounced animalistic motif in horror. Here we will hide and run from grotesque animals, and we will be able to share our fears with another player, either locally or online.

Ontos

This year we also get the spiritual successor to the acclaimed SF horror SOMA. It will be called Ontos, and it’s not exactly a horror film that will send fear into our bones, but it deals with transhumanist themes and slightly uncomfortable experiments related to the human psyche. The setting will be a converted hotel on the moon, where protagonist Aditi Amani will investigate her father’s mysterious past. Following the example of Frictional Games’ other games, there will be no combat here, only puzzle solving and resource gathering. We will also see a lot more communication with the characters, which are alive, which are semi-alive, and the famous actor Stellan Skarsgård has been hired for the game.

Directive 8020

The anthology series The Dark Pictures begins its second season with the space horror Directive 8020. We will follow the crew of the spaceship Cassiopeia, which is somehow infiltrated by an alien being with the ability to assume human form. It’s not a completely original plot in the realm of horror, but it will be interesting when panic creeps in among the crew, which can be made up of up to five players in cooperative gameplay.

The Sinking City 2

Moisture can be a real horror, and moisture will definitely not be lacking in the sequel to The Sinking City. The first part was a detective adventure with cosmic horror motifs, while the new chapter will dive deeper into horror. It won’t be a direct sequel, but a separate story with a new character exploring the sunken town of Arkham. There, he is attacked by various creatures from the depths of the sea, so the main task will be to tame and kill them so that we can then devote ourselves to the optional detective work.

Decrepit

Decrepit is a first-person action title, adding intimidation to the so-called soulslike formula through “boo effects”. The game brings a demanding fight in which we have to take care of stamina, a dark atmosphere of a medieval prison where we won’t have a map or markers to show us where to go. Each death here will put us in a new cell, as we gradually unlock shortcuts and learn how to bypass all the traps in the castle.

The value of death

Another soulslike game that isn’t technically focused on scaring players, but will have a touch of horror. In an alternate 19th century, Europe has been ravaged by a mysterious plague, and Napoleon Bonaparte’s army has become mutated and needs to be eliminated. We are one of the soldiers who come back from the dead and with good reflexes we solve challenging confrontations with other mutants. The game is signed by the One More Level team, which previously had two solid Ghostrunners.

Halloween

The Halloween horror franchise will still be relevant in 2026. And the new game will take us back to 1978 and give us a choice of two sides. We will be able to control the serial killer Michael Myers or the brave heroes of the town of Haddonfield. It will be played in a 1 vs. 4 format, and here the killer will be the one who will have to hide from others, and attack them from an ambush. It should also be noted that Halloween will not be exclusively a multiplayer game – there will also be a single-player campaign in which we will follow the events of the original film through the eyes of the main antagonist, Michael Myers.

Silent Hill: Townfall

In restless dreams we still see that town… Silent Hill. We may not see him in the new game, but we will still feel his mysticism and tension. Silent Hill: Townfall will be a game of a different genre than those in the main series. Here we will not directly control the character and face the horrors, but we will be an observer who communicates with someone, probably via radio. And that’s about all we know right now. Wow, mysterious!

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake

The modern version of the cult Japanese horror film from 2003 follows twins Mio and Maya Amakuru who wander into a haunted village of lost souls. Fortunately, they have with them a mystical camera that can capture and weaken spirits! It is also the main mechanic of the game itself, along with exploring creepy locations and solving puzzles. The remake brings improved graphics and sound, more comfortable controls and more refined gameplay in using Camera Obscura.

Jurassic Park Survival?

We’re not quite sure that life will find a way to deliver the expected dinosaur horror this year. But it would be a pleasant surprise if that happened – after all, the game has been in development for almost three years. Let’s remember, Jurassic Park: Survival will be a first-person adventure. Players will control the scientist Maya Joshi, who is trying to escape from the island of Isla Nubar after the predators of the distant past take over. We will have to hide from the iconic dinosaurs and look for ingenious ways to get rid of them, and we will observe all this from a first-person perspective.