Horror is arguably one of the most popular genres in all of gaming, as it has helped define the industry itself. This could be attributed to a number of factors, but one of the most important is the sheer freedom of creativity the medium offers. There isn’t one formula for horror titles to follow, as they transcend a variety of popular archetypes such as RPGs, first-person shooters, and even turn-based strategy games. Though one has to wonder, with so many different types of horror games, which ones are the best in each genre? While some video games such as Resident Evil 2 helped define the survival-action genre, there could be an argument to be made that other games have perfected it better. However, it’s important to recognize that both the medium and culture around horror games has changed over the years. What was scary in the 90s can be seen as laughably silly today.
So, when deciding our list we factored in the time period that these titles released in and how much of an impact they had. We are looking for games that don’t just offer terrifying moments but build upon the foundations of each archetype in new and exciting ways. They have to not only feel like that specific type of game but have rock solid controls and nearly perfected gameplay. It’s also important to understand a lot of games will fall under similar genres, so not every great horror game may make it onto this list. That being said, these are the horror games that perfected each genre.
