The gaming landscape is blessed with quality offerings, with the horror category also having a wide range for players to choose from.Resident Evilhas perfected almost every facet of this genre, with the original games being a blend of horror and action.Resident Evil 4, 5,and6veered primarily toward action with the occasional scary moment, whileResident Evil 7: BioHazardreturned to horror but shifted to a first-person perspective.Villageaimed to find a middle ground between the two, largely succeeding in the process; in the meantime, Capcom has revisited a few classics through generally fantastic remakes.
Resident Evilis undoubtedly the most famous horror gaming franchise of all time, to the point that there might be fans of Capcom’s series that have largely neglected most of the genre’s other offerings. Consequently, they are missing out on some of thebesthorror games likeResident Evil.
Updated July 20, 2025 by Mark Sammut:News regarding a new Resident Evil has been hard to come by in the last year, although one has to assume that it is only a matter of time before Capcom pushes the franchise back into the limelight in a big way. In the meantime, die-hard fans who have exhausted all the entries in the series can try out a fewhorror games similar to Resident Evil.
While not particularly similar to classicResident Evil,Outlastmight have influenced Capcom’s attempts to soft reboot the franchise with the seventh entry, which marked a shift to a first-person perspective.Resident Evil 7’s Baker Family section shares quite a lot in common with Red Barrels' games, including revolving around a protagonist who is largely defenseless against roaming enemies. Capcom found a way to shake up the formula to create an experience that is 100%Resident Evil, but fans of Ethan Winters' first horrifying adventure will want to check out 2013’sOutlastand its sequel, assuming they enjoy the first entry.
Set in Mount Massive Asylum,Outlastrevolves around a journalist who wants to discover what exactly happened in this hospital before it was closed down. Trapped inside with only a camera, players will constantly find themselves scrambling in the dark to try and stay away from the various horrors that exist within this hell. While some beats can be missed during a playthrough,Outlasttells a fascinating story that is rich in (gruesome) lore.
Admittedly, this recommendation is primarily for people who are big fans of 1982’sThe Thing, one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Nightdive’sThe Thing Remasteredis just as brilliant of a revival as any of the developer’s other efforts, and it makes this PS2 classic easily accessible to a modern audience. That said, the game itself is the definition of an acquired taste that will likely be a love or hate affair for most people.
Similar to a fewResident Evilgames,The Thing Remasteredblends action and horror, although it leans more on the former genre. The main/most exciting mechanic is that players have to monitor their AI partners, keeping them calm while monitoring them to make sure one of them is not an impostor. This concept is brilliant and was forward-thinking when the original game debuted, even if its execution leaves something to be desired.
While not hiding its influences,Crow Countrydoes a great job of expanding and evolving them to create something modern and unique. Due to its stylistic backdrops and doll-like character designs, SFB’s game instantly screams “1998 PS1 survival horror,” and an appreciation for classics like the originalResident Eviltrilogy will likely be someone’s main motivator to pick up this 2024 indie release. However,Crow Countrysets itself apart in a few key ways.
Perhaps most importantly, despite what its visuals might suggest, the game wisely opted against copying tank controls, instead delivering a fairly modern interpretation with a few backward-looking nods. The campaign primarily focuses on puzzles, with combat taking a backseat and being largely avoidable if players just want to sprint past enemies. The amusement park setting is a horrifying treat that encourages exploration through its three main regions.
A contender for thebestAliengame of all time,Alien: Isolationis a survival horror masterpiece. While not completely devoid of weapons, players spend large chunks of the game trying to avoid the Xenomorph.
Alien: Isolationtakes one of horror’s most iconic villains and revitalizes them, re-establishing this intimidating creature as a force to be reckoned with. This is the Xenomorph fromAlien, notAlien vs. Predator. Although not all that comparable to the third-personResident Evilgames,Alien: Isolationshould strike a chord with fans ofBiohazardand, to a lesser extent,Village.
Produced by Shinji Mikami and Grasshopper Manufacture,Shadows of the Damnedwent through a tough development cycle that saw it practically transform into a different game by the end. The finished product plays like a comedic version of the action-focusedResident Eviltitles, as players guide a demon hunter through the underworld to save his girlfriend.
Putting aside some mini-games that do not deliver,Shadows of the Damnedplays fine for a third-person shooter. The game’s stunning environments and creative monster designs are the true stars, although the characters are pretty fun too.
As fans of both franchises surely know,Devil May Cryoriginally started asResident Evil 4. Ultimately, Hideki Kamiya’s team took the project in too different of a direction to pass as another entry in the horror series, leading to the creation of 2001’sDevil May Cry.
Split into missions and pushing action to the forefront,Devil May Crymoves at a blistering pace as players seek to stylishly take out all sorts of enemies by masteringDante’s various weaponsand moves. Similar toResident Evil,Devil May Cryfeatures plenty of puzzles and a ghoulish setting. The series would expand on the combat in later entries, but the originalDevil May Cryis the closest toResident Evil.
1992’sAlone in the Darkwas a landmark release in video game horror, and it almost certainly influenced later projects likeResident EvilandSilent Hill. However, the franchise lost steam quickly, and by 1994 and its third numbered entry,Alone in the Dark’s core concept felt tired. The IP would not return until 2001, andThe New Nightmaredebuted in a very different climate than its predecessors. Unsurprisingly, the game took some ideas from the popular PS1 survival horror games that redefined the genre, all the while still respectfully retaining the sense of atmosphere that characterized the originalAlone in the Dark.
In a franchise that largely consists of great but hard-to-revisit (1992’sAlone in the Dark) or terrible releases (Illumination),The New Nightmaremight just be the bestAlone in the Darkgame, or at least the one that modern players might struggle the least to enjoy. Featuring two playable characters and an island setting, the 2001 game is visually impressive for its era, particularly its lighting effects.
BasicallyResident Evilbut with dinosaurs,Dino Crisisretains many elements that helped make Capcom’s zombie franchise so beloved. Puzzles, limited inventory, tank controls, and tight spaces are present and accounted for in the originalDino Crisis, and the dinosaurs produce plenty of memorable encounters even if they are not especially terrifying.
Dino Crisis 2is more of a straight-up action game, and it is perhaps the best in the series. While the franchise would go on to produce one more main entry and a spin-off, they are not great and should only be played for completionist purposes.
Deep Space’sExterminationwas ahead of its time in some areas. The game takes a lot of inspiration fromResident Evil, but it opts for a slightly more action-oriented approach compared to Capcom’s franchise at the time. This direction manifests in a few ways. Firstly, when aiming, the player’s perspective shifts to a first-person angle to improve accuracy; that said, players can still fire their weapons while in third-person. Certain enemies also have weak spots that require the first-person angle to target.
Another interesting addition is that the protagonist can become infected, necessitating the use of a vaccine. Narratively,Exterminationtakes place in an Antarctic research facility that has fallen prey to a virus, sort of similar toThe Thing.
Developed by Square,Parasite Eveblends RPG elements with survival horror to create a surprisingly effective mix. Set in New York City, the game follows an NYPD officer, Aya Brea, as she tries to track down a woman who has become something far more dangerous than an average human.
The story is paced well and features a roster of memorable characters; in fact,Parasite Eveis worth playingfor its narrative alone. The combat offers an interesting but somewhat clunky mix of RPG and survival horror elements, while the upgrade system adds a degree of strategy to battles.Parasite Eveand its sequel are both fantastic, while 2010’sThe 3rd Birthdayis polarizing.
