Horror games have almost always been associated with fight-or-flight encounters with killers and adrenaline-fueled boss fights, but what if the true essence of fear can’t be quelled by the barrel of a gun or the slash of a knife?
In fact, some of the most chilling and memorable horror games are the ones where you never raise your fists at all.
These kinds of horror games are perfect for reminding us that sometimes, the scariest thing in a game is knowing you can’t fight back.
Whether you’re uncovering haunting mysteries or just trying to survive the night, these combat-free horror games prove you don’t need weapons to scare your audience!
10Killer Frequency
Saving the Day Through Radio Tunes
Killer Frequency
Killer Frequency is like the Camp Crystal Lake simulator of the horror game world—except instead of playing as a topless teenager in the woods, you’re a washed-up radio DJ desperate for a paycheck.
In this game, you’ll play the part of a burnt-out radio DJ stuck in a tiny town incapable of recognizing your true artistic talents.
Fading into career obscurity is the least of your problems, however, when, during a late-night graveyard shift, your callers start getting picked off one by one by a mysterious killer with unknown motives.
Armed with little else but a local map and your quick thinking (or lack thereof), you’ll have to spend the night taking frantic calls from panicked townsfolk as a masked killer gradually picks them off.
Your goal? Guide those poor souls to safety, as long as you may figure out where they are, what’s chasing them, and how not to get them killed, of course.
It’s part puzzle-solver, part crisis management, and 100% a reminder that maybe being a DJ isn’t as low-pressure of a gig as you thought.
9Five Nights at Freddy’s
Don’t Become Animatronic Chow
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s has become a household name in the gaming world, and for good reason.
This decade-old horror franchise has expertly kept its audience glued to their screenssince day one; with its oddly extensive lore, terrifying animatronics, and heart-pounding encounters, this game would make anyone want to sleep with the lights on.
In this game, players will step into the OSHA-certified shoes of a night security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. What starts off as a seemingly boring job quickly spirals into a nerve-wracking ordeal, however, as the restaurant’s animatronic creatures decide they’re hungry for something more than pizza.
With murder on their mechanical minds, these animatronics will stop at nothing to hunt you down. Armed with nothing but a dwindling power supply, an impressive set of security cameras, and the world’s most claustrophobic control room, you’ll need to outsmart these animatronic nightmares at every turn if you ever want to see the end of your shift.
There’s no fighting back and no quests for revenge—just a lot of panicked button-pressing, tense moments of silence, and jump scares that’ll haunt you long after you’ve clocked out.
8Chasing Static
Spirit-Box Simulator
Chasing Static
Chasing Static is a surprisingly under-hyped horror game that deserves way more recognition than it gets. Set in the misty, atmospheric countryside of rural Wales, thispsychological horror adventurewill sink its claws into you the second you load it up.
In this game, you’ll play the part of Chris Selwood, a lost tourist who stumbles upon an abandoned facility out in the middle of nowhere, with the residents of the surrounding town nowhere to be found.
With nothing but a frequency scanner to your name, you’ll have to piece together the town’s haunting backstory by following unsettling audio cues and exploring the area.
The game leansheavilyon its atmosphere, offering one of the best slow-burn horror experiences that I’ve had the pleasure of being terrified by in a long time.
If you’re a fan of games that make your literal skin crawl without relying on jump scares or excessive gore, then Chasing Static is a hidden gem worth tuning into. Just don’t blame me if you start hearing static in your sleep.
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7Phasmophobia
Get the Ghost and Get Out
Phasmophobia
Everyone’s probably heard of Phasmophobia at this point, with popular YouTubers like Markiplier giving it the green light and its positive Steam reviews in the literal hundreds of thousands. That being said, this horror experience is far from over-hyped; Phasmophobia will literally rewire how your brain interprets terror.
Phasmophobia drops you and your team of ghost hunters (if you’re playing co-op) into horrifically haunted locations, with only your wits and your myriad of ghost-hunting tools to keep you company.
No combat, no fighting for your life, just the constant, unending anticipation of something lurking right around the corner—or worse, directly behind you.
Every creaky floorboard, every flicker of the lights, and every sudden drop in temperature could signal the ghost’s next move. Never knowing when, where, or even why the entity will strike is easily one of the most horrifying aspects of the game.
If you’ve ever wanted to know what it would be like to get chucked into The Conjuring cinematic universe, then all you need to do is play Phasmophobia.
6Demonologist
Ed and Lorraine Warren POV
Demonologist
Demonologist is kind of like Phasmophobia, except instead of justidentifying the ghost and booking it the hell out of there, you actually have to exorcise the damned thing too. It’s low-key as if The Ghostbusters were rated R.
In this co-op horror game, you and your team of amateur demon hunters (if you’re playing with friends) are tasked with investigating haunted locations, gathering evidence of the supernatural, and performing exorcisms to send the vengeful spirits packing.
The kicker is that, apparently, demons and such don’t like getting sent back to where they came from.
In fact, they hate it so much, that they’ll be trying to kill you in the most horrific, admittedly creative ways possible from the get-go, and will only grow more agitated the longer you keep breathing.
If you’re into terrifying paranormal entities, bad career decisions, and wondering if you’ll make it out alive with all of your limbs intact, then Demonologist has you covered.
Outlast the Monsters
Ifclassic indie horror gameswere a kingdom, then Outlast would sit upon its throne with a crown made of terror.
Outlast is one of those horror games that everyone should play at least once, provided they don’t have any heart problems or weak stomachs; it’s the perfect game to play if you’re looking to experience the kind of horror that’ll make you regret ever getting out of bed.
In this game, you’ll play as Miles Upshur, a reporter who decides to check out a creepy, abandoned insane asylum because, apparently, your brain never developed quite right, and you love making bad decisions.
Despite the adrenaline-pumping premise of this game, there’s surprisingly no combat—just you, your prayers, and a whole bunch of very, very angry “patients” who’d all like to make you the main course.
You’ll spend the entire game running, hiding, and hoping that the shadows lurking in the dark don’t catch up to you.
If you think being chased by psychotic inmates in a dark, decrepit asylum is fun (and who doesn’t?), then Outlast will be your creepy cup of tea.
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4Slender: The Arrival
He’s Back and Scarier Than Ever
Slender: The Arrival
Anyone even remotely familiar with horror games has heard about Slenderman: a tall, thin entity that stalks unsuspecting players through the woods at night. This game takes everything you loved (or hated) about the classic creepypasta legend and turns it into a nightmare you wished you could forget.
You wouldn’t think that a faceless, string bean dude in a suit would be all that terrifying (or maybe you’re normal), but trust me; seeing this dude’s featureless noggin coming at me in the dead of night conjured a kind of terror inside my brain that I was not prepared for in the slightest.
He looks as if the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man went on a diet, but in the worst way possible.
This game serves as the official re-imagining of the originalSlender: The Eight Pagesgame that terrified audiences around the globe.
Featuring a brand-new storyline, improved visuals, and even new characters, Slender: The Arrival features everything that made the original game great and then some.
All of the Slenderman games thus far have been a masterclass in atmospheric horror, but somehow, Slender: The Arrival was just builtdifferent. You’re going to need to buy soundproofing for your game room from how loud you’ll be screaming.
3Amnesia: The Dark Descent
A Dark Descent into Madness
Amnesia The Dark Descent
Similar to Outlast, most gamers would agree that Amnesia: The Dark Descent is one of those games that everyone needs to play at least once.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent will have you questioning literally every noise your house has ever made, and how expensive your power bill would be if you just kept the lights on for the rest of your life. It’s not for the faint of heart, but itisfor gamers who don’t like combat and love crying themselves to sleep at night.
In this game, you get to play as Daniel, who wakes up in a creepy old castle with no memory of who he is or how he got there.
Armed with nothing but a flimsy lantern and your rapidly crumbling sanity, you’re tasked with exploring the castle, pondering your past, and—oh yeah—trying to survive whatever the hell is lurking in the dark.
Hiding and running for your life are literally your only two defenses in this game, and boy, does it ever make you use them. Usain Bolt has nothing on this game’s protagonist, as you try to pilot him to safety like a bat out of hell.
2Mouthwashing
Not Actually About Mouth Washing
Mouthwashing
Contrary to what you might believe, this game is not about the dangers of poor oral hygiene. So before you go jumping to conclusions based on the game’s title, let me just say that Mouthwashing is easily one of the most vile, psychologically horrific games that I’ve played in a long time.
This game has no combat, but it will mess with your head in ways that feel like a personal attack on your psyche. Set on a shipwrecked space freighter whose crew is slowly dying, you’re not just trying to survive—you’re trying desperately not to descend into madness.
Starvation, isolation, and the eerie feeling that something is justa little bit offwill gnaw at you until you’re questioning what’s real and what’s a waking nightmare conjured up by your own mind.
This game won’t have you facing any enemies in the traditional sense, but it will break you down mentally and psychologically, forcing you to confront terrifying hallucinations, deranged crew members, and a sinking sense of hopelessness as the ship’s power and resources dwindle every day.
If you’re looking for a game that’ll keep you on the edge of your gaming chair, make you second-guess every single sound, and make you never want to use mouthwash ever again, then Mouthwashing is your next big obsession.
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1Layers of Fear: Legacy
If Picasso Was on Drugs
If Layers of Fear: Legacy were a person, it would be that one scraggly uncle who lives in a gazebo and isn’t allowed to come to Thanksgiving anymore.
In Layers of Fear: Legacy, you play as an unnamed, tortured painter trying to complete your magnum opus, and nothing says “creative process” like wandering around a haunted mansion with shifting walls and hallucinations around every corner.
The painting itself is coming along great, actually—that is, until you start losing your mind. Shortly after you finish your first layer, you begin to experience horrifying hallucinations of your past, along with guilt-ridden memories surrounding your wife and child.
These haunting visions will follow your every move around the mansion, never giving you a moment of rest or escape from their torment. During your frantic attempts at dodging these specters' harassment, you’ll discover more and more twisted details about your past, leading you even deeper intoa pit of madness impossible to escape from.
It’s a truly haunting title that’d have anyone running to hide under the covers, but what makes Layers of Fear: Legacy truly special is its unique gameplay mechanics. The entire environment shifts with every move of your camera, throwing you into new environments that only further illustrate your character’s descent into insanity.
Remember reading The Picture of Dorian Gray in high school and lowkey getting the creeps around paintings for a while? Yeah, get ready to experience that all over again with this game.
Trust me when I tell you, this one is going to stick with you long after you’ve logged out.
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