Horror Game Recs

As the fall season progresses and the days become shorter, the season of horror games approaches. There is truly a never-ending wellspring of wonderful horror games coming out yearly. This also brings up the dilemma, “What horror games should I play?” Well, this article serves to answer that question, bringing you five recommendations of some wonderful horror games.

1. Mouthwashing

Mouthwashing is a phenomenal psychological indie horror game that was released in 2024. It follows Captain Curly on the Tulpar ship, a space cargo ship that is doing a long-haul shipment. You also meet the supporting cast: Jimmy, the co-pilot who is an old friend of Curly, Anya, the nurse intern who runs the ship’s medical bay, Swansea, the mechanic and the member of the ship with the most experience, and finally Daisuke, who is Swansea's apprentice. The story follows the five of them on the ship, and the events after the ship crashes. Its visual style is akin to PlayStation 2 visuals, adding to the horror aspect. This is a wonderful two-hour game that will make you scared, and maybe even sad. I highly recommend it for people who enjoy psychological horror, along with stories that follow power imbalances and tragedy. 

2. Elevator Hitch

A free escape room horror game by the indie developer Racheldrawsthis. It follows the unnamed protagonist getting trapped on an elevator while going to a job interview with his coworker. As the protagonist, you go journey through nine different levels, finding different objects to aid in your escape. There are 15 different endings to the game, with a total play time of about three hours. The visual style is 2D hand-drawn art and is very pleasant to look at. It has visual novel aspects and some unsettling themes, but it is highly recommended for those who enjoy a good puzzle. Racheldrawsthis also has many other horror games for free, so if you like Elevator Hitch, then you should check out her other works. 

3. Fears to Fathom

Fears to Fathom is a game with five current chapters. Its chapters are true stories submitted by other people made into playable experiences. The first chapter follows a teenager home alone. The second follows a girl whose car broke down, and she has to stay at a motel. The third chapter is about a teenager house-sitting for a family friend. The fourth follows a fire lookout worker who looks over a forest with many missing persons cases. The latest chapter follows a group of friends on vacation staying in a rental for the weekend. All chapters are normal situations that become scary very quickly, especially with the knowledge that this actually happened to someone. The game style is also in the Playstation 2 type, but it doesn’t take away from the very real horror that the game portrays. It is highly recommended for those who enjoy true crime. Total playtime of all chapters is around 10+ hours. Each chapter is considered to be an individual game with its own price tag, so I’d recommend only buying the chapter that interests you the most. My personal favorite is the fourth chapter, Ironbar Lookout. 

4. Iron Lung

This is a short game that places you as a prisoner put onto a submarine with the promise of freedom once your mission is complete. Your goal is to take pictures of certain points of interest within a blood sea on a forgotten planet. You traverse the ocean inside a submarine with limited oxygen. The only source of direction is coordinate points on the main panel and any pictures you take inside the submarine, as there are no windows or any other visuals of anything outside the submarine. It creates a feeling of helplessness as you can’t see anything besides still images in a worn-down submarine. It has the PlayStation 2 graphics, but it is still a very smooth game overall. There is an Iron Lung movie currently in production, YouTuber Markiplier being the spearhead of the production and the main actor in the film. It is highly recommended for fans of simple horror games that give you a sense of unease. 

I hope you check out these phenomenal horror games, and that you get the daylights scared out of you. Enjoy the chilling frights of jump scares and the unsettling feelings that get dredged up when you play these games. Happy Halloween, and stay safe.