The best horror games for Xbox Series X

Styling itself a sci-fi survival-horror RPG, this game is set in the literal Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – they did a 3D map of it and used it for the game’s environment. The story follows a physicist returning to the nuclear plant to investigate the 30-year mystery of his lost fiancée. What he finds are dark secrets, chilling reminders, and monsters in the shadows. It’s primarily a shooter with some stealth and survival elements.

Many of the big horror franchises have shifted away from fixed perspective games in favor of first or third-person games that feel more comfortable to control. That’s great, but there is something about the limited view and intentionally clunky controls that adds to the horror. Crow Country is a clear love letter to the classic tank controlling, puzzle-based exploration horror games of the past, low-poly art style and all. Set in 1990, you are investigating a missing theme park owner by exploring the titular Crow Country, which had been shut down years ago. Things get complicated when you encounter strange monsters roaming the various areas in the park and a few other survivors there for different reasons. It is a creepy and original game that feels like it was made by and for fans of those older horror games.

The Callisto Protocol is the game all Dead Space fans have been waiting for, created by Striking Distance studio, which is helmed by Glen Schofield, one of the co-creators of Dead Space. The similarities are easy to see: You play as an inmate who escaped from a prison on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto, where you must survive both modern and ancient horrors, master tools like gravity guns, and (of course) focus on cutting off limbs of the abominations you find.

But if you wanted to relive the Dead Space experience rather than a spiritual successor, the remake of the first game shows just how well that original game holds up all these years later. The core game is exactly how you remembered it, only more unsettling and dreadful (in a good way) thanks to updated graphics, lighting, and models. There are also a few new extras to look for that flesh out the experience without bogging it down.

Nothing, not even the first Alan Wake, can properly prepare you for the weirdness that is Alan Wake 2. Split between two protagonists, this is less of a game and more of a multimedia experience that breaks every narrative wall you can think of. The exploration and combat are familiar survival horror fare, but set in such unique spaces that don’t follow the normal rules of gaming that it keeps you off balance at all times. This is a horror game unlike anything else you will play and is all the more effective for it.

Speaking of survival horror … Subnautica was a hit thanks to survival and crafting gameplay set in a hostile alien ocean, which constantly shifts from atmospherically stifling to downright scary (especially if drowning, endless water, ocean monsters, etc., make your skin crawl). Below Zero, the sequel, improves on the graphics and adds more to do, as well as more dangers in the alien sea. It’s a good choice if you like a little horror and challenge but don’t want to take it too seriously. Newcomers may want to play a little of the first game before, ah, jumping in.

“The virus won” is a key tagline for Dying Light 2: Everyone is either a feral human doing whatever it takes to survive, or a zombie waiting for nightfall to start chewing on anyone unable to defend themselves. You play Aiden Caldwell, someone whose current immunity to the virus gives him an extra edge when surviving — and the potential to lead humans to a new future. Now it’s time to pick a side.