Despite being somewhat of a niche genre, horror games are all over our list of the best Xbox Series X games. Best enjoyed in a dark room with a quality headset, these games amp up the frights by forcing you to confront disturbing monstrosities with limited (or even no) ways to protect yourself. This is nearly the opposite of how most FPS games or multiplayer titles function, but provides a completely unique sense of satisfaction. Of course, a bad horror game that can’t find the right balance between scares, gameplay, and story can end up feeling more like a chore than a frightening experience. We’ll make sure you don’t pick a dud by rounding up our favorite horror games on the Series X.
Resident Evil Village
83%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Adventure
Developer
Capcom
Publisher
Capcom
Release
May 07, 2021
Capcom has put in serious work to perfect the Resident Evil formula, and few of the titles have benefited as much as Village, a tightly focused RE game set in a gothic town filled with a wide variety of monsters and machinations. You play Ethan Winters, who explores and unlocks the village while running from — and eventually facing down — a number of terrifying enemies inspired by ancient horror tropes (plus, of course, the towering Lady Dimitrescu). The Series X does a particularly great job of running the ray tracing around Village while still ensuring 60fps. Gamers who like action with their horror will certainly want to try Village, even if it’s been a while since you’ve dipped your toes into the Resident Evil series.
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Scorn
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Adventure, Indie
Developer
ebb Software
Publisher
ebb Software, Kepler Interactive
Release
December 31, 2022
Scorn is a first-person horror game set in a terrifying environment that’s immediately reminiscent of works by H.R. Giger. It’s no surprise, then, that there are disgusting monsters to fight and weapons to desperately loot as you try to survive. The focus is on exploration and fending off terrors in an ancient alien world filled with body horror (some self-inflicted).
Chernobylite
68%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Adventure, Indie
Developer
The Farm 51
Publisher
All In! Games
Release
October 16, 2019
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.
The Callisto Protocol
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Adventure
Developer
Striking Distance Studios
Publisher
Krafton
Release
December 02, 2022
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.
Dead Space
84%
4/5
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Motive Studios
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Release
January 27, 2023
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.
Alan Wake II
87%
4/5
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Adventure
Developer
Remedy Entertainment
Publisher
Epic Games
Release
October 27, 2023
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.
Subnautica: Below Zero
80%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Adventure, Indie
Developer
Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Publisher
Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Release
January 30, 2019
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.
Amnesia: The Bunker
75%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Puzzle, Adventure, Indie
Developer
Frictional Games
Publisher
Frictional Games
Release
June 06, 2023
The Trenches of World War 1 is perhaps the most inspired setting for a horror game we’ve ever heard of. The Amnesia games are largely responsible for the reinvigorated interest in horror, but it has never fallen back on its tropes or repeated itself. The Bunker is a more open experience where you’re free to explore and solve problems in whatever order you like. You have access to way more tools than in previous games of this style, such as guns and grenades, but the limited nature of them, plus the noise drawing unwanted attention, makes using them a tense decision. Nailing the feeling of desperation and claustrophobia, this is a masterclass in dread.
Little Nightmares II
83%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
Genre
Platform, Puzzle, Adventure
Developer
Tarsier Studios
Publisher
Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release
February 11, 2021
Little Nightmares 2 is filled with what made Little Nightmares so great, but with more of it. While the first game made you a mouse-like person hiding in a ship overcome by monsters, the second takes you to a new world. Here you play as another of these small people, a young boy trying to escape a creepy landscape dominated by an eerie signal tower — and a variety of twisted monsters, haunted locations, and more threats eager to hunt you down. Comparisons to Inside are easy to make, but there’s a greater focus on platforming than puzzle solving here, and the combination works very well.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human
76%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Techland Publishing, Techland
Publisher
Techland Publishing, Spike ChunSoft
Release
February 04, 2022
“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.
The Medium
70%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Adventure
Developer
Bloober Team
Publisher
Bloober Team SA
Release
January 28, 2021
One of the very first horror games made for the Series X, The Medium has a very clear core gameplay offering: As a medium, you’re able to jump between two different worlds, one real and one spiritual, to uncover the truth. You use these powers to explore a rundown resort and piece together what actually happened. Just one thing — the spiritual realm can get truly nightmarish, and you aren’t the only presence haunting these ruins. Those looking for plenty of narrative and exploration will enjoy this ride.
Alone in the Dark
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Adventure
Developer
Pieces Interactive
Publisher
THQ Nordic
This reimagined look at Alone in the Dark is optimized for the Xbox Series X and written by Mikael Hedberg, who you might recognize from games like Amnesia and Soma. It’s a gothic horror sensation that follows two people exploring an old mansion – one that increasingly becomes more terrifying and filled with evil as the game progresses. Reality and nightmare merge, and you have precious few weapons to fight the madness.
