Wccftech’s Best Horror Games of 2025 – A Year of Frights

Ever since horror became a video game genre, it has always enjoyed great popularity. Whether focused on action, puzzle solving, or atmosphere, every year so far has seen the release of some excellent titles, and 2025 was no different. Over the past 12 months, not only has the very first new mainline entry of a beloved survival horror series been launched, but also new IPs that have provided an interesting take on a genre that shows no sign of losing popularity.

Here are our five best horror games released this year, as well as other games that, while not the absolute best, deserve to be mentioned in a year packed with all sorts of frights.

Other Best Games of 2025 per Category: Fighting Games, Action, Sports & Racing Games, Role-Playing Games, Platform Games, DLC/Expansion

In our Best Games of 2025 and Most Anticipated of 2026 Awards story, you can learn which games our staff and the community won in the polls!

Silent Hill f (9)

Following the grand return of Silent Hill with the remake of the second entry in the franchise developed by Bloober Team, fans of the KONAMI series were highly anticipating the launch of the proper first new mainline entry in the series in years, Silent Hill f. Expectations were high, but they were fully met with one of the most haunting experiences the series offered to date.

Silent Hill f may not be set in the series' titular town, but Ebisugaoka is every bit as haunting. Running away from a complicated family situation, Hinako embarks in a deep journey into her psyche, eventually coming to terms with her own frustrations in the most horrific ways. With a real-world mystery deeply rooted in the series' universe, which gets revealed over multiple playthroughs, engaging puzzles, and an action-oriented combat system that's surprisingly engaging, the series couldn't have made its proper comeback in a better way.

"With a gripping and often disturbing story, a setting unlike anything seen before in the franchise, and gameplay that blends new ideas with a familiar framework, Silent Hill f shows that the series is not only back, but stronger than ever. While performance issues and a short runtime do impact the experience, they in no way diminish what is a triumphant return for one of the most important survival horror series ever," I wrote in my review, praising what can be easily considered the best horror game of the year.

Hell is Us (8.5)

Rogue Factor's Hell is Us has looked like a very interesting game ever since its reveal, with its combination of haunting atmosphere, intricate puzzles and gameplay mechanics lifted from soulslike games. And while the execution of some of these elements isn't the best, the game still delivers one of the best overall gaming experiences of the year.

Although the game's action elements have little to do with the horror genre, the setting, story, and, most of all, the complete lack of guidance (including quest markers) create a tension to Remi's journey that is more akin to horror games than action games or RPGs, resulting in an experience with a much broader appeal.

Hell is Us' qualities were highlighted in David Carcasole's review, who wrote: "Hell is Us is an amazing accomplishment, and will easily remain one of 2025's best games, though it falls short of amazing, and reaching the status of some of its influences. With a rich atmosphere, stunning visuals, deep lore, wonderfully realized characters and a fairly solid combat experience, it's not a game to be missed."

Cronos: The New Dawn (8)

Although belonging to a brand-new IP, many horror game fans were eagerly anticipating the release of Cronos: The New Dawn. Being the first game Bloober Team was launching after the successful Silent Hill 2 remake, many were wondering if the studio would be able to release a second game with the same level of quality.

The answer is a resounding yes. While the Traveler's journey in a twisted reimagining of Krakow's Nowa Huta district feels like a tribute to the Dead Space series, Cronos: The New Dawn has a lot of interesting things going on for itself, including a gripping, mystery-filled story with a surprisingly personal touch, and some clever combat ideas that make the game quite engaging.

With its by-the-books survival horror experience, its first few hours feeling more frustrating than fun due to clunky combat and average enemy design, Cronos: The Dawn seemed to be nothing more than an unremarkable survival horror heavily inspired by the Dead Space series. Push past the around two hours mark, however, and the game blossoms into one of Bloober Team's best titles to date, thanks to its quirky mechanics, solid level design, unique setting and mystery-filled story," I wrote in my review, glad that I was able to power through those frustrating first hours to experience one of the finest horror games of the year.

ROUTINE (8.5)

The road to release for ROUTINE was long, but the final product is a haunting reminder that some things are more than worth the wait.

The first-person horror developed by Lunar Software sports a distinct 80s retro-futuristic aesthetic which creates a world that feels both familiar and terrifyingly alien. While the narrative doesn't always manage to shine through the oppression of its abandoned lunar base, the game succeeds where it matters most: pure, unrelenting tension.

This constant tension is one of the reasons why ROUTINE stays gripping for its 10-hour duration. That, and its marked Alien: Isolation feel, as highlighted by David Carcasole in his review: "ROUTINE is an excellent puzzle-focused first-person horror game that, despite its slow pacing, is able to keep you at the edge of your seat for 10 hours straight, with a tense, rich atmosphere created by wonderful execution of its retro futuristic aesthetic and stunning soundscape that immerses you in its world and gets you listening for the sound of a pin drop to avoid getting caught. Its narrative may be unable to shine through, but at the end of the day it is altogether an interesting game, a game worth playing again, and the game that Alien: Isolation fans should play while we all wait for Alien: Isolation 2."

Dying Light: The Beast (6.5)

Expanding to a full game during development from a DLC for the second entry in the series, Dying Light: The Beast is not just a standalone adventure. It’s a homecoming. After a decade-long absence, legendary protagonist Kyle Crane returns, demonstrating how the series' tight gameplay can make a game engaging despite an uneven narrative.

Set in the atmospheric, Swiss-inspired valley of Castor Woods, the game successfully recaptures the genuine dread of the original game's night cycles, while balancing it with Kyle Crane's transformation and a revenge tale that, sadly, leaves something to be desired in terms of tone and pacing.

Even so, Dying Light: The Beast is a game worthy experiencing for its gameplay, which is as exhilarating as in previous entries in the series, as highlighted by David Carcasole in his review: "Dying Light: The Beast's parkour mechanics and crunchy melee combat are the two load-bearing pillars that make it a game worth leaping into, with support from a beautiful world to explore (minus the infected) and a tense day and night cycle that greatly raises the stakes on its survival elements."

Honorable Mentions

Plenty of other horror games launched in 2025 to make it a year to remember. Among these are some other notable games, such as:

• KARMA: The Dark World
• Little Nightmares III
• Tormented Souls 2
• Look Outside
• The Midnight Walk
• Sorry We're Closed
  

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