Horror and sci-fi can go hand in hand, and these 10 video games prove it.
Video games have long loved to take on both the sci-fi and horror genres. Some are able to focus on horror with mild sci-fi elements like The Last of Us or Resident Evil. A few sci-fi tales can have horror touches. After all, space is pretty scary. Finding a game that balances the two out well is a challenge, as too many are little more than generic shooters lacking real scares.
However, when done right, some games are shockingly great at checking sci-fi and horror boxes. It’s not enough to just have monsters; they deliver psychological scares, fantastic environments, and storytelling to freak you out while still wanting to play.
These are 10 games that are brilliant, mixing sci-fi and horror at their best to be the scariest games you’d ever want to play.
Stasis
A good old-fashioned point-and-click adventure game may seem out of place amid some major entries on this list, yet this 2015 PC game is better than most “shooters.” A man awakens from cryosleep on a ship where hybrids, an alien fungus, and deadly insects run rampant. He has to find a way to survive and save his family against them and the even bigger human threat.
The camera angles let you admire the foreboding hallways and labs, letting the story flow along with the monstrous aliens. The human characters being even worse is no surprise, while the emotional tale turns darker. It proves you don’t need cutting-edge graphics to offer a powerful horror sci-fi tale.
Returnal
What could be more horrible than being stuck on another planet and battling a seemingly endless wave of alien monsters? Being killed and then having to do it all over again. Few games make a time loop horror tale work like this 2021 game, and it uses the concept wonderfully. It offers a strong heroine in Selene, who has to learn from each loop while not shying away from how brutal the deaths can be for her.
While difficult, Returnal can be rewarding in its storyline with a deep emotional and psychological story to back up the action. Each area offers a new nightmarish landscape with new threats, and the deaths are as nasty as you can imagine. It’s no wonder this is one horror game many would want to return to.
System Shock 2
Unlike movies, video game sequels can often be superior to the original. Such a case is this 1999 game, set in a cyberpunk-influenced 2114. In many ways, this game was ahead of its time, a first-person shooter with role-playing elements as well as customization, things now taken for granted.
The tale itself is also familiar with a spaceship attacked by parasitic aliens while a malevolent computer controls them. The scariest part is that these zombies aren’t mindless hordes but will cry out to you to join them as they attack. It’s no wonder the game remains on many lists of the best games ever, especially in the horror genre, as it can be a horrifying exploit.
Bioshock
The runaway winner of Game of the Year awards in 2007 is still a fantastic experience. The unnamed player survives a 1930s plane crash to take a trip to Rapture, a stunning neo-futuristic underwater city. What was meant to be a utopia has collapsed into anarchy, with residents becoming mindless savages while huge armored creatures called Big Daddies roam the halls. Luckily, you can use special chemicals to develop superpowers to fight them.
As scary as the Splicers and Big Daddies are, the true nightmare comes from listening to audio tapes detailing Rapture’s collapse while you explore the flooded ruins. The gameplay is top-notch, mixing guns and powers, while the script delivers one of the best plot twists in video game history. It’s more sci-fi, yet the horror aspects help make this game a masterpiece.
SOMA
Many of the best sci-fi horror games play into the “survival horror” genre. This 2014 game is another excellent example of how well it works. The setting is different, as rather than space, it takes place in an abandoned underwater research facility. The player is Simon, who suffered a car accident to wake up on this base in 2104, a year after a comet had wiped out most life on Earth.
The game rests on that remarkable atmosphere, feeling submerged in the base, with robots and monsters soon becoming serious threats. The stealth play is well handled, along with fine voice acting and excellent writing. It comes together for a great horror tale that also works as a twisted sci-fi adventure.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
A video game based on one of the most terrifying short stories ever written can only be a nightmarish experience. This 1995 PC entry lives up to it, as the older graphics actually enhance the horror of the tale. It helps that Harlan Ellison himself adapted his novel into the script with five people held prisoner by a supercomputer that has conquered Earth.
The game puts each prisoner in their own personal hell as a twisted game. The graphics are decent, yet it’s the story that’s the draw, presenting powerful ethical challenges amid the different vistas and dark paths to take. The multiple ending options are the icing, so while not a big seller in its release, its reputation has grown to match the source material as an experience that’ll haunt you for a long time.
Prey
There are two games of this name, one published in 2006 and the other in 2017. Each is a dark and disturbing adventure, with the original having a slight edge while the latter boasts better graphics. It’s notable for mixing Native American culture into its storyline in an alien battle.
The 2017 version has a wild alternate reality story where first contact with aliens in 1958 led to an increased space race to colonize the moon. The main hero has to battle aliens using both first-person shooter and stealth techniques, with a more intriguing story. They each stand on their own as enthralling tales to rank on this list.
Dead Space
Dead Space may be the best Alien game that’s not an Alien game. This 2008 smash hit kicked off a franchise with the initial entry still a masterpiece of sci-fi horror. Games follow Isaac, an explorer stuck on a derelict ship, facing monsters that are a cross between Xenomorphs and the Clickers from The Last of Us. They get bigger and nastier as you go on to be a major challenge.
The shooting parts are exemplary, while the game really excels with its music and mood, making you feel true terror with every step. It puts most sci-fi horror movies to shame, and the sequels have built on it, while the original is a true modern game classic.
Alien: Isolation
There has to be an Alien game on this list, as the series has always been the pioneer of sci-fi/horror hybrids. Isolation is the game closest to capturing the sheer terror of the 1979 masterpiece. Whereas most Alien games have you as a soldier blasting Xenomorphs, this removes such weapons for a survival horror tale.
It fits nicely into the canon as Ripley’s grown daughter is searching for answers to her mother’s disappearance. That leads her to a colony where she’s hunted by the beasts and has to rely on cunning and hiding rather than fighting back. The glimpses of the Alien are scarier than a horde of them could be; the effects and music combine into chills. Overall, it’s better than some of the movies as a reminder of why Alien has become so iconic.
DOOM
Whether it’s the original PC groundbreaker or the more recent entries, DOOM has been the go-to for mixing sci-fi and horror together.
The first-person shooter franchise has included novels, movies, and more, yet video games always bring it together. The mix of demons in space gets crazier with every installment, providing some terrifying monsters and amping up the backgrounds as well. No matter the installment or the system, DOOM stands tall as the sci-fi/horror franchise that beats all the rest for one of the biggest names in gaming.