The world of horror video games is a graveyard of brilliant ideas. For every established horror franchise with multiple installments, like your Resident Evils or your Silent Hills, there are countless others that could’ve been a lot bigger.
Many horror games scare you and keep haunting you long after the game’s done, not necessarily because of the horror, but rather the entire experience. Others leave stories half-told, or give you just one aspect of a world, leaving a lingering feeling of untapped potential.
Whether due to rights issues, poor sales, developers moving on to other games, or even the studio getting shut down, you don’t always get the sequel that you desperately wanted. Here are seven horror games that we adore, that terrified us in different ways, and that deserved sequels but didn’t get them...yet.
1. Until Dawn
Sony scored a smash hit with Until Dawn. It was a unique offering in the publisher’s catalogue, and one made by a studio that was otherwise inexperienced with this type of game. The way choices matter, like who survives and who doesn’t, gives you more freedom than most other games.
Developer Supermassive Games later said they didn't want to make a sequel because they didn’t want to canonize which characters survived the story, but this could easily be remedied by having a a brand new game with a brand new cast of characters that have little to do with the cast of the original.
Although their further justification was also that they prefer crafting fresh stories with new casts, like they did with the Dark Pictures Anthology series, and one-off games like The Quarry and The Casting of Frank Stone. But even with these new games that build upon the foundation of Until Dawn, none of them quite capture the feel, structure, and design that made this particular game stand out.
2. Soma
Soma terrified many players not with jump scares, but with existential dread. Underwater stations coupled with a failing AI and an effective exploration of consciousness was a solid recipe for a compelling horror game.
Frictional Games hasn’t made a direct Soma sequel yet. They’ve focused on Amnesia titles instead. Why? Probably because Amnesia sells more reliably and is a more familiar IP. Or maybe due to the complexity of the story, and perhaps the weight of the expectations are daunting for the developers.
A sequel could easily explore more of the post-PATHOS world. More philosophical horror is always welcome.
3. Bloodborne
Bloodborne is one of those gems where everything, including atmosphere, lore, game and enemy design, is so compelling. Yharnam’s grotesque streets, those brutal weapons and terrible beasts...it feels beautiful rather than just uncomfortable.
Yet, no sequel, no remake, no PC port has come, despite fans desperately wanting one. Over the past few years, Sony has ported many PS4 and PS5 exclusives to PC, but for some incomprehensible reason, Bloodborne hasn’t gotten the same treatment.
Unlike some other FromSoftware titles like Elden Ring or Dark Souls, Sony owns the IP for Bloodborne. Developer FromSoftware says they’re not the ones who decide when and if Bloodborne will get a sequel. There is a new FromSoftware game called The Duskbloods coming for Switch 2 that looks so much like a spiritual successor to Bloodborne, so it’s obvious that the studio wouldn’t turn down an offer to make more things in that world.
4. Siren: Blood Curse
Siren: Blood Curse is a reimagining of the first Siren game. It had episodic tension, weird folklore, and creepy Japanese horror vibes. After Blood Curse in 2008, the series went silent in terms of games. There is a manga adaptation by the original creators, but no follow ups on the video game front.
Given how long it’s been, and the closure of Sony’s Japan Studio, it seems more unlikely than ever that we'll ever get another Siren game, especially given that the games were more or less pretty niche. A sequel would have let the mythos expand much further, possibly in new locations, with a lot of new characters, and with deeper folklore inspirations and styles.
5. Outlast 2
Fans always debate whether the first Outlast or Outlast 2 is scarier. Both are scary in different ways, but the cult dread, the isolation, and the darkness in Outlast 2 are all very effective.
The developers did give us The Outlast Trials, but that was a prequel, not a sequel. There have been talks about Outlast 3 here and there, but no solid release window yet. The sequel was first announced all the way back in 2017, but as of 2025, there have been no updates as to whether the game is in active development or not.
The developers have said that they are a small team, so development takes time. And Outlast Trials probably used up a lot of resources. A third game could tie up dangling plot threads, such as what became of the Murkoff docs, what cosmic horror lay in the cult beliefs, and more.
6. Manhunt 2
Manhunt 2 is brutal and shocking. Rockstar pushed boundaries in ways few games dare, especially at that time. After its release in 2007, the studio drifted away from that style. They stopped making Manhunt, Bully, and Midnight Club (among others), focusing mostly on Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead.
Manhunt 3 seems pretty unlikely. Rockstar likely considers the legal, reputation, and market risks too great, especially given their long development cycles. There was a lot of censorship and controversy around the first two games, and not many big studios want that heat.
Perhaps a spiritual successor rather than a bloody spectacle could make sense, if developed by another studio. But Rockstar doesn’t want to loan out its IP either, so the chances of ever seeing Manhunt 3 are slim.
7. System Shock 2
System Shock 2 came out in 1999 and was one of the most influential games of its time. It mixed multiple genres like FPS, RPG, survival horror, and sci-fi. It inspired later giants like BioShock, which was conceived with System Shock in mind. The second game, especially, showed that you can have deep lore, oppressive atmosphere, resource scarcity, psychological tension, and RPG elements all in one game, and still make an experience that doesn’t feel messy. That's even more impressive considering how most games in the 1990’s were more streamlined.
Recently, Nightdive Studios released a 25th anniversary edition remaster of System Shock 2, which contained updated textures, modern controls, support for ultrawide displays, and modern console compatibility. This definitely renewed interest in the series, but perhaps there could be a sequel sometime down the line.
A follow-up could explore what happened after the infection on the Von Braun, or maybe elsewhere in the universe. Its narrative about AI and identity would be just as relevant today. And of course, there is a severe lack of immersive sim games right now. System Shock 3 could fill that void, satiating longtime fans and newcomers alike.