The Nintendo 64 brought us some of our favorite video games, spanning multiple genres. One genre that is often overlooked is the horror genre, and while there weren’t many horror games on the Nintendo 64, the ones that the console did have were absolute gems.

Many of these games were often built upon their predecessors on earlier consoles, and critics considered many to be the best entries in the series — including those on future consoles. Most of the games on this list have remastered versions that will allow you to take a scary and often gory visit down memory lane. We present you with the best horror games on the Nintendo 64.

Updated on October 17, 2023, by William Quick: While it's been quite some time since the Nintendo 64 has been the most relevant part of the gaming world, it has a strong nostalgic hold on many of us with plenty still playing the games to this day. In fact, speed running remains most popular with classics like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie.

The N64 was presented as an almost family-friendly console with all of its multiplayer games and titles filled that color. Despite this, there were those who wanted to bring horror and fear to the 64-bit machine with experiences that would linger in the dark parts of the mind.

Should you dare to venture, you can check out some of these horror games from the Nintendo 64 library that will likely carry you all the way until next Halloween.

10 Hexen: Beyond Heretic

Even though the Nintendo 64 was one of the earliest next-gen consoles of the time, that didn't stop other developers from using its increased power to strengthen the 2D graphics of games. You can see the kinds of accomplishments and fears they crafted in Hexen: Beyond Heretic.

The game is presented from a first-person perspective in a dark fantasy medieval setting. Although tales of a hero have brought a sense of hope with their victory over a member of dangerous-sounding Serpent Riders, their world still isn't safe. Another Serpent Rider is threatening everything you know with an army of monsters and deadly magic to destroy everything the way. Using your own magic and weapons, you'll need to fight through the hordes and try to take down the Serpent Rider yourself.

The game is an FPS adventure sharing some similarities with the original Doom games. The main difference is that while all the characters are sprites, the environments are fully 3D, but this doesn't create a disconnect. In fact, the sprites are decently detailed and animated from the weapons and spells that you cast to the attacks, movements, and deaths of the enemies. The hand animations when using magic are nicely detailed which makes you feel good while casting spells.

9 Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion

If Jurassic Park taught us anything, it's that dinosaurs are scary. There have been tons of game series that made use of this fact and the Turok series was born from it, though you had much bigger firepower to deal with the threat. However, otherworldly elements and creatures were introduced, culminating in Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion.

As if dinosaurs weren't bad enough, you're now dealing with dark forces from an unknown world wielding technology far beyond what you've been using. Thankfully, these creatures are still vulnerable to good ol' bullets, but they've mutated and altered themselves in disturbing ways to power through. You'll be confronting a mess of mutants and cyborgs that stand in your way of putting an end to this evil once and for all.

This could be considered a classic 3D FPS game in the style of 007 GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. However, the range of weapons is quite interesting from modern firearms to traditional ones like bows and axes. You'll encounter a mix of humanoid enemies and monstrous creatures that appear out of nowhere. They can have jerky and violent movements provoking you to destroy them as quickly as possible.

8 Quake 64

You take on the role of an unnamed protagonist whose goal is to stop an enemy whose code name is Quake. Quake 64 features gothic architecture, an ambient soundtrack, and monsters that had many of us scared during late-night playing sessions. This was Doom before there was Doom, and it captured the chaos and fear despite the graphical limitations which were only enhanced by violent encounters.

Levels are meant to be played fast because the longer you linger in any one area, the more monsters appear. Before long, you're drawing in a sea of horrific creatures that want nothing more than to tear you to shreds. You start firing wildly and get the feeling that your weapons aren't as strong as you think forcing you to run just to live even a little longer in this nightmare.

Being from the same minds behind Doom, there are a lot of similarities, but also 2D sprites with 3D environments. There's also more of a sci-fi theme, but that doesn't mean that the enemies are any less demonic. There's also more of an animalistic theme in the monsters, some of them attacking each other indiscriminately. You might think this can work in your favor, but it can also add to the chaos as you run around the various structures.

7 Shadowgate 64

The Warlock Lord threatens to unleash evil upon the world, and it is up to a Halfling named Del to stop this from happening. You take control of Del while exploring Castle Shadowgate, solving puzzles, collecting items, and ultimately learning the truth. Because of the focus on puzzles, you'll need to carefully observe details in a number of creepy locations having the feeling of dread constantly hanging over you.

Even though there are scary characters that you'll interact with throughout the adventure, it's the overall atmosphere that takes its toll on your mind. Even though you're trying to save the world, the castle grounds and underground make you wonder if this is an omen of things that may be. This potentially dark future surrounds you to try and stop you from stopping it, but you'll need to endure it first.

This may be one of the earliest examples of a navigational horror game, similar to the modern-day Amnesia series. It's not about collecting powers and fighting against monsters, it's a first-person experience where you're alone wandering through a number of dark corridors, mazes, and outdoor areas. Every little thing that moves could be dangerous and all you're doing is trying to collect things to solve puzzles and unlock things so that you can progress.

6 Body Harvest

The year is 2016, and the last of humanity lives in a space station. Aliens have been harvesting humans every twenty-five years for the previous hundred years, taking them near to extinction. This is what you would call subjective horror since a majority of the aliens have insect-like experiences ranging from colorful to fearsome.

The main protagonist is a genetically enhanced human, tasked with going back in time to defeat the aliens during critical periods of history. This means you'll be traveling to very tense and volatile periods in history that have been made even more so due to the presence of alien bugs. Your weapons can help you clear them out as some sort of time-traveling exterminator. Regardless of your feelings on bugs, no one wants to be swarmed by them especially when they can grab your torso and eat your head.

Some have called this an ancestor to the GTA series of games due to the sense of scale and open-world nature. It's a third-person adventure where the hero is able to run across open lands and through cities while stopping to aim and shoot down flying and crawling insect aliens. You also have the opportunity to pilot vehicles like tanks and boats that also have their own firepower to unless on the swarms.

5 Hybrid Heaven

Hybrid Heaven gets its name from the mixture of genres in its gameplay mechanics. It is equal parts fighting, RPG, exploration, and alien invasion, which means that you've got a lot of variety and things to master in a difficult situation. The aliens that are invading range from looking almost human (which can be scary in their own way) to those that look like they want to perch above your bed as you sleep.

You take on the role of Mr. Diaz, a synthetic human hybrid that aliens secretly created. Because of the combat, you'll frequently have to get up close and personal with these aliens which is the bane of every sci-fi horror protagonist. Thankfully, you have a better chance of surviving in these fights but that just means the aliens have more opportunities to scare and scar you.

By the time of this game's release, 3D turn-based combat games were starting to get their stride. However, instead of having a full party of characters, you just have the player character. This means that every encounter is treated like a brawl or even a duel where you need to balance attacking, guarding, and footwork. You can also equip weapons and items to give you an edge and that can be used outside of battle.

4 Doom 64

Doom 64 is a sequel to Doom 2 and has you retaking control of the Doom Marine. It wastes no time in dropping the toughest but arguably the unluckiest soldier in the universe into the depths of Hell with all manner of horrors to greet you. You need to push through the hordes of terror to complete a daunting mission: Stopping an invasion of Hell by destroying the Mother of Demons.

The Nintendo 64 was able to carry all the things that made the PC predecessors so successful to its platform. These include a huge variety of disturbing, mangled, and horrific demon designs along with excess gore from unleashing your entire arsenal on them. The Doom Marine isn't safe either as you can clearly see his face getting more bloodied and drained as he fights what seems like a losing battle.

It's tricky to say things about Doom that haven't already been said, but this one is notable for being one of the last mostly 2D entries before the series decided to take on 3D. Despite being on the N64, the FPS sticks to its signature FPS gameplay with sprite work. Of course, the assets look sharper and more animated with larger worlds to move around, more weapons to use, and more demon-like enemies to use them on.

3 Shadow Man

You play as the main protagonist, Mike LeRoi, who becomes a voodoo warrior named Shadow Man after the Mask of Shadows is bound to him. An evil force called Legion is collecting souls to create an immortal army that will destroy the land of the living. Even though you'll be switching between the worlds of the living and dead, neither one feels safe with demons and other creatures spilling all around.

Shadow Man has been remastered and is available on modern platforms. This gives you an even cleaner look at all the haunting environments and the evil spirits trying to surround you as you fight your way forward. To make matters worse, the game plunges you into the designs of the serial killer Jack The Ripper who even death couldn't stop.

This game came out when the 3D platformer was riding high following huge titles like Super Mario 64. As such, it follows a similar style but at a much slower pace since the main character is supposed to be similar to a real human. Mike can run, jump, and interact with the environment in various ways with the open areas having multiple levels to navigate and space for enemies to move about freely. This means that combat can be more free-form as you move around while firing magic at multiple targets.

2 Nightmare Creatures

Nightmare Creatures is an action horror game taking place in 19th-century London. The Brotherhood of Hecate, led by Adam Crowley, has unleashed beasts with plans to take over the world and slaughter any who stand in their way. All the enemy and boss variants are designed for nightmares so be warned if you have a very active nocturnal mind.

You take on the role of either Nadia Franciscus or Ignatius Blackward, who are both skilled and attractive protagonists which makes it hit even harder when the enemies hit hard. The monsters have a frightening number of appendages all made to rip and maul your hero while they're stuck with limited weapons. While playing, you'll see how often the game tries to trap you in tight corners with large beasts so don't be surprised if your game ends early and harshly.

Combat-centric games want to focus closely on the character so that you can clearly see the action and feel the impact. This one is a third-person game, but the camera stays close and level to your selected character's mid-section. While moving around, pacing is generally slow so that you can pay attention to your surroundings so that you're prepared when enemies attack. Many fights occur in enclosed areas with lots of items and weapon pickups to use freely.

1 Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 marks the first entry of the game series to the Nintendo platform. Having been remade in recent years, this sequel speaks for itself being a title that helped carry the survival-horror genre to success. It also introduced series-favorite Leon Kennedy and the infamous Raccoon City, a place that was already scary and messed up before the outbreak of the T-Virus.

Even though you're playing as a young, strong police officer with combat training, the mutated monsters quickly show how little that matters. Even the weakest and slowest enemies raise the tension whenever they're onscreen and even when you hear them offscreen. Not to mention that you have to deal with a tall, tenacious, and terrifying Tyrant that stalks you throughout the game and leaves you feeling helpless as it shakes off everything you throw at it. Get past that, and you'll need to face the grotesque transformations of a pretty twisted man.

Following the first Resident Evil, this one maintains the established mechanics while focusing on new characters, a new area, and new threats. You control Leon from a third-person perspective and with tank-like controls that keep turning and velocity somewhat separate from each other. It also brings back the fixed camera angles creating a more cinematic experience as Leon moves between scenes and monsters roam around throughout. The combat is slow and deliberate making each time you choose to fight have an impact.

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