The survival horror genre has an established list of conventions and tropes that feature in almost all of its games. Yet, a compelling story is not one of them. Horror games are supposed to scare you, so a deep and well-written narrative isn't a priority.
This is evident in the Resident Evil series, as despite including some of the best games the genre has ever seen, it's not a series that always exhibits strong storytelling - though it does provide a few decent tales. However, some other titles have managed to provide frights while telling engaging tales, and it makes for an excellent combination. These are some of the best examples.
Updated July 12, 2023 By Ben Jessey: The legacy of a horror game isn't typically defined by the quality of its story. However, that doesn't mean stories in these games should always be overlooked.
Even the best horror titles can be improved with a strong main narrative. For this list, we highlighted the entries in the genre that have the best stories, such as The Last Of Us and Until Dawn. But there were more excellent story-based horror titles that we didn't mention. So, we've added a few more to the list with this update.
16 The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter
The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter is unique in how it presents both its horror and story. Unlike the traditional horror game, you aren't fighting or getting stalked by monsters. The horror instead comes from the tone and the eery feeling you get in several sections of the game.
As for the story, it's not told in the typical video game way. You're not bombarded with cutscenes or exposition. Instead, the story reveals itself as you explore the game world and solve puzzles. The premise of that tale is about a missing boy you're trying to find. Yet, it goes much deeper than that.
15 Layers Of Fear
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2023's confusingly titled Layers Of Fear contains remakes of the first two Layers Of Fear games with all their DLC. All of them provide different stories, but they tell them in similar ways.
You typically explore creepy places in first-person and find objects that reveal more about your character or things related to them. While this is all happening, the games play tricks on you by moving things around and generally messing with your head. So, it's a psychological horror experience.
14 Dead Space
Dead Space has never been known for it's storytelling. The series is mostly known for providing great scares, satisfying combat, and spooking environments. But the narrative in the 2023 remake of the original game shouldn't be overlooked. After all, it's a compelling story.
The premise of the tale is simple as it revolves around engineer Isaac Clarke who visits the iconic spaceship known as the Ishimura. His goal is to find his girldfriend Nicole, but things quickly go south when he runs into a bunch of dangeroues creatures named Necromorphs.
13 The Quarry
An all-star cast features in this narrative horror game as it's made up of names such as Brenda Song, David Arquette, and more. Their excellent performances enhance what is already an interesting narrative about a summer camp and a group of young counselors.
They only have to spend one last night at the camp, but things quickly turn sour. Without giving anything away, some powerful forces turn their last night into a nightmare. Exactly how badly it goes is up to you, as you have to make a bunch of choices that impact how the night plays out for all the main characters.
12 Resident Evil 2
The Resident Evil games might not always excel at storytelling, but the 2019 remake of the second game has a compelling narrative. The adventure is split up into an A and B story, and you have to play through both to experience the full tale.
The said tale revolves around a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City that's wiping out most of the population. Caught in the middle of the dire situation are Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. While neither of them is an expert at combating this sort of threat, they're forced to face it head-on. In the process, they discover some interesting things about how this whole incident started. It makes for an engaging story.
11 Alan Wake
Alan Wake isn't a pure horror title, as it contains plenty of action-adventure elements. But it's still a creepy game with an engaging narrative. The story revolves around the titular character Alan Wake who is a novelist with writer's block.
To clear his mind, he and his wife go on vacation to a town called Bright Falls. Once there, Wake quickly realizes that the place is very strange, especially at night. Things get more bizarre when he starts living out events from a book he hasn't written yet. It makes for a captivating and surreal tale.
10 Until Dawn
On the anniversary of their friends' deaths, a group of young people meet up at the ski lodge where the tragedy happened. Of course, the weekend doesn't turn out to be the fun celebration they were expecting.
That is the general premise of Until Dawn's story. And it's not too dissimilar to what is seen in many horror movies. This is by design as Until Dawn serves as a homage to classic slasher flicks. Yet, the game still manages to tell a compelling tale, which is boosted by the fact that your decisions heavily impact how everything plays out.
9 Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 creates intrigue straight from the start by revealing that the main character, James Sunderland, received a letter from his supposedly deceased wife. It says that she's in the town of Silent Hill. So, naturally, he goes there to see what's happening.
This serves as the beginning of a strange and unpredictable narrative that's easily one of the best ever told in the horror genre. The overall game is great, too, as it contains plenty of clever scares and is very atmospheric.
8 Bendy and the Ink Machine
Bendy and the Ink Machine might look like an old Micky Mouse cartoon, but it's a lot more sinister. You play as an animator named Henry Stein, who's invited back to his old studio by his former boss.
It sounds wholesome so far, yet once he gets there, he realizes the studio is different from what he once knew. For instance, when he originally worked there, it's unlikely he got chased around by murderous cartoon characters. Over the game's five chapters, you learn more about what happened to the place as the mystery slowly unravels. It makes for an interesting story in a unique game.
7 Observer
Observer is one of many games set in a dystopian future - albeit this one is particularly bleak. The year is 2084, and the population of Poland is suffering due to a recent digital plague called the nanophage.
The country is now run by a large corporation, which has its own police force called Observers. You play as an Observer detective who quickly gets wrapped up in a deep mystery when he visits his estranged son. There are plenty of twists and turns during the investigation. The game's psychological horror elements help with this as they often make you question what you're seeing.
6 The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series
Telltale's The Walking Dead really helped popularize a new breed of narrative-focused games. So much so that calling it a 'horror game' is divisive, but it does contain plenty of zombies and several scares.
Throughout its four main seasons, you follow Clementine and her ever-changing group of allies as she tries to survive in a world taken over by the undead. During her journey, she develops from a scared young girl into one of gaming's best-ever heroines. And her seemingly never-ending search to find a place where she can finally be safe remains engaging from the first episode to the last.
5 The Last Of Us
Despite being an action-adventure game, The Last Of Us contains enough horror elements to be considered a horror game. And there's certainly no doubting the quality of the story it provides. In fact, it has one of the most engaging narratives in gaming history, regardless of genre.
The premise of the tale is simple, as it's just about a man and a young girl crossing a post-apocalyptic wasteland to get the latter to safety. Yet, the interactions and relationship between those two characters are what makes the story so compelling. It helps that the vocal performances from the leads, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, are outstanding.
4 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
In the early stages of this game, Alexandra Roivas returns to her family's mansion after she finds out that her grandfather has been murdered. She takes it upon herself to discover what happened.
In her search, she discovers a strange book called the Tome Of Eternal Darkness, which details the stories of a few different people from the past. These tales play out on screen and serve as the main part of the game. Therefore, the narrative includes both a mystery and some historical fiction. The two blend together to make a fascinating story in what is one of the best horror games on the Gamecube.
3 The Cat Lady
From a gameplay perspective, The Cat Lady is a simple game as you move around and interact with objects. Where the title shines is in its narrative. The general premise is that you play as a depressed middle-aged woman who is tasked with taking out five horrible people.
The story is deeper than the premise makes it seem. After all, the tale brings up topics like depression, suicide, and even cancer. And The Cat Lady doesn't just use these mature themes for shock value - they actually create some thought-provoking moments.
2 Detention
This 2D side scroller is set in a Taiwanese high school during the 1960s. Yet, it's not exactly a typical school as it's filled with terrifying and deadly creatures. While trying to avoid them, you solve puzzles and learn more about the horrifying building.
Despite not being the longest game, the story isn't rushed. As the adventure goes on, you slowly learn more about the school and its past. The tale is so good that it's since been adapted into a film and TV series.
1 Soma
While Soma includes plenty of puzzle-solving, hiding from enemies, and exploration, the game's story is its true selling point. Early in the narrative, the protagonist, Simon Jarrett, goes for a brain scan and wakes up in an underwater research facility - not a type of location seen too often in games. He's naturally very confused about how he got there, so he attempts to find out.
The story doesn't just revolve around that mystery, though. It also goes deeper as it makes you ponder consciousness and what being alive really means. From beginning to end, it's an intriguing and thought-provoking narrative.