Highlights

• Maze-like levels in horror games can add an extra layer of terror, as they break the comfort of a linear path and create a sense of disorientation.
• Games like Resident Evil Village and Alien Vs. Predator make use of mazes to intensify the fear of being hunted by monsters or enemies.
• Even puzzle games like Portal and Catherine can incorporate mazes to create a creepy atmosphere and add moments of horror to their gameplay.

What’s worse than being chased by a bloodthirsty ghoul? Getting chased by a bloodthirsty ghoul through a maze. Linear horror games can at least carry the implicit comfort of a set path, which is why a game that breaks that mold can be especially spooky.

Non-horror puzzle games like Portal can still be creepy on their own if they have the right atmosphere. From linear horror titles that warp the golden path to puzzle games with a penchant for creepy atmospheric window dressing, here are the scariest games that involve mazes.

Updated on October 30, 2023, by Jason Wojnar: Do you ever wonder why mazes are associated with fall and Halloween? The season and holiday are synonymous with corn mazes, after all. It's because they can be downright terrifying, and their implementation in video games is no different. The games below either revolve around labyrinthine level designs or they feature segments where you are forced to navigate one. The update adds a few iconic games as well as an obscure but historically relevant one. You go into these mazes careless and naive, and even if you escape a little piece of your innocence will be lost in there forever.

11 3D Monster Maze

PC games from the 1970s and early 1980s may seem primitive, but you can still appreciate the ingenuity that came with putting these games on older hardware. 3D Monster Maze is a simple concept. You just have to run around the maze in a first-person perspective and avoid the T-Rex hunting you.

The T-Rex's size does not seem to scale, but all the same, it is scary to watch it run towards you even with the old black-and-white pixelated graphics. You have no end goal other than to run around the maze and earn points. The idea of being hunted by a single monster is an idea utilized in more modern popular horror games like Resident Evil 2 and Alien: Isolation.

10 Resident Evil: Village

Resident Evil games are fairly linear and are all about unlocking more parts of the map by solving puzzles and finding keys, at least the ones that are not more action-focused. 2021's Resident Evil Village still found space to use mazes in a small minigame.

To unlock these minigames, you need to both find the balls in the world and then the mazes. Once activated, you guide the ball to the goal by tilting the 3D board. Unlike a lot of the games on this list, the mazes here are a welcome respite from the terror you face in Resident Evil Village.

9 Alien Vs. Predator

While plenty of classic first-person shooters had elements of horror, Alien Vs. Predator for the Jaguar is an unrelenting exercise in terror for anyone who plays it. It only makes sense considering it is an adaptation of one of the most iconic horror series of all time. The levels are intense labyrinths you can easily get lost and turned around in.

Of the three campaigns available to you, the missions where you control the Space Marine are particularly terrifying since both species are hunting you down. Taking control of the two other titular creatures does little to assauge the frights and jump scares, however.

8 Resident Evil 4

Instead of fixed cameras and survival horror, Resident Evil 4 the series into a spectacle on par with the cheesiest action movies. It still maintained a lot of the iconic horror you play the games for. One of the most terrifying parts of the game is the hedge maze in the castle segment.

You have to run through the garden and collect two items to progress while being chased by cultists and infected dogs. The enemies are always within earshot, but they always surprise you as you turn a corner and see a bunch right in front of you. Some dogs are behind cages, but they break through anyway when you are already too close to run away.

7 Catherine

The wild puzzler Catherine sees you take on a series of different mini-game challenges in between bizarre and often frightening story beats. The game focuses on Vincent, an average Joe with constant otherworldly nightmares, who finds himself in a mysterious love triangle.

The fun variety of puzzles is engaging, and the bizarre plot helps the title stand out. Though Catherine may seem more focused on relationships than scares on the surface, it still has some great horror moments.

6 Outlast

While much of the game is linear, there are several moments in Outlast where you must navigate an open-ended maze-like section of the Mount Massive Asylum to complete an objective and progress through the story. These goals are often simple, such as turning on a generator. Things get a little more difficult when it’s dark, you’re lost, and there's an unfriendly-looking guy with a hammer slowly walking behind you.

Much of Outlast's playtime is punctuated by an overwhelming feeling of helplessness not too far off from being trapped like a rat in a maze. This comparison isn't too far off, as it's later revealed that the Mount Massive Asylum staff were performing experiments on their patients.

5 Doom 64

Doom may be remembered as the granddaddy of FPS games, but it was no slouch in the horror department either. Doom 64, in particular, dialed up the creepiness with a renewed emphasis on dark environments and scarier creature designs. Add in Doom’s signature maze-like levels, and you’ve got a harrowing mix. Nintendo fans had exclusive access to arguably the series' scariest entry, but Doom 3 diehards might beg to differ.

After some silence, Doom fans were treated to several throwbacks to the Nintendo 64 entry in 2020's Doom Eternal, with weapons like the Unmakyr and enemies like the Pain Elemental making their triumphant return.

4 Silent Hill 2

Many will remember Silent Hill 2’s labyrinth, which is located underneath the Toluca Prison. Instead of fun Jim Henson puppets and David Bowie, this labyrinth is filled with near-total darkness and horrific monsters. Protagonist James Sunderland doesn’t have a map of the maze and is forced to draw his own as he navigates the claustrophobic passageways.

Lurking in the darkness is a suite of monsters including series staple Pyramid Head, which only adds to the tension. This creative segment forces you to brave the abyss in order to progress.

3 Portal

Valve’s classic puzzle game, Portal, has no shortage of creepy moments. The seemingly endless puzzles and an unsettling lack of humans in the game’s early hours make you feel as if you're stuck in an endless loop within the facility. When you are finally given the chance to escape, the Aperture facility opens up into a labyrinth of empty offices, vents, and industrial areas.

Portal and its excellent sequel receive most of their praise for setting the benchmark for linear first-person puzzle games, but the creepy atmosphere both entries create deserves just as much attention. As if there weren't enough reasons to replay the series, you should take a second to appreciate Valve's environmental storytelling more on your next run.

2 Control

The supernatural third-person action game Control has great variety throughout in everything from its puzzles, story, and combat. The Ashtray Maze was one of the game's highlights thanks to its replay value and uniquely creepy vibe. The maze can only be entered correctly at a certain point towards the endgame (if you take an early look, you will just be sent around in circles). The developers made the right call, as the gauntlet can be especially difficult for untested players.

Besides the existing challenge of navigating through the labyrinth in the first place, the maze is populated with some of the most brutal Hiss enemies in the game. Persevere, and you'll be rewarded with great gear and story beats.

1 P.T.

Kojima Productions’s “Playable Teaser” for its ill-fated Silent Hill entry was an entirely unique horror experience for those who were able to access it. The demo consisted entirely of a single looping hallway. While not a proper maze, the endless hallway still elicited a feeling of being trapped. P.T. had some of the most frightening visuals in gaming and is still a great example of how minimalist games can still be memorable and engaging.

It's a shame that P.T. has disappeared from online outlets, and it's an even bigger shame that the Silent Hill project it teased will seemingly never come to fruition. If P.T. could do so much with one hallway, imagine what the developers could accomplish with an entire game.

Next: Most Terrifying Moments in Horror Games