With games like Outlast or Alien: Isolation, hiding from the killer is always fun and intense. Slicing through villains, just like Isaac Clarke in the Dead Space games, brings thrills and chills simultaneously! It's a simple concept that makes for an excellent survival horror experience.
However, picking off survivors as the monster or the slasher killer can be just as satisfying. While it's still relatively rare, there are developers out there creating games that shake up the genre by allowing you to play as the slasher on occasion. Here are some examples ranging from triple-A titles to indie games.
We've selected these titles based on one prerequisite and one prerequisite only: you get to be a villain and slash people. There's everything from forgotten '80s games to indie gems that became even more popular than triple-A titles.
Updated October 28, 2023 by Jack Pierik: While it can be exhilarating to play as a survivor being hunted, perhaps you're growing tired of being the prey, and want to evolve to become the predator instead. If this is the case, you'll be pleased by the three games added in this update, which allow you to hunt and strike fear in other players that are frantically trying to escape from and avoid you. Although, as scary as you'll be in this role, don't be surprised if the survivors get crafty or decide to fight back; teamwork makes the dream work, as they say.
17 Project: Playtime
Project: Playtime is a free-to-play, seven-player, multiplayer horror game that pits six survivors against a single monster, which could be one of three different monster characters depending on what the seventh player chooses.
Each playable monster, Mommy Long Legs, Huggy Wuggy, and Boxy Boo, all have unique abilities and implied playstyles, so it's worth trying out each character to find what works for you. As you familiarize yourself with both maps, you'll figure out the best ways to surprise, corner, and pick off the survivors.
16 In Silence
In Silence places a heavy emphasis on sound. As you stalk and search for survivors as the Rake, a terrifyingly fast monster whose vision is dependent on how much sound is being made, you could be inches away from a survivor just one step away from certain death.
The game features proximity voice chat, so listen closely for players plotting their escape. If you do manage to take one of the survivors out, just remember they can still play as a mouse to help their fellow survivors distract you or find useful items.
15 Backrooms: Apprehension
In Backrooms: Apprehension, you play as a shape-shifting monster called the Skin Stealer. Since there are nine players you need to hunt down and kill, you'll have to use your cunning and shape-shifting abilities to lure players into a false sense of security; charging headfirst probably won't work.
If you've ever played Among Us, the concept is largely the same. Although, it'll be a little bit of an adjustment to play in a 3D space where your prey can fight back with weapons; guilty until proven innocent, as they say.
14 Texas Chainsaw Massacre
One of the first games based on a horror movie was Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1983. Was it a good one? Sort of. There's no denying that playing as Leatherface can be fun at first. However, since it is an Atari 2600 game, Texas Chainsaw Massacre gets pretty repetitive, and not in a good way.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is just running from side to side slaughtering people. There's little in the way of tactics or strategy: just don't run into objects. However, it has a surprising amount of gore for an Atari game.
13 Garry's Mod - Murder
There are a lot of Garry's Mod games out there, including the fan-favorite Prop Hunt. Another Garry's Mod gamers tend to enjoy is simply titled Murder. It's a straightforward concept: one player controls the murderer, and the other players play survivors.
The murderer needs to kill the survivors to win. Despite the limits of Garry's Mod, Murder manages to be an addictive game. The fun becomes more amplified when playing with friends.
12 Prop Night
At first glance, PropNight comes off like a Dead By Daylight copycat. In some regards, this judgment is understandable. After all, the game is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror title that tasks survivors with repairing machines to escape the clutches of a dangerous killer.
However, PropNight has one signature feature, making it an entirely different multiplayer game. Much like the Prop Hunt mod that informs it, Prop Night allows survivors to transform into nearby objects to hide from the killer. This twist gives survivors a new advantage. However, it also changes the game's tone, giving it a fun and peculiar hide-and-seek vibe. If Dead By Daylight feels too dark for you, PropNight provides a slightly silly alternative.
11 Darksiders 2
This list entry may be cheating since Darksiders is more of an action hack and slasher. However, in every game, you control one of the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse. Said Horsemen are far from being labeled as heroes.
In Darksiders 2, you control the literal grim reaper in the form of Death with dual scythes. So it technically counts: especially since Darksiders 2 remains one of the most fun hack and slashers ever made with fantastic lore behind it.
10 Aliens Vs. Predator
Whether it's the classic 2000 title or the 2010 reboot, the Aliens Vs. Predator games show the ample potential of the IP. There are three different campaigns to choose from. Colonial Marine, Alien, and Predator: let the war begin...
While the Marine provides a terrifying experience, the extraterrestrial races are entertaining. First, there's using the shadows and crawling on the walls to slaughter humans as a Xenomorph; then, there's hunting humans and Xenomorphs as the Predator.
9 Slayaway Camp
It's common to play as slashers in action and survival-oriented games. But, if you're a killer who prefers to methodically approach their victims rather than impulsively hack and slash, Slayaway Camp is the game for you. This isometric puzzler places you in the shoes of Skullface, a new killer based on the giants of '80s horror, like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees.
Slayaway Camp is a deceptively simple yet challenging puzzle game. You only get a handful of moves to travel across the board and annihilate unsuspecting civilians. However, winning a round of Slayaway Camp pays back in delightfully gruesome kills. Voice cameos from Mark Meer (Mass Effect) and Derek Mears (Friday The 13th) are icings on the beautifully bloody cake.
8 Mortal Kombat 9
Between ice ball attacks, flying spears, and gruesome fatalities, Mortal Kombat is a fighting game where everyone is a slasher. However, that's not the reason it belongs on this list.
The revamp Mortal Kombat from 2009 features a terrifying DLC character. Enter: Freddy Krueger, the Dream Demon from A Nightmare On Elm Street. Freddy remains a ruthless yet amusing character to play; without him, the next entry wouldn't exist.
7 Mortal Kombat X
While Freddy Krueger did not return, NetherRealm Studios dialed the slasher meter to the max. Several famous killers appeared in the sequel, including Jason Voorhees from Friday The 13th, the Alien, the Predator, and even Leatherface.
All four slasher villains are not only perfectly done DLC, but they match their horror movie roots. They never feel out of place in Mortal Kombat X, even when altered to fit in a la the Alien. Fans loved these guest characters so much that characters like Tremor became sidelined.
6 Terrordrome: Rise Of The Boogeymen
Mortal Kombat has provided several tastes of what it's like to include slasher villains in fighting games. But what if there were a game complete with cinema's best horror villains? Terrordrome: Rise of the Boogeymen is a free-to-play 2D fighting game that includes the best slashers of the '80s and '90s. You can control Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Chucky, Leatherface, and plenty more fan-favorite characters!
Behind Terrordrome's stacked roster is a fluid fighting game that honors its source material. Each character has specific combo strings and helper attacks that directly reference their IPs. For instance, Michael Myers has a helper attack in which he disables opponents with Judith Myer's tombstone. And there's much more murderous mayhem where that comes from!
5 Friday, The 13th The Game
Friday, The 13th: The Game created a similar asymmetrical horror experience as GMod's Murder but suffered some tragic development blocks. It did not look pretty and was very buggy, but it remained a fun and sometimes terrifying multiplayer experience.
The problem is that the game did not receive the updates it deserved due to legal issues with the property. Friday, The 13th remains a fun game, but it's a shame that the developers received a bummer deal.
4 Friday, The 13th: Killer Puzzle
If you enjoy Slayaway Camp, you'll love its follow-up, Friday, The 13th: Killer Puzzle. Blue Wizard Digital's isometric puzzler gains new life with characters and levels based on the titular horror franchise. Fans will get the chance to play as Jason's several iterations, including Retro Jason, Uber Jason, Cyber Jason, and Baghead Jason. Furthermore, each chapter chronicles events throughout the series, from hit films to signature flops.
However, one of the funniest aspects of Friday, The 13th: Killer Puzzle is the inclusion of Pamela Voorhees's disembodied head, which offers motherly advice in each puzzle. As you can see, this little puzzler greatly respects the films and characters that informed it.
3 Splatterhouse
Meet Rick Taylor. He is totally not a Jason Voorhees wannabe. Resurrected by a cursed mask, Rick must rescue his girlfriend, Jennifer. So technically, this slasher is the story's hero, but there's no way we could leave Splatterhouse off the list.
Splatterhouse is a series of sidescrolling games where you control Rick and kill every undead creature and monster in his sight. Think: if the Castlevania games and the Final Fight games merged. It results in a very fun and challenging beat-em-up.
2 Predator: Hunting Grounds
Illfonic, the team behind Friday The 13th The Game, may have been screwed over. However, they got the chance to make a much more polished game in a similar style: Predator: Hunting Grounds.
At launch, the game was incredibly imbalanced and lacking in content. Now, Hunting Grounds features two different modes, new maps, and tons of customization. Plus, after receiving more balanced mechanics, Hunting Grounds is the game it should have been at launch.
1 Dead By Daylight
No shocker here, Dead By Daylight gets the top spot. Why? Dead By Daylight was an indie game that exploded into a massive success. Even without the multitude of iconic guest villains, the original slashers created for the game are brilliant.
While GMod's Murder came first, Dead By Daylight was the game to revolutionize the killer vs. survivor genre. Even to this day, Dead By Daylight is still getting new updates and characters. If one has not played it, in the words of the almighty Emperor Palpatine: "Do it."