The survival horror genre of gaming has greatly evolved from its early beginnings of Alone in the Dark, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil. However, the core elements largely stuck and have only given way to new experiences. Now you see plenty of first-person survival horror where you’re defenseless, games that rely on a camera or a found footage element, or even heavy narrative-based games centered around making critical decisions that could change the fate of your characters. It might also even include survival games, like The Forest.
The 2020s have continued to show that the horror genre of gaming is thriving, and even up for some prestigious awards, as in the case of Alan Wake 2 and the latest Silent Hill entries from Konami. 2026 releases, of course, come in the form of notable horror games like Resident Evil Requiem and Reanimal, but there are also plenty of hidden gems and lesser-known indie titles on the horizon that will soon haunt your wishlists.
10. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando
John Carpenter, the legendary horror auteur behind iconic films such as The Thing, Halloween, They Live, Prince of Darkness, Vampires, and Escape From New York, is a pretty big gamer himself. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that he (of all Hollywood directors) would be collaborating on a new horror video game.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a multiplayer horde shooter in the vein of titles like Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood. It’s a pure FPS adrenaline ride, where you and your squad of friends must deal with loads of mutated zombies and various boss forms as you navigate your next objective. And since the publisher is Saber Interactive, the swarm mechanics in Toxic Commando are the same as those in World War Z and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, so expect total carnage.
9. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival
Horror author and filmmaker Clive Barker is no stranger to the realm of video games. After all, the 2000s saw underrated releases from his unique vision, like Clive Barker’s Undying and Clive Barker’s Jericho. And while you may have already gotten the iconic villain of the Hellraiser series, Pinhead, in Dead by Daylight, he and his fellow Cenobites finally arrive in their own game, which also comes from developer Saber Interactive.
If you’re a fan of the Hellraiser films in all their sadomasochistic body horror glory, the video game aims to push the M-rated content to the extremes to be as faithful to this universe as possible. Hellraiser: Revival sees you as a new protagonist named Aidan, who uses the infamous puzzle box to rescue his girlfriend from Pinhead’s dominion, encountering various grotesque enemies and bosses that lie in wait on the other side. The puzzle box will be used throughout the gameplay, the environments all match the disturbing aesthetic of the films, and the gore is bound to be plentiful. Above all, Doug Bradley reprises the legendary voice of Pinhead in this installment.
8. Halloween
2026 is truly the year of John Carpenter in the horror game space. Not only does he have the launch of his own multiplayer horror game, but his original IP, Halloween, also gets turned into a new horror game. From the developers behind past asymmetrical multiplayer game adaptations such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Michael Myers becomes the next iconic slasher to get his own game.
Set in Haddonfield at the time of the original movie, one player will be in control of Michael while the rest must hide and avoid death, as these experiences usually go. However, where this particular title differs from past games of its genre is that Halloween will offer a singleplayer story mode where you can play from the perspective of the infamous boogeyman of Haddonfield himself.
7. Liminal Point
If you’re a fan of horror titles that remix the classic survival horror formula into a more modern template, like Tormented Souls, Signalis, or Hollowbody, Liminal Point from developer HideWorks is another one to look out for in 2026. You’ll find the UI for inventory and health to be reminiscent of the early Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, and the fog-ridden environment and psychological horror elements here carry a heavy influence from Konami’s beloved series.
The main twist on the gameplay in Liminal Point is that it offers an isometric survival horror experience paired with the combat, lighting, and sound design you’d expect from your standard third-person shooter survival horror game. The main hook of the narrative is that you’re a musician named Lyra traveling to the island of Ashen Point to follow up on a distressing voicemail left by your former bandmate, but you are instead met with deadly creatures of all forms and begin to uncover a deeper mystery. Essentially, it’s Silent Hill meets Lost Records.
6. Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake
With the success of Resident Evil 4 Remake and Silent Hill 2 Remake, 2026 graces you with yet another new remake of a classic survival horror title. It’s now Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly’s turn to either win new players over or bring the nostalgia back to those who grew up with it on their PS2s.
In Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly, you’ll pick up the Camera Obscura once more and snap some pictures of ghosts as a creative method of warding them off. The story follows twin sisters Mayu and Mio as they go on a harrowing journey through the haunted Minakami village. Aside from major graphical improvements, some other new features in the remake include 3D sound that better intensifies the atmosphere, as well as the tweaked ‘Holding hands with Mayu’ mechanic that’s now supposed to be even more detailed at making the bond between sisters feel more earned.
5. Directive 8020
After a bit of a delay, Supermassive Games enters 2026 with Directive 8020, kicking off the next season of its branching narrative horror anthology, The Dark Pictures. While the first season focused more on ghosts, demons, and serial killers, Directive 8020 will deliver some cosmic horror for fans of Dead Space and The Thing. And this would also make an especially terrific follow-up to House of Ashes.
With famous actors typically being at the forefront of all of Supermassive’s horror endeavours, the star of Directive 8020 will be Lashana Lynch, who’s best known for her MCU role as Maria Rambeau, as well as Peacock’s The Day of the Jackal, The Woman King, and No Time to Die. Lynch will play an astronaut named Brianna Young, arriving on the planet of Tau Ceti on the colony ship, Cassiopeia. Some sort of alien pathogen has taken hold of the planet, and like The Thing, it can mimic its prey, so you can’t trust anyone, which creatively comes into play through the choice-based system. You also now have the option to rewind decisions.
4. Reanimal
In 2026, Tarsier Studios, the creator of the Little Nightmares series, will launch its long-awaited follow-up, Reanimal. Although a totally separate juggernaut from the Little Nightmares entries, Reanimal’s core aesthetics and gameplay will closely align with the horror platforming setup you might already be familiar with. However, this time, there’s seemingly even more disturbing content and far gorier enemy designs and set pieces, given its M-rating.
The story in Reanimal is that you’re a brother and sister duo trapped on an island with some incredibly horrifying monsters out to get you while you search for your friends. It sounds a bit like Oxenfree but with the giant, eerie creatures from Little Nightmares getting some hideous new makeovers. And since there are two protagonists, you have the option of either playing singleplayer or co-op. But you probably won’t want to face this new nightmare from Tarsier alone.
3. Ontos
The beloved horror hit maker behind such titles as the Amnesia series, Soma, and the Penumbra series, Frictional Games, returns to the sci-fi horror genre in 2026 with Ontos. If you ever wondered about the potential horrors of space tourism, Ontos is bound to have your curiosity piqued and your heart pounding.
This game takes you to a moon base called Samsara, which was formerly established as a luxury hotel. As you explore all of its secrets and take part in chilling experiments, your perception of reality becomes more and more blurred. The story and gameplay are like a cross between Alien: Isolation, Soma, and Event Horizon. If that’s not enough to hook you, one of the characters you encounter will be voiced by acclaimed film and television star Stellan Skarsgård.
2. The Sinking City 2
The Sinking City 2 by Ukrainian developer Frogwares is a sequel to one of the most underrated horror adventure games that will continue the exceptional world-building around Lovecraft’s popular otherworldly mythos. While the first game was more open-world RPG-oriented and consisted of detailed investigative mechanics, Frogwares pushes the sequel to The Sinking City in a more survival horror route, like Remedy did with Alan Wake 2. The new visuals here also come with a stunning upgrade thanks to Unreal Engine 5.
In The Sinking City 2, you should expect the gameplay to be more along the lines of Silent Hill 2 Remake or the new Alone in the Dark in terms of combat design, puzzles, and the greater focus on managing resources and inventory. You’ll be dealing with a wide array of Eldritch terrors and cultists that stalk you around every corner of the map, including some original monster designs from Frogwares. The enemies that have already been revealed in the lead-up to launch already look properly unsettling, not to mention some pretty cool-looking Deep Ones.
1. Resident Evil Requiem
As exciting as all these above titles are, the most highly anticipated horror game of anyone’s 2026 release calendar is undoubtedly Resident Evil: Requiem. With Ethan’s journey coming to a close in the events of Resident Evil Village, you’ll now get to take on the role of Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from RE: Outbreak, and also step back into the shoes of Leon S. Kennedy in this latest installment, a long-awaited moment.
Capcom is taking the game design in Resident Evil Requiem to exciting new heights, now allowing you to decide between first and third-person gameplay for Leon and Grace’s story. Based on what has been revealed from all the trailers, Leon’s gameplay will have an action-oriented combat system with those signature kicks from Resident Evil 4, while Grace’s gameplay will exhibit more of that run-and-hide, pure survival horror dread of the previous two installments.