Summary
Horror gameshave recently seen a resurgence in popularity, with indie titles likePhasmophobiaandDevour. The best horror games have players on the edges of their seats,awaiting looming jumpscaresand unseen threats lurking in the shadows. Despite their quaint art style and lack of dimension,2D games cater to the horror genre quite well, delivering a nuanced sense of terror.
This more minimal style can leave much to the imagination and keep various things unseen (or vaguely seen). Yet it’s often the unseen, imaginative elements that can make horror so unnerving. Many of the best 2D horror games available to play on PC use these techniques — along with a creepy atmosphere, jumpscares, and gore — to bring intense scares and psychological terrors.
Updated June 13, 2025 by Stephen LaGioia:Halloween may be long over, but many gamers still yearn for helpings of eerie, nail-biting games as the days get cold and the nights grow long. Luckilly, there’s no shortage of great titles which can both entertain and frighten. The horror genre has been riding high of late with titles like Five Nights at Freddy’s and the robustResident Evil 4 remake.
Juxaposing this is a renaissance of charming 2D and retro-style games. While these areas of gaming wouldn’tseemto mesh that well, a growing number of studios are proving that this blend not only works for horror, but can be the template of some truly spooky games!
12Teleglitch
Metascore: 84
Created by Test3 Projects, this top-down horror-shooter has players take the role of a scientist and sole survivor of a lab disaster on an alien planet. As one might imagine from such a scene, players will be spending much time shooting and staving off alien monsters and robots, to weather this experiment gone wrong.
With a slew of massive creatuers, expanses of dark, randomly-arranged locales, and pummeling action,Teleglitchbrings tons of thrills (and chills). The game’s punishing difficulty ensures that players will remain on their edge of their seats while blasting their way through this chaotic indie.
While many horror games lean on over-the-top violence, action, and/or jumpscares for their thrills,Oxenfreebrings a more subtly eerie experience with its gripping narrative and atmosphere. Gamers play as Alex, a teen exploring an island with friends.
A simple trip turns into an intense journey and mystery, as the group must uncover details surrounding a paranormal presence that’s been let loose on the secluded island. Players go through this graphic adventure with dialogue choices to reach a certain ending, and strengthen relationships while venturing through the somber island.
They’ll also solve puzzles via Alex’s trusty handheld radio, which, as it happens, can also communicate with spirits.
Crafted by Playdead ofLimbofame,Insideis a similarly chilling, amospheric journey through an ominous, silhouetted scene. Rather than stressing nature this time, though, players are dropped into an unnerving dystopian land filled with mystery, crafty puzzles, as well as dark-inhumane scenes.
More details are uncovered organically through the visual-heavy narrative, which keeps the trip compelling despite a minimal approach. As players work through contraptions, evade detection, and run from the occasional mutant, things escalate towards a truly wild ending.
9Lakeview Cabin Collection
Metascore: 70
Lakeview Cabincan best be described as a scrolling NES puzzler fused with a heart-pumping slasher.
Gamers will delve into a movie theather horror scene, playing out aFriday the 13th-esque scramble to avoid a mad killer lurking in different camping as well as indoor locales. Ambiguous puzzles must to be solved, often by shifting between multiple characters — all with the looming threat of their swift, quiet pursuer possibly ending them in seconds.
TheLakeview Cabin Collectionoffers five different “movies” which take the form of short, distinct horror scenes. While it may be crude and slim in terms of content, it’s hard to find a more straightforward, over-the-top horror-fest in the 2D realm than this one.
8House
Steam User Score: 97%
This hidden indie gem of a horror game has players take control of Tabby. She is trapped, living the same nightmare endlessly on repeat ina creepy haunted housewhere each inanimate object is trying to kill her.
House is a trial-and-error game, as players must find a way to survive the horrors in this race against time. The house reacts and changes to Tabby’s actions in real-time, with multiple endings to discover.
Detentionbegins with Ray, the main protagonist, and her friend Wei as they are trapped at Greenwood high school during a horrible storm. The only bridge leading to salvation has collapsed, so they must find an alternative. Alone, yet not wholly, the girls must find their way out by exploring the school.
Players must navigateDetention’s main characters around in aclassic point-and-click fashion, adding to the ominous tension as evil lurks in unexpected places. This story-driven atmospheric narrative incorporates local Taiwanese cultural references and Chinese mythology to tell its unique and terrifying story.
Omoriis aslow-burner psychological horrorthat touches upon the horrors of the human mind. It deals with the story of the bond between a friendship group, mainly focusing on two characters, Omori and Sunny. This fun and colorful cast of characters offset the narrative’s darker and more serious nature.
While exploring deeper themes like mental health,Omori,at its core, is a traditional turn-based RPG with some fresh mechanics. Thecombat mechanic explores emotionswith a triage-based system; Happy beats Angry, Angry beats Sad, etc.Omoriis a touching story that will stay with players long after they have completed it.
5Worse Than Death
Steam User Score: 79%
The prospect of high-school reunions is terrifying enough. Still, WorseThan Deathtakes that to the next level as a high-school reunion goes horribly wrong. Playing as Holly, her return to her hometown dredges up some painful memories from her past. Sheresolves to uncover the truthbehind a murder.
Holly must run for her life and use stealth to get past the creatures that lurk in the dark. The 2D pixel art style and the ambiance set the evocative atmosphere.Worse Than Deathis a side-scroller thriller that shows that horror doesn’t just come in the form of jumpscares and monsters but festering secrets that need to be told.
4Lone Survivor
Metascore: 81
Lone Survivoris a 2D psychological survival-horror indie game weaving inspiration from games likeSilent Hillinto its atmosphere. Players step into the shoes of an anonymous character stationed in a ruined city with limited supplies and dwindling feelings of hope. He journeys to discover meaning for his existence,encountering strange charactersin the outside world.
This game has a unique sense of surrealism, as the player may realize that they may have an unreliable perception of the world surrounding them.Lone Survivor is one of the best 2D horror gamesexamining the horrors of the human mind.
InLimbo, players control as a small shadow child looking to reunite with his missing sister. The eerie soundtracks andmonochromic environments are pitched in a space of perpetual gloom, perfect for fans of Tim Burton.
As the nameLimbosuggests, the player will continuously be making progress, only to have to move backward again. Thepuzzles and platforming elements are fairly straightforward, to begin with, before progressively becoming complex as the game continues, contributing to that disturbing atmosphere.
