[Top 10] Horror Games Like FNAF (Games Better Than FNAF In Their Own Way)
To figure out what games are similar to the cult classic game franchise Five Nights At Freddy’s, we first have to figure out what made the franchise so successful and unique. I think FNAF has 3 big centerpieces to its success which we will use to compare it to other games.
1. The cartoonish and cute creatures turned into creepy and scary monsters that haunt you.
2. The overarching story spanning multiple games and even books.
3. The most classic method of frightening the player - jumpscares.
With these basics, we will compare the games set in place - let’s get into the great FNAF-like games!
10. CarnEvil
CarnEvil is a bit of a peculiar arcade game that has a gameplay style like Virtua Cop or The House of the Dead. But, it stands out due to its (at the time) great graphics and unique aesthetic of the haunted and creepy Carnival.
You will find a whole lot of different enemies with unique designs and GREAT bosses. The game sure looks outdated, but it's pretty short and can easily be emulated.
I think the game brings a similar atmosphere to FNAF due to the playful setting it takes place in. Both the kid’s diner and a carnival are fun places you wouldn’t expect to be attacked.
9. Slender: The Eight Pages
Slender: The Eight Pages is the first game released in the Slender franchise. It’s a simple game made by a small team in which you are roaming around the forest and collecting creepy drawings that are scattered around. You are constantly chased by Slenderman who progressively becomes more persistent as the game goes on.
This game is similar to FNAF because of the simplicity of the gameplay. And simple gameplay is not a bad thing! You know what you’re supposed to do and it’s quite scary to roam a forest all alone with a mysterious evil entity following you.
8. Alien: Isolation
The game is set on a deteriorating space station that is inhabited by the infamous xenomorph. Since Amanda is inexperienced and unprepared, she must travel silently through Sevastopol to avoid colliding with the alien.
I think the sci-fi setting is a wonderful change of pace from the rest of the survival horror games. The xenomorph is as terrifying as ever, and you have no choice but to hide from him, which is always a terrifying experience.
Like Five Nights At Freddy’s you find yourself in an unknown place hiding from and avoiding a large threat. You also have to follow Alien’s patterns and the sound cues to know where he’s at all times.
7. Spooky’s House Of Jumpscares
Spooky’s House Of Jumpscares is a lighthearted take on the horror genre. While the game’s title implies what will be scaring you during its duration, the game starts very slowly by jump scaring you with cardboard cutouts of some cute creatures. Soon enough, the game becomes scarier but it still keeps its lighthearted and cartoony vibe.
Spooky’s House Of Jumpscares will probably scare you a lot less than FNAF will, but it’s still a great game with some funny moments and a nice progression.
6. Duck Season
Duck Season shows itself as a VR remake of the old NES game Duck Hunt. Duck Hunt is one of the classic games every child that had NES played. It’s simple and enjoyable - just shoot the ducks when they fly over the screen with the NES Zapper (The gun used for some NES games).
However, one character always stuck out in Duck Hunt. The dog would for some reason always laugh at you after you missed a few shots. And Duck Season decided to extend on the Dog’s Mythos.
The game starts like you’d expect it to. You put Duck Hunt into your NES and start playing it. Soon enough, you start noticing something’s not right. The dog (that quite frankly resembles an animatronic) starts being slightly weird and off-putting. But after a while, things escalate more and more and you realize you’ve made a mistake when you angered him.
5. Emily Wants To Play
Emily Wants To Play is a game in which after delivering the pizza to the requested location you’re left stuck in the customer's house. The door closes on you and won’t open and you’re left for yourself to find out the dark secrets of the house.
It’s a simple game in which you have to figure out the patterns of the things that will scare you. It has an okay setting - the house is pretty crisp and the dolls and Emily look scary.
This game’s quite similar to the FNAF franchise. Its main way of scaring you is done through unexpected and loud jumpscares AND you’re trying to survive in the house until morning.
4. Choo Choo Charles
Choo Choo Charles is a simple and VERY unique game. You travel around an island on your train. Your goal is simple - find scraps scattered around the island to defend yourself from a cursed spider train that’s running around trying to kill you.
Charles looks like something you would see from a Thomas the Tank Engine creepypasta. His design is terrifying and you cannot keep your cool once he sees you and starts running toward you.
3. Boogeyman
Boogeyman is a simple indie game that resembles FNAF. It takes place in a small bedroom. You are alone in the room with the Boogeyman whose sole goal is to jump out at you and eat you. The only thing you can use to fend him off is the flashlight you have. So, every night you have to stay awake and keep watch so the Boogeyman doesn’t catch you.
Boogeyman has gameplay that’s quite similar to the original FNAF games. You have to be on the lookout for the Boogeyman. You have to listen to where he is and use your flashlight to scare him off. It’s like this every night until you beat the game. The only thing that’s missing is the camera system from FNAF - but this game made do without it.
2. Poppy Playtime
Poppy Playtime is a first-person exploration horror game that relies on chaotic chase sequences and interesting puzzles to get its point across. The game’s plot takes place in an abandoned toy factory. You have a pair of elastic hands that you use to interact with objects and solve puzzles - which is a great and fun concept.
The game’s main villain Poppy has a striking resemblance to the animatronics from the FNAF franchise. It’s a big animatronic-like toy creature that haunts you without changing its facial expressions. You’re also stuck on the enemy’s turf which is in this case a toy factory instead of the Fazber’s Pizzeria in the FNAF games.
1. Bendy and the Ink Machine
Bendy and the Ink Machine is a game with a lot of interesting and unusual design elements. The first thing you notice is that the game only has two colors. Black with a stained white. This captures the spirit of the 1920s cartoons.
The game is frightening and menacing, with plenty of jump scares, but it also encourages exploration and puzzle-solving. It has a complex and grim story that requires some exploration to find out, and it has a neat eerie ambiance filled with lethal yet somehow oddly cute scenery.
