The 25 Best Horror Games Released in 2016

2016 horror games
By
Skylar Black
Updated:
23 Aug 2024

2016 was a big year for everyone, including the horror genre

2016 was quite a year; a presidential election, the death of several celebrities, and a whole lot of other happenings flooded our newsfeeds from January to December. The same goes for the horror genre; 2016 brought on some horror games that were beautiful, and some that… weren’t. Here are the 25 best games released in 2016.

*Note: This list is not ranked.

25. Pony Island

Pony Island is a deceptively adorable puzzle game created by the Devil himself. Players must solve puzzles and find weaknesses to escape the game.

24. Oxenfree

  • Released on January 15, 2016
  • Platforms: PC, PS4, OS X, Linux, Xbox One, iOS
  • Official Website

Oxenfree follows a group of teens who unknowingly open a doorway into a ghostly realm, with terrible consequences. Players take the role of Alex, and must interact with the environment, make decisions, and solve puzzles to try and escape the ghost's grasp before it's too late.

23. Fear Equation

Fear Equation is a turn-based strategy game in which players take control of a modified freight train that is designed to protect those inside it from a terrible fog that brings their nightmares to life. Players must rescue people, analyze their dreams, and build defenses to protect them from the nightmares they manifest.

22. Duskers

Duskers is a survival horror game that focuses on surviving alone in deep space, while simultaneously trying to piece together what has happened to the universe and wiped everyone else out. Players must pilot drones into abandoned spaceships in order to find materials and information to progress.

21. Corpse Party

Corpse Party is a psychological horror game that takes place in a haunted elementary school, where terrible things have taken place. Players must explore the haunted grounds and find clues to unravel the mysteries before the school's eternal occupants catch up with them.

20. Calendula

Calendula is described as a game that doesn't want to be played. Players must solve various puzzles to try and continue playing the game to its completion, while the game does anything to stop them.

19. Layers of Fear

  • Released on February 16, 2016
  • Platforms: PC, OS X, Linux, PS4, Xbox One
  • Official Website

Layers of Fear is a single player psychological horror game in which players take control of a mentally ill painter obsessed with completing his masterpiece. Players must navigate a constantly shifting Victorian mansion to unveil the process by which the painting is completed.

18. The Town of Light

  • Released on February 26, 2016
  • Platforms: PC (TBA for Xbox One and PS4)
  • Official Website

The Town of Light is an atmospheric horror game based on the story of a woman who revisits an abandoned institution that she was incarcerated in as a child. Players must explore the now-abandoned buildings and unravel the secrets of the woman's time there.

17. DreadOut: Keepers of the Dark

Keepers of the Dark is a small DLC game for the larger DreadOut games. The plot follows the main character, Linda, after she has been pulled into a mirror by her own reflection, ending up in a surreal otherworld that she must now escape.

16. Don't Starve Together

Don't Starve Together is a multiplayer expansion for the popular survival horror game Don't Starve. Players must battle hunger, madness, and various horrible creatures as they collaborate in order to ensure that they don't starve.

15. Dead End Road

Dead End Road is an atmospheric horror game in which the player is placed at the wheel of a car, desperately trying to reach an old woman at the end of the road who can reverse a sinister ritual that has unleashed something terrible that is chasing them.

14. Doom

Doom is a popular reboot of the series by the same name in which players take the role of an unnamed Marine fighting against demonic forces in a colony on Mars. The gameplay features a faster pace and more open-ended levels than its predecessors.

13. Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh

Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh is an immersive and surreal horror game that takes place in a small village in Argentina that is surrounded by rumors of cannibalism, black magic, and superstition. Players must navigate the environment and discover the truth before it's too late.

12. Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game that positions three players as survivors and one as the killer. Gameplay revolves around escaping the compound, or, if you're the bloodthirsty villain, killing everyone before they can accomplish their goal.

11. Welcome to the Game

Welcome to the Game is a game based within the Deep Web, that legendary portion of the internet in which all sorts of terrible business can be conducted. The player takes the role of an unnamed character who has gained access to the Deep Web, and is challenged with finding 8 keys to unlock an online torture and murder 'Red Room'.

10. The Brookhaven Experiment

The Brookhaven Experiment is a wave-based zombie shooter created for VR. Players must manage their ammo, health, and light source while fighting off waves of twisted zombies.

9. Inside

Inside is an insidious puzzle platformer created by the developers of Limbo. Players take the role of a faceless young boy who finds himself entangled in a sinister government project.

8. Lethe - Episode One

Lethe is an atmospheric first person horror game in which the player explores a frightening and surreal world. Players must explore and interact with the environment while avoiding enemies as they struggle to unfold the origins of the main character.

7. CASE: Animatronics

CASE: Animatronics is a horror game that is very similar to the iconic Five Nights at Freddy's franchise. However, players find themselves with more to do, as they can move freely through the environment and are pursued by the animatronics.

6. The Final Station

The Final Station is a gorgeous indie game that blends a resource management game with a zombie shooter. Players are placed in charge of a train that is apparently hauling important cargo, and must manage the stability of the train and the needs of the passengers, as well as navigating environments outside the train and battling the zombies within them.

5. Event [0]

Event [0] is a creepy first person horror game in which the player finds themselves trapped on an otherwise abandoned spacecraft controlled by an artificial intelligence. They must find clues and solve puzzles to figure out what happened to the rest of the crew and how they are going to get home.

4. Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location

Sister Location is an extension of the Five Nights at Freddy's lore. Players must guard another location, with new mechanics and new animatronics to deal with. 

3. Slayaway Camp

Slayaway Camp is a puzzle game in which players take control of Skullface, an adorable blocky murderer who enjoys slashing camp counselors and generally being a horror movie villain from the 80s. Players must slide the killer around the isometric levels and kill all the inhabitants.

2. Through the Woods

Through the Woods is a horror game based in Norse mythology that follows a mother who is looking for her missing son. Players explore the story of her son's disappearance through reactive narration mechanics.

1. Arizona Sunshine

Arizona Sunshine is an exclusive VR zombie survival game set in a desolate wasteland. Players take the role of a survivor that has caught a snatch of a human voice on a radio, and must now navigate the hordes of zombies and blistering heat in search of other humans.

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Skylar Black
I divide my time between playing games at unholy hours of the night and writing about them; occasionally I allot moments for sleep and refueling.
Gamer Since:
2008
Favorite Genre:
FPS
Currently Playing:
Kholat, Prey, Graveyard Keeper, Stardew Valley
Top 3 Favorite Games:
BioShock 2, Civilization IV, Plague Inc: Evolved