There have been a lot of great Horror Games to come out of 2022. However, many have been produced by indie instead of AAA developers this time around. It is refreshing for once and we should give these indie developers the respect that they deserve for making horrifying stories for us to experience. In 2022, it is tough to be original and unique in creating forms of art. Pretty much everything has been done, especially when it comes to jumpscares. But Horror Games are about the atmosphere, above all else. Considering that however, these are our top picks of the scariest horror moment of 2022’s video games.
9. Stay Out of the House: The Dog
The PS1 Horror masters, Puppet Combo returned with their latest installment titled Stay Out of the House. I personally loved this game. It was refreshing to play within a smaller area with concise puzzles and a well-made AI for the Granny and Butcher. This game was a challenge to complete and I truly place it as Puppet Combo’s best game so far. I cannot wait to see what else they come up with. Stay Out of the House was intense from start to finish. You had to play strategically due to the limited saves, always on edge for whatever was around the corner.
The House section is the best part of the game, and I appreciated being able to experience both the House and the Bunker as separate sections of a Horror experience. I went into this game not knowing anything and so the encounter with the Granny scared the hell out of me. Her screaming to alert the Butcher of our whereabouts had me panicking so hard. But that mechanic was easy to get used to. It was not until I entered the Bunker that the true Horror Game began. I stupidly believed that I was safe in the starting section of the Bunker. Little did I know that there was some kind of demon dog roaming the Bunker corridors, waiting to pounce on anyone it sees.
The encounter with the dog was the scariest Horror moment of Stay Out of the House. Although, its Horror did not last for long due to its incredibly annoying jump attack and ability to find me no matter where I hid. Damn that dog.
8. The Moon Has Faded Away: Someone is at the Door
The Moon Has Faded Away is a lesser-known Indie Horror Game. It is a very short story about a crazy unnatural event of the Moon vanishing from Earth. You play as a young boy as part of a small family. It is a simple linear story in the style of the PS1 aesthetics. As time passes, with the boy not knowing what is going on with his mother and civilization. Things are escalating fast. There are multiple scary moments in this short Horror Game. One of which is your mother standing transfixed at your bedroom windows in the middle of the night. Repeatedly checking that the windows are closed for safety. She seems obsessed by something.
The scariest Horror moment of this game is the climax. Your mother has left you and your sister. There is someone at the door. It is not your mom. They continue to slam their fists against the door, desperate to get in. Your presence is known as you left your light on. They know you are home. This moment is similar to the horror in Fears to Fathom: Home Alone. The unknown and terror of someone nefarious standing outside the house, trying to get in. It is a horrible moment that has you panic or even, pause the game and click the exit button.
7. The Quarry: Werewolf on a Beam
Supermassive Games, The Quarry was a really fun horror experience. However, I can safely say that no Supermassive Games have ever scared me. But do not let that take away from how good these Horror Games are. Whilst, The Quarry houses more likeable characters than Until Dawn, Until Dawn had a better storyline. Once again, I went into this game not knowing anything and being particularly surprised to see David Arquette as one of the side characters. I found that The Quarry is much easier to save all of your characters in than Until Dawn.
The monsters of The Quarry are werewolves this time around. The holding your breath mechanic in the game is easy to handle and nowhere near as stressful as Until Dawns’ mechanic of not moving the controller. The Quarry felt like the more relaxed, entertaining form of Until Dawn. But it did have its moments of fear factor. The scariest Horror moment is whilst playing as Kaitlyn. You are split from Dylan as you hold your final stand in the Cabin. The werewolf chasing Kaitlyn, where you are given the option to go out the Window or walk across the Beam. Taking the beam is one of the most stressful sequences in the game.
As Kaitlyn walks across the beam, us as players can only mash the X button to get her to safety. We see the werewolf closely following her from behind, careful crossing the beam himself. This moment was anxiety inducing and made me panic.
6. The Devil in Me: Voices from the Past
The Devil in Me is the final installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology: Season 1. This game takes the concept of H.H. Holmes, known as one of the first American serial killers. With the recent influx of serial killer content, because apparently that is the new “in” thing to want to watch. The Devil in Me follows a TV crew creating a documentary series on Holmes’ murderous career. The Devil in Me resembles the original Saw, with mend-bending, everchanging environment, manipulating stimuli and creepy atmosphere. This game does something interesting that is not seen often in Horror Games and that is giving each character a unique object that offers different gameplay.
The Dark Picture games are typically interactive stories where you walk around to find how to progress in the game. This time however, giving its characters a staple object which offers a different horror experience is a great touch. The best choice is Erin having a mic, which she can use to locate far away sounds. Our introduction to this gameplay mechanic is as we play as Erin on her own walking through the maze-like hallways.
Doors locking by themselves, we feel drawn to the sounds of the past victims, seemingly made by a Holmes copycat. This is the scariest horror moment of The Devil in Me for you cannot escape the cries, groans and screams of the victims almost as if they are clawing away at the walls surrounding Erin, trying to escape. For our character Erin suffers from asthma, this moment feels somewhat symbolic to her condition. It is suffocating and claustrophobic.
5. Iron Lung: The Dreaded Climax
Iron Lung is a very interesting short Horror Game. Its entirety takes place inside a claustrophobic space. We play as a fugitive, send on a suicide mission to find resources in the blood sea of a Moon. With basic controls and the only real sign of Horror to be seen through the camera of the outside world, Iron Lung is a terrifying experience from start to finish. The peak of Horror gaming is the feeling of not wanting to play anymore, deciding that the ending is not worth the risk if the game is too scary to play. Iron Lung has this whilst simultaneously pulling at your curiosity.
The scariest horror moment in Iron Lung is its finale. Whilst its final jumpscare leaves a little to be desired for my liking. The build up towards the penultimate jumpscare is fantastic. The jumpscare of the giant eye looking back at you, signifying that this gigantic creature is somewhat aware of your existence. Although, it is a still image, it works perfectly against the photo mechanic that Iron Lung has as its primary source of understanding the depths of the ocean around you. You have no means of escape and as you stare into the eye of the creature. Not knowing what beast the eye could belong to. You hope for the swift end to this hopeless endeavour.
4. Luto: P.T meets Kairo
Although this entry is only a demo, Luto is a very strong contender as being one of the best Horrors of the year. Luto, whilst blatantly inspired by Konami’s P.T, is one of the few strong candidates in P.T style games. With a level design similar to that of P.T and Resident Evil Biohazard, the ambiance and atmosphere of Luto is something I have not felt since the Silent Hills demo. Yes, Luto is nothing new when it comes to Horror Games, but you cannot fault its beauty. The atmosphere is tense and you have to give the developers a lot of respect for making the concept of a white sheet scary.
Luto is a psychological horror, therefore the fear comes from the uneasy atmosphere where it does not spend too much time trying to scare you on jumpscares. Everything is well thought out and nicely timed with its jumpscares. However, sometimes it borders on becoming too much of a walking simulator than a Horror Game. The demo’s scariest horror moment is a moment that reminds me of the Japanese Horror Film, Kairo. In a dark corridor, you hear the sound of someone knocking on one of the doors beside you. As you continue walking, the white sheet outlining a humanoid figure falls out of another door.
The fall is so fluid and effortless, with the most realistic motion of a flowing white sheet I have ever seen in a video game. The figure stands up and starts chasing you. Chase sequences are overdone, so this did not scare me as much as it should. But the initial fall of the white sheet figure is so well done that it hits the uncanny valley aesthetic. This moment reminds me so much of Kairo. If you have not seen the infamous ghost scene in Kairo, you must. In my opinion, it is the scariest Horror Movie moment. Luto hits that same fear with their version of an uncanny supernatural force.
3. The Mortuary Assistant: The Mimic at the Back of your Neck
The Mortuary Assistant is filled with many jumpscares. A lot are not scary and feel like the very typical Horror jumpscares we experience in every game and film. But The Mortuary Assistant has moments of absolute Horror greatness. These are focussed on the jumpscares with The Mimic. In my playthrough I actually welcomed the jumpscares of the other in-game demons, including the body on the table occasionally moving. I find that there is a fine line between Comedy and Horror (like Pennywise in IT), with some jumpscares feeling cheap and basic. But the Horror of the Mimic was something I did not welcome at all.
The scariest horror moment of The Mortuary Assistant is when you are interacting with either your clip board or the body. But the key is to be standing in front of the entrance doorway. As you turn around, slowly, feeling the hairs on the back of your neck stand, the Mimic hovers over you. His white demonic body pushed up against the tip of the doorframe. Then vanishing immediately after being seen by falling down, out of your line of sight. It is a terrifying moment and one of the best jumpscares I have ever experienced in a Horror Game.
2. The Closing Shift: “Sorry We’re Closed”
The Closing Shift is one of the greatest Horror Games of 2022. Made by the legends Chilla’s Art. The purpose of the game is to complete your night shift as a female employee being stalked by a mysterious and creepy figure. This game is a little too real, and although it is Japanese, the Horror of the Closing Shift can be experienced by anyone. I place this scariest Horror moment above The Mortuary Assistant because of this reason. No one likes home invasions or hostile and creepy stalkers. For me, this is the peak of Horror, rather than something supernatural.
The Closing Shift has a brilliant build up of anxiety. You are tricked into thinking that nothing bad will happen to you. But as the game progresses, with customers talking about some weird guy hovering around outside and stranger customers coming in to order as the night goes on. You cannot help but feel like something is about to happen. You end up waiting for the climax, hoping it will reveal itself soon. When it does, it is horrifying. I believe The Closing Shift has one of the best Horror climaxes ever seen in a video game. With the jumpscare hitting at the peak of your anxiety.
The scariest Horror moment of The Closing Shift is as you approach the store entrance to lock the door in the final portion of the game. As the latch locks, the stranger who has been watching you from afar makes his move. It is a jumpscare that has to be experienced for yourself.
1. IMMORTALITY: When The One First Appears
Perhaps a controversial pick for the number 1 spot, especially as IMMORTALITY for a lot of people is not a Horror Game. To be completely honest, I do not see IMMORTALITY as a Horror Game either. But there is something about this game that makes you feel so uneasy. When I initially started playing, I had no idea what to expect. The game is relatively simple. You piece together movie scenes by clicking on the objects and actors inside the short clip. The goal? Find out what happened to Marissa Marcel, an actor who mysteriously disappeared.
IMMORTALITY is a fantastic game, with a refreshing take on the Mystery genre. Every person playing this game will encounter The One at a different time. In my playthrough, I was examining one of the Ambrosio clips where Marissa walks into a dark alter, holding a lantern. She faces us and simply stares at the camera. Now, as someone with an irrational fear of being stared at by a stranger, this put me in a somewhat uncomfortable position. However, when I decided to rewind to show my sister this weird clip, something unveiled itself. In the rewind, The One appeared, arms spread like some kind of religious figure, she looked both angelic and demonic at the same time.
I have never been more scared of a black and white image before in my life. IMMORTALITY is no Horror Game but is a one-of-a-kind experience. The image of The One will stay with me as the most effective jumpscare when it probably was not meant to be perceived as one. With incredible acting, the best I have seen in an FMV game, IMMORTALITY is our top spot for having the scariest horror moment of 2022.
We hope you enjoyed our ranking of the Scariest Horror Game Moments of 2022. What are your top picks? Let us know on Gamer Journalist’s Facebook. You may also want to check out our other horror content of 10 Best PS1 Style Horror Games or 10 Best Horror Games on Nintendo Switch.
