Remember when horror games were dead? Of course you do. It wasn’t that long ago, and for fans of the genre, it was depressing. Beloved franchises belonging to the genre had either gone completely dormant or had decided that they no longer wanted to do horror, new horror games were hardly being made, and the industry had collectively decided that there just wasn’t a market out there for these wonderful, creepy experiences.
Everything changed over the last few years, thanks in large part to the resurgence of Resident Evil, and now, we’re in what feels like a second golden era of survival horror games. We’ve had several excellent experiences in this genre in recent years, and what’s even better is that there’s way, way more coming in the near future- and beyond. Here, we’re going to take a look at some of the biggest confirmed and rumoured upcoming horror games, and talk about some of the biggest details we know about them. We’ll go in order of release, and after that, we’ll talk about a couple of games that haven’t been officially announced (though you probably already know what those are).
Obviously, there will be stuff that we’ve missed out on, from smaller titles and indie productions to even upcoming expansions like with Resident Evil Village, so if you think of anything that we haven’t spoken about in this feature, make sure to sound off in your comments.
THE LAST OF US PART 1
(SEPTEMBER 2 | PS5, ALSO IN DEVELOPMENT FOR PC)
Here at GamingBolt, we haven’t exactly been shy in expressing our initial disappointment with The Last of Us Part 1’s reveal. In more ways than one, the remake hasn’t exactly made a great first impression, and so far, Sony and Naughty Dog haven’t shown us why it even needs to exist. The one unknown that could turn things around, however, is details on its gameplay. Supposedly, Part 1 is going to expand and improve the original The Last of Us’ experience with gameplay improvements brought in from Part 2, and if it does that successfully, we could be in for an absolute treat. Survival horror mechanics, stealth, and combat were top-notch in the 2020 sequel, so applying those improvements to the remake could make for a significantly improved experience. Right now, it’s just looking like a somewhat decent visual upgrade that in no way justifies the $70 price tag, but we’re hoping that details about its gameplay improvements will soften the blow of that price a little bit.
SCORN
(OCTOBER 21 | XBOX SERIES X/S, PC)
Scorn has been a long time coming. We’ve been hearing about this game since 2014 now, and since its re-reveal a couple of years ago, it’s turned quite a few heads. Developed by Ebb Software, this first person horror adventure title is looking absolutely fascinating, in large part due to how unique it’s looking. Whether you’re talking about its unsettling setting or the delightfully gross visual aesthetic inspired by the works of H.R. Geiger, Scorn is looking like it has the potential to blow us away with its offerings.
THE CALLISTO PROTOCOL
(DECEMBER 2 | PS5, PS4, XBOX SERIES X/S, XBOX ONE, PC)
This is probably the most exciting game of the bunch, for multiple reasons. For starters, it’s not a sequel, it’s not a remake- it’s a brand new IP, and that’s always exciting. Coming from the creative heads who made the original Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol instantly registered itself on many people’s radars back when it was first announced, and with recent gameplay showing, it’s only solidified its place. Developer Striking Distance Studios is promising a terrifying, moody, brutal game, and that’s exactly what this is looking like. From its sci-fi horror aesthetic to its emphasis on gore and brutal combat to its terrifying enemies, The Callisto Protocol is looking like it has all the makings to instantly become a genre classic. Here’s hoping it can live up to that.
DEAD SPACE
(JANUARY 27, 2023 | PS5, XBOX SERIES X/S, PC)
Of course, in addition to Dead Space spiritual successor The Callisto Protocol, we’re also getting a revival for Dead Space itself, with Motive Studio remaking the original game from the ground-up. Honestly, if that was all we knew about the game, we’d be excited enough- getting Dead Space back in fully remade form is great news in and of itself. But its developers have revealed bits and pieces of information on the game in the months since its announcement, and that’s only driven up our hype. Visually, Dead Space is looking gorgeous, and it looks like Motive is capturing the intense vibe and atmosphere of the original perfectly. They’re also making some interesting changes to the original, from incorporating gameplay elements from Dead Space 2 and using a one-shot camera to making alterations with the story and giving Isaac Clarke a voice and personality, unlike the original game. We’re more than a little curious to see how it all works out, and thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long.
RESIDENT EVIL 4
(MARCH 24, 2023 | PS5, XBOX SERIES X/S, PC)
Capcom officially announced Resident Evil 4’s remake in June, and though it hardly came as a surprise thanks to the relentless leaks over the last couple of years, it was still a crowd-pleasing announcement. The original Resident Evil 4 is, to this day, considered one of the greatest games ever made, so remaking it isn’t going to be an easy task- but seeing as this is being developed by the same team that made 2019’s seminal RE2 remake, there’s every reason to be optimistic. The brief look we’ve had of the game so far has been encouraging. Visually, it’s looking gorgeous, and tonally, it looks like it’s going to be much more brooding, atmospheric, and horror-focused than the original game, which was quite campy and focused much more on action and tension than survival and horror. We don’t know how significant the changes made in this game will be, but hopefully, we’ll have yet another excellent horror Resident Evil experience to look forward to.
ALAN WAKE 2
(2023 | PS5, XBOX SERIES X/S, PC)
Alan Wake 2’s announcement was a long time coming. Remedy Entertainment has been trying to make this game for over a decade, and now, the Finnish developer is finally in a position where it can do that- and it looks like it’s going all out with it. The game is, of course, going to be part of Remedy’s larger connected universe, which is exciting in and of itself, but on top of that, it’s also been confirmed that where the original Alan Wake was an action game with horror elements, Alan Wake 2 is going to be an out-and-out survival horror title. That’s going to be a first for Remedy, and we honestly, couldn’t be more excited about the prospect.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL
(2023 | XBOX SERIES X/S, PC)
GSC Game World has sadly been disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the developer has recently provided updates and, on top of confirming that development on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has resumed, also assured that it’ll be out in 2023. Of course, the safety and health of the people working on the game is the most important thing, but whenever S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does launch, it’s going to be worth keeping an eye on. What we’ve seen of it so far has looked promising in all the right ways, from its tone and atmosphere to its promise of a large open world and how it’ll blend that with its survival horror mechanics. Here’s hoping development progresses smoothly for the shooter going forward.
SILENT HILL 2
We’re now in uncharted territory, talking about games that haven’t been officially announced- which technically means that there’s a good chance they don’t even exist. Silent Hill rumours have been flying around incessantly for over a couple of years at this point, and the most recent leaks have claimed that one of the several Silent Hill titles allegedly in development is a ground-up remake of Silent Hill 2, being handled by Bloober Team. There are some clear and obvious concerns there- is Bloober Team the right studio for a project as massive and prestigious as that? Does this game even exist? If it does, when will it be announced? Silent Hill 2 is one of the greatest games of all time, so the answers to these questions have a lot riding on them. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too long for these answers.
SILENT HILL 5
Of course, the purported Silent Hill revival is not just hedging all of its bets on a remake- a new mainline Silent Hill game is also allegedly in development. According to recent leaks, it’s a first person survival horror game being made by a supposedly prominent Japanese studio. We’ve seen leaked screenshots of it, and an announcement is supposedly coming in the not-too-distant future. Given how many times we’ve been burned by Silent Hill leaks and rumours in recent years, it’s understandable to want to tread with caution here, but there’s just too much smoke here. When will we finally see the fire? Hopefully it won’t be too much longer.