Playable on PS5, the LEGO-fied adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn offers overhead beat ’em up co-op action and a much more laid-back approach to the original’s post-apocalyptic setting. The other major addition is, unsurprisingly, Killing Floor 3, which launched to negative reviews.

It’s since improved courtesy, especially following the Rearmament update, but it wouldn’t be surprising if sales didn’t meet expectations. Speaking of the same (and needing new players), there’s Synduality Echo of Ada, Bandai Namco’s underwhelming extraction shooter and the third PS5 exclusive.

For those seeking a more survival horror-focused multiplayer experience, The Outlast Trials on PS4 and PS5 should fill that void in disturbingly gruesome fashion. Speedrunners can check out Neon White on the same platforms for its clever mix of first-person shooting, cards and anime-esque storytelling.

Of course, there’s even more to look forward to in December when Skate Story launches on day one for subscribers. Head here for the latest details.

Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest is perhaps one of the best-realized fusions of survival sandbox gameplay and horror. At first glance, it seems like just another in a long line of sandbox crafting games. Yet it executes both elements so well that the experience eclipses expectation. Between the uncanny swamp mutant abominations to the unpredictable scenarios and clever diegetic crafting menus, Sons of the Forest is not to be missed.

Layers of Fear (2023)

If you prefer more subtle horror with psychological leanings, Layers of Fear may just end up being a new favorite. Labyrinthine creepy mansion: check. Mysterious past to uncover: check. Heaps of atmospheric storytelling and puzzles to solve: check. This game hits all the marks of classic survival horror from days past, with echoes of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and even The Shining. Fans of the Silent Hill 2 remake should especially consider checking out this gem from Bloober Team.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Ghostwire: Tokyo takes a more unconventional approach to horror, ditching the ‘survival’ aspect and replacing it with some good old karate….with magic. The atmosphere of the game is a highlight. Shibuya is haunted and desolate, with nothing but neon lights and abandoned belongings of those who went missing. Your adversaries are modern-day interpretations of Yokai from Japanese folklore. These take the form of blank-faced salarymen and headless schoolgirls to name just a few. The fast-paced action of the magic karate doesn’t take away from the unsettled nature of the empty Tokyo streets or the creative enemy designs.

Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil does all the things excellent survival horror is supposed to be. It situates players into a vulnerable position with lack of resources, and the atmosphere and zombies are downright terrifying. Resident Evil Village does the classic formula and vibe well, filling the journey with a blend of slower-paced exploration and puzzles with tense set-piece moments and boss fights. Village does a particularly good job with its contrasting environments and themes. The baroque Castle Dimetrescu feels so distinct from Heisenberg’s industrial factory. And it’s all framed through an interesting folktale lens to boot.

Amnesia: Rebirth

The Amnesia series does one thing better than pretty much every other horror series: instilling vulnerability to the player. Like previous Amnesia titles, Rebirth features no combat. Encounters must be overcome through escapes, puzzle-solving, and exploration. But unlike other past games, Rebirth takes place out in the desert instead of a factory or other claustrophobic interior. You play as Tasi, a pregnant woman searching for her missing crew within the vast Algerian desert. You’re still sneaking through interiors such as pitch-black caverns and creepy abandoned ruins though, so it retains that dark atmosphere despite its unique setting.

System Shock Remake

For those itching for deep choice-driven gameplay mechanics, System Shock Remake is a sure bet. The original is a seminal classic in the survival horror space, being one of the first immersive sim games to reach broad appeal. The ship’s AI, SHODAN, remains one of the more engaging villains in the genre. The sci-fi ship almost feels haunted by SHODAN, with the persistent monitoring and sabotage of various ship systems engaging the player’s every move. The game’s atmosphere compliments her constant presence with eerie rattles and distorted sounds almost too well, and the modern remake polishes those scares to a beautiful and terrifying shine.

Choo-Choo Charles

Taking a different turn is the indie game Choo-Choo Charles. This is the ideal horror game on the list if you don’t have a lot of time to invest as it only takes around 3 to 4 to go through. The premise is both unique and simple. You collect eggs and do tasks for NPCs in order to summon the villainous train, Charles, to defeat him. It’s a unique and charming concept and Charles’ jump scare attacks provide ample scares.

Visage

Visage is another indie horror game but this one is often lauded as a spiritual successor to P.T. You’re stuck exploring a 1980s suburban mansion, one that’s both haunted and filled with locked doors. Aside from the numerous puzzles to solve, you must keep your sanity in check by avoiding dark zones and ghost attacks. Those looking for an unpredictable P.T.-like experience owe it to themselves to play Visage.

The Mortuary Assistant

Ever want to inspect dead bodies and exorcise demons in a video game? Well, This solo-developed indie horror title provides that and then some. The Mortuary Assistant puts the player into the shoes of a newly trained assistant at a morgue, tasked with performing her job of preparing corpses for burial. However, it isn’t just another mundane job; demons regularly inhabit the corpses and Rebecca must exorcise them out in-between her paid work. The story is somewhat procedural as well, providing a good amount of replayability.

Ad Infinitum

Ad Infinitum represents yet another creative premise on this list. Players take on the role of a World War 1 vet coming home to take care of an ailing father. The horror takes form from the trauma suffered  in the trenches. This trauma is represented by monsters scouring the house through the mind of the veteran. In gameplay terms, this means solving puzzles around the large house while overcoming the threat of monsters.

Phasmophobia

Phasmophobia is perhaps the most widely played game on the list, which may come as a surprise for some. Social deduction games have been popular of late, and Phasmophobia channels that chaotic premise into a terrifying horror atmosphere. Investigating ghosts as a team may not sound like the most terrifying thing compared to other horror games, but the slow unraveling and eventual reveal of the ghost, and the player’s possession by it, can be a shock, even in a group setting.

Still Wakes the Deep

Described as “The Thing on an oil rig”, Still Wakes the Deep is another game on the list with no combat whatsoever. Players must rely on stealth and avoidance when it comes to monster encounters. The oil rig evolves as the story progresses, with previously explored areas becoming flooded or wrecked. The lack of a HUD helps sell the atmosphere even more. If you enjoy traditional explorative horror, give Still Wakes the Deep a try.

Nightmare of Decay

For those on a tight budget, this $4 indie horror game just might do the trick, especially for fans of old school action horror titles. Nightmare of Decay plays a bit like a first-person Resident Evil 2 with its generous ammo supply and healthy number of zombies infesting the mansion. And there’s plenty of mansion to explore here with puzzles and numerous weapon types scattered about. This is a hidden gem for the Resident Evil 2 fans.

Stay Out of the House

You didn’t think we’d get through this list without a slasher themed horror game, did you? Stay Out of the House is a straight-up cannibal escape simulator. Your goal is simply to survive from the serial killer cannibal stalking the house and surrounding neighborhood. It’s done on a budget, but with tasteful retro filters to make the PS1 aesthetic charming rather than a detriment.

The Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials is a clever take on cooperative horror gameplay. The game follows a structure that updates the player’s abilities upon successful trials. It’s one of those titles with superb gameplay/story integration. Set during the Cold War, recruits are sent to compete in trials against failed recruits who have become psychologically deranged and dangerous. There’s plenty of lore through radio recordings and environmental details that enrich the experience beyond that of just another horror game.

The Outlast Trials entered early access in May 2023 and sold over 500,000 copies in its launch week. It would cross one million sales in July and two million in April 2024. The developer also confirmed that over 1.2 million players became “Reborn” – a term used to indicate completing the base game once.

Available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC, The Outlast Trials deviates from previous titles with its co-op premise. As participants in the Murkoff Corporation’s experiments, they must complete deadly Trials (usually involving a crazed killer) and eventually escape.

Check out our review for the base game here – we gave it an eight out of ten – and a roadmap for upcoming content.

Not much is known about the event, save for the Murkoff Corporation adding cameras to all the Trials. There are two new MK-Challenges – Kidnap the Mistress and Stash the Contraband – and players can unlock new limited-time cosmetics during this. They can also complete tasks to receive special anniversary rewards, including new outfits, a cell prop, a player icon and border, and more.

The next update marks resistance leader Amelia executing her plan and the second part of the limited-time event. Whatever happens, Season 3 is in the works and will offer a new Trial Map, a new Deluxe Catalog, a new enemy NPC, two additional MK-Challenges, a new mode, and more.

The Outlast Trials is available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out our review for the base game.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

GSC Game World’s sequel isn’t a particularly challenging survival experience when managing hunger and radiation. However, patience and endurance are key, whether deducing and defusing anomalies, surviving encounters with Mutants or managing your inventory and dealing with the encumbrance. Doing all this without any fast travel is just the cherry on top. The lethality of firearms also goes both ways, ensuring each gunfight could be fatal with proper preparation.

New Trials and MK-Challenges await outside Poison the Medicine on The Docks. Fuel the Release will require carrying fuel for the court, while Teach the Police Officer involves replacing film reels. However, the most interesting is Mansion Escape, as players return to the Farewell Mansion, which has a new difficulty but a new ending to unlock.

The new mode is Escalation Therapy, where players partake in continuous random trials with modifiers. As you survive, new upgrades become available, but one death and it’s back to the start. Players can also harness a new ability, The Barricage, to block paths against enemies. Those finding issues with the difficulty can explore four new options – Introductory, Standard, Intense, and Psychosurgery.

Stay tuned for more details when Project Lupara drops tomorrow, July 16th. The Outlast Trials is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Check out our review of the launch version here.

Silent Hill 2 

Konami’s Silent Hill 2 continues to be a benchmark for survival horror games even after all these years later, and that legendary status can largely be attributed to the excellent atmosphere that never fails to keep you guessing. The fog-infested town of Silent Hill is brimming with horrors that would give you nightmares for weeks to come, and everything from the story to the music and puzzle design works in symphony to support the central themes of uneasiness and inducing a sense of fear of the unknown. 

The gas deals permanent damage, but hiding can help keep you alive. Toxic Tokens and cosmetics are earned upon completing the Trials, and you can also find new evidence documents to learn more about Toxic Shock as a whole. Players can also look forward to new Mk-challenges in Events and Weekly Trials from May 7th, like Tilt the Scales of Justice and Sabotage the Factory, which are appropriately gruesome.

The current update also makes changes to the structure of Problems. Unlocking Program X now requires completing all Trials of Program Genesis; completing all of the former will enable Program Ultra. You can also get the Core Therapy Poster from finishing the final Trial in Program Genesis instead of achieving your first Reborn.

The Outlast Trials is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Check out our review here.

With the release of its 1.0 update, The Outlast Trials is getting a host of new features and content, including new MK-Challenges, the Toy Factory, and various forms of progression, including Program X, Program Genesis, and Program Ultra. The game now also has a new conclusion to its story, as well as an increased Therapy level cap up to level 65. For more details, check out the full patch notes through here.

The Outlast Trials recently showed off its antagonists Phyllis Futterman (Mother Gooseberry), and Sergeant Leland Coyle. While Coyle is a former police officer that uses his electric baton and takes advantage of the populace, Futterman is a former children’s show host where violent urgest manifested in her puppet. The main antagonist of The Outlast Trials, however, is the Murkoff Corporation and its higher-ups.

For more details about The Outlast Trials, check out our reviews of its early access version, as well as its full release.

However, unlike the first two titles, The Outlast Trials is multiplayer-focused, where cooperation and survival are as essential as gaining and losing your sanity (in-game and figuratively). From forcibly removed faces and mannequins committing unspeakable acts to gore in the style of home decor, I really can’t overstate enough just how disgustingly brutal it all is.

After almost a year of early access and six years of development, The Outlast Trials stands out as a solid horror title and multiplayer experience, even with some nagging issues and a fundamental shift from the single-player game. The result is a title that leverages the dread and oppressing atmosphere of the franchise in a less contemplative, faster-paced and more frantic fashion.

"There are five Trials across five unique maps, with demented individuals like Mother Gooseberry and Sergeant Leland Coyle hounding you."

Considered a prequel, The Outlast Trials sees players answering an ad for the ever-lovable Murkoff Corporation. It’s seeking volunteers for its experiments, but one hooded and abusive trip later, things aren’t what they seem. You start in the Mansion, a venerable house of horrors that familiarize you with the controls, mechanics and deranged aesthetic that Murkoff is going for. Think less horror chic and more Jigsaw fanboyism mixed with excessive gore. It’s one act of debauchery after another from that point, but the onus is clear – give into therapy, remake yourself and freedom awaits.

It’s easier said than done, however. There are five Trials across five unique maps, with demented individuals like Mother Gooseberry and Sergeant Leland Coyle hounding you. Murkoff also likes to release “Ex-Pops” into a match, ranging from machete-wielding psychopaths to creeps that douse you in chemicals to lower your sanity. Losing some sanity causes the screen to bend and hallucinations to kick in. When it’s all gone, the Skinner Man fully manifests and relentlessly pursues you.

In between all this, you hunt for keys in mutilated corpses, grind bodies, electrocute seemingly innocent individuals, refuel and repower generators, and more. The trademark night vision camera from previous games is now a set of goggles fused to your head, but it still requires constant recharging via batteries. You can only carry a few items at a time, further adding to the tension.

Things only take a more demented turn as you progress further, but the one thing that stays consistent is the strong map design. Each Trial, whether it’s at the Police Station or Fun Park, is well-paced and packed with challenges. Despite all the common objectives that begin to crop up from map to map, like pushing things across barricades which must be deactivated or checking corpses for the correct symbols and corresponding keys, there are some unique twists.

"Regarding the pacing, it exchanges the psychological build-up that the series is known for something more immediately frightening."

Have you ever thrown hearts at targets to progress through a twisted theme park? Would you like to? Kudos to Red Barrels, though – just when you think you’re numb to the sheer audacity and gruesomeness of it all, the next Trial ups the ante further.

Not every unique objective, like tuning the radio waves, is a winner, but they’re executed well enough to make for some enjoyable repetition. Though it’s playable – and winnable solo – the co-op mechanics defining The Outlast Trials are apparent from the get-go. The focus is on enemies relentlessly pursuing and bashing/drilling/electrocuting you, but they won’t chase past a point in their respective zones.

Grabbing their attention and kiting is important in multiplayer, but in solo, that often means having shorter windows to do the necessary tasks. Regarding the pacing, it exchanges the psychological build-up that the series is known for something more immediately frightening.

Still, as annoying as constantly hiding and resetting an enemy’s aggro can be, there’s no denying the tension that results as they loudly smash their surroundings while you hide, hoping they don’t discover you. The AI is mostly on point in this regard, noticing players through windows and checking their surroundings amid sounds of broken glass before stomping off. “Mostly” is the key word because sometimes they fail to detect your presence mere inches away. Don’t underestimate them, especially the burlier Ex-Pops when they get their hands on you.

"Memorizing hiding spots and locations for items, from batteries and health bottles to antidotes to lockpicks, is as important as knowing how to complete the objectives."

Of course, you must also account for trapped doorways and mines (which can either shock you or release toxins that reduce sanity). Map knowledge and careful observation become vital over time. As much as you feel lost or the primal instinct to flee kicks in during the tenser moments, relying on that knowledge helps keep things from devolving further. Memorizing hiding spots and locations for items, from batteries and health bottles to antidotes to lockpicks, is as important as knowing how to complete the objectives.

Once you have a Trial or two under your belt, you can return to the Sleep Room and confer with vendors like Cornelius Noakes, an engineer who sells four different Rigs, each providing a tool on cooldown that can briefly turn the tides, especially Blind and Stun.

Heal is decent in a group, especially when there aren’t enough healing supplies to go around, while X-ray feels borderline useless at times. Each Rig has upgrades to improve its utility, whether it’s increasing the range of Stun’s explosion or X-ray scanning consumables through walls.

Emily Barlow, the pharmacist, hooks you up with prescriptions for passive benefits like slowly healing a bar of health if it isn’t completely depleted, while Dorris provides Amps that can change up your playstyle. You purchase these with Vouchers earned per Therapy Level, with new cosmetics – from outfits to room decorations – available with in-game currency.

"Next to the major antagonists and the ever-present Doctor Easterman, these vendors are your connection to the narrative."

Next to the major antagonists and the ever-present Doctor Easterman, these vendors are your connection to the narrative. Their voice acting is on point, even if their facial animations are almost non-existent. Though you can collect evidence folders to glean more about the current situation, how Murkoff gets its test subjects and who the Ex-Pops were, the plot is pretty straightforward. Those who care about the series’ lore will find several connections to the previous two games, though your character and their growth throughout all this feels secondary.

Given that the whole premise is completing all the Trials (and their small Mk-Challenges, two per map) to gain Tokens to escape, it makes some sense. Long-term, it depends on how Red Barrels intends to develop the plot over time, even if some aspects feel like a foregone conclusion, given its prequel nature. There’s the Weekly Therapy with unique Variators and a selection of Mk-Challenges culminating in a Trial. For example, you may start with two lockpicks and encounter stronger enemies.

"As far as multiplayer horror titles go, The Outlast Trials is one of the best and well worth diving into if you have the stomach for it."

The Outlast Trials is a worthwhile co-op horror experience, though its longevity will, as always, depend on long-term support and updates. The foundation is solid despite some grievances here and there, and it looks great while delivering excellent performance. Sound design is equally solid, even if you tire of listening for your heartbeats to die down as enemies get further away.

Solo players may want more, and it can be frustrating without other players to share the load and back you up. Nevertheless, as far as multiplayer horror titles go, The Outlast Trials is one of the best and well worth diving into if you have the stomach for it.

This game was reviewed on PC.