There are some gaming enthusiasts who are of the opinion that 2021 has been a weak year for gaming. However, when looking at the sheer number of excellent titles released this year, it's clear that that isn't the case at all, especially when looking at horror gebre. Although the year is still far from over, there have already been so many horror titles that have scared players into turning the lights on and making sure that their doors are locked.
Because of the ongoing unpleasantness that's been caused by the global pandemic, many horror fans were worried that they may not be in the mood for being scared for fun. However, as these games have proven, sometimes there's no better way to blow off some steam than to sit down with a game and enjoy the adrenaline of running away from a monster or killing countless zombies. While the newly announced Alan Wake Remastered will add to the lineup this fall, there are plenty of other great horror games that have released or will release in 2021.
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The Medium
The Medium really kicked things off for the Xbox Series X and S, as it was the first console-exclusive title that came to the system. It was also the first major horror release of the year, invoking the oppressive atmosphere and psychological-based horror of the Silent Hill series. Now that The Medium has come to the PS5, more fans than ever can uncover the mystery surrounding the Niwa resort and its connection to Marianne while avoiding the grasp of the deadly monster, the Maw.
Little Nightmares 2
If there's any series that seems like it could have been created by Tim Burton, it would be Little Nightmares. Little Nightmares 2 takes plenty of ideas from the first game and expands on them, making for great platforming puzzles. What's more, some of the monsters in the game are some of the most unsettling things seen in gaming this year, with the standout being the horrifically long-necked teacher who terrorizes Mono and Six.
Returnal
Returnal isn't technically a horror game, but it definitely feels like one at times. It often cycles between the ghastly horror of P.T. when exploring Selene's childhood house and being stalked by an astronaut to the cosmic horror of Alien as Selene discovers more and more about the hostile alien planet of Atropos. Despite not being a horror game on the surface, Returnal certainly delivered some scares.
Resident Evil Village
The Resident Evil series is one of the original games that established horror as a genre in gaming, and its most recent entry, Resident Evil Village, has continued to do just that. Although it's certainly more action-focused than its predecessor RE7, RE8 is downright terrifying at times through its enemy design and storytelling. From mowing down werewolves in the titular village to hiding from body-horror monsters in the dollhouse, Resident Evil Village provides everything a horror fan could want in a single package.
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Doki Doki Literature Club Plus
It's hard for video game twists to stay secret for long, and while Doki Doki Literature Clubs Plus' twists and turns might be common knowledge at this point, it doesn't mean that the game is any less unsettling. Part of what makes Doki Doki Literature Club so effective, even for those who know what happens, is the way that it commits so hard to its harem game premise before diving into the terror of its true events.
Metroid Dread
Nintendo has only ever gone all out with creating a horror game when it published Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, but each Metroid title seems to get closer and closer to the horror genre - with Metroid Dread getting as close as the series ever has to being flat-out horror. Seeming to truly embrace its Ridley Scott and H.R. Giger inspirations, Metroid Dread's endless pursuers the EMMI have been compared to the xenomorphs in Alien: Isolation and the many different pursuers in Outlast, giving the game a horror atmosphere that should fill players with the dread that the game is so clearly going for.
Metroid Dread releases on October 8 for Nintendo Switch.
Back 4 Blood
Sometimes, it's hard to feel afraid of monsters when playing a video game that provides the player with heavy artillery around every corner, but the sheer number of zombies that Back 4 Blood throws at its players is reason enough to be a little bit scared. Back 4 Blood may not be the scariest game in the world, but tension will surely run high when the players are running low on ammo as a new horde starts breaking through defenses.
Back 4 Blood releases on October 12 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Each new entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology has felt like a miniature season of American Horror Story but in game form. With its heavy focus on narrative led by player choice, House of Ashes will be another terrifying choose-your-own-adventure entry in the horror game genre. Horror fans should find a lot to appreciate about the Dark Pictures Anthology, as they allow the player to be something comparable to the writer in a horror film, choosing who lives and who dies.
Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes releases on October 21 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Dying Light 2 Stay Human has been receiving plenty of time in the spotlight tnanks to the many different gaming events that have taken place in 2021. The game looks stunning and seems to be heavily focused on parkour, building off the unique movement system seen in the original game. While the player might have the upper hand during the day, Dying Light 2's zombies become a much bigger threat when night falls, forcing the player to switch from offense to defense as they run and hide from the undead.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human releases on December 7 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.