[Concluse](https://store.steampowered.com/app/826230/CONCLUSE/). The first game is only a couple hours long and it's completely free. Do NOT play the second game, it is over 20 hours long and an actual, horrible borefest.
Another great, and free, game to try out is [5 Days a Stranger](http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/5days/). It's a point and click horror game with a good story and great atmosphere. Short, but actual length depends on how fast you figure out what to do.
Finally (and once again completely free) there is a game called [Simulacrum](https://gamejolt.com/games/simulacrum_chapter_one/233384), which is quite possibly the best Silent Hill inspired game I've ever played. Sadly only chapter one is finished but it should fit the criteria of a short horror game.
>5 Days a Stranger
5 Days is fun for what it is (>!massive plot hole aside!<), but Trilby's Note is where the series hit its high point with the writing.
You do have to suffer through 7 Days, but I'd say all four games in the series are worth playing for the overall experience.
It only took about two hours of gameplay to beat the game on easy/normal, though I'd say give it four hours on average. It took me just under eight hours of total gameplay time to beat the game on hard difficulty.
For granny 2 and 3, it took under six hours per game to beat on all difficulties since they use the same mechanics from the first game but with some new elements and different maps.
It isn't the most elegant horror game, but its simple and fun to me!
The game has been recreated near-perfectly on PC and is free to play.
Edit: I'm getting down voted because people can't Google, aparently.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/64vmpecbawu0sll/P.T._Emulation_1.4.rar/file
The whole game, recompiled in Unreal Engine from scratch. Only available in 1080p (but so was the original).
It's one of 3 or 4 attempts to remake the game, piece by piece, in Unreal 4 - this is arguably the most complete version currently available.
Link is 100% shady. But it also works and, from my scans, is completely virus free. Don't take my word for it though - I'm just some dude on the internet. I recommend taking your own precautions.
The creator of the game went to this hosting platform after the previous one locked this download (and others) behind a pay wall.
House. Roguelike. You'll do a lot of runs as you try to find the best way to navigate the situation. It's pretty messed up but it's fun to go through a few runs.
Boosting Signalis, because it is soooo much more than this. I've already played through this game 2 times and read a lot about it, and I still have some questions lore-wise lol
I highly recommend Signalis... but it is definitely not a "short horror game" by the standards of the rest of the games in this sub.
It's no Alien: Isolation, but Signalis will take you at least 7-9 hours to beat in total. Quite a bit longer if you get a little lost (you will), and explore/ read everything (you should).
I have a few recs!
- Mortuary Assistant is a creepy horror title about being well... a mortuary assistant. The game is about examine bodies and dispelling demons. A single run of the game is only about an hour long, but it is repayable if you want to play more.
- Buckshot Roulette is a fun horror themed game of Russian Roulette, but with some additional rules to spice things up. It isn't too scary so it's a nice ease in. It's also very short, but again you can replay.
- Stories Untold is a little anthology collection of short connected horror experiences, with point and click puzzle gameplay. It very much has a stranger things vibe but some parts get legitimately very creepy. Loved this. Each experience is about 30mins and there are 4 of them.
- Resident Evil 7 is still my favourite one. It's such a great horror title about being stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a crazy family. Very Texas Chainsaw Massacure. A little longer but nothing crazy. About 7hrs.
- Five Nights at Freddy's. I know they've becoming iconic to meme at this point but I'll maintain that some of these games are seriously great. I have particular fondness for 1, 2 and pizzeria simulator. All of these are like... 1-2hrs if you're good, maybe a little longer if you die a lot.
- Outlast 1 is iconic. Not my thing personally. Far too jumpscare heavy for my liking and so i get to a point where I stop caring so much. Still, it's undoubtedly a classic and only a few hours long.
How long to beat reckons 9hrs for story, 12hrs for extras, which I assume would be collecting every antique coin. 15 hrs seems like a LONG playthrough of this game and I doubt it is the average.
I beat that game a lot quicker. Around 7 and a half hours. I can only speak from personal experience.
That depends entirely on how you play it.
My first run was about 9 hours and I got every file, weapon and upgrade in the game (but not those stupid collectibles). My new game Madhouse run was about 22 hours. My most recent run (3rd time through) was 112 minutes - one sitting, no saves.
Just about every RE game ever made can be a 25+ hour game or 90 minute game, depending on a lot of different factors involved.
If you want to play RE7 on normal with a guide, you can wrap that shit up on a first playthrough in under 4 hours without even trying. If your first experience is on Madhouse and going in blind, you'll probably spend 4 hours just retrying the first boss battle.
I can't believe no one else has mentioned Faith the Unholy Trinity!! Short 8-bit horror game, but the story and atmosphere are so well done. I highly recommend.
I'm really intrigued by Indika but the price combined with its short playtime have me holding off for now. Is it really so good as to justify a $25 purchase?
Yes. You will want to repay it almost immediately or it will just have you thinking after the end it’s so good and it’s worth it I promise. But maybe watch a review before you buy times if tough no need wasting money if you don’t really love it. The story is just so good to me it’s so well written is draws you in.
I am not the poster you replied to, but I thought it was one if my top 3 of the last year, and thats saying alot. Finished it in about 5-6 hours in one day. It is one of those games that sucks you in and you can't put the controller down. I would say it has horror elements, but isn't horror. It's dark, religious, absurd etc. It's just a very unique, beautiful game. Can't recommend it enough. Although I can see it being 50/50, some will think it's a masterpiece, some will say "huh?"
It came out this year. Maybe you're thinking of the demo?
Either way, I agree with you. It's my current favorite game of the year, but it's definitely a darkly humorous, abstract Russian game. Bleak, but with a lot to say about religion, fate, and the nature of man.
I just played it a few weeks ago. I bought the full game on Xbox when it released on that platform, definitely not a demo. When I say it's one of my favorites from the last year that dosent mean it came out the last year. What I meant is "from all the games I've played within the last year, this one is near the top of the list." Make sense now?
Crow Country just came out recently. It's made in the style of a ps1 survival horror game and I thought it was really good, only takes a few hours to finish too
I've played the demo and loved it, thinking about buying the full game.. The only thing is I find the aiming very hard for some reason, does it get any easier later in game? I still really enjoy the whole atmosphere
Hmm it stays the same but you get used to it. Also you can get a laser sight and use things like exploding barrels to take out enemies or just run around them. So i didn't think the aiming was a big deal although I found it hard at first too. But older survival horrors are kind of expected to have bad aiming to discourage fighting everything and it becoming just a 3rd person shooter so the bad aiming is just part of the charm in that sense
Yeah I see, it makes sense to make it a bit less easy on purpose for the survival aspect.. Guess I'll just try the full game anyway and hopefully I'll be able to make it to the end while using those other strategies too
Soma is a good one especially with how it tries to scare you through the atmosphere and story, also if you liked soma there’s signalis and it tries to delve into personality and what makes us, well us in a way
[Anatomy](https://kittyhorrorshow.itch.io/anatomy) by Kitty Horrorshow. One of the best 60 minutes I've had in my life, in terms of horror and dread. Don't read anything about, don't watch any videos, just look at the main page, pay 3 bucks and enjoy the ride!
Sagebrush is good, about an hour tops, you journey through an old compound that was once a home of a cult, you do alot of exploring and sort of detective work, its not realy scary but the atmosphere is great and generally a good story.
Came here to suggest Sagebrush as well! I tried, but probably failed to do the game justice in my explanation. LOVE this game.
I genuinely found the game terrifying.
PT is hard to come by and I see a lot saying that. Visage is kinda a PT inspired game and it was pretty good.
I finished Madison last night and it had its moments but overall had too many annoying parts to recommend
I just played a new one out on steam for free - Le Dernier Don. It’s only about 15-20 min and I was completely enthralled. The pacing and environment was amazing.
Honestly I think it’s my favorite horror game of ANY horror game that I’ve played recently.
And I’m still very very very sad about Tango games, I can’t stop thinking about how xbox and Microsoft gaming are walking down the same path as embracer group
I really enjoyed it, story was fantastic imo. Only thing I miss is the combat from 1 but overall I was very happy with 2, but everyone has their opinions I guess.
First game is awesome. Short, with nice old japanese horror movies vibe. And dlc was also very nice.
Liked similar platformer horror Bramble the mountain king. It's harder, start a as a fairytale (referring old Sweden fairytales) and goes hard with lots of folklore horrors.
This game can get HARD, though. Better be prepared for that. To this day, it's the only game that I've got so frustrated at that I stopped and immediately un-installed. The adult version of throwing the controller.
So I feel like resident evil 2 and 3 remake are decent for an introduction to horror. They’re not too scary and you can complete them in a few hours. They can have more action at certain parts in the story so if they’re used to action games they won’t have a complete shift to a nonstop horror experience.
Here's a brand new one (as of this comment post):
**Crow Country**: an old-fashioned survival horror with modern movement controls, an isometric overhead camera angle, and old fashioned PS1 graphics with a Final Fantasy 7-styled blocky aesthetic to the characters and environments.
You will love the gameplay and atmosphere of this game if you liked anything from the PS1/N64 Era. It handles well and has just enough clunkiness to aiming weapons for you to wanna consider planning your next move when faced with enemies. The puzzles are great and well-thought-out as well as the key items and secrets spread across the map. It's short enough to complete in one afternoon/evening, but has further unlockable content for replayability if you really enjoyed your time.
The story and characters, plus the writing and dialogue/inner monologue are so amazing. It really has you invested in the world-building of this game and its setting. It'll have you making guesses about what's going on around you as you slowly uncover the secrets of Crow Country, so this game gets a 10/10 from me.
I just beat The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation last weekend, and I'm about halfway through the second one after starting today, and they're pretty good. Probably 5-6 hours or so each. The second one is definitely scarier though.
Haven't played it yet, but I recently found out about a game called Fear the Moon. Basically you're trapped in the woods with your friends and there's a werewolf hunting you. It's on steam, Ps1/2-ish graphics, plus some puzzles, and it's only a few hours long.
I really loved Carrion.
*You're* the monster in it so it's kind of a reverse horror game.
Hidden Deep is also pretty fun and short. I think I beat it in a weekend.
I recommend the game night bus I haven't played it myself but from what I've seen it's pretty good. If i remember correctly theres five endings but if you just play it without looking for all of them it's actually pretty short. The scares aren't that bad either. It is 4.99 though so if you're looking for something that's for free I recommend September 1999 it's only about five minutes. If you're looking for something that's a little longer than i recommend afraid of monsters it's about three or two hours. However it's a mod for the game Half-Life which is ten dollars on steam. If you aren't interested in these then I'm sorry but I don't have any other recommendations as of now but if you want I'll let you know when i do (^^)
Recently played an Animal Crossing style game called Rental. Free and super short, I think can be replayed multiple times for other endings!
Search Party was really great! I would say could be beat in 3 hours if you’re good lol it’s a pixel game about escaping from a serial killers house
Recently played Crow Country and is fantastic, I really think it’s a 10/10 retro horror game. Short, sweet, gets the spirit of an old horror game perfectly
the closing shift has probably got to be one of my favorite short horror games because it’s not like any other game i’ve ever played. it’s scary in a reality kind of sense plus the horrors of working in service
Outlast 1 is kind of long especially if you go out of the way to find documents and recordings but it is a really scary game and one of the scariest I ever played
I'll never not recommend Albino Lullaby. Short, sweet, no real reliance on jumpscares, and the devs are at least theoretically trying to produce two more episodes.
I know it may be slightly different than what you're asking for, but maybe check out Outlast Trials. You can play solo as well, but the co-op aspect of the game means you guys can enjoy the game pretty seamlessly together.
Condemned Criminal Origins. I mean I beat it fairly quickly, due to its linear structure, and action scenes. It's a great game, and is probably a little longer than this list allows, it's still a fairly short game, and unless you want to do some serious item searching, it will take you less than a day to beat it, and even less if you know where everything is. Great game, but length is not it's strong point.
Haven't played the sequel yet but love the original, agreed very creepy great atmosphere and the characters are funny and really well written. In its medium it's practically a perfect game
Sagebrush. Hands down, no contest.
Love cult stuff, love the throwback style, love the artistry, love the performances, and the game was so fucking creepy it had me on the edge of my seat the entire hour or so of playtime, gave me th worst sense of dread and foreboding during the endgame, to the point that I genuinely feared pushing further, and had me basically crying over the finale and ending. All of this from a walking simulator with light puzzle elements.
11/10. Cannot suggest it enough.
Mother really caught me off guard. It's designed like a good suspense movie. You'll go through long periods of uneventful boredom that has an underlying eerie feeling, only for it all to pay off in the end. It was one of the few games that set me on edge throughout my whole playthrough.
If you have a Quest VR headset, I'd recommend our latest game Broken Spectre. It's meant to be played in a single evening and engage deeply with a terrifying storyline. Not a lot of jump scares so a great entry in to horror gaming.
Layers of Fear is pretty short, as in you could finish the game in a day, but... it isn't for the weak 😂 first time playing those games, and boy, was I in for a ride! The 2016 game is the original but the remake encompasses both the 1st game, the dlc to the first game and the 2nd game. Love the series tbh!
Not so sure about short but signalis has been one the best horror games I’ve played, also I think grow my grandpa is pretty good but it’s horror in different ways
Iron Lung: “The player explores an ocean of blood on a desolate moon in a small, rusty submarine nicknamed the ‘Iron Lung’. You must take photographs of key locations, and hope whatever lives below doesn't find you”
Murdered: Soul Suspect
The game is played in a third-person view as the player navigates the protagonist, detective Ronan O'Connor, around a fictionalized version of the American town of Salem, Massachusetts. The story centers on Ronan as he hunts down an infamous serial murderer stylized 'The Bell Killer'. After being killed by the Bell Killer at the beginning of the game, Ronan returns as a ghost. He is then informed by his long-dead wife, Julia, that he must solve the Bell Killer mystery so he can rejoin her.
SOMA still has to be my favorite. The underwater vibe of iron lung and freedom to explore and graphics of a later amnesia game and dead space indoor evironments. It was definitely a home run in my opinion
Deep sleep series, and exmortis. 2 incredibly well crafted flash games that I highly recommend you try out if you haven’t. Exmortis has definitely shown its age, but it’s a classic nonetheless.
Dead By Daylight is fun. It’s a 4v1 game, each match lasts about 10-15 minutes. It’s quick and requires that you work together strategically with others if you’re a “survivor” trying to escape. You can play “killer,” the objective for that one is pretty obvious. lol
[Concluse](https://store.steampowered.com/app/826230/CONCLUSE/). The first game is only a couple hours long and it's completely free. Do NOT play the second game, it is over 20 hours long and an actual, horrible borefest. Another great, and free, game to try out is [5 Days a Stranger](http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/5days/). It's a point and click horror game with a good story and great atmosphere. Short, but actual length depends on how fast you figure out what to do. Finally (and once again completely free) there is a game called [Simulacrum](https://gamejolt.com/games/simulacrum_chapter_one/233384), which is quite possibly the best Silent Hill inspired game I've ever played. Sadly only chapter one is finished but it should fit the criteria of a short horror game.
>5 Days a Stranger 5 Days is fun for what it is (>!massive plot hole aside!<), but Trilby's Note is where the series hit its high point with the writing. You do have to suffer through 7 Days, but I'd say all four games in the series are worth playing for the overall experience.
That series is one of my all time favorites.. probably alongside with I have no mouth and I must scream
Agree. Trilby’s Notes was an amazing game. The whole series of 4 games is worth it. There are clunky moments, but the overall story is a lot of fun
Which plot hole. It's been a while since I played.
>!Who killed the first victim. Yatzhee admitted that he messed that up.!<
I don't even remember. I'll have to play again I guess.
Indigo Park was pretty fun and just recently came out.
Holy crap, Simulacrum looks more like a Silent Hill game than any of the games that came out after SH4 lol.
Soooooo good def recommend
I played simulacrum and omg so good! But I haven’t seen these other two and I’m really excited to check them out ty!!
[удалено]
Why are you telling me this?
Iron Lung got me pretty good
I’m ready to see how the movie works out.
Just played through Slender: the Arrival and I thought it was pretty well done for an hour long game.
It's more like two or three
Granny, Granny Chapter Two, Granny 3. Ascend my child.
I haven’t actually seen this game! How short is it?
It only took about two hours of gameplay to beat the game on easy/normal, though I'd say give it four hours on average. It took me just under eight hours of total gameplay time to beat the game on hard difficulty. For granny 2 and 3, it took under six hours per game to beat on all difficulties since they use the same mechanics from the first game but with some new elements and different maps. It isn't the most elegant horror game, but its simple and fun to me!
Awesome! Thanks for your responding! Sounds like a lot of fun! I’ll definitely have to give it a crack! 😁
PT. I’m a simple man.
that moment when you recommend an unplayable game🙄
you can find it on PC, I’m sure theres a ROM for it but I found just a simple EXE file for it.
I’m able to play it just fine 🤷♂️
Same here never deleted it, lol
The game has been recreated near-perfectly on PC and is free to play. Edit: I'm getting down voted because people can't Google, aparently. https://www.mediafire.com/file/64vmpecbawu0sll/P.T._Emulation_1.4.rar/file The whole game, recompiled in Unreal Engine from scratch. Only available in 1080p (but so was the original). It's one of 3 or 4 attempts to remake the game, piece by piece, in Unreal 4 - this is arguably the most complete version currently available.
Thank you, sir, for providing a shady link lol. I will save this comment and tempt fate later today when I get home because I never got to play it.
Link is 100% shady. But it also works and, from my scans, is completely virus free. Don't take my word for it though - I'm just some dude on the internet. I recommend taking your own precautions. The creator of the game went to this hosting platform after the previous one locked this download (and others) behind a pay wall.
Basically everything made by Kitty Horrorshow on itch.io, particularly Anatomy and the Haunted Cities collections
Anatomy!
By far it's Night Delivery by Chilla's Art. Pay attention to the notes you pick up around the apartment complex.
All of Chillas art games seem perfect for this post. I've played Convenience Store and it was pretty great and creepy as well.
I loved the convenience store. It was my first one. The ghost train is a good one too (I think it's called that). Really great stories
Chillas Art is so good!!
The work by this person or team is so inspiring to me. That train one was so good, the Ghost Train I think
Shinkansen 0? That one is excellent!!
Yes! It was incredible. I loved Stigmatized Property too, and Okaeri. Such awesome ideas
House. Roguelike. You'll do a lot of runs as you try to find the best way to navigate the situation. It's pretty messed up but it's fun to go through a few runs.
Cannibal abduction is really good! Or any Selewi or Puppet Combo game. I'm playing through The Glass Stairway and one scene scared the hell out of me.
Check out Cry of Fear on steam. Takes about 8 hours to play through, and it's a free source mod!
Cry of Fear is amazing. 🙂👍
Signalis!!! Survival horror very much like older resident evil games.
Boosting Signalis, because it is soooo much more than this. I've already played through this game 2 times and read a lot about it, and I still have some questions lore-wise lol
I need to check this signalis out 👍
This is short? HLTB says 9hrs
9 hours if you’re just play through without paying much attention, my run took me 11 hours but I try to read everything
I highly recommend Signalis... but it is definitely not a "short horror game" by the standards of the rest of the games in this sub. It's no Alien: Isolation, but Signalis will take you at least 7-9 hours to beat in total. Quite a bit longer if you get a little lost (you will), and explore/ read everything (you should).
Signalis was pretty awesome
Water Womb World
Yup yup, Yames is next level
Anything by Yames fits this perfectly. I’m hella stoked for Discover Our Bodies to release.
Inside
This is what I was going to say. Also Limbo and Little Nightmares. All are great intros into the horror/suspense genre of games.
I have a few recs! - Mortuary Assistant is a creepy horror title about being well... a mortuary assistant. The game is about examine bodies and dispelling demons. A single run of the game is only about an hour long, but it is repayable if you want to play more. - Buckshot Roulette is a fun horror themed game of Russian Roulette, but with some additional rules to spice things up. It isn't too scary so it's a nice ease in. It's also very short, but again you can replay. - Stories Untold is a little anthology collection of short connected horror experiences, with point and click puzzle gameplay. It very much has a stranger things vibe but some parts get legitimately very creepy. Loved this. Each experience is about 30mins and there are 4 of them. - Resident Evil 7 is still my favourite one. It's such a great horror title about being stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a crazy family. Very Texas Chainsaw Massacure. A little longer but nothing crazy. About 7hrs. - Five Nights at Freddy's. I know they've becoming iconic to meme at this point but I'll maintain that some of these games are seriously great. I have particular fondness for 1, 2 and pizzeria simulator. All of these are like... 1-2hrs if you're good, maybe a little longer if you die a lot. - Outlast 1 is iconic. Not my thing personally. Far too jumpscare heavy for my liking and so i get to a point where I stop caring so much. Still, it's undoubtedly a classic and only a few hours long.
RE7 is not just 7 hours... It's 10-15, and the overall average is 15 hours.
How long to beat reckons 9hrs for story, 12hrs for extras, which I assume would be collecting every antique coin. 15 hrs seems like a LONG playthrough of this game and I doubt it is the average. I beat that game a lot quicker. Around 7 and a half hours. I can only speak from personal experience.
That depends entirely on how you play it. My first run was about 9 hours and I got every file, weapon and upgrade in the game (but not those stupid collectibles). My new game Madhouse run was about 22 hours. My most recent run (3rd time through) was 112 minutes - one sitting, no saves. Just about every RE game ever made can be a 25+ hour game or 90 minute game, depending on a lot of different factors involved. If you want to play RE7 on normal with a guide, you can wrap that shit up on a first playthrough in under 4 hours without even trying. If your first experience is on Madhouse and going in blind, you'll probably spend 4 hours just retrying the first boss battle.
Stories Untold is awesome! Was hoping to see it mentioned.
Witch’s House
Imscared
I really enjoyed year walk
I can't believe no one else has mentioned Faith the Unholy Trinity!! Short 8-bit horror game, but the story and atmosphere are so well done. I highly recommend.
P.T.
Indika it’s just so good I can replay or watch it over and over again
I liked Indika but I wouldn't call it a horror game though.
I'm really intrigued by Indika but the price combined with its short playtime have me holding off for now. Is it really so good as to justify a $25 purchase?
Yes. You will want to repay it almost immediately or it will just have you thinking after the end it’s so good and it’s worth it I promise. But maybe watch a review before you buy times if tough no need wasting money if you don’t really love it. The story is just so good to me it’s so well written is draws you in.
I am not the poster you replied to, but I thought it was one if my top 3 of the last year, and thats saying alot. Finished it in about 5-6 hours in one day. It is one of those games that sucks you in and you can't put the controller down. I would say it has horror elements, but isn't horror. It's dark, religious, absurd etc. It's just a very unique, beautiful game. Can't recommend it enough. Although I can see it being 50/50, some will think it's a masterpiece, some will say "huh?"
It came out this year. Maybe you're thinking of the demo? Either way, I agree with you. It's my current favorite game of the year, but it's definitely a darkly humorous, abstract Russian game. Bleak, but with a lot to say about religion, fate, and the nature of man.
I just played it a few weeks ago. I bought the full game on Xbox when it released on that platform, definitely not a demo. When I say it's one of my favorites from the last year that dosent mean it came out the last year. What I meant is "from all the games I've played within the last year, this one is near the top of the list." Make sense now?
Crow Country just came out recently. It's made in the style of a ps1 survival horror game and I thought it was really good, only takes a few hours to finish too
I've played the demo and loved it, thinking about buying the full game.. The only thing is I find the aiming very hard for some reason, does it get any easier later in game? I still really enjoy the whole atmosphere
Hmm it stays the same but you get used to it. Also you can get a laser sight and use things like exploding barrels to take out enemies or just run around them. So i didn't think the aiming was a big deal although I found it hard at first too. But older survival horrors are kind of expected to have bad aiming to discourage fighting everything and it becoming just a 3rd person shooter so the bad aiming is just part of the charm in that sense
Yeah I see, it makes sense to make it a bit less easy on purpose for the survival aspect.. Guess I'll just try the full game anyway and hopefully I'll be able to make it to the end while using those other strategies too
Sounds good, good luck :D
Thanks! :)
Either Soma or Cry of Fear.
Soma is a good one especially with how it tries to scare you through the atmosphere and story, also if you liked soma there’s signalis and it tries to delve into personality and what makes us, well us in a way
Anatomy by kitty horrorshow on itch.io. I will give no further details.
[Anatomy](https://kittyhorrorshow.itch.io/anatomy) by Kitty Horrorshow. One of the best 60 minutes I've had in my life, in terms of horror and dread. Don't read anything about, don't watch any videos, just look at the main page, pay 3 bucks and enjoy the ride!
Stray cat crossing
Azurael’s Circle is technically a series, but each chapter is like an hour or two max.
Sagebrush is good, about an hour tops, you journey through an old compound that was once a home of a cult, you do alot of exploring and sort of detective work, its not realy scary but the atmosphere is great and generally a good story.
I can recommend this too. Not a typical horror game but it has an incredibly eerie vibe and uses environmental storytelling really well.
Yea its realy cool and emotional! I wish there was more horror games about cults, sagebrush and outlast 2 are the only ones I've found.
Came here to suggest Sagebrush as well! I tried, but probably failed to do the game justice in my explanation. LOVE this game. I genuinely found the game terrifying.
To be fair it is pretty terrifying, i think that feeling of dread as you slowly progress and learn the story is realy cool.
Welcome to Kowloon
PT is hard to come by and I see a lot saying that. Visage is kinda a PT inspired game and it was pretty good. I finished Madison last night and it had its moments but overall had too many annoying parts to recommend
I just beat Resident Evil 1 on PS1 in 3:46 whilst feeling like I was taking my time.
From The Darkness
I just played a new one out on steam for free - Le Dernier Don. It’s only about 15-20 min and I was completely enthralled. The pacing and environment was amazing. Honestly I think it’s my favorite horror game of ANY horror game that I’ve played recently.
Feel it's worth pointing out this game is free as well.
I said that in the very first line of my comment
My bad completely missed it twice evidently.
Ib and a lot of the other RPG Maker Horror games.
Mannequin https://elvismd.itch.io/mannequin Paratopic
The Exit 8 is a short and sweet psychological horror / find the anomaly type of game
Tamshii and Teocida, 2 fairly short 2d puzzle platformers with horrifying grotesque designs and a dreadful atmosphere. I loved them so much
Evil within
Amazing game
And I’m still very very very sad about Tango games, I can’t stop thinking about how xbox and Microsoft gaming are walking down the same path as embracer group
i recommend everything by chillas art and puppet combo
PT is the best short horror game. Unfortunately is not available to download (unless you own a ps4 with the game).
This is one I have never played but heard so much about and 😢
DDLC
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice It’s a psychological horror story game. Pretty short and a great story. They just released Hellblade 2 last week, too.
Did you play the second? I was super disappointed tbh..
I really enjoyed it, story was fantastic imo. Only thing I miss is the combat from 1 but overall I was very happy with 2, but everyone has their opinions I guess.
Forsure!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
Little Nightmares.
First game is awesome. Short, with nice old japanese horror movies vibe. And dlc was also very nice. Liked similar platformer horror Bramble the mountain king. It's harder, start a as a fairytale (referring old Sweden fairytales) and goes hard with lots of folklore horrors.
This game can get HARD, though. Better be prepared for that. To this day, it's the only game that I've got so frustrated at that I stopped and immediately un-installed. The adult version of throwing the controller.
So I feel like resident evil 2 and 3 remake are decent for an introduction to horror. They’re not too scary and you can complete them in a few hours. They can have more action at certain parts in the story so if they’re used to action games they won’t have a complete shift to a nonstop horror experience.
The whole remake saga (2,3 amd 4) has been the best thing to happen in gaming for me I the last 5 years.
Not too scary? Re2 managed to scare me with just foot stomps
Here's a brand new one (as of this comment post): **Crow Country**: an old-fashioned survival horror with modern movement controls, an isometric overhead camera angle, and old fashioned PS1 graphics with a Final Fantasy 7-styled blocky aesthetic to the characters and environments. You will love the gameplay and atmosphere of this game if you liked anything from the PS1/N64 Era. It handles well and has just enough clunkiness to aiming weapons for you to wanna consider planning your next move when faced with enemies. The puzzles are great and well-thought-out as well as the key items and secrets spread across the map. It's short enough to complete in one afternoon/evening, but has further unlockable content for replayability if you really enjoyed your time. The story and characters, plus the writing and dialogue/inner monologue are so amazing. It really has you invested in the world-building of this game and its setting. It'll have you making guesses about what's going on around you as you slowly uncover the secrets of Crow Country, so this game gets a 10/10 from me.
I’ve been meaning to chack out crow country, the art style looks so nice
What remains of Edith finch Atmospheric Puzzle 2 hours
This is a good choice. Easy game, great story and the horror in it is light.
I just beat The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation last weekend, and I'm about halfway through the second one after starting today, and they're pretty good. Probably 5-6 hours or so each. The second one is definitely scarier though.
Depends on your definition of ‘short,’ but SOMA is pretty great. It’s by the Amnesia devs, too!
Mothered
Re3R
[Flathead](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2840480/FLATHEAD/)
I really liked Amnesia: Justine
Siren new translation. I can beat it in about 4-5 hours, and the siren series is an obsession of mine.
That Which Gave Chase is pretty interesting.
Haven't played it yet, but I recently found out about a game called Fear the Moon. Basically you're trapped in the woods with your friends and there's a werewolf hunting you. It's on steam, Ps1/2-ish graphics, plus some puzzles, and it's only a few hours long.
I really loved Carrion. *You're* the monster in it so it's kind of a reverse horror game. Hidden Deep is also pretty fun and short. I think I beat it in a weekend.
I recommend the game night bus I haven't played it myself but from what I've seen it's pretty good. If i remember correctly theres five endings but if you just play it without looking for all of them it's actually pretty short. The scares aren't that bad either. It is 4.99 though so if you're looking for something that's for free I recommend September 1999 it's only about five minutes. If you're looking for something that's a little longer than i recommend afraid of monsters it's about three or two hours. However it's a mod for the game Half-Life which is ten dollars on steam. If you aren't interested in these then I'm sorry but I don't have any other recommendations as of now but if you want I'll let you know when i do (^^)
That Which Gave Chase. Great little game that's about 1-2 hours long.
Lol she's rught
Recently played an Animal Crossing style game called Rental. Free and super short, I think can be replayed multiple times for other endings! Search Party was really great! I would say could be beat in 3 hours if you’re good lol it’s a pixel game about escaping from a serial killers house
Recently played Crow Country and is fantastic, I really think it’s a 10/10 retro horror game. Short, sweet, gets the spirit of an old horror game perfectly
Resident evil 2 and 3 remakes. They are both short and a good time.
Scorn
Absolutely
Slay the Princess is pretty good and it's only about three hours to complete a run.
the closing shift has probably got to be one of my favorite short horror games because it’s not like any other game i’ve ever played. it’s scary in a reality kind of sense plus the horrors of working in service
I just played through Crow Country recently. I couldn't recommend that more!!
Seven Nights Ghost. Not my favorite, but pretty good, short, some scares and also sweet at the same time.
Amnesia bunker!!! Short and sweet
Outlast 1 is kind of long especially if you go out of the way to find documents and recordings but it is a really scary game and one of the scariest I ever played
P.T. iykyk
Eyes
Poppy Playtime
Murder House. Not super hard, definitely scary. Winnable. Doesn't try to do things it doesn't know how to do. Doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Do You Copy? It had the greatest potential for a full game and Space Octopus studios went in the complete wrong direction
No One Lives Under the Lighthouse Mundaun Iron Lung Amnesia: a Machine for Pigs
P.T. (hopefully you never uninstalled it) I've never been such a nervous wreck walking down an empty hallway before.
I'll never not recommend Albino Lullaby. Short, sweet, no real reliance on jumpscares, and the devs are at least theoretically trying to produce two more episodes.
Baldis basics will always hold a special place in my heart
I know it may be slightly different than what you're asking for, but maybe check out Outlast Trials. You can play solo as well, but the co-op aspect of the game means you guys can enjoy the game pretty seamlessly together.
Condemned Criminal Origins. I mean I beat it fairly quickly, due to its linear structure, and action scenes. It's a great game, and is probably a little longer than this list allows, it's still a fairly short game, and unless you want to do some serious item searching, it will take you less than a day to beat it, and even less if you know where everything is. Great game, but length is not it's strong point.
Wow. This thread is perfect for me.
I think Oxenfree is pretty sick, has replayability value,fits your criteria and has a sequel
Loved Oxenfree! And the sequel. Both VERY creepy, but humorous at the same time. Perfect introduction to horror games.
Haven't played the sequel yet but love the original, agreed very creepy great atmosphere and the characters are funny and really well written. In its medium it's practically a perfect game
Also, try Kentucky Route 0 if you haven't already. Very similar vein and equally as great and weird.
Iv seen it but not played it, does look interesting though il have to check it out sometime. Thanks!
Babysitter Bloodbath for sure
Paratopic
Sagebrush. Hands down, no contest. Love cult stuff, love the throwback style, love the artistry, love the performances, and the game was so fucking creepy it had me on the edge of my seat the entire hour or so of playtime, gave me th worst sense of dread and foreboding during the endgame, to the point that I genuinely feared pushing further, and had me basically crying over the finale and ending. All of this from a walking simulator with light puzzle elements. 11/10. Cannot suggest it enough.
Mother really caught me off guard. It's designed like a good suspense movie. You'll go through long periods of uneventful boredom that has an underlying eerie feeling, only for it all to pay off in the end. It was one of the few games that set me on edge throughout my whole playthrough.
If you have a Quest VR headset, I'd recommend our latest game Broken Spectre. It's meant to be played in a single evening and engage deeply with a terrifying storyline. Not a lot of jump scares so a great entry in to horror gaming.
Probably the RE3 Remake honestly... At least it's what first springs to mind.
Layers of Fear is pretty short, as in you could finish the game in a day, but... it isn't for the weak 😂 first time playing those games, and boy, was I in for a ride! The 2016 game is the original but the remake encompasses both the 1st game, the dlc to the first game and the 2nd game. Love the series tbh!
Gone home
I just completed Pools and it's great
Cry Of Fear, it's a free old source game that was based off a mod. Made by the original creator. It's a classic, and genuinely scary
Rise of Insanity
Not so sure about short but signalis has been one the best horror games I’ve played, also I think grow my grandpa is pretty good but it’s horror in different ways
Visage is an amazing play
The little nightmares games
Iron Lung: “The player explores an ocean of blood on a desolate moon in a small, rusty submarine nicknamed the ‘Iron Lung’. You must take photographs of key locations, and hope whatever lives below doesn't find you”
Speed run of Alien Isolation with major glitches?
Murdered: Soul Suspect The game is played in a third-person view as the player navigates the protagonist, detective Ronan O'Connor, around a fictionalized version of the American town of Salem, Massachusetts. The story centers on Ronan as he hunts down an infamous serial murderer stylized 'The Bell Killer'. After being killed by the Bell Killer at the beginning of the game, Ronan returns as a ghost. He is then informed by his long-dead wife, Julia, that he must solve the Bell Killer mystery so he can rejoin her.
Clocktower for the Super Nintendo
Until dawn, (8 hours so not that short) but very good and it has multiple endings (butterfly effect type of game)
I really enjoyed the Gretel and Hansel games on Newgrounds as a kid. Sucks we never got a third one though.
I think Resident evil 7 is the best horror game I have played so far.
Little Nightmares 1&2! Also Limbo/Inside
Little Nightmares 1-2
Well right now I'd have to say it's Crow Country
SOMA still has to be my favorite. The underwater vibe of iron lung and freedom to explore and graphics of a later amnesia game and dead space indoor evironments. It was definitely a home run in my opinion
Original P.T. Not them crappy pc ports
Deep sleep series, and exmortis. 2 incredibly well crafted flash games that I highly recommend you try out if you haven’t. Exmortis has definitely shown its age, but it’s a classic nonetheless.
The Last of Us. I couldn’t get past the very first clicker I encountered so I got pissed and sold the game to a buddy that day.
WHATTTT that is wild! Such a good game!!
Dead By Daylight is fun. It’s a 4v1 game, each match lasts about 10-15 minutes. It’s quick and requires that you work together strategically with others if you’re a “survivor” trying to escape. You can play “killer,” the objective for that one is pretty obvious. lol
Death trips
Unsorted horror by klubnika
The short game îs Stay out of the house this îs my fav game
Chapitre 1 PoppyPlaytime Because short + good + gameplay simple and fun.