Just because a game doesn’t fit into the horror genre, doesn’t mean that it can’t absolutely terrify players out of their seats. We all remember playing a game that isn’t supposed to be scary, but feeling freaked out by it anyways, leaving us wondering: “since when am I playing a horror game?”
When it comes to non-horror games, there are a surprising amount that have incorporated horror elements really well into the experience. Whether it’s during a specific level or through a particular enemy, there are games from our early childhood that scared us to our core.
These games aren’t horror games, but they scare you better than other titles in the genre can — and it’s excellent every single time. In fact, if a horror DLC were to come out in these games’ universes, it would fit right in and not stand out too harshly in contrast with the main game.
Either way, you don’t expect to get scared while playing these games, but that’s exactly what ends up happening in a fluid, natural way that rivals giants in the genre.
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10
Death Stranding
Dark, Moody, Weird
Death Stranding is a game that I would consider to be horror-adjascent. It’s dark, moody and atmospheric, but it’s a drama, not a horror game; but the horror elements that appear in this game are top notch.
For the most part, this game is actually pretty relaxing and chill when you’re just delivering packages, it’s not until you get to specific areas where the scarier components start to come out.
The creepier elements of this game tend to be with specific enemies and the afrementioned areas, especially when you’re trying to sneak around them. It creates a tension and anxiety that has you hoping and praying that you won’t get caught, just like when you’re hiding from a monster in horror games.
That is, until you upgrade your weapons to where you become the monster in the room instead.
9
No Man’s Sky
Space is Stunningly Scary
The vastness of space is ripe with storytelling potential, with countless open world games taking place in space and being just as unique and riveting as the next. No Man’s Sky, however, takes a much simpler approach by just dropping you on a planet and letting you go from there.
And when you finally get out into the great open vaccuum of the universe, you’ll be awe-struck at its beauty … and terrified by the existential emptiness of space. Seriously, if you have astrophobia, you’re in for a tough time.
While the game itself is relatively chill and easy-paced, there are several planets that easily shift the game into the horror genre. It could be due to the planet itself, a shipwreck upon it, or some of the creatures that you encounter on the planet. Either way, it’s creeping you out.
So while this is definitely not a horror open world game, the horror elements are so well done that you almost forget that you’re simply supposed to explore.
8
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Spider Cave Alone
At this point, what hasn’t been said about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? It’s a game notorious for its warm open world and excellent environmental storytelling, and sure enough — it’s got great horror elements, too.
Not only will you encounter these elements while cave diving (especially if you’re primarily using stealth), but some of these caves are just filled to the brim with nightmare fuel. I’m terrified of spiders, so you can imagine how horrific the Cronvangr Cave was to get through.
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Outside of things in the world itself, one could argue that the Dark Brotherhood questline is horror-adjascent, requring players to fill the role of an elite assassin, complete with blood rituals and supernatural forces that refuse to let you go. This isn’t even considering the Dawnguard DLC, which is filled to the brim with gothic horror.
Either way, Skyrim is able to implement horror in such a natural way, you’ll be left wondering why there hasn’t been an Elder Scrolls horror game yet.
7
Night in the Woods
An Excellent Commentary on Mental Health
Night in the Woods looks, sounds, plays and acts like an indie horror game, but it’s actually an adventure platformer. On the surface, it’s about a girl coming back to her hometown after dropping out of college, but on a deeper level, it’s a commentary on mental health and the detriment it can cause yourself and others around you.
Mental health and the way it can cause someone to spiral is the central theme of Mae’s story, and it activates something in players that we can all relate to: fear.
Mae’s nightmare sequences are genuinely dreamlike, but they’re also uncomfortable and unfathomably horrifying once you learn the context of it all. It’s like dipping your toe into the psychological horror waters, all while telling a poignant story that speaks to many.
Oh, and there’s a cult hidden in this game, just to really drive those horror elements home.
6
Undertale
Even on Pacifist
When it comes to Undertale, you simply had to be there — this game had done wonders for the indie gaming industry, taking the entire world by storm and capturing the hearts of players everywhere. So much so that when Deltarune dropped, fans were nearly in hysterics.
It’s a genuinely cute game with all the wit and charm to back it up, yet, while playing through Undertale, there is this lingering sense of dread and melancholy. You learn why that is by the time you reach the end, but that doesn’t change the ambience, nor the enemies that you encounter, being absolutely horrifying, even on Pacifist.
Regardless of how you’re playing the game, there are several moments where you’re freaked out, completely appalled by what you’re looking at. The amalgamations in Alphys’s Lab are truly horrific, especially once you learn what exactly happened to make them end up like this.
This isn’t even taking the Genocide route into account, because if you’re playing on that difficulty, it becomes a whole different non-horror horror game for a whole different reason.
5
Minecraft
Creeper? Aw Man
Minecraft is easily one of the most iconic video games of all time, right behind the infamously long-reigning Super Mario Bros. In an endless, blocky world, you have one simple objective: go crazy and go stupid. Even if you’re playing on Survival, you can approach things literally however you want, since creativity is the name of the game here.
In the same coal vein, Minecraft can easily scare the life out of you. Not only can enemies sneak up on you (and then blow up your house if it’s a Creeper), but there are some mobs that are just objectively creepy. Just saying, the way an Enderman acts after making direct eye contact with one is just uncomfortable.
And if you choose to go cave diving, you’re in for a healthy amount of scares that way as well. You’ll be mining in silence for almost an hour before a loud, drawn-out sound blasts through your headphones, but by then you’ve well jumped out of your seat and into the ceiling.
You wouldn’t think of Minecraft of all non-horror games to have such powerful horror elements, but alas, it’s found behind every block.
4
The Legend of Zelda
Terrifying Children Since 1998
The Legend of Zelda has always been about adventure, living in a well-written fantasy world and saving the princess from the very fate etched into their hands. Yet, starting with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it also started being about scaring the living daylights out of children playing past their bedtime.
Even then, some of these horror elements still freak me out as an adult — and it almost always has to do with the enemies you encounter and the darkness the world ends up in. In Ocarina of Time, it’s Dead Hands, Redeads, and countless others as you try to save Hyrule from death and destruction around every corner.
In future titles, these same enemies make reappearances to be scarier than ever (just saying, the Redeads are terrifying in Wind Waker), or newer, freakier enemies take over the fear factor instead (such as the Gloom Hands from Tears of the Kingdom).
Despite being notoriously family friendly, there are countless situations where a Zelda game scared the life out of some poor kid, and it never left their minds since. It’s easily one of the best non-horror games that nails horror elements perfectly, and it genuinely adds to the fantasy world and the adventuring experience.
3
The Long Dark
Suffocating Silence
The Long Dark is survival at its finest, regardless of whatever difficulty you’re playing, it’s actually a pretty soothing time. Despite the loneliness and isolation that clings to you like snow clings to the fur on your coat, you can actually find a good amount of peace and solace in the silence.
That is, until an aurora borealis goes off.
The aurora is an event that happens from time to time that looks stunning, but it causes electrical functions to go haywire. One moment, you’ll be sitting cosy by a fireplace and simply listening to the crackle of the fire, the next, you’ll be frantically checking the entire room as it erupts with lights and sound.
The isolation alone is enough for players to feel uneasy at times, but when players encounter an aurora for the first time, it’s almost guaranteed to freak them out. That is, until they realise that they can be ten times more productive (even safer) during an aurora, making it prime time to tinker and get some work done.
2
Subnautica
Thalassophobia is Just Logical Here
If you have Thalassophobia (the fear of the ocean) in some way, shape or form, you’re going to be terrified by Subnautica before you even get to the horror elements.
And trust me when I say the horror elements will give you an anxiety unlike anything else. It doesn’t even have to be with the Leviathian, either, since there are countless areas and situations that will be an easy jumpscare, if you weren’t already terrified swimming around.
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And you can’t just avoid the ocean in this game, you can try and make as many pathways you can walk on as humanly possible, but at some point, you’re going to have to take the plunge. And when you do, the horror elements shine brighter than the sun rays beaming into the water.
As far as what horrors await for you in the deep: that’s for you to jump in and find out.
1
Thief
Don’t Get Caught
None of the Thief games are horror games, but they nail horror elements down better than any of them with one simple mechanic: stealth in complete darkness. Seriously, the darkness is your safety, but it’s also able to get your palms sweating as you’re watching the guards patrol, hoping they don’t see you.
The whole point of Thief is to steal and to not get caught. You aren’t built for combat, so you have to be meticulous and careful, which puts you right at the edge of your seat the entire time.
Not to mention, there are specific areas in these games that turn the experience into a genuine horror game, such as robbing The Cradle in Thief: Deadly Shadows or trying to get through Moira Asylum in Thief (2014). Moira Asylum, specifically, is haunted to the nines, and playing through it is one-to-one with playing a horror game where you’re stalked by ghosts.
When it comes to non-horror games with excellent horror elements, Thief easily takes home the crown jewel — that is, until Garrett sells that jewel to pay his rent.
