We’re ranking the 12 best PS5 horror games, in order of quality. All of these horror games are gems and well worth playing. Just because we ranked a game at number 12 doesn’t mean you should avoid it – rather, the opposite. These are the creme of the crop and are critically acclaimed for a reason.
We’ll be ranking what we think are the 12 best PS5 horror games available right now. There are some classics in here, as well as a handful of recent titles that have recently launched to great success.
Resident Evil VII: Village
Release Date: May 7, 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, Nintendo Switch
Despite not breaking Resident Evil 7’s sales records, RE: Village is widely considered to be one of the strongest games on PlayStation 5, an opinion helped by the fact that it was one of the few games available on the system shortly after its launch.
Resident Evil VIII follows on from Biohazard’s style of atmospheric horror, playing to those same elements, but routinely changing up the formula so that it never gets stale. Village features a wide variety of shifts, both in the tone of the horror and the gameplay. You’ll go from psychological horror to body horror in the space of a few hours, meaning you never have time to settle into what the game throws at you.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus
Release Date: September 22, 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Doki Doki Literature Club is a remarkable success story. Not a soul on planet earth could have predicted that this little indie visual novel would become the kind of cult classic it has, introducing a more mainstream audience to a type of horror not utilized nearly enough in video games.
DDLC fakes you out, and that’s all we’ll tell you going into it. You have the benefit of expecting a horror game – but when you play it, imagine all those that went into it expecting your typical, cutesy VN about a group of school students starting a poetry club. What they got was anything but typical.
The Quarry
Release Date: June 10, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
If I was to recommend one game from this best PS5 horror games list for someone looking for a proper classic horror experience, it would be The Quarry. This spiritual successor to Until Dawn is a telltale-style story game, but it’s a horror. As in, a classic horror.
You take control of nine teenage counselors trying to survive their last night at summer camp. I can think of several movies with that premise just off the top of my head, and that’s not a bad thing. The Quarry isn’t the best game on this list, but it is the “horroriest” game, and that counts for a lot.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Release Date: October 22, 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes does away with the typical jumpscare horror you see so often in AAA games. Instead, it relies purely on suspense horror, which inspires a far deeper kind of terror. It’s the third entry in the series, but each game is standalone – so you don’t have to worry about playing catchup, especially since many consider House of Ashes to be the best of the bunch.
This is another interactive story game, this time following a group of special forces soldiers hunting for weapons of mass destruction at the close of the Iraq War. It’s such a unique concept, but one that’s executed masterfully and packed full of choice-based suspense and horror.
Metro Exodus
Release Date: February 15, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia
Metro Exodus doesn’t immediately spring to mind when considering the best PS5 horror games, but it should. Despite leaning away from the series’ classic horror roots, Metro Exodus still has terror in droves. The scares may be fewer and far between, but the contrast of the wide, open world of post-war Moscow with the tight, cramped interiors you’re exploring will keep you on consistently on edge.
Even when you’re not navigating dark, damp bunkers – you’re slogging through the wilderness in a constant war of attrition. Death is around every corner, and one or two bullets can make all the difference. If you’re the type of player that enjoys a more overall survival-horror experience, you owe it to yourself to try Exodus.
The Last of Us Part 1
Release Date: September 2, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
The Last of Us Part 1 is a remake of a remake – yes. However, it’s a very good remake of a remake, and it deserves praise and attention for that. It may have been years since the original Last of Us was released, but the game remains as terrifying as ever.
To this day, no other zombie game has replicated what The Last of Us has done successfully. Its non-combative, silent terror approach to an apocalypse scenario contrasts so heavily to the likes of Dying Light 2, which we saw earlier on this list of the best PS5 horror games. If you haven’t played this series yet, there’s never been a better time on account of the TV show’s mainstream success. If you have, isn’t it time for a replay?
The Last of Us Part 2
Release Date: June 19, 2020
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
The Last of Us Part 2 embroils itself more in the human aspect of post-apocalypse horror. While there are still plenty of Clickers, those tense, silent set pieces are few and far between. Instead, the game’s focus is on the protagonist’s revenge quest and the things that they do to fulfill it.
While it’s not your typical horror game, it does still have that classic survival element of suspense. You won’t find yourself face to face with the Last of Us’ scariest creatures so often, but when you do – it’s as terrifying as any game.
Dying Light 2
Release Date: February 4, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
If you wouldn’t consider Metro Exodus a horror game, then you definitely wouldn’t consider Dying Light 2 a horror game. Despite those opinions, Dying Light 2 is a survival horror game by definition – despite its flashier setpieces. It’s an action game, sure, but it does have its moments.
Neither of the Dying Light games played too heavily into the horror aspect of a zombie apocalypse. They were designed as fun, almost Far-Cry-like games with satisfying movement and engaging gameplay. Despite that, Dying Light 2 is a survival-horror game at heart. You’ll struggle for resources, survive situations by the skin of your teeth, and when the sun goes down… now that’s terrifying.
Dead by Daylight
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, Nintendo Switch
Dead by Daylight is the quintessential horror game, which is strange when you consider that most people don’t find it, well, scary. Play enough of anything and you’ll get desensitized, though, and DBD can still get the blood pumping at the best of times.
This is a rare multiplayer horror game. What’s more, it’s a PvP horror game. One player plays as the killer, while the rest of the lobby are survivors. It’s the survivor’s job to repair generators around the map to escape, and the killer’s job to stop them. DBD features a massive cast, including crossover horror villains you’ll no doubt recognize. If you’re a horror fan, you need to at least try Dead by Daylight.
Alan Wake Remastered
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
It’s not every day that a game gets a remaster 11 years after its original release date, but that’s exactly what happened with Alan Wake. This classic horror game sounds like it’s lifted straight from a screenplay. You follow Alan Wake, a troubled writer on the search for his missing wife.
While searching, he finds pages of a horror story that he seems to have written but has no memory of. This incredible hook is livened up by a very solid third-person gameplay style, but it’s the story that you’re here for. If you’re looking for a terrifying narrative that’ll reel you in and spit you back out, try Alan Wake Remastered.
Dead Space
Release Date: January 27, 2023
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Here’s another remaster, except rather than a hidden gem like Alan Wake, Dead Space is a rebuilding of one of gaming’s most iconic horror series. Released only in January, this remaster has been showered with nothing with praise since it came out, and it’s well deserved.
Dead Space 2023 stays faithful to its namesake while improving on it in almost every conceivable way. The horror that was so captivating in the original is only enhanced by the improved sound design and visuals. It plays better, looks better, and scares better than ever. Whether or not you’ve played the original Dead Space isn’t important – you owe it to yourself to play this game.
The Callisto Protocol
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Concluding our list of the best PS5 horror games, The Callisto Protocol was meant to be a spiritual successor to Dead Space, and it was even directed by the co-creator of the Dead Space series, Glen Schofield. Despite that, or perhaps because of this pressure, it didn’t exactly live up to the hype and launched to mixed reception.
That being said, one thing the game wasn’t criticized for was its horror and atmosphere. The gameplay of Callisto Protocol let it down, while all of its horror aspects were spot on – keeping players on the edges of their seats for hours on end. You may not enjoy the gameplay so much, but if you’re in the mood for a scare, you’ll find it here.
Conclusion
That’s it for our top 12 best PS5 horror games. Disagree with our ranking? Let us know in the comment section below. It’s important to remember that the PS5’s library of games is still relatively small. Despite that, there are some true hidden horror gems there, you just have to look for them.
