That's easier said than done, as the decommissioned trading station of Sevastopol is a death trap full of inhabitants who'll gladly stab you in the back, malfunctioning androids, and the ever-present threat of a Xenomorph hunting you down. Set 15 years after the events of Alien, Alien: Isolation follows Ellen Ripley's daughter Amanda on a mission to unravel the truth behind her mother's disappearance. The original Alien film from 1978 still holds up brilliantly as a tight and well-constructed battle against extraterrestrial hostility, and in 2014, developer Creative Assembly bottled that cinematic lightning and used it to power a survival-horror experience that could put the film sequels to shame.

If you're in the mood to sleep with the lights on, here's a look at some of the best horror games that you can play right now. Graphical improvements deliver body horror that we never thought was possible before, sharp audio design makes us really regret shelling out extra for surround sound headsets, and the haptic feedback on our controllers sends a jolt down our collective spines whenever something demonic jumps into frame.Īt the same time, we've seen video games that are nostalgic reminders of the past, loving tributes to an era of Friday night VHS rentals and PS1 games that managed to leave us chilled by using only a handful of polygons to render monsters.

The last few years have seen some amazing horror games released, games that we can blame for a 300% increase in white hairs and dangerously high BPMs whenever we're hooked up to a heart rate monitor. Whether you're into gore-fueled terror from beyond the stars, games that make you question your very existence, or a lo-fi descent into unnerving territory, the video game industry has no shortage of unique and high-quality titles that'll make you hope that your pants are full of ectoplasm and not otherfluids.

If these games don't get your pulse racing, then you might want to check if your flight-or-fight responses are working properly. For this list, we're looking at and recommending the best horror games that are available right now, masterpieces of the macabre that are available on digital storefronts or on good old-fashioned physical media. It's the spookiest of seasons, and naturally, Halloween is the best time of the year to check out some horror games.

Spooky video games to play