Best Horror Games That Don’t Overstay Their Welcome

Unlike MMOs or grand RPGs, where games can easily span over hundreds of hours due to a story that keeps on spinning as characters grow more powerful in order to face bigger threats, horror games aren’t something that most players expect to continue for a long time. They are there to tell a simple yet effective story while throwing the odd scare at the players’ faces.

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Sometimes, the best horror games are the shortest. These titles all deliver big scares and a huge impact within short playtimes.

Though it seems some developers might have missed that memo, as there are quite a few horror games that seem to have tacked on a little too much content, making the final acts feel like a bit of a drag. Fortunately, there are plenty more games that nail the length perfectly, tying up all the loose ends without wearing out their welcome.

8

Anatomy

An Atmospheric Nightmare

A little-known indie title that some gamers might never have heard of, Anatomy garnered quite some popularity among the indie horror gaming scene, as it was a surprisingly short albeit highly effective experience, and it boasted some stellar writing to boot.

It has a rather simple premise, as players wander from room to room in a barren house, listening to audio tapes that liken certain rooms of a home to parts of human anatomy. It doesn’t sound frightening, but the tense atmosphere and the gradual morphing of the surroundings is more than enough to make players feel completely unsettled. And what’s more is that the game is a succinct experience that does not drag on unnecessarily, so players cannot become desensitized to the horror here.

7

Limbo

A Short Yet Sweet Experience

Limbo is a unique game, as not only does it favor a minimalist art style by doing away with color, but it also marries together platforming and horror for a wholly original experience. Playing as a nameless boy, players awaken near a forest and set off inside to try to find their sister, meeting a variety of challenges along their way. Not only will they have to solve platforming puzzles, but they must also survive physical threats such as the giant spider, which is as terrifying as it is deadly.

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As it is a platforming title at its core, the game doesn’t contain too many hours of play, but it features just enough to finish up the plot, with the boy awakenint at the end to see the girl assumed to be his sister. The length of the game is satisfying enough for the players without wearing down and becoming too repetitive or boring, which is a cardinal sin in the development of horror games.

6

Little Nightmares

Big On Horror, Little On Hours

Little Nightmares revolves around Six, a yellow raincoat-clad little girl who wakes up aboard the Maw, a large water vessel that caters to all the guests aboard–apart from Six, that is. She is forced to endure hunger and run away from the grossly distorted humans, such as the Guests and the Chef, as she delves further inside the Maw.

Each new location brings a new threat that Six must run or hide from; she cannot fight back at all, which only serves to make the game more tense, and it remains as such until its final moments. A concise experience that wastes not a single minute, Little Nightmares never outstays its welcome, and with other entries in the universe to play, it serves as a great gateway title for those who may want more nightmares later.

5

Amnesia: The Bunker

Doesn’t Dwell In Darkness For Too Long

After a lengthy break from the Amnesia franchise, Friction Games returned to it in 2023, giving fans Amnesia: The Bunker. Set during World War 1, players take control of Henri, a French soldier who is fleeing from enemy bombardment. He finds shelter in an underground bunker mostly cloaked in darkness, but he soon discovers that what lurks in the bunker is much, much worse.

The dark, dank, and eerie location gives the game a tight atmosphere that is barely banished even when players turn on the lights, which is the defense against the Beast. It dwells in the dark and will snatch away anyone unfortunate enough to be caught out in to. But the fuel for the generators is a finite resource, which makes The Bunker a terrifying game of balance. Fortunately, the game isn’t overly long, so players don’t need to stretch out their fuel reserves too much. Because of this, the game never grows dull.

4

P.T.

Players Wished For More

P.T.

Systems

Released

August 12, 2014

ESRB

m

After years of radio silence, Konami raised gamers’ hopes with the announcement of a new game in the works that players could download a playable teaser for, just simply titled PT. Less of a demo and more of a standalone experience that would introduce players to certain themes and storybeats that were said to be in Silent Hills, players experienced a looping nightmare as they cycled through the same hallways, with each subsequent loop getting that much more frightening.

The atmosphere was perfect, and the ghost of Lisa was pure nightmare fuel. It made players excited about the game. Sadly, it never came to be, but many still yearn for what could have been. As a short, playable teaser, PT definitely did not outstay its welcome. Instead, it had quite the opposite effect, leaving countless gamers wanting more.

3

Soma

Explore Underwater Horror

SOMA

8/10

Released

September 15, 2015

Frictional Games, who were only known for their work on Amnesia and Penumbra at this point, surprised players with the release of Soma, which was a league apart from their previous games. Controlling main character Simon Jarrett, players find themselves in the underwater research facility PATHOS-II after agreeing to an experimental brain scan following a brain injury he incurred from a car crash. In his new robot body, Simon explores the facility, helped along by Catherine, as they both seek to board the Ark and leave the facility behind.

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The player must traverse from location to location underwater, avoiding threats while being forced to confront serious dystopian horror, as some scientists still remain alive in some capacity with the aid of alien-like machinery. The game culminates in a bittersweet ending, with only a copy of Simon and Catherine escaping on the Ark. The game does not drag its feet in taking players to this conclusion, but neither does it rush, leaving Soma as a near-perfect horror experience.

2

Resident Evil 2

The Remake Reduced the Number of Scenarios

The new era of Resident Evil games not only brought fans exciting new titles; it also offered remakes of classic favorites, such as Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4. The former came first, releasing in 2019 with a shiny new coat of paint over Leon and Claire’s fight for survival in Raccoon City during the outbreak.

The original game consisted of four total scenarios that varied ever so slightly, encouraging replays. The new game, however, just featured a first and second playthrough, which was virtually the same for both Leon and Claire. While fans of the original were understandably a little disheartened by this change, it did make for a more streamlined experience that was more palatable to newer fans, providing a more succinct experience that no player could possibly grow tired of.

1

Silent Hill 2

Perfectly Sums Up James’s Story Without Any Padding

Silent Hill 2 remains one of the most memorable horror games, and part of this is due to the fact it wasn’t bogged down with an overly lengthy completion time. While it is far from the shortest horror experience out there, not one moment of Silent Hill 2‘s game time was wasteful. Every action, every puzzle, and every confrontation is all furthering James’s personal quest as he searches for Mary, perfectly haunting the player with just how chilling every second of this game is.

The game ends exactly where it should, with James realizing the truth of Mary’s passing and no longer needing Pyramid Head to remind him of his buried guilt. Even with the remake adding on a few more puzzles and places to explore, Silent Hill 2 perfectly resolves everything, proving it to be the perfect length.

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