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Horror games have long kept players interested with their ability to evoke fear and suspense. What began as simple experiments in tension-building has transformed into a sophisticated genre that uses modern technology as time goes on, storytelling and psychology to terrify players.
The first essential horror games that started the main category of horror games themselves were Colossal Cave Adventure and Zork, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. These were mainly text-based horror games, primarily focused on the atmosphere and background, and the backgrounds and atmospheres were often eerily and dark.
As technology advanced, a new horror game, Haunted House, was created in 1981. It introduced visual horror and used simple graphics to create a scary atmosphere and other details. It was more advanced than just a text-based game.
In 1989, Japan made a Japanese exclusive game called Sweet Home, which is considered the pioneer of horror survival games; it included perma-death, which means that when you die in the game, it restarts your progress or until the last save point, inventory features so you can have and use items. It was one of the most advanced horror games of its time and influenced the horror genre.
The next following period was around the 1990s. Alone in the Dark (1992) brought 3D graphics, new controls and puzzles, which helped shape survival horror and inspire more games.
In 1996 Resident Evil solidified the genre by combining fixed camera angles, limited resources, and combat, defining the survival horror blueprint. The last major game of this period was Silent Hill (1999); this took horror into a more psychological direction, using new sound design, foggy environments and more storytelling to create an unsettling experience. This was not like Resident Evil, which leaned on action-horror elements; Silent Hill prioritized more fear and emotional horror.
When arriving in 2000, horror games expanded in both narrative storytelling and new mechanics. Fatal Frame (2001) introduced combat through photography, forcing players to face supernatural threats head-on, heightening vulnerability. Resident Evil 4 (2005) had an over-the-shoulder perspective, dynamic enemies and fast-paced action.
This shift inspired more action-oriented horror games, influencing franchises like Dead Space (2008), which blended sci-fi horror with combat. Indie horror started becoming more popular with the creation of Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010), which did not use combat and focused more on the favor of stealth and psychological tension. Its focus on helplessness and immersive sound design influenced many future first-person horror experiences.
The more modern era of horror games (2010-present day) saw horror blend classic things with modern technology. Outlast (2013) and Alien: Isolation (2014) created first-person horror by implementing the first AI enemies that hunted players relentlessly. This period also saw the rise of making VR (virtual reality) horror games, with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) offering one of the most immersive and terrifying experiences to date. Indie horror flourished, with a popular franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s (2014), introducing time-based survival mechanics and Phasmophobia (2020) integrating cooperative multiplayer ghost hunting.
Image courtesy of AI, via Gemini AI.
