7 – Doom 3 – ID Software
Back when Doom 3 was new, it was terrifying. The monsters all looked grotesque as full 3D models, the atmosphere was nice and dark, and you were pretty much alone on Mars. If that wasn’t enough for you, this game featured “Nightmare Mode” which constantly degenerated your life to 25. Oh yeah, medkits don’t spawn either, and enemy damage is increased significantly. As if you weren’t already fragile enough on hard mode, right? Doom isn’t always the creepiest, and it’s not the most twisted, but it deserves a spot on this list if only for the first time you’re left alone in the dark with nothing but a flashlight.
6 – Neverending Nightmares – Infinitap Games
While this one isn’t quite as frightening as some of the other titles on this list, it is easily one of the creepiest. With inspiration taken from the creator’s own depression, NN has a personal quality to it that can render you speechless. The graphic self-harm, the brooding and insane atmosphere, and the feeling of helplessness are what drive this experience. There is a few jump scares, but the terror mostly comes from being stuck in such a deranged environment.
5 – Dead Space – EA Redwood Shores
I still remember the first time I took Isaac through the Ishimura, armed only with a plasma cutter. The first Dead Space was fantastic. It had a really great mix of spooky ambient noise, a dark environment, and horrifying enemies. While the series slowly moved away from survival horror and more towards action horror, in its infancy the survivalism was real. I’ll never forget the first time I was dragged by a giant tentacle, or when the hunter regenerated. By the end of the series, some aspects of the game became a little bit gimmicky, but it still managed to bust out some pretty solid scares.
