No Jumpscare, Here Are the 10 Best Horror Games in 2021

Each horror game takes a different approach to its presentation. Some games run with a thick atmosphere and horror, while others focus on action and thrilling combat.

However, both schools of thought generally use “jumpscare” to add tension to some extent. The extent to which they are used to differentiate one game from the next.

Read: 10 Scariest and Best Android Horror Games

While jumpscare can be done well, that doesn’t mean that horror games have to be successful. Many try to double the atmosphere, build suspense, or the plot itself. In these examples, some games apply jumpscare only at certain moments and don’t overdo it.

1. Darkwood

Darkwood is an example of a top-down perspective horror game that exploits its atmosphere to the limit. The goal of the game is to collect resources during the day to create useful items that are integral to the player’s survival.

When darkness falls, the goal is to survive until the next morning. This night meeting is the scariest. The player’s hideout will be attacked by a terrifying group of intruders.

Again, sound often plays a big role in this. Hearing a knock on the door or the creaking of wood is as disturbing as the actual threat.

2. Lost in Vivo

Lost in Vivo is an indie horror game that tries to double its claustrophobic elements. When the protagonist’s dog falls into the sewer, players must brave the limited sewer environment.

Various kinds of nightmare creatures encountered along the way. Lost in Vivo is an example of a game that uses sound design. The moments of dead silence were finally interrupted by various disturbing sounds.

One example is illustrated early in the game. As the dog whistled, bone-chilling whistles could be heard in response from an unseen stranger.

3. Sanitarium

Sanitarium is a pretty fun game. Released in 1998 for the PC platform, Sanitarium takes a top-down perspective as players control an amnesiac man who wakes up inside a mental hospital.

Players are tasked with uncovering the protagonist’s background as they navigate strange environments.

To say that the game is weird is a bit of an understatement. There are a lot of weird pictures on display to make players uncomfortable as they try to piece the story together. Even though this game looks old school, Sanitarium is still worth a try.

4. Stories Untold

Stories Untold is an episodic collection of disturbing stories. The overall objective of the game is to solve a series of puzzles, in which there is a marked increase in suspense.

That growing sense of dread is arguably most effective in the first episode, “The House Abandon”. In that episode, you start playing a text-based computer. Surprisingly, the environment in the real world began to imitate the actions performed in the computer game.

The process climaxes when you start to hear footsteps coming up the stairs. It’s done really well, scaring players into getting into their own heads.

5. Silent Hill 2

Admittedly, there is no Silent Hill game that relies too much on jumpscare. Silent Hill 2, like most other titles in the franchise, blends elements of supernatural and psychological horror.

Silent Hill 2 features some scary scenes and James Sunderland’s worst regrets come true. The result is one by one producing harrowing encounters, along with gruesome imagery that fans will not soon forget.

6. Visas

Visage is perhaps the closest to the realization of this type of horror. As such, the game is primarily a psychological horror section, where the reality of the characters is regularly questioned.

This game does include jumpscares at some moments, but they don’t make up for any outstanding gameplay aspects.

Visage is meant to be more of a slow burn, letting the player’s imagination run a little wild first and unleashing a bag full of tricks.

7. World of Horror

World of Horror is a very appropriate name for this game. His artistic style is striking, making use of a black and white hand-drawn aesthetic. Players are tasked with stopping the impending end of the world by fighting otherworldly creatures.

This game has a lot of really gruesome images. The old-school adventure game mechanics that World of Horror uses are no match for the constant jumpscare. Instead, it’s the inevitable buildup of anxiety that players experience when faced with a new threat that makes this game so tense.

8. Little Nightmares 1 & 2

Horror platformers can be as intense as any player experience. One of the most notable examples is the Little Nightmare 2 series. Both entries feature satisfying platforming gameplay.

The monsters in this game are best characterized as twisted caricatures of real people. Running away from them can be stressful, especially since they often appear suddenly.

Everything is skillfully presented in all the gloomy ugliness. Very few jumpscares fill the Little Nightmares game.

9. Bioshock

When it comes to building atmosphere, it’s hard to ignore Bioshock. The story takes place in Rapture, an underwater city where most of the residents have lost their minds due to constant infighting, interference with authority, and rampant plasmid addiction.

Each part of the rapture has its own identity, along with its set of dangers. The Medical Pavilion, for example, is a gruesome spectacle, watched over by a killer plastic surgeon.

With supplies never being consistently plentiful, players are forced to always be on the lookout for the threat of wandering maniacs roaming the halls. The inability to be careless even for a moment was palpable.

10. SOMA

Frictional Game has a well-deserved positive reputation for delivering satisfying horror titles. Like Amnesia: The Dark Descent before it, SOMA is great at building suspense.

Frightening players with unseen terror lurking around the corner is the best thing developers do. One of SOMA’s other strengths is its storytelling.

This game doesn’t shy away from asking really thought-provoking questions about people’s identities and humanity. All of this and more is beautifully accomplished while keeping jumpscare to a minimum.

The games above may not be the best horror genre games. But for those of you who want a horror game that is a little jumpscare, or even none at all. So, the list above is the right choice. Good luck.