Ten Notable Horror Games from 2015

The year 2015 offered a diverse lineup of horror games, from large-scale action titles to intimate, narrative-focused experiences. The releases spanned multiple platforms and catered to different tastes within the genre, featuring remasters of classics alongside entirely new properties that would leave their mark on the decade.

Action-Oriented Horror

Bloodborne FromSoftware’s PlayStation 4 exclusive, Bloodborne, blended the studio’s challenging action-RPG formula with a thick layer of gothic and cosmic horror. Set in the decaying city of Yharnam, the game pitted players against grotesque beasts and otherworldly beings in fast-paced, aggressive combat. The atmosphere was a key component of its horror, with terrifying enemy designs and oppressive environments that evoked a sense of constant dread. Dying meant losing valuable Blood Echoes, the game’s currency and experience points, adding a layer of tension to every encounter.

Dying Light Developed by Techland, the creators of Dead Island, Dying Light evolved the first-person zombie survival genre by introducing an emphasis on parkour and vertical movement. Players had to navigate a vast, infected open world by climbing buildings and vaulting over obstacles. The game’s horror was most potent during its day-night cycle. At night, the zombies became far more aggressive and new, powerful Volatiles emerged, forcing players to use stealth and speed to survive until sunrise. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 Following the action-heavy Resident Evil 6, Capcom released Resident Evil Revelations 2 as a return to a more suspenseful, horror-focused experience. The game was built around cooperative play, pairing characters like Claire Redfield and Barry Burton with partners who possessed unique, non-combat abilities. The secondary character was essential for progression, able to spot hidden items, expose enemy weak points, or even locate invisible foes. This asymmetrical co-op design created a sense of interdependence and vulnerability. It was available on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Zombi Originally a Wii U launch title called ZombiU, this survival horror game was ported to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2015 under the name Zombi. Set in London during a zombie apocalypse, its defining feature was permadeath. When a player’s character died, they were gone for good. The player would then respawn as a new, randomly generated survivor back at the safe house. To reclaim their gear, they had to track down their previous, now-zombified character and defeat them, adding a unique and personal sense of consequence to every death.

Psychological and Survival Horror

Resident Evil HD Remaster The definitive version of a survival horror classic, this release was a high-definition remaster of the 2002 GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil. It preserved the tense, resource-management-focused gameplay and fixed camera angles that defined the series’ early entries. The 2015 remaster brought the game to modern platforms with 1080p graphics, widescreen support, and enhanced audio, allowing a new generation to experience the claustrophobic horror of the Spencer Mansion. It was released digitally on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water This installment in the Fatal Frame series was released exclusively for the Wii U. Players explored the haunted Mt. Hikami, using the Camera Obscura to fend off hostile ghosts. The game made unique use of its hardware, with the Wii U GamePad functioning as the in-game camera. Players would physically lift and aim the controller to frame their shots, creating a more immersive and often startling experience. In North America, the game was a digital-only release with a free-to-start model, where the first few chapters were available at no cost.

Soma From Frictional Games, the studio behind the influential Amnesia series, Soma was a first-person science-fiction horror game set in a mysterious underwater research facility. While it featured terrifying encounters with twisted, biomechanical creatures, its primary focus was on its thought-provoking narrative. The story explored complex themes of consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human, leaving players with lingering philosophical questions long after the credits rolled. Soma was released for PlayStation 4 and PC.

White Night An indie title from OSome Studio, White Night stood out with its striking black-and-white, film noir art style. The gameplay was built around the contrast between light and darkness. Stranded in a desolate mansion, the player character had to use matches to illuminate his surroundings. Light was a finite resource and the only way to reveal clues and keep the mansion’s ghostly apparitions at bay. This created a tense survival experience where staying in the dark meant certain death. The game was available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Narrative-Driven Horror

Until Dawn One of 2015’s biggest surprises, Until Dawn was a PlayStation 4 exclusive that functioned as an interactive teen slasher movie. The game followed eight friends stranded at a remote mountain lodge, and the player’s choices determined their fate. Through a system called the “butterfly effect,” even seemingly minor decisions could have massive, unforeseen consequences later in the story. Every character could either survive the night or meet a gruesome end based entirely on the player’s actions, offering a high degree of replayability to see different outcomes.

Corpse Party: Blood Drive Released for the PlayStation Vita, Corpse Party: Blood Drive served as the conclusion to the Heavenly Host Elementary School saga from the previous two games. A Japanese horror title that blended visual novel storytelling with survival gameplay, it had players exploring the haunted school in 3D environments while avoiding vengeful spirits. The game was story-heavy, relying on its unsettling atmosphere, detailed characterizations, and shocking plot twists to deliver its horror. It was recommended that players experience the first two games before starting Blood Drive.