Despite horror games fitting into more of a niche interest, as the genre does in almost every medium, the industry has been producing high-quality scary stories at a consistent pace for years. So far, 2023 has treated horror fans well, largely thanks to two well-received remakes in Dead Space and Resident Evil 4. While those two projects garnered the most mainstream attention, games like Dredge, Amnesia: The Bunker, Layers of Fear, and Sons of the Forest also left their mark on the audience.

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Developers, of both AAA and indie games, aren't afraid of offering experiences that mash together multiple genres. Therefore, in addition to horror elements, players can expect releases to include elements such as asymmetrical multiplayer, exploration, and both first-person and third-person gameplay. What are some of the most exciting upcoming 2023 horror games?

Updated August 6, 2023 by Mark Sammut: 2023 has already produced a couple of amazing horror games, but the year is far from done. Along with a myriad of projects that have yet to confirm release dates or windows, the genre has a couple of huge titles confirmed for the next few months. These upcoming horror games could define 2023.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

With horror properties like Friday the 13th seeing some success within the asymmetrical multiplayer genre, it was only a matter of time before other legendary licenses, including the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, were provided the same opportunity. The title will specifically call upon the 1974 horror film of the same name for inspiration.

Fans should be excited considering developer Gun Interactive worked on the previously mentioned Friday the 13th. It's the first time in decades that the iconically hellish horror series has made its way back into the world of video games in a meaningful way.

Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle

Invader's Daymare 1998 wore its PS1-era Resident Evil influences loudly and proudly; in fact, the survival horror game stuck a bit too close to its inspiration, resulting in an experience that struggled to move out of Capcom's all-consuming shadow. Even though Resident Evil has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, the gaming world could always use a few more single-player games of this ilk, especially since the AA market tends to be flooded with first-person fright fests or multiplayer projects.

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Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle appears to be an improvement over its serviceable but forgettable predecessor. If nothing else, the prequel seems to be taken steps to try and differentiate itself from Resident Evil, all the while still offering an experience inspired by third-person horror shooters of yesteryear.

Ad Infinitum

Alternate history and horror go together like peanut butter and jelly, and Ad Infinitum is looking to deliver on that winning combination. Hekate has developed a psychological horror title that is loosely set during the events of World War I. Often times when experiences in the horror genre take on a wartime setting it plays on the idea of soldiers dealing with loss, familial relationships, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ad Infinitum is following in this expected path, but the game looks to also deliver on providing a tense and scare-inducing adventure. Playing as a German soldier, the game's tagline asks "Can you escape the horrors of war?"

Alan Wake 2

Remedy Entertainment happens to be one of the weirdest game developers in the world. The company's David Lynchian approach to storytelling made Control and the first Alan Wake find communities of people who love the eccentric take on horror.

Though Control was more commercially and critically successful than Alan Wake, plenty of people are eagerly anticipating the latter's sequel, a game many thought they'd never get. Remedy has stated that Alan Wake 2 will be centered on delivering a survival horror experience, a change in the formula from the first game.

World Of Horror

"New" becomes a loose term when early access is involved. Technically, World of Horror has been available for more than three years on Steam, and it has garnered a fairly positive reputation over that period. However, after such a long spell in development, the indie horror game is finally set to make its full debut, and it will be coming to consoles as well.

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World of Horror takes inspiration from some of the genre's literary greats, specifically H.P. Lovecraft and Junji Ito. The former needs no introduction, while the latter is almost assuredly the most celebrated horror mangaka of all time. Using these two creators' masterpieces as launching pads, World of Horror is an unsettling 1-bit roguelite RPG that emphasizes player choice. Boasting terrifying imagery and situations, this title is deliciously creepy.

Alone In The Dark

Alone in the Dark's influence on horror cannot be understated. The 1992 release pioneered the video game genre as a whole, and it holds up well provided someone goes in with realistic expectations. Unfortunately, the franchise spent the best part of the next two decades failing to either replicate its initial success or adequately copy other popular horror licenses, culminating in 2008's disappointing Alone in the Dark and 2015's woeful Illumination. As an argument could be made that there is only one great Alone in the Dark game, Pieces Interactive's decision to revive the series by remaking its solitary shining light makes a lot of sense.

2023's Alone in the Dark revisits Emily Hartwood and Edward Carnby's story, which finds the pair heading to the Derceto Manor in an attempt to find out what happened to the former's uncle. Split into two campaigns, the remake looks set to tweak the original's narrative and craft a familiar but ultimately novel experience. Played from a third-person angle similar to the recent Resident Evil remakes, Alone in the Dark needs to hit it out of the park as the franchise really cannot take another critical disaster.

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