After the 1990s established the survival horror genre and popularized horror in gaming in general, the 2000s had all of the tools needed to create unique and new experiences that still stand the test of time. The decade was filled with experimental projects that still shape games of today.
Many established horror series saw the release of some of their greatest entries in the 2000s, while new series' were birthed and put new twists on the formula. To look back at a decade that had a generous selection of amazing games for the genre, here are the 10 best horror games released in the 2000s.
Updated August 7th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There were a lot of amazing horror games released in the 2000s thanks to the uptick in studios being created, as well as a growth in technology. As companies and consoles entered the 3D space, game creators had more freedom to bring their most terrifying visions to life. The end result saw some seriously frightening and engaging games hit the market, with some of them developing a cult following or helping to grow a particular franchise. To better showcase some of the best horror games of the 2000s, the following list has been updated and now includes even more entries and examples.
13 Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Many players reminisce about the mainline Resident Evil series, with a number of players pointing to the original release or Resident Evil 4 as their favorite, but there have been some absolute-overlooked gems in the long-running franchise. Prior to Resident Evil 4 taking the center stage, dedicated fans would get their hands on Resident Evil: Code Veronica. This "spin-off of sorts" featured Claire Redfield as its main protagonist and put her on a collision course with one of the most powerful and overlooked villains to ever grace the series in Alexia Ashford.
Resident Evil fanatics are hopeful that this title gets its own re-make or release, as it's easily one of the best and most engaging stories in the series.
12 Dead Rising
Although many of the games featured on this list were traditional "horror" in the sense that they crawled beneath a player's skin and terrorized them with visions of grotesque monsters and absolutely chilling backdrops, there were some horror-inspired releases that felt much more Acton than others. A great example was Dead Rising, a Zombie-apocalypse survival game that was much more humorous, zany, and downright hectic than it was horrific.
Thanks to its wide array of buildable weapons, weird costumes, and downright addictive gameplay, Dead Rising stands as one of the most entertaining horror-themed releases of the era.
11 Haunting Ground
There are a lot of amazing games released each year that, unfortunately, don't get the attention they deserve. This is especially true in the modern age, with the introduction of a thriving Indie scene, but it was still a "problem" back in the early 2000s. Because of this, many great horror games flew under the radar. Case in point, Haunting Ground, a Capcom developed and produced survival horror release with similar tones to titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
The Clock Tower-esque release featured some incredible character designs, an engrossing story, and some pretty fun gameplay. It's a must-experience for horror fans.
10 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem takes a lot of inspiration from the works of H.P. Lovecraft with each chapter of the game being bookended by the Necronomicon, the book of the dead - an item that shows up frequently in Lovecraft's work.
The game stands out from the crowd with its sanity meter which once emptied will cause some odd effects. Rather than making it seem like your character is insane, the game creates effects that make you question your own sanity such as creating the illusion that the GameCube shut off, your save was deleted, or your television was muted.
9 Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned: Criminal Origins is a very early game from the seventh generation of consoles that focuses more on melee combat rather than gunfights. You go into abandoned buildings and construction sites, encountering and fighting killers and other outcasts of society with bats, pipes, planks, and more.
While there is the occasional gun, ammo is very scarce. The enemies in the game will dodge and block your melee attacks and you can do the same, creating an interesting form of first-person combat that has yet to be replicated since.
8 Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is based on Shadows Over Innsmouth, one of H.P. Lovecraft’s more well-known stories. The story centers around a private investigator who is searching the town of Innsmouth for a missing person. The town is filled with fish-like people who worship ancient aliens who live under the sea which have come from other parts of the cosmos. The very knowledge of these aliens drives your character insane and you will often have flashes of him in an asylum speaking of these eldritch horrors.
7 F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. is a first-person shooter with bullet-time combat similar to the Max Payne series. At some points in the game you are blasting through rooms of enemies, taking them out before they have a chance to fire a shot, while at other points, you are stalked by the ghost of a young girl who seems to have a connection with you. There are many creative scares in the game that have you turn a corner or climb a ladder to find the young girl waiting and watching only for her to disappear again.
6 Siren
Siren, while overall a pretty typical survival horror game, has a few elements that really help it stand out. Each character in the game has a photograph of a real person attached to their face rather than the polygonal model found on the rest of the body, giving the game a very uncanny, off-putting feeling. Another stand out feature added to the game is the ability to see through the eyes of your enemies, an interesting mechanic that allows you to avoid or hide from the enemy. Each level of the game is played by a different character, with each telling a small part of a much bigger story.
5 Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
There is no combat in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly. Instead, to deal with enemies, you must take pictures of them. You are stalked by ghosts throughout the game and must use the Camera Obscura, a paranormal camera that captures souls. There are different lenses and films that you must use for certain ghosts, all of which are scarce and must be managed carefully.
The story of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly centers around two sisters who are exploring an abandoned village before experiencing paranormal events. The evil spirits that inhabit the village wish to take one of the sisters and use her in an ancient ritual.
4 Dead Space
Dead Space takes the gameplay found in Resident Evil 4 and expands on it. You are Issac Clark, a miner who is inspecting the USG Ishimura space station as it has gone dark. Before long, you find out that the space station has been overrun by Necromorphs, deformed creatures that used to be the inhabitants of the ship until coming in contact with an alien artifact.
Where most video games reward headshots, to kill the Necromorphs in Dead Space you must dismember them with many of the weapons you find.
3 Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 abandons the fixed camera angle perspective that was found in the first few entries of the series. It is also much more action-oriented than previous games in the series with many over the top fights with hulking creatures and quick-time-events that make it feel like an action movie.
Though the deviation from the rest of the series was a bit jarring for long time fans of the series, Resident Evil 4 has been heralded as one of the best in the series and also paved the way for many third-person-shooters that came after it.
2 Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 still stands as one of the greatest horror games of all time, more than 15 years after its release. As James Sunderland, you travel to Silent Hill after receiving a letter from your recently deceased wife asking you to meet her there.
Through the game you meet many odd characters, one of which looks identical to your wife. The game’s voice acting is stilted and awkward, creating an unsettling eerie atmosphere that runs through the entire experience. The town and all of the weird characters and creatures within it all represent a broken part of James' psyche.
1 Resident Evil Remake
The Resident Evil Remake still stands as one of the finest examples of how to remake a game. It retains the same core experience found in the PlayStation 1 original but adds a fresh coat of paint.
Resident Evil Remake takes place within a large mansion that has a semi-open world feel to it. You will be returning to many rooms throughout the mansion and will quickly learn the layout, making the mansion itself feel like the main character of the game. There are many puzzles littered throughout the game that will unlock different parts of the mansion you must explore.