Best Horror Games Based On Creepypastas

Creepypastas are scary stories that have circulated around the internet for over a decade. But, just as there are different sub-genres of horror, there are a plethora of different categories for Creepypastas, including one revolving around gaming. These tales have had many influences on their readers, but popular bi-products of this movement are fan-made games based on the events of a particular Creepypasta.

These games seek to either expand upon a particular story, like Slender: The Arrival, or replicate the events of a certain haunted game so that fans can experience the terror for themselves. The latter is definitely more common, sparking several fan-made recreations of certain Creepypastas, such as Pokemon Creepy Black and The Theater.

10 Polybius

Polybius is an urban legend that pre-dates the internet itself, allegedly taking place back in 1981. The story of Polybius tells the tale of a mysterious puzzle/shoot-'em-up arcade game that would inflict horrific side effects, such as severe nightmares and amnesia, on its innocent players. Players would allegedly report strange phenomena while playing, like hearing a woman crying or seeing grotesque faces out of the corner of their eyes.

In 2017, Jeff Minter released his own version of Polybius. This newly released version is meant to be a psychedelic, fast-paced take on the original puzzle/shoot-'em-up game, but without the amnesia, nightmares, crying women, and government conspiracy. That said, the horrors of the original arcade cabinet came not from the game itself but from the mystery and phenomena surrounding it.

9 The Midnight Game

The Midnight Game is more of a list than a scary story. The original Creepypasta details an old Pagan ritual that was used as punishment for those who broke the laws of Paganism. The ritual summons a malevolent figure, The Midnight Man, into the practicer's home whom they must avoid being caught by until the ritual ends at 3:33 AM.

Structurally, The Midnight Game (developed by Unicorn Studios) plays very similarly to Slender: The Eight Pages. Players assume the role of an unsuspecting protagonist who is trying out this ritual in their own home, only to be met with The Midnight Man stalking them around every corner until 3:33 AM. Much like Slender: The Eight Pages, the protagonist cannot fight back against The Midnight Man. If he catches or corners the player, it's game over.

8 The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo

All young video game fanatics have had a friend who has an "uncle who works at Nintendo." This (most times, made up) relative is often the works cited for insider information on certain games, whether it be catching Yoshi in Pokemon Red & Blue or inputting tedious button combinations to unlock secret levels in Mario 64.

Ztul's The Uncle Who Works At Nintendo, however, takes these harmless white lies and crafts them into a brilliantly creepy text-based game where horrific twists and absurd weirdness can arise based on choices the protagonist can make at a sleepover with their friend who has an "uncle that works at Nintendo." The game is relatively short, only taking about half an hour to complete, but it has multiple endings and an unsettling abstract art style that's sure to get under the player's skin.

7 Easter Egg: Snow On Mt. Silver

pokemon easter egg snow on mt silver (1)

Pokemon is often the focus of many gaming Creepypastas. The nostalgia the game holds for millions of fans, its lighthearted tone, and its lovable creatures all make it a very easy game to put a sinister twist on. Easter Egg: Snow On Mt. Silver plays heavily on the nostalgia of players, and how hacking into the game's code can yield unsettling, horrific results.

The original story of Easter Egg: Snow On Mt. Silver follows two young adults that have been fans of Pokemon since the days of Pokemon Red & Blue. After the protagonist's brother restarts his copy of Pokemon Silver, he decides to use his GameShark to make his playthrough more interesting. Lo and behold, this idea leads to him seeing some horrific Easter eggs hidden in the game's code and leaves his sister to put together exactly what he saw on Mt. Silver.

6 Sonic.exe

Sonic.exe is a classic when it comes to gaming Creepypastas. It follows the "scary gaming story" formula to a tee, with jumpscares, the devil's number, and bloody, hyperrealistic facial features. Horror fans can acknowledge its cliches, but it doesn't change Sonic.exe's influence on gaming Creepypastas.

The game itself is very linear, with a clear start and only one, gruesome ending. Players will control a variety of Sonic The Hedgehog characters in their hellish journey through the sinister levels, including Tails, Knuckles, and even Dr. Robotnik.

5 Luna Game

My Little Pony becomes a much darker, more sinister series when players pick up the drblueling4's Luna Game. This multi-level platformer is designed for one purpose only: freaking out players, especially those who seek comfort in the cheeriness of My Little Pony.

Players will control Princess Luna throughout the Luna Game. Leading her through many gruesome scenarios, foreboding text from the other ponies, and, sometimes, directly contributing to her bloody in-game demise. This title is even rumored to leave disturbing images of the ponies in the game files and desktops of those who play it.

4 Slender: The Eight Pages

An undeniable classic when it comes to the phenomena of Creepypasta is Slenderman. Many fans of these scary stories regard this tall, faceless creature to be the one to kickstart the popularity of online Creepypastas. Due to his infamy, games, movies, and spin-off stories have been created to expand on the story of Slenderman.

One of the most popular is Slender: The Eight Pages. The game follows an unnamed protagonist as they collect eight pages in a dark forest with only their flashlight to comfort them; unknowingly being stalked by the predatory Slenderman as he becomes increasingly agitated with each page the player collects.

3 Pokemon Lost Silver

Pokemon Lost Silver is certainly one of the more well-known Pokemon Creepypastas. The original story follows a college student who buys a copy of Pokemon Silver for a bargain price at GameStop. When he boots up the game, he's greeted with ominous messages spelled out through the names of the creatures in his party, and worst of all, the realization that Pokemon don't just faint when they're defeated — they die.

It's an all-around sinister game that tells the endlessly creepy story of a trainer who, despite collecting all the badges and "catching 'em all," couldn't avoid the inevitability of death.

2 The Theater

The Theater is structurally very similar to the haunting Silent Hills. The game puts players through a loop of the same blood-red, dimly lit movie theater lobby, repeatedly collecting their ticket from the ominous "Ticket-Taker" and going through the doors of the theater only to end up back in the lobby again.

Though, similarly to Silent Hills, things begin to change in the movie theater lobby as the player continues to loop through it. Sprites will disappear, the on-screen text will distort, but most disturbingly players will eventually encounter a sinister version of the Ticket-Taker with a swirl pattern on his face (appropriately dubbed "The Swirly Head Man").

1 Sad Satan

Sad Satan was a dark web urban legend that followed a seemingly innocent young man downloading a game off the dark web by the same name. Sad Satan was subliminal and could be interpreted in many ways, to say the least. The game played like a walking simulator spliced in with unnerving images popping up and encounters with disturbed, unnamed in-game characters.

What made the game infamous wasn't its initial release, but the supposedly "unedited" version of Sad Satan. The unedited version is rumored to contain graphic images of gore and child pornography, but that hasn't stopped those desperate for the most extreme haunted gaming experience from finding and downloading Sad Satan.

Sad Satan is not for the faint of heart. The unedited version is highly illegal due to its explicit content, so it's recommended that players stick to the edited, clean version if they desire to delve into the subliminal darkness of Sad Satan.

MORE: Horror Games That Are Great (Despite Not Being Scary)