When it comes to video game franchises, anything goes. Between spin-offs, prequels, sequels, and reboots, there is plenty of potential for a franchise to not just shift its narrative or gameplay, but also its genre. Titles such as Dead by Daylight continuously boast players who strive for nerve-shredding experiences no other genre can give, and games not traditionally associated with the genre can provide unique takes on it.

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With this in mind, there are a handful of video game franchises that deserve the horror treatment; Through opportunities such as world-building or simply the uniqueness of combining terror with their gameplay, certain franchises seem ripe for scary experiences.

9 Far Cry 6 Continues The Genre-Splicing

Ubisoft's Far Cry franchise is no stranger to switching genres. From the retro-futurism of Blood Dragon to the primitivity of Far Cry Primal, the FPS franchise is inviting a horror-themed take on its formula, perhaps through alternate world events like those in Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare or a mysterious adventure similar to The Island of Dr Moreau.

The game could be a stand-alone expansion occupying the same part of the franchise as a numbered title, and retain the action-orientated nature of Far Cry without sacrificing spooky elements. It seems inevitable given the dynamism of Far Cry, but Ubisoft has yet to dip its toe into anything like it.

8 Metal Gear Solid 5's Parasite Unit

Whether Stalked by The Parasite Unit or hiding from the ghosts of the fallen, Big Boss and Solid Snake have come across some panic-inducing encounters, which seem perfect to replicate the gameplay of powerlessness, forcing players to rely on stealth alone to survive.

It would be a true return to the roots of the franchise that made the stealth genre what it is today and could involve new characters working against familiar, supernatural foes. It is certainly unlikely, given the stagnation of the franchise following Kojima's departure in 2015, but there is always hope that something like this could become reality.

7 Star Wars: Battlefront 2's Ewok Hunt

In one of the most popular game modes in DICE's 2017 sequel to the 2015 Star Wars Battlefront reboot, players take on the role of stormtroopers stranded at night on Endor, relentlessly hunted by other players in the role of Ewoks. It was tense, with the limited visibility and haunting sounds of the Ewoks, and could serve as the basis for a horror spin-off in the Star Wars franchise.

It could easily become a fun multiplayer experience similar to Dead by Daylight, with unlockables available for stellar performances as either the hunter or the hunted. This gameplay could also work for other 'stranded-trooper' modes, such as clones under siege from Geonosians or Sandtroopers attacked by Tusken Raiders.

6 Tom Clancy's The Division 2 Has The Perfect Predator

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 has dipped its toe into tense encounters with the Survival game mode, but it has yet to craft a truly horrifying experience. Within the current two games, however, exists the perfect enemy to combat players: The Hunters.

Division agent hunting, mask-wearing, and axe-wielding, Hunters have been an intimidating presence for years, with their mysterious origins and puzzle-like summoning process crafting them into legendary figures of mystery. The Division could take advantage of this to create a survival-horror game based around a powerless Division agent hunted by these predators.

5 Half-Life Started To Explore Horror With Ravenholm, But Never Finished

A canceled spin-off of Half-Life 2 involved the critically acclaimed apocalypse going on in Ravenholm, populated by headcrab zombies and a lone preacher. From the small segment players can experience in the critically acclaimed sequel, it is clear that there is ample room to create a nerve-shredding sci-fi experience.

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Outside Ravenholm, the bitter atmosphere, post-apocalyptic world, and dystopian Combine armada are good starting points for a much larger-scale horror akin to Dead Space or other games with scope as well as terror. Whatever the future holds for Half-Life, Ravenholm is still a golden opportunity for some genre-bending terror.

4 The Cosmic Horror Of Mass Effect Deserves To Be Center-Stage

Mass Effect started its first game with the surprise reveal that the impaled corpses were still alive, and then proceeded to involve horrific abominations courtesy of the ever-present big bad, The Reapers. A horror game, from the perspective of someone not as well-equipped as Shepard, could become a torturous survival horror like Outlast.

There is the potential; an empty spaceship, seemingly uninhabited, but actually controlled by The Reapers. It's a nice idea delicately pondered during the Reaper IFF assignment in Mass Effect 2. The horrific nature of The Reapers is somewhat lost when facing a gun-toting legend such as Shepard; it could be intensified if the player controls a civilian.

3 The Elder Scrolls' Daedric Princes Are A Missed Opportunity To Strike Fear

Seventeen hellish deities who control their own cosmic realms sound like an idea that has been picked up before. Alas, Bethesda and Zenimax have frequently pushed the horrific nature of the Daedric Princes aside in favor of tiny loot chases that reward weapons.

Princes such as Hermaeus Mora or Sheogorath are monstrous fiends who could conjure awful environments with ease, and it would make more sense to craft stories involving their disturbing nature over loot chases for simple weapons.

2 Halo's Flood Enemies Are Apocalyptic Zombies

The Flood is memorably terrifying in the later stages of the original 2001 Halo game, parasites that infect any creature of large enough size. The Master Chief, as well as his allies, can explore ships infected with the parasite, leading to encounters with monstrous terrors that are a stark contrast with The Covenant. Sadly, the threat was seemingly concluded with Halo 3.

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A game could be set on a ship prior to Flood infection; it could be a panicked, last-ditch attempt to survive, with anxiety-inducing fear and horrific creatures that can only be hidden to survive. With the Halo franchise seemingly moving away from The Flood, it is likely a shelved dream, but there's always the potential for them to return.

1 God Of War, The Horror Of Godhood

Kratos has now worked his way through two pantheons with relative ease, and the obvious route, following the difficult battles of God of War: Ragnarok is to move onto a new pantheon. However, there is a case to be made for spin-offs, or prequels concerned with Kratos' targets; the gods themselves.

It could be a new pantheon god preparing for his arrival or a prequel where gamers play as a fallen Greek god, but either way, God of War has enormous potential to showcase the true powerlessness of these omnipotent beings.

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