Horror games are the genre that arguable relies most on audio in their games, from ratcheting up tension with swelling orchestral soundtracks to crafting the perfect monster sounds that will tip players into a frenzy of fear when they hear it so much as whisper through their headsets.
These are just a few of the reasons a horror game might make use of solid sound design, but there are those games in which audio plays a more pivotal role. In these games, the sound is an aspect as important as creature or level design, and the game might not be the same without it. In fact, these games stand out because of this masterful sound design.
10 Horror Games That Have Incredible Sound Design
Sound designs in video games are amazing to either invest the player, or further scare them in genres such as horror games.
6 Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Stadia , Switch , Mobile
- Released
- June 14, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Behaviour Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Horror , Survival
While trying to survive one of the entities trials, it is important Survivors have a good map awareness, so they aren't caught out while working on those risky, open generators. Players can move their camera while working to survey their surrounding, but listening to audio cues is just one of the ways Dead by Daylight relies on its sound.
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Other than stealth Killers, all Killers will have a terror radius, which players can hear when they are within a certain distance, so when a Survivor hears it they probably know it's time to move to get ahead in a chase. Conversely, keen-hearing Killers can listen for a Survivors footsteps or breathing to catch out immersed Survivors blending in with their surroundings, with some Survivors breathe heavier than others. They also should be on the lookout for loud-noise notifications such as Survivors taking hasted actions like fast-vaulting or running in and out of lockers.
5 Blind
Games that rely on echolocation aren't wholly unique as there are a few on the market, but Blind is one of the games that does it best. Utilizing a VR headset, it puts the player into the shoes of a character who is blind, and relies on echolocation to navigate the world around them. The VR headset adds that extra later of immersion to make the experience even more realistic.
The player is force to navigate the mansion she finds herself sightless in using a cane to create sound ripples that grant temporary visuals of her surroundings. Players will need to use these brief glimpses to navigate, solve puzzles and reveal the reasons behind her recent loss of vision and memories.
4 In Silence
In Silence is another asymmetrical horror game, in which one player will take on the monsters and the rest must try to survive its wrath while finding a way to escape from the forest, while it takes a novel approach to its sound design.
Most of the audio cues the game relies on will come from the player themselves. In Silence has an in-game proximity chat that allows players to communicate and better work together to survive, but the player controlling the monster will be able to hear their voices when close enough. As the monster is almost completely blind, players will be relying more on sound to hunt and kill their friends than visual.
3 Stifled
Stifled is not just any ordinary indie horror game, and despite its status as one this game was lauded with many accolades and awards. This is down to the brilliance of the games design and the interesting mechanics that are at the heart of this title.
The player takes on the role of David, who is struggling after suffering heartbreak, plunging him into a land of perfect darkness. By using sound, David can catch a glimpse of his surroundings that help him to navigate it, but also the monsters hiding in the shadows. The game picks up on users microphones, which means when faced with monsters they need to keep their fear in check or risk falling to their clutches.
2 BlindSide
BlindSide is unique in the way that it completely blinds its players, tasking them with finding their way through the world through the use of audio only. Players assume the role of Case, a professor wakes up blind to find out the city has been destroyed by monsters that have also devoured the populace.
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Robbed of their sight, the player must navigate their surroundings and avoid danger, with only audio to guide them. It is a novel concept, and manages to be horrifying even without the aid of visuals.
1 Perception
Similar to Blind, Perception follows the journey of a blind woman named Cassie and her investigation into an eerie mansion she keeps seeing in her nightmares. Armed with only a cane and a courageous sense of adventure, Cassie can create sound waves using her cane that help her see, in a sense. The echolocation is a key feature that will aid the player in navigation and mystery solving.
But the mansion isn't so empty as one might think, infested by a dangerous entity known as The Presence. While sound is pivotal for Cassie to 'see', sound also gives away her location, drawing the Presence nearer. It's a clever little mechanic that will force players to be thoughtful about how often they use, as while it is necessary, it draws danger towards them.