Video game fans who prefer nightmarish experiences can choose from a nice variety of dark psychological games and meet some of the most terrifying video game characters of all time. While many of these characters are monstrous there are also a few of them who were once humans which makes these villains' backstories much more compelling and haunting.
Players can get lost in some of the most nightmarish worlds of the best horror games while getting to know these horrifying game characters' life better as well as understand how their twisted mind works. While in most cases players will have to find ways to defeat these petrifying characters some games also let them actually step into the shoes of these villains and become one of the most horrifying beings in the gaming world.
7 Vaas - Far Cry 3
Vaas is Far Cry 3's psychotic killer who thanks to years of drug abuse and mainly Hoyt, slowly but steadily started losing his mind. Since Vaas wanted to become a true warrior he would do pretty much anything Hoyt asked him to.
Vaas came to the deadly Rook Islands because of his crime boss friend Hoyt who turned him into a brutal murderer after he started working as his right-hand man. After Vaas' own sister, Citra, tried to kill him he completely went berserk. Far Cry 3 is one of the best open-world games but fans who want to understand how Vaas' mind works can also try playing with Far Cry 6: Vaas - Insanity in which he becomes the protagonist of the story.
6 Slender Man - Slender: The Arrival
Slender: The Arrival is one of the scariest horror games on Steam with a terrifying character called the Slender Man. Thanks to this urban-legend-inspired gaming villain players can go on a petrifying adventure as they try to stay alive while exploring the game's deadly open world.
Players get to go on a chilling adventure with Lauren who visits her friend Kate. However, after finding out that Kate was attacked Lauren sets out on a dangerous journey to find her friend while following clues and gathering evidence. Even though Slender Man is a supernatural killer he's still one of the gaming characters who managed to scare even more experienced players too.
5 Alma Wade - F.E.A.R.
Alma Wade is the F.E.A.R. franchise's brutal and terrifying ghost girl who didn't hesitate to murder anyone. Thanks to Alma this cinematic horror game became truly unforgettable that thought players that not only monsters or adult serial killers can be terrifying but little girls too.
Since Alma was used as a guinea pig to test her powers during torturous experiments she became resentful and eventually turned into a revengeful spirit who wanted to destroy humanity. F.E.A.R. fans can learn even more creepy things about Alma and get to know the backstory better to make the gaming experience even spookier and more entertaining.
4 Lisa Trevor - Resident Evil
Lisa Trevor was one of the most terrifying characters of the Resident Evil franchise with a nightmarish and heartbreaking backstory. Even though she was a normal girl she ended up becoming the first Progenitor adapter and evil researchers tested on her mutated body for over twenty years.
Lisa's mutated body was not only horrifying but had become very strong with superhuman abilities which even helped her survive her execution. Resident Evil is one of the scariest survival horror games with plenty of petrifying characters and a brilliantly detailed but deadly world that'll surely provide players with quite a few scares.
3 Laura - The Evil Within
The Evil Within is one of the most mind-bending games with some of the gaming world's most terrifying characters. This psychological horror game has plenty of monsters but its most petrifying character is a creature called Laura, that was a spine-chilling reincarnation of the beautiful young girl, Laura Victoriano.
Players will have to face this violent creature during their adventures. Since Laura was gravely injured during a fire that led to her eventual death, her chilling reincarnation is also afraid of fire and that's also why she got the black burns all over her mutated body.
2 Jack Baker - Resident Evil: Biohazard
Jack Baker is Resident Evil: Biohazard's most terrifying villain who constantly taunted Ethan after getting infected by the fungal bio-weapon. Jack was originally a normal and decent father who lived a quiet life with his family.
However, their life changed forever after he found Evelin and tried to save the young girl's life who infected him with the mold that turned him into a crazed serial murderer. Jack is the scariest character players will have to face while playing Resident Evil: Biohazard, and his tragic backstory makes the experience even more intense and unforgettable.
1 Pyramid Head - Silent Hill 2
Pyramid Head is the gaming world's most popular and terrifying villain that gamers have to face in Silent Hill 2. This terrifying humanoid monster became the franchise's most iconic villain that most players find terrifying.
This horrifying being both punishes Jamie and also guides him and helps him to stay human while going through the maddening experiences. Thanks to his unique look and the meaning behind his existence he's considered the most terrifying character in games. However, players will get to meet and fight against a wide range of horrifying creatures while getting lost in Silent Hill 2's daunting world.