The summer season is the perfect time to dive into some creepy-crawlies, some stomach-churning grotesque sights. When the weather’s sweltering, there’s nothing nicer than staying inside a cool room with a gripping tale of ghosts, goblins, and other horrific beasts coming to haunt your dreams. The final summer month of August is the perfect time to dim the lights and get seriously creeped out. From psychological thrillers that leave you thinking for days, to frenetic fire fights prompted by supernatural forces, these horror games promise to pull you into their shadowy depths, a good distraction from the endless sun. (Please note, this list is by no means comprehensive, and for more horror recommendations, you’ll have to follow along our usual coverage.)Alien: IsolationAlien: Isolation succeeds by balancing sparse action scenes with long stretches of quiet tension, as staying safe and out of sight is key to surviving. | SEGAIt’s not often that games adapted from films end up on “best of” lists, and one based on a nearly 50-year-old classic is even rarer. Alien: Isolation is wisely set after the events of the Alien film, rather than trying to recreate them, but its connection to the all-time-great sci-fi horror movie remains strong. The game casts players as the daughter of heroine Ellen Ripley, battling the same species of xenomorphs her mother fought in the film — along with other enemies. Just like its inspiration, Alien: Isolation succeeds by balancing sparse action scenes with long stretches of quiet tension, as staying safe and out of sight is key to surviving. — Robin BeaSilent Hill 2Silent Hill 2 remains one of the most beloved horror games ever all these years later. | KonamiReleased in 2001, there’s a good reason why Silent Hill 2 remains one of the most beloved horror games ever all these years later. Its disturbing brand of psychological horror set it apart from most of the genre at the time it was released, and it went on to inspire horror developers well into the future, including many featured on this list. The game follows James Sunderland as he descends into the town of Silent Hill after being beckoned there by his wife — years after her death. Along with introducing some of the most iconic horror game enemies of all time, its story remains as chilling today as it was on launch. — Robin BeaAlan Wake 2Alan Wake 2 was an instant success that’s certain to become a classic. | RemedyThe original Alan Wake was already a favorite among horror fans, but its 2023 sequel expands on it in every way. A smash survival horror hit, Alan Wake 2 is strange, funny, and frightening, building on the mythology of the original game in unexpected ways while vastly improving its gameplay. It combines action and investigation with a deep focus on a mystery story set in the layered realities of Bright Falls and the Dark Place. Delving into cults and the nature of fiction, Alan Wake 2 was an instant success that’s certain to become a classic. — Robin BeaSignalisSignalis nonetheless tells a strikingly original story of love, imperialism, psychic robots, and doomed yuri. | rose-enginePulling on horror influences from Silent Hill 2 to The King in Yellow, Signalis nonetheless tells a strikingly original story of love, imperialism, psychic robots, and doomed yuri. Set across spaceships, factories, and apartment buildings all warped by supernatural forces, Signalis is a classic survival horror game filtered through a surreal, eldritch lens. Just piecing together what’s happening is half the fun of Signalis, as you’ll need to dig deep to get the full, tragic story. On top of that is excellent puzzle design that calls back to PlayStation-era horror just as much as its beautiful retro-inspired art. — Robin BeaPhasmophobiaPhasmophobia can be hilarious, tense, and terrifying all at once. | Kinetic GamesSure, Phasmophobia relies on jump scares rather than the deeper psychological horror of many games on this list, but that doesn’t make it any less spooky. Phasmophobia’s focus on co-op stands out in a genre that leans heavily toward singleplayer games and it helped usher in a wave of games that use proximity-based voice chat and the inherent chaos of multiplayer to great effect. Casting you as a ghost hunter investigating a haunted house, Phasmophobia can be hilarious, tense, and terrifying all at once, depending on which of its large list of supernatural forces you’re facing off against and how seriously your crew takes its ghostbusting duties. — Robin BeaDevotionDevotion makes the most of its tiny world. | Red Candle GamesSet in a small apartment in 1980s Taiwan, Devotion makes the most of its tiny world. Its horror lies in reality more than in the supernatural, following a family grappling with political and religious repression across a span of several years. There’s almost no way to ever lose in Devotion, as the threat of aggressive enemies is entirely absent in favor of slow, creeping terror. Puzzles make up the bulk of its gameplay, but Devotion’s real thrill comes from exploring the family’s apartment as it transforms over time from one visually striking form to the next, mirroring their own dissolution. — Robin BeaMouthwashingMouthwashing isn’t particularly interested in exploring its sci-fi setting. | Wrong OrganDespite being set on a long-haul delivery ship in space, Mouthwashing isn’t particularly interested in exploring its sci-fi setting, or in providing any sort of monster as a convenient enemy. Instead, its villains are terrifyingly human, as the game follows a crew stranded in space on what they’ve already been told is their final mission before they’re all fired. Those stressors put the crew under enough pressure to break, leading to a tense, hallucinatory story of psychological horror that jumps between the months before and after the crash to explore the terror of being stuck alone with people you can’t trust. — Robin BeaResident Evil 2 RemakeNew additions helped cement RE 2 Remake as one of the greatest horror games ever made. | CapcomCapcom didn’t just re-release the same game twice, it made thoughtful changes to one of the greatest survival horror games to bring a whole new generation of players. From a cleverly crafted map that indicates whether the area has been fully explored to improved sound design that helps pinpoint where your hulking adversary is stomping around — if you remember to wear headphones. These new additions helped cement RE 2 Remake as one of the most legendary horror games ever made. — Shannon LiaoBloodborneDeveloper FromSoftware’s 2015 action RPG Bloodborne isn’t quite like a typical horror game. | FromSoftwareThis list wouldn’t be complete without a Soulslike. Developer FromSoftware’s 2015 action RPG Bloodborne isn’t quite like a typical horror game, but it’s steeped in H.P. Lovecraft’s influence, and poses intense combat challenges at every turn. Be careful where you wander, as mysteries about the city of Yharnam unfold, and unsightly monsters greet you at every bend. — Shannon LiaoDead Space 2Dead Space 2 mixes high-octane thrills with an uneasy horror. | Visceral Games/Electronic ArtsLike the first game, Dead Space 2 mixes high-octane thrills with an uneasy horror. Moving around the space station named The Sprawl, you’ll have to dismember the gross aliens you come across, while your protagonist processes the dark events of the first game. The additional trauma adds a perturbing psychological element to the series, more gore, and plenty of blood pressure spikes that helped propel this title to game of the year when it came out. — Shannon LiaoAmnesia: The Dark DescentFew games have been as influential on modern horror as Amnesia: The Dark Descent. | Frictional GamesFew games have been as influential on modern horror as Amnesia: The Dark Descent. In Amnesia, you lack any weapons or shields as inhuman creatures stalk the night. Part stealth game and part resource management, you’ll have to crawl forward, using a minimal supply of lantern oil and tinder to light the path. And like some of the other games on this list, the sound of footsteps getting closer is always a bad omen. — Shannon LiaoControlWhen you make it to the end, you’ll marvel at the masterpiece you just experienced. | Remedy EntertainmentWhile Control is not strictly a horror game, its exterior is oozing with all the trappings of one. From a grim ambiance, flashing office lights, and terrors just around every corner, Control slowly builds into a crescendo, leading you through one narrative revelation after another. When you make it to the end, you’ll marvel at the masterpiece you just experienced, and the haunting, gravity-defying bosses were also pretty scary to boot. — Shannon Liao