Highlights
- Outlast: A disturbing and immersive survival horror game with a sense of impending doom and a limited inventory.
- SOMA: A complex narrative and creepy atmosphere make this sci-fi horror game a gripping experience with stealth and survival elements.
- Resident Evil Zero: An influential survival horror game with unique mechanics and terrifying creatures, offering slick graphics and a great soundtrack.
Chilling environments, challenging puzzles, and a sense of impending doom as you manage a limited inventory - survival horror games are some of the most unique gaming experiences out there. Series like Resident Evil and Silent Hill captivated gamers back in the 90s, but survival horror is still alive and kicking today, and the genre is packed with terrifying titles.
10 Best Resident Evil Games for Beginners
Here are the essential Resident Evil Games for newcomers, because no one has time to play the bad ones.Whether you're new to the genre or a seasoned survivalist, the PS5 is home to a host of stellar survival horror games to sink your teeth into. Out of the range of classic titles and current-gen excellence available on the PS5, these are the survival horror journeys that stuck with us the most.
10 Outlast
The first hour of Outlast will have you questioning whether you will be able to outlast the game in its disturbing entirety. Full of atmosphere, mystery, and pure terror at times, Outlast's linearity is offset by a sense of immersion that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Outlast puts you in the shoes of an investigative journalist exploring a defunct psychiatric hospital full of hostile patients and monsters. The feeling of helplessness is compounded by a total lack of weapons or ability to attack enemies. Instead, you're armed only with an old-school camcorder to assist you with sneaking past enemies and threats. Sounds horrible, right? It is.
9 SOMA
Storytelling and survival horror go hand in hand, but SOMA takes the cake by serving up a complex and irresistibly gripping narrative with a hefty side order of the creeps.
This first-person sci-fi horror has you take control of a brain trauma survivor who finds himself awakened from consciousness in an underwater research facility. To understand these circumstances, you must explore the facility in search of clues while deploying stealth and guile to evade the range of nightmarish creatures. Conscious robots and machinery add a reliable sci-fi trope that takes the edge off of the sense of isolation, but this one will still have you gripping your controller with sweaty palms.
8 Resident Evil Zero
Despite being released over 20 years ago, Resident Evil Zero is an influential survival horror game that still holds up today. A prequel to the first Resident Evil game, Zero follows S.T.A.R.S medic Rebecca Chambers and escaped convict Billy Coen as their paths cross in an abandoned facility full of zombies and other T-virus-infected creatures.
Resident Evil Zero introduced a unique partnership control system where you can swap between controlling Rebecca and Billy on the fly. The game also removed the series' iconic storage boxes, subbing them for a scatter system that allows you to store items practically anywhere on the map. Both of these mechanics were divisive, but hindsight is generally kind to this Resident Evil title, which boasts slick graphics, a great soundtrack, and generous helpings of horror.
7 Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 3 may be overshadowed by other Resident Evil remakes, but it's still a compelling survival horror game that stands out through its level of action and white-knuckle chase sequences.
You play as Jill Valentine who is stalked by the relentless mutant, Nemesis, as she tries to escape the zombie-infested Raccoon City. Nemesis adds another layer of horror as it chases you through the city, which is due to be nuked to contain the T-Virus outbreak. While fast-paced and full of action, you can't blast your way out of this graphically-impressive nightmare - inventory management and puzzle solving are key to surviving Umbrella's mutated horrors.
6 Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation takes the schematics of Ridley Scott's genre-defining movie, Alien, and applies it to a survival horror game in fine style. You play as Ellen Ripley - daughter of the Alien series' heroine, Ellen Ripley - as she travels to a dormant space station for clues about her mother's disappearance. Soon after boarding, Ellen is thrust into the same cat-and-mouse horror that faced her mother as she is stalked by a lone Xenomorph that has wreaked havoc on the station.
Alien Isolation Is Still One Of The Best Survival Horror Games Ever
Creative Assembly's Alien Isolation remains a masterful slice of terror.Your mission becomes one of stealth and survival as you attempt to escape the space station alive. Hiding and creeping around whilst a Xenomorph lurks around ready to execute you is simply terrifying, making it all the more rewarding when you acquire means of self-defense or evasion through puzzle-solving and exploration. With brilliant scares, pacing, and difficulty level, Alien: Isolation is an essential survival horror game that mirrors the quality and style of the original movie.
5 Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village took the newly explored first-person perspective of 2017's Resident Evil 7 and paired it with the action focus of Resident Evil 4, resulting in a cocktail of terror, exhilarating combat, and unforgettable characters.
You play as Ethan Winters as he explores a mysterious old-worldly village in search of his missing daughter, Rosemary. In true Resident Evil style, the village is full of mutant creations. Lycans, vampire-centric beings - and even a merman - Village does away with zombies and has you scrambling to outwit a range of dynamic enemies with limited health and ammunition. If you're new to survival horror and want something more action-packed to ease you in, look no further than Resident Evil Village.
4 Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 7 marked a formidable return to form for the series by introducing a new storyline and a first-person aspect that was a first for mainline Resident Evil games. Despite that newness, Resident Evil 7 honors the series' roots by sharpening the focus on horror and claustrophobia, making it a remarkable survival horror title.
The 13 Most Iconic Moments In Resident Evil History
From rotting zombies to howling lycans, Capcom’s premier survival horror franchise has no shortage of memorable moments.Taking control of Ethan Winters as he searches the dilapidated Baker family estate for his missing girlfriend is a white-knuckle ride. The estate is home to both infected members of the Baker family and humanoid monsters that challenge your limited inventory, having you scrambling for any weaponry and ammunition you can find. These dire circumstances emphasize the puzzling and resource management that put the series on the map - all while keeping you hooked on a fresh and terrifying narrative.
3 Dead Space
Dead Space took sci-fi horror to new levels back in 2008, but the 2023 remake polished an already-shining diamond to near perfection with modern graphics and an updated audio system that makes for an even more immersive experience.
From Resident Evil To Dead Space: The History Of Survival Horror
Nostramo, Resident Evil, Outlast, Dead Space - survival horror is extensive and diverse.You take control of engineer Isaac Clarke as he joins a rescue team that boards a spaceship full of mutated undead known as Necromorphs. The ship has a range of equipment and weaponry to combat these creatures, but the battle to save yourself and your crew is hampered further by conspiracy and Issac's progressive psychosis. While certainly more action-heavy than other survival horrors, Dead Space is an absolute essential in the genre.
2 Resident Evil
The game that started it all back in 1996 received a full remake in 2002, creating a defining survival horror experience that acts as a benchmark in the industry today.
If you haven't played the original Resident Evil, this is the best way to experience it. Play as Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine as they explore the Spencer Mansion, uncovering the truth behind the T-Virus and combating its range of deadly test subjects. Limited inventory slots, scarce ammunition, and fixed camera angles are all part of the charm of this legendary survival horror story.
1 Resident Evil 2
Capcom's remake of 1999's Resident Evil 2 modernized a classic entry in the series to near perfection, earning universal acclaim and reminding the world why Resident Evil is the poster child of survival horror. Swapping the clunky fixed camera angles of the original for the popular over-the-shoulder perspective of later games in the series, Resident Evil 2 blends survival, action, and horror into one irresistible package.
Play as rookie cop Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield for two different experiences of this seminal Resident Evil story based in Raccoon City in the wake of the T-Virus outbreak. A puzzle-ridden Police Station becomes both your shelter and the theater of nightmares as you battle zombies, mutated creatures, and the giant "Mr. X" in your bid to escape the doomed city and find a cure for the deadly virus. Chilling, graphically stunning, and with the perfect balance of action, suspense, and survival, Resident Evil 2 sets a benchmark for modern survival horror gaming.
