The survival horror genre first became popular in the mid to late ninetiesthanks in large to Capcom’s hugely popularResident Evilseries. Since then, it has grown into one of the most competitive game types in the industry, with plenty of new challengers emerging year after year. Whilegaming hardware may have changed a lot over the decadesthough, the genre’s roots remain largely undisturbed.
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There can be no disputing that modern technology has massively improvedthe visual fidelity of survival horror games, but many of the core mechanics that really define them remain incredibly similar to some of those found around the time of the genre’s inception. As a result, the influences of the originalResident Evilandother pioneering games like itare still very much evident today.
10Silent Hill
TheSilent Hillseries needs little introduction and is widely considered to be one of the greatest survival horror franchises of all time. While its visuals have not aged particularly well, it remains one ofthe scariest series to ever release in the western marketand is still a lot of fun to play.
Despite constantrumors of remakes and new games, there’s still no official word on if or when they’ll ever see the light of day. At present, the closest thing available is theSilent Hill HD Collection, which contains the second and thirdSilent Hillgames and can be played on the PS3 or Xbox 360. Those hoping to play the firstSilent Hillgame though will need to track down a physical copy.
9Alone In The Dark
Considered by many to be the forefather of the survival horror genre,Alone in the Darkimplemented ideas and mechanics that would go on to the become synonymous with the genre. It spawned numerous sequels throughout the early nineties, although subsequent attempts to reboot the franchise in the years that followed didn’t go quite to plan.
The series' first entry can be purchased on Steam and is available both individually or as part of a bundle containing the originalAlone in the Darktrilogy and the series' fifth title. Despite being released in 2008 though, the latter is arguably the weakest of the bunch despite being a lot more pleasant to look at. Alternatively, the original can instead be purchased on IOS for a very modest sum.
8Resident Evil
While the firstAlone in the Darkgame arguably laid a lot of the foundations, it was not untilResident Evilreleased some three years later that the survival horror genre was built. With its fixed camera angles, foreboding atmosphere andterrifying enemies, it’s widely considered to bethe most influential survival horror game ever made.
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As is often the case with great games, the title has been remastered and remade on numerous occasions, meaning that it’s surprisingly accessible for a 25 year old game. It was remade for the GameCube in 2002 andthis version was subsequently remastered in 2015.It’s widely available as a result and can be purchased through Steam, the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Marketplace.
7Sweet Home
Many years before working on the firstResident Evilgame, producer Tokuro Fujiwara created a little known survival horror title calledSweet Home. Released exclusively in Japan for the NES in 1989, the game features many ofthe same elements that would define Fujiwara’s later workand was seen as revolutionary at the time of its release.
Despite the game’s critical and commercial success in Japan though, it never received an official western localization; perhaps due to its disturbing imagery. Thankfully, however, the ROM hacking community has provided numerous translations for the game over the years; although the legality of such releases is somewhat questionable.
6Clock Tower
The idea of a point and click survival horror game may seem like a strange one to some, butClock Toweris proof that the concept can work well. This visually impressive SNES game does a wonderful job of creating tension and offers a solid gameplay experience from start to finish.
Although the first game was never released outside of Japan, numerous fan translations of it are available. While the original definitely remains the pick of the bunch, there are alsothree sequels for the PS1 and PS2; all of which made their way to western shores.
5Corpse Party
One of the things that madeClock Towerso daunting was that players were given no means of defending themselves and this is a mechanic that can also be found in the firstCorpse Partygame. Having to silently sneak around the haunted school grounds that play host to the game’s story creates real tension and the branching pathways and multiple endings make it incredibly replayable to boot.
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Although the series started life as a Japanese exclusive, it was eventually brought to the west in 2011 for the PSP. Since then, many of the series' older titles have made their way west, as too have some of its more recent outings. They can be played on PC, Switch and IOS as well as a few other handheld devices.
4Blue Stinger
The Dreamcast had plenty of great survival horror games thanks largely to the strong relationship between Sega and Capcom in the late nineties. Despite the manyResident Evilgames for the systemthough,Blue Stingeris perhaps the Dreamcast’s most interesting survival horror title. It combines beat ‘em up elements with traditional survival horror staples to surprisingly good effect, although there’s some debate as to whether the Japanese or Western release is stronger.
The former utilized a cinematic style fixed camera system that was similar to the one used in earlyResident Evilgames. The western release, on the other hand, opted for a more traditional third-person viewpoint. Which is better will likely come down to personal preference, although the only way to find out is by playing the games on Dreamcast asno ports were ever released.
3Parasite Eve
Havingdominated and defined the RPG landscape for more than a decade, the team over at Square decided to try their hand at a survival horror game instead. Unlike the then recently releasedResident Evil, however,Parasite Evetook a more action RPG style approach which worked to great effect. The overall atmosphere and tone of the game is excellent, as too are those of its sequel.
Although both the original game and its sequel were made available on the PlayStation Store in 2011, they have since been removed due toSony’s decision to stop supporting its older hardware. As such, the only way to legally play them now is by using the original discs on a PS1, PS2 or one of the earlier revisions of the PS3.
2Fatal Frame
TheFatal Frameseries is arguably one of the most distinctive in the survival horror landscape due toits entirely unique mechanics. Rather than using guns or other weapons to deal withthe games’ ghosts, players must instead take a photo of them in order to defeat them. The atmospheric settings are also a big strong point and do a wonderful job of creating tension.
All but the fourthFatal Framegame have received western releases and can be played across a wide variety of consoles. Sadly though, none of them were ever released on Steam; meaning that players will need to track down the original discs in order to play them.
1Mizzurna Falls
Mizzurna Fallstakes place in a fictional town in Colorado and plays a lot like a crossover betweenResident EvilandShenmuewith a sprinkling ofTwin Peakson top. The game features a full weather cycle, while the town’s residents each have their own daily routines. There’s also a strict seven day time limit and three unique endings.
Having only ever released for the PlayStation in the Japanese market, playing the game was all but impossible for those living in the west; until recently, anyway. In early 2021,a full English translation was made availableby a group of three dedicated fans; finally allowing non-Japanese speakers the chance to experience this bizarre - yet revolutionary - title more than two decades on from its original release.
