Horrorgames have a vast selection of horrific locations they can send you to. Will you get shoved into someone’s basement or explore the haunted pathways of an abandoned castle? Or perhaps you will end up on a secluded island where no one knows you are there.
With zero chance of rescue and terrifying residents searching for you, islands can be quite the troublesome places to escape from. To add to your worries, there is a body of water keeping both you and the horrors trapped together. So, what are some horror games that manage to turn these vacation spots into your next nightmare?
While Resident Evil takes the crown for the survival horror genre, Dino Crisis offers dinosaurs instead ofthe usual zombies. This game for the PlayStation has you playing as Regina as she drops in with her team to extract a scientist from an island.
Little do they know that dinosaurs are running amok throughout the island and the facilities. There are too many dinosaurs to shoot and not enough ammo to go around. However, you are stuck here until you either complete the mission or uncover the facility’s dark secrets.
While Dead Island 2 sees the virus reach the mainland, Dead Island turns your tropical vacation into a slaycation. Puns aside, Dead Island has you crafting weapons with whatever you can get your hands on to fight the undead.
While other horror game islands have a grittier presentation with dark clouds and a lack of light, Dead Island goes all-in on the tropical ambience. The sun is out, the skies are blue, and the ocean is as beautiful as ever. Just don’t get bitten while admiring the view.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica is often considered the best Resident Evil game that uses the classic survival horror gameplay style. This is an important part of Claire’s journey as it sees her finally reunite with her brother, Chris Redfield.
Before the siblings can reunite, Claire must brave the horrors of Rockfort Island, where another T-Virus outbreak has run rampant. With unique enemies that make their only appearance in the title and a pair of villainous twins on the loose, it’s a game that has its fair share of revelations.
Ironically enough, Rockfort Island isn’t the only island Claire has found herself trapped in during the Resident Evil series. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 brings the horror aspect back to the series after its mid-life crisis in the action-horror genre.
On this island, Claire finds herself in the middle of an experiment where she and other members of her organization are the guinea pigs. With mutated monsters and the clock constantly ticking down towards her own mutation, Claire must uncover the secrets of the island while Barry uncovers the aftermath of Claire’s journey.
While the title may tell you that no one lives under the lighthouse, it’s always best to check for yourself. Even with this in mind, you are told not to look. Luckily, this won’t interfere with your ability to perform your lighthouse keeper duties, right?
With retro PlayStation graphics and a duty to keep the lighthouse lit on time, you’ll soon find yourself feeling secluded in your new island home. No One Lives Under the Lighthouse tells a compelling story with slow but effective scares.
In Sons of the Forest, you are sent to an island called Site 2 in search of a missing CEO and his family. Perhaps the fact that they went missing on the island is already a bad sign. When the helicopter carrying you is shot down, you are forced tosurvive the wildernesson your own.
Your crafting skills are the key to survival against the resident cannibals and underground mutants that want you dead. This open-world survival game can be tackled at your own leisure. So you’re able to explore the island and build up your defenses as you see fit.
It’s rare that a sequel doesn’t really require that you play the original to understand what is going on. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals takes you back to Edwards Island, where a rift in space and time has been opened. Now, a cult seeks to use it for its own purposes.
With dialogue options that change the course of the story and eerie signals you’re able to tap into using your radio, your decisions will determine where you end up by the end. So explore the island, uncover the secrets, and take risks that might just save your life.
In Desolate, you become a volunteer who will soon find themselves on Granichny Island. This expedition has you running across an open-world island where you must uncover the source of paranormal activity. So get ready to use whatever you manage to scrounge up.
Desolate has a variety of different horror elements. You’ve got your average zombie-like enemies as well as mutant packs of animals waiting to hunt you down. You also have ghosts that appear from time to time, so always be ready for a jumpscare.
The Shore captures some ofH.P. Lovecraft’s terrifying creaturesinto one story. Some segments will have you exploring while others will have you solving puzzles to progress further. Finally, ancient artifacts offer a unique level of combat to ward off the cosmic horrors.
There is a mix of action, horror, and mystery that keeps the game feeling fresh. Slow-burn scares and visual terrors make you and the island feel small. After all, in cosmic horror, there is always something bigger and unexplained to tower over you.
Inscryption is a deckbuilding game where analog horror and the roguelike genre come together. You find yourself in a cabin where you play a game against a mysterious foe. Soon, you realize that the further you progress, the closer you get to the actual cabin where you’re currently at.
With each victory, the narrative gets bigger, and the mysteries only go deeper. From rogue AI to evil organizations, what you encounter at the start of the game is only a fragment of the island the story takes place.
