Zombies, monstrous creatures, the undead, post-apocalyptic wastelands, and tenebrous scenarios to send a shiver down your spine – horror games have been forever popular for their ability to immerse a player into a world of goosebumps-inducing visceral thrills. However, in 2018, fans of horror gaming were left wanting for a lack of enough titles to satiate their scary buds. Except for a few stand-outs like State of Decay 2 and We Happy Few, we were left with the moderately exciting Vampyr and Call of Cthulhu to the thoroughly awful The Walking Dead (by Overkill) and Agony (a total travesty of a horror game).
In 2019, all sour memories of the past year are set to be wiped clean, with a huge number of horror games titles ready to scare the living crap out of you. We have remakes, sequels and several other big names being launched throughout the year. Let’s take a look at the most-anticipated games in the horror genre for 2019!
10. The Walking Dead: The Final Season (January 15)
Platform: PS4, PC, Xbox One, Switch
Let’s scrub all bad memories of Overkill’s The Walking Dead with TellTale’s highly acclaimed game of the same name. The last two episodes of the final season are here, with Skybound Entertainment taking up the development responsibilities. We do wish TellTale had completed the series with a fitting farewell to Clementine, but the near-closure of the studio in September 2018 led to other plans.
9. Resident Evil 2 Remake (January 24)
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
For years, Resident Evil 2 (the original one) was heralded as one of the best in zombie survival horror games, until Resident Evil 4 came along and changed the dynamics with a more action-driven narrative. To relive the same terror again, Capcom will be releasing the Resident Evil 2 remake in January. You can play the demo right away as Leon S. Kennedy for 30 minutes. We got the same vibes as Resident Evil 4, so this should be one hell of a ride!
8. The Sinking City (March 21)
Platform: PS4, Xbox One PC
A great Lovecraftian horror game is something that fans of the genre can only dream of until the ancient one drives them to insanity. The Call of Cthulhu was more of a miss than hit, but The Sinking City, which is slated to release on March 21, holds much promise. Based around a breathtakingly beautiful city that is slowly and surely sinking, while also dragging its citizens into madness and hysteria, you play as private investigator Charles Reed, who must get to the cause of the problem before it devours everything. The trailer looks fantastic and we hope the game turns out to be even better!
7. Days Gone (April 26)
Platform: PS4
We have seen demos of Days Gone since E3 2016. The game, which you can imagine as a crossover between Sons of Anarchy and World War Z, has been pushed and delayed for the final touches and is finally planned for an April 2019 release. A post-apocalyptic zombie game is always at the top of our wish list and we are keeping our fingers crossed that this gets launched as per schedule and is really, really satisfying.
6. Daymare: 1998 (TBA)
Platform: PC
Here is another one for Resident Evil fans. Daymare was initially conceptualized as an unofficial remake of Resident Evil 2. The project had several developers who had earlier worked on the previous Resident Evil games, so this was set to be a nostalgic ride into the past with some old school scares and thrills. However, the actual remake of RE:2 was greenlit, thus creating issues for the Invader Studios team. The good part is that the project continued (with Capcom being extremely supportive) and the same horror themes of games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill being retained in the form of Daymare: 1998. Though the release date has not been announced, the game should be available in Q2 2019.
5. World War Z (TBA)
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Sometimes, a fan of horror games does not to be weighed by emotional depth, character development and all that jazz. Sometimes, he just wants to indulge in a non-stop adrenaline-fueled zombie killing spree. This is exactly what the Left 4 Dead series offered and the prolonged absence of a sequel to Left 4 Dead 2 left many zombie fans high and dry. Which game to play next? Which game won’t tax their brain and let them shoot as many zombies as possible? Enter World War Z, a 4-player co-op zombie game which is keen to fill the gap left by Left 4 Dead. The game has been developed by Saber Interactive and will also incorporate elements of the movie, especially the ‘zombie waves’ that were created by massive hordes.
4. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan (TBA)
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
You are not a true horror fan if you weren’t delighted by Until Dawn, a thoroughly unique horror game that combined cinematic sequences with fast-paced action, split-second decision making and a creeping sense of intense dread. Developer studio Supermassive Games is back with its next interactive horror experience with Man of Medan, a stand-alone story in its Dark Pictures anthology. According to the studio, there will be way more branching options in Man of Medan than in its previous games, thus offering the possibility of numerous endings, multiple scenarios and endless hours of replayability.
3. Doom Eternal (TBA)
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
What do you expect from a Doom game? A rollercoaster ride with fast-paced brutal action, lots of blood and gore and body parts flying around, and deliciously dreadful demons to slay. You get all of it in Doom: Eternal!
2. Dying Light 2 (TBA)
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
A sequel to the 2015first-personn zombie horror survival Dying Light, this sequel will imbibe similar elements from the first game albeit with some narrative differences. An expansive open world, use of Parkour mechanics to get to different places, and vicious zombie hordes out to get you – what else can you ask for?
1. The Last of Us: Part II (TBA)
Platform: PS4
The Last of Us needs no introduction. One of the most highly praised games of all times by both critics and fans, it immersed the reader in a world of adventure and exploration, though around a suitably morbid premise of infected creatures and hostile humans. While the first game was based around ‘love’, the sequel (which still hasn’t see a launch date) will have the theme of hate. Going by the extremely disturbing trailers that show torture and violence, The Last of Us II is surely going to be an intriguing game to play. We hope it doesn’t get pushed to 2020, because it was announced way back in 2016.