10 Best Horror Games of 2025: What to Play Before Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27, bringing Leon S. Kennedy and new protagonist Grace Ashcroft to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Capcom’s survival horror juggernaut already won Most Anticipated Horror Game at The Horror Game Awards 2025. But before you dive into Requiem, 2025 delivered an incredible lineup of horror games worth catching up on.

Here are the 10 best horror games of 2025, ranked. While we focus on indie games at GameDo, horror is a genre where indie studios and big publishers push each other forward. This list includes both indie gems and major releases that shaped the year.

1. Silent Hill f

Developer: NeoBard Entertainment | Release: September 25, 2025

The undisputed champion of horror in 2025. Silent Hill f swept The Horror Game Awards, winning Game of the Year, Best Narrative, Technical Achievement, and Best Performance for Konatsu Kato’s portrayal of protagonist Hinako Shimizu.

Set in 1960s Japan in the fictional town of Ebisugaoka, Silent Hill f trades the franchise’s American rust belt aesthetic for something entirely new. A sinister fog descends on the town, and Hinako must fight through nightmarish creatures to find her missing friends. The result is a deeply unsettling, poetic survival horror experience that proves this legendary franchise still has stories worth telling.

2. Cronos: The New Dawn

Developer: Bloober Team | Release: September 5, 2025

Bloober Team, the studio behind Layers of Fear and the Silent Hill 2 remake, delivered their most ambitious original project yet. Cronos: The New Dawn blends the best of modern Resident Evil and Dead Space into a fresh new survival horror IP.

You play as a time traveler caught between two eras, facing bio-organic horrors that feel genuinely threatening. The dual timeline structure keeps the story unpredictable, while the survival mechanics force you to think carefully about every bullet and healing item. If you enjoy resource management and tense corridor exploration, Cronos belongs on your list.

3. Doom: The Dark Ages

Developer: id Software | Release: May 15, 2025

Doom: The Dark Ages shifts the franchise to a medieval setting and swaps the hyper-mobile gunplay of Eternal for a more grounded, parry focused combat system. The result is id Software’s heaviest, most visceral Doom yet.

Fights feel like a choreographed dance of shield parries, chainsaw executions, and devastating melee combos. The game won Best Soundtrack at The Horror Game Awards 2025 for its relentless metal score. It reached 3 million players in its first week. Whether you consider it “horror” or not, few games in 2025 made you feel more like a monster slayer.

4. Look Outside

Developer: Francis Coulombe | Publisher: Devolver Digital | Release: March 21, 2025

Look Outside started as a one month game jam project and became one of the most talked about indie games of the year. The premise is terrifyingly simple: a mysterious event turns anyone who looks out the window into a grotesque monstrosity. You’re trapped in a four story apartment building for two weeks, scavenging for food, weapons, and allies.

The turn based RPG combat and resource management layer perfectly over the dread filled setting. Every encounter with a former neighbor turned creature hits differently when you remember they used to be human. Look Outside won Best Art Direction and Best Indie Horror Game at The Horror Game Awards 2025. If you missed it, fix that immediately.

5. R.E.P.O.

Developer: Semiwork | Release: February 26, 2025 (Early Access)

The breakout co-op horror hit of 2025. R.E.P.O. (Retrieve, Extract and Profit Operation) dropped into Early Access and immediately exploded, hitting 230,000 concurrent players during its first weekend. The small Swedish studio Semiwork created something that blends pure terror with chaotic, laugh out loud fun.

You and up to three friends take on dangerous retrieval missions in monster infested environments. The physics driven gameplay creates moments of genuine hilarity alongside genuine scares. Think Lethal Company meets Peak’s co-op chaos. R.E.P.O. earned an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam and remains one of the most played co-op games heading into 2026.

6. Dying Light: The Beast

Developer: Techland | Release: September 18, 2025

Originally planned as DLC for Dying Light 2, The Beast became its own standalone game. That pivot paid off. Techland stripped away the bloat and delivered a tighter, more focused survival horror experience that many consider the best entry in the series.

You play as Kyle Crane (returning from the first game) trapped in a rural region overrun by infected. The pacing is significantly better than Dying Light 2, and the open world feels dangerous rather than just large. The parkour system remains the best in the genre, and the night sequences still produce genuine dread. Players who owned the Ultimate Edition of Dying Light 2 received The Beast for free.

7. Little Nightmares III

Developer: Supermassive Games | Release: October 10, 2025

The third entry in the beloved puzzle platformer series brought co-op to the franchise for the first time. You play as Low and Alone, a brother and sister navigating the Nowhere, a surreal dimension of grotesque environments and towering threats.

The shift from Tarsier Studios to Supermassive Games brought mixed reactions, but the core formula of atmospheric dread and clever environmental puzzles remains intact. The cooperative play adds a new dimension of tension: you genuinely need your partner to survive. Little Nightmares III won Most Accessible Horror Game at The Horror Game Awards 2025.

8. Routine

Developer: Lunar Software | Publisher: Raw Fury | Release: December 4, 2025

Thirteen years after its initial reveal in 2012, Routine finally launched. And it was worth the wait. This first person sci-fi horror game drops you on an abandoned 1980s styled lunar base where something has gone very wrong.

Routine leans hard into isolation and atmosphere. There’s no HUD, no hand holding. You explore the base with a device called the Cosmonaut Assistance Tool, piecing together what happened while avoiding lethal threats. The Alien Isolation comparisons are inevitable, but Routine carves out its own identity in the second half. If you enjoy building tense game worlds, Routine is a masterclass in environmental storytelling.

9. Tormented Souls 2

Developer: Dual Effect | Publisher: PQube | Release: October 23, 2025

Tormented Souls 2 doubles down on everything that made the original a cult hit among classic survival horror fans. Fixed camera angles, tank controls (optional), limited saves, and genuine puzzle box level design. It looks like a modern game but plays like a lost PS1 classic.

Caroline Walker returns for another investigation into a nightmarish facility. The sequel expands the scope with larger environments and more complex puzzles while keeping the tension consistently high. If you grew up with the original Resident Evil trilogy and miss that style of game design, Tormented Souls 2 is made specifically for you. A perfect warm up before Resident Evil Requiem.

10. The Midnight Walk

Developer: MoonHood | Publisher: Fast Travel Games | Release: May 8, 2025

The Midnight Walk is the most visually distinctive horror game of 2025. Every surface, every character, every environment was handcrafted from real clay and animated in a stop motion style. The result is something that looks like a Tim Burton film brought to life with Laika’s craftsmanship.

You play as The Burnt One, accompanied by a lantern creature named Potboy, navigating a world that shifts between wonder and genuine menace. It’s playable in both flatscreen and VR, and the VR version is particularly immersive. The studio was founded by the creative minds behind Lost in Random and Fe. If you want horror that’s beautiful as much as it is unsettling, The Midnight Walk is unlike anything else on this list.

Looking Ahead: Resident Evil Requiem

With Resident Evil Requiem just days away (February 27, 2026), 2025’s horror lineup provides the perfect foundation. You can go from the psychological depths of Silent Hill f to the retro survival horror of Tormented Souls 2, from the co-op chaos of R.E.P.O. to the claymation dread of The Midnight Walk.

Horror gaming has never been more diverse. Whatever flavor of fear you prefer, 2025 had something for you. And if Requiem lives up to its Most Anticipated award, 2026 is shaping up to be just as strong.

If you’re looking for more games to play while you wait, check out our best indie games of 2025 roundup or browse our complete games catalog.