Horror games are a risky prospect. Not only are you looking for something that plays and looks great, but it needs to scare you – it can be engrossing, fun, and wonderful to look at, but if a horror game doesn’t frighten you, majorly, then something vital is missing. From Resident Evil to Dead by Daylight, Left 4 Dead to Metro, and more, the Steam Summer Sale brings you dozens of spooky scary simulations at heavy discounts. There’s a lot to wade through, and a few hidden gems that deserve your attention, so we’ve picked through the Steam sale to bring you the biggest frighteners that won’t wipe out your wallet.
So, we’ve already put together a huge Valve bundle, and a prime collection of discount RPGs. But let’s say you want to get spooky with it, and sample some of the scariest stuff on Steam while securing a seriously super saving. These are the greatest horror games available now as part of the Steam Summer Sale.
Resident Evil Remake trilogy
You should still play the originals, but the remakes of RE1, RE2, and yes, RE3 are all fantastic, totally reinventing Capcom’s classic survival horror trilogy and bringing perhaps the most iconic zombie games ever to vibrant, violent new life.
They’re all at a hefty discount, too, with 75% off every game.
- Resident Evil is $4.99 / £3.99
- Resident Evil 2 is $9.99 / £8.74
- Resident Evil 3 is $9.99 / £8.24
The Metro games
Strictly speaking, you might file the Metro series under FPS games. But once you’ve spent a dark night on the irradiated, Muscovian city surface, being hunted by flying mutants while you desperately search for a new gas mask filter, lest you choke to death, you’ll know these are horrors at heart. Tense, bleak, and full of nasty little surprises, Metro Exodus is 80% off, while Last Light is down 85% and the original, Metro 2033, is available for a huge 90% discount.
- Metro 2033 Redux is $1.99 / £1.49
- Metro Last Light Redux is $2.99 / £2.24
- Metro Exodus is $5.99 / £4.99
Left 4 Dead 1 and 2
Ah yes. Back when Valve still made games. And what games they were. Nowadays, we often remember Left 4 Dead for its pitch-perfect co-op gameplay, where communication and synchronization rule supreme – dash off on your own, or leave a teammate to fend for themselves, and it’s lights out for everyone.
But don’t forget just how frightening Left 4 Dead was, and still is. The Witch’s horrible shriek. That piercing music cue when you accidentally alert the horde. The only thing not frightening here are the prices – right now, you can get the Left 4 Dead games for 99¢ each. Yeah. Both Left 4 Dead games for less than two bucks.
- Left 4 Dead is 99¢ / 85p
- Left 4 Dead 2 is 99¢ / 85p
Dead by Daylight
And if you like multiplayer horror, and want to play as Leatherface, Nemesis, and even Nicolas Cage, Dead by Daylight is a big 60% off now. This is a game that’s perfect for bonding, as you and your survivor buddies stealthily cooperate to fire up the generators and escape the predatory murderer. On the contrary, it can tear your friendships asunder, especially if you’re the kind of DBD killer who camps the hooks. But you wouldn’t do that, would you?
- Dead by Daylight is $7.99 / £5.99
Indie horror games
So let’s say you’ve already sampled the best of mainstream horror and want to try something a bit more niche, a bit more bizarre. First up, we’d recommend Faith The Unholy Trinity, a truly terrifying, rotoscoped tribute to 8-bit classics and The Exorcist. You wouldn’t believe how frightening a few well-placed pixels can be.
Next up, Soma, one of the best games ever and a terrific slow-burn journey into the existential center of the soul. There are no jumpscares, no big ‘gotcha!’ moments, just a creeping, ever-present psychological pressure. If you haven’t played this already, it’s actually better in the optional ‘safe mode’ which makes all the monsters passive and harmless. Sounds counterintuitive, but trust me.
Lastly, Signalis, another all-timer and one of the best sleeper hits of 2022. With great visuals, a wonderfully eerie synthwave soundtrack, and puzzles and combat lifted from the classic days of PS1 horror, Signalis is also a fantastic and ultra-trippy love story.
- Faith The Unholy Trinity is $11.24 / £8.54
- Soma is $5.99 / £4.99
- Signalis is $15.99 / £12.79
And if that’s not enough to keep you busy, you might want to try some of the best survival games, or maybe the absolute best indie games on PC.