The horror genre is one that both scares and delights. Many people from around the world love sitting down and getting the soul scared out of them while watching horrific monsters, demons, and goblins terrorize their favourite characters. But what if you were actually placed into the shoes of that character?

What if you got to experience that horror first-hand? These are the things that immersive horror games can provide that the traditional medium of the film simply cannot. Experiencing the horror genre from the perspective of a playable character, where the decisions are all your own, makes for an intensely scary and uneasy interaction with media.

Despite all of this, the mainstream gaming industry has struggled to capture horror perfectly, with some subpar games coming out in recent years. But what about indie gaming? Are there any good indie horror games? Let’s find out.

3. Darkwood

Darkwood is exactly what it sounds like – a foray into the horrors that lurk within the wilderness, while in the dark. The idea of walking through the forest at night is an experience that could scare even the bravest of people, and Darkwood was one of the first games, albeit an indie game, that allowed players to take on this horrific type of adventure first-hand.

The pixelated environments and unsettling visuals just take the immersion of the experience to another level and it really makes it feel like a game that was created by a small team of developers in their basement. That makes it even scarier. If you’re a fan of a vague, slow burn, explorations horror, then this might be exactly the game you’re looking for.

2. Subnautica

Subnautica, despite its massive success, the fact that it was good enough to warrant a sequel, and its popularity amongst the gaming world as a whole, is still an indie game at heart.

There are not many things quite as scary as swimming in the middle of the ocean, right?

Well, that’s exactly what Subnautica makes the player do. The game has a loose plot to follow, but in general, the direction the game goes is up to the player. All you need to do is survive, which means get food, get water, and protect yourself from horrific and quite frankly terrifying monsters that dwell within the deep sea. If you’re a bit faint of heart you’d be better off sticking to looking for the best Super Bowl odds, as these certainly aren’t as scary.

1. Amnesia – The Dark Descent

If you’ve been paying attention to the gaming industry for the past few decades, then you know exactly what the Amnesia series is. A haunting, dizzying, not-for-the-faint-of-heart, castle explorer where you, as the player, aren’t given much to go off of.

You wake up in a dark and dreary mansion, all alone, with no memory, and it’s up to you to figure out what has happened while being chased by some of the scariest monsters to ever be seen in gaming. If you love horror games, this simply is a must play.