When players think of games that reward exploration, more often than not, open world games come to mind. However, exploration being rewarded isn’t exclusive to the genre — in fact, there are plenty of games all across genres that reward players in the same way.
It just so happens that these games will also scare you in the middle of your exploration.
10 Horror Games that Prove Murphy’s Law
Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and these horror games prove it.
Most horror games encourage exploration for one reason or another — whether it’s due to lore, Easter eggs, or whatever other reasoning, there’s always special treats in store for players with the determination to find them.
So if you find yourself playing any of these horror games, keep your eyes peeled … everywhere.
10 Bloodborne
Learn the Lore
Souls games tend to be pretty obtuse with their storytelling, and Bloodborne isn’t an exception to that. In fact, the lore is almost exclusively found within the game’s documents, incentivizing players to look around and read everything they find.
There is so much tucked away and hidden throughout Yharnam, it’s easy to miss key information if you’re not going through the world with a fine-toothed comb. This doesn’t even mention how you can find shortcuts to boss runs if you look closely, especially if you want to do a speedrun or get a platinum.
Not to mention, every super important item is actually single-use, meaning that you’re going to have to stay on the hunt for various tools of the trade (and as a hunter, you’re going to need as many tools as possible at your disposal). Things are not going to be easy for you, and it’s up to you and your ability to find things to make it easier.
Plus, considering the Eldritch nature of the world, the game relies on the player’s genuine curiosity and fear of the unknown, so soak it up.
9 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl
Find Hidden Loot
Considering the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are pure survival games, making a unique horror genre hybrid, there is a lot that you have to rummage through and look for, with even more hidden from players. The sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, hides things in the smallest corners of the map, or even in plain sight.
Exploration in these games is already expected given the game’s story and themes, but you also have to be cautious while exploring, since you never really know who (or what) you’ll run into. Your inventory management really is dependent on how much you’ll go out of your way to look for hidden loot.
Or, if you just want to find some old glitches like the classic T-Pose, you’ll run into them eventually during your exploration. It’s a fun time all around, so it’s no wonder that it ended up being one of the best horror games of 2024.
If you can, just be sure to play the game in Ukrainian. The experience is amplified tenfold with that kind of immersion.
8 Deadly Premonition
The World is Full of Charm
The first Deadly Premonition game has a distinct charm when compared to the sequels, and a huge reason for it has to do with the world itself, one that you can explore and immerse yourself in. In this cult classic, the world of Greenvale is a direct mirror to Twin Peaks, which the game takes significant inspiration from.
Exploring the world will open you up to dozens of different side quests that will keep you busy, and will help you learn more about the game’s lore. While many of these side quests are as hilarious as the game itself, players have the opportunity to learn crucial information about Greenville, or even the character you’re doing the quest for.
10 Horror Games that Respect Your Time
If you want to play a horror game that scares you while also respects you as a player, these are good options.
There are a total of 50 different side quests, all optional, but holding many neat secrets that make the main quest all the more entertaining. You can obviously unlock special things you wouldn’t be able to access from the main game (such as buying a map from Keith will unlock a side quest that gives you infinite ammo, or doing the Junkyard side quest to get your old car back).
For a game from 2010, the world is pretty big, and pretty fun to explore.
7 The Last of Us
Learn the Truth
While The Last of Us is actually pretty linear, there is still a good number of things hidden (mainly documents) that reveal world-changing lore. They’re actually mainly relevant to Ellie, the little girl infected with the Cordyceps fungus, and everything that you’re doing to protect her and save the world.
However, during your escort mission across the country, everything goes wrong. Even worse, if you don’t go out of your way to find and read documents, you’re not going to realize just how wrong everything will spiral — the drama is so intense that it got non-gamers interested, which is a powerful feat in and of itself. It’s just a shame the story was snubbed at The Game Awards.
While it’s not the scariest game, there is a good amount of tension within context, especially as you discover the hidden details of lore tucked away in the world. These documents show you a reality that is far more bleak than you could ever imagine.
Just have a box of tissues at the ready for when you boot the game up, you’re going to need them.
6 Dying Light
You Should Always Explore Open Worlds!
If you don’t explore in open world games, then truly, what is the point of playing one? Dying Light and its underrated world are no exception to that, with hundreds of hours of content, making it one of the longest — if not the longest — horror games in the genre.
The day/night cycle is something to keep an eye out for, though, since enemies get a lot more aggressive when the sun goes down. So, unless you have one heck of an arsenal at your disposal, you have to get really good at exploring intensely while on a time crunch. If you already work well under pressure, you’ll be fine.
However, given that you’re in a literal zombie apocalypse, don’t expect the exploration to be on par with an open world fantasy, for example. There obviously isn’t as much life, but there is loot — and this isn’t even mentioning the many DLCs.
5 The Forest
Loot Goblins Rejoice!
The hype is all about Pragmata right now, where your parental instincts are at maximum overdrive — and the hilarious thing is that in The Forest, it’s more or less the opposite. You’re separated from your son after a plane crash, but you’re more incentivized to just take over the island and become the cannibal king instead.
Of course, that includes finding all the survival gear and trinkets you can get your hands on, and you get to take it all back to your literal treehouse. Timmy can wait.
10 Horror Games with Many Hours of Content
Even if you rush, these horror games will take a ton of your time.
Plus, while you’re out in the forest exploring, you’ll run into various enemies that have very intelligent A.I., which makes the gameplay (and the exploration by extension) all the more fun. You just know that Timmy will be fine.
Don’t let the game’s title fool you; it’s a genuinely good time.
4 Darkwood
Anything to Stay Alive
In Darkwood, exploration is one of those mechanics that’s suggested … but genuinely required if you want to stay alive. It’s that brutal of a survival horror game, you’re going to need to be as resourceful as you can.
The game’s atmosphere also makes it so that exploration is outright unsettling; true to its name, Darkwood is, well, dark. Not only dark, but it’s outright oppressive — there isn’t a single moment while you’re playing where you feel welcome, and that’s intentional. Yet, you press on into the dark, exploring anyway.
Just be careful when you’re looting corpses; some of them can explode.
3 Pathologic 2
You Can’t Solve Problems Without Looking First
In Pathologic, you play as a doctor in a plague-ridden town, trying to cure its residents before time runs out. Pathologic 2 is basically the exact same, but improving on storytelling and mechanics, acting as a soft-reboot.
You have 12 in-game days to cure this town (with days getting faster as you progress), so you have to look everywhere for your trail of breadcrumbs. Vaccines don’t just spawn overnight after all, they take a terrified and delirious surgeon stumbling around offering anything they can to barter.
Worse off, you start with literally nothing, which is all the more incentive to look everywhere for everything you can. It sounds unforgiving (it is), but it’s a fun adventure that’s as odd as it is entertaining. The pressure you feel to succeed is outweighed by your intense need to find any treasure hidden in the world.
Eventually, you’ll have your eureka.
2 Resident Evil
Who is the Architect of this Place?!
There’s something special about the first Resident Evil game, whether you’re playing the Director’s Cut or the GameCube remake, and it probably has something to do with how absolutely bizarre the Spencer Mansion is. Seriously, if Capcom ever does a modern REmake of the first game, I am dying to learn about the architect of the place.
It’s hilarious how this mansion is laid out; exploration is essential if you want to be able to get out of there. It sounds counterproductive, but Ozwell Spencer clearly wanted to play scavenger hunt while having his morning coffee and making a genocidal virus. Perhaps he liked the adrenaline rush of the occasional death trap. No biggie.
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Want to play a horror game without dealing with any enemies? We’ve got some recommendations for you.
Even still, given how backtracking is a staple of this game, you’ll learn the layout quickly, so exploration will get easier and more comfortable. Plus, with your limited inventory, there will be a lot of things you leave behind in various rooms, which is all the more reason to come back and reap the rewards.
Just try not to think too hard about why the mansion is structured the way it is. It’ll likely drive you mad.
1 Silent Hill f
New Documents = New Journal Updates
Just like in any Silent Hill game, carefully and thoroughly exploring your surroundings is crucial, with other endings being hidden in plain sight, but Silent Hill f takes it one step further by incorporating this concept in a NG+ that continues the story. While playing through it, there aren’t just new cutscenes, but there are countless new documents, each revealing more about Ebisugaoka and its inhabitants, as well as new ways to get new endings.
I’m not even exaggerating when I say: I have over 500 hours in this game, and I am still discovering new things; there is that much, and that isn’t even considering the particularly detail-oriented (like myself) who love picking apart Silent Hill’s notorious symbolism and metaphor.
Everything in this game relates back to the psychological horror of Hinako’s mind somehow, and it’s a treat every single time. Once the game’s (deeply personal) themes and fears become more prominent, players won’t be able to unsee it everywhere. Because of this, it not only makes exploration fun, but re-exploration as well.
And the best part is? Not everything has been discovered yet.
Psychological Horror’s Comeback is a Sign of the Times
Not only are the horror games of today scaring us to our core, but they’re also holding up a mirror to our society and fears.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
