10 Biggest Upcoming Horror Games of 2018

Although 2017 was quite the year for horror games, 2018 looks to have a few spooky treats up its sleeve, too. Some are new, and some were supposed to come out this year.

From DLC to full games and indie to AAA, there’s a whole range of horror games to come out in 2018, and it seems the hype train isn’t stopping anytime soon. Zombies are still all the rage, but there’s more than just that coming our way. Check out our picks for the biggest upcoming horror games of 2018.

 

1. Overkill’s The Walking Dead

Developer: Overkill Software
Publisher: Starbreeze Studios, 505 Games
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
When you should be ready to run for your life: TBD 2018

Overkill’s The Walking Dead was one of those contenders that was supposed to come out this year, but has been delayed and will instead come out next year. Hailing from the developers of the Payday series, it looks to be an intense first-shooter co-op game where you face off against both zombies and humans.

The statement on the website claims they want it to be the “ultimate survival horror game”, and have the player fighting for survival as Washington falls. The team seems to be working together with Robert Kirkman, the mind behind the hit comic that was adapted into a TV show.

Not only will it be completely different from the Telltale adaptation, but also hopefully very different from the trash that was The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct and one can only hope that it’s more than just a Payday 2 reskin. However, with the amount of extra content available for Payday 2 alone, it’s safe to say that if that was the plan, they both could’ve and would’ve just made it DLC, leaving us with high hopes for the horror shooter, even if it’s already been delayed twice.

 

2. Days Gone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uED22JERB8

Developer: SIE Bend Studio
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PS4
When you should be ready to run for your life: Early 2018

When it was announced in 2016, Days Gone hit E3 with a bang, showing highly impressive AI and environmental systems in a survival game where you face off against zombie-like creatures called “Freakers” using different approaches to survive.

It boasts a large and rich over world, traversable with vehicles, towns and buildings that can be searched high and low and an innovative day and night system along with weather, that both influence enemy behaviour.

The story promises to be deep and fulfilling, about survivors and the things that make them human, about hope, love, betrayal and loss.

Not much is known about the game other than what was shown at E3 2017, but it’s clear that if SIE Bend Studio intends to keep the promises they made, they’ll be hard at work and only ready to present the absolute best they can make. I hope for them that they don’t rush it.

READ NEXT: The Best Horror Games

 

3. State of Decay 2

Developer: Undead Labs
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
When you should be ready to run for your life: TBD 2018

Just like the first entry on this list, State of Decay 2 is looking to be a multiplayer zombie slaughtering fest, meaning that coordination will be high on any player’s list, unlike the first game, which had you face the terrors alone. What looks quite interesting with this game is that instead of having you take control of a single person trying to survive, a lone wolf, the game has you take control of an entire community, having your choices shape said community and letting you recruit survivors into the community, while fighting off both zombies and enemy humans.

The game looks to be very interesting, and hopefully a breath of fresh air in the otherwise rather stale genre of zombie video games. Undead Labs partnered with Microsoft Studios for State of Decay 2, which explains why it’s only for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, and is sure to at least try to use the full potential of the upcoming Xbox One X.

 

4. Scorn

Developer: Ebb Software
Publisher: Ebb Software
Platform: PC
When you should be ready to run for your life: TBD 2018 (at least for part one)

Another contender that was supposed to come out this year but was instead delayed, Scorn is a very interesting horror game that recently reached its Kickstarter goal and has been the subject of hype for quite a while. This also means there’s a lot of pressure to get things right.

Abandoning many modern game conventions like the abundance of ammo except on harder modes, or the use of cut-scenes to tell a story, Scorn has you travel through an open world where the developers claim that “everything has a reason and purpose – you just need to work out what it is.” It looks to be strongly inspired by the art of H.R. Giger, with giant dark venous structures that look ready to move of their own accord.

The only problem with Scorn for some might be the fact that only the first part – Dasein – is coming out in 2018, with the second part not yet in sight, however, the developers have sworn off DLC, expansions and sequels, promising that parts one and two will be the only parts of Scorn we’ll ever see.

 

5. Call of Cthulhu

Developer: Cyanide Studio
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
When you should be ready to run for your life: TBD 2018

Out of all the games on this list, Call of Cthulhu is the only one that was thrown into development hell and passed around from developer to developer. Originally, Frogwares, who are known for their Sherlock Holmes games, were going to develop it, however after a two year hiatus where no one knew what the hell was actually going on, the lovecraftian horror RPG was announced to be in development by Cyanide Studios, known for the two Styx games, Blood Bowl, and a heap of sports games.

The trailers so far, and what they’ve told of the game, make it seem like it’s going to be a very interesting and fairly faithful adaptation of the Lovecraftian mythos and especially the pen & paper RPG based on it. Madness seems to play an important role, which fits very well in the mythos. Hopefully they don’t let you fight the Eldritch beings with weapons, as that would be against the point of their existence.

 

6. System Shock

Developer: Nightdive Studios
Publisher: Nightdive Studios
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, (Mac, Linux)
When you should be ready to run for your life: TBD 2018

The System Shock series is without a doubt one of the most influential ones in gaming, especially in the realm of horror games. The Bioshock games take a lot of inspiration from them, and the second one is seen as one of the greatest horror games of all time by some. While the third game is still being worked on and published (eventually) by Starbreeze Studios (the same publishers behind Overkill’s The Walking Dead), Nightdive Studios is busy on rebooting the original.

Nightdive is full of promises that they want to stay true to the original game, and the Kickstarter raised more than $1.3 Million. It’s safe to say that many fans are eagerly waiting the game, and have their expectations up very high.

 

7. We Happy Few

Developer: Compulsion Games
Publisher: Compulsion Games, Gearbox Software
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, (Mac, Linux)
When you should be ready to run for your life: April 13, 2018

We Happy Few has been in Early Access on Steam for quite a while now, but the developers are nearing the end stages of development. The game had a huge hype before it came into Early Access, but since then, it’s been fairly under the radar.

The game takes place in an alternative 1960s England and is easily one of the trippier horror games in recent times (which is saying something), where society is obsessed with joy to the point where they’d resort to murdering those that disrupt the peace. It’ll be very interesting to see how the story plays out.

READ NEXT: The Best Horror Movies

 

8. Metro Exodus

Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
When you should be ready to run for your life: TBD 2018

The third game in the critically acclaimed Metro series is on its way, after Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. It continues the “Redemption” ending available in the second game in the series, and promises to blend “deadly combat and stealth with exploration and survival horror”. Not only this, but the story will be determined by your choices, offering higher replayability value.

Many fans were waiting for a third game, but it still took them by surprise when the trailer was shown at E3, showing the vast, hostile world of the nuclear apocalypse. High hopes are resting on Metro: Exodus, but knowing the developers, it’ll be damn good.

 

9. Vampyr

Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
When you should be ready to run for your life: Q1/Q2 2018

Coming from the team behind Life is Strange and Remember Me is their first game not involving time travel. However, Vampyr looks to combine the hard-hitting emotional choices found in Life is Strange with the turmoil of being a doctor turned into a vampire in the London of 1918.

The game looks to be highly action-packed, but also have some slower moments, however the dark themes and heavy weight on your shoulders will most likely drag throughout the whole game without any sign of stopping. Not only will you be able to turn people to vampires, but also mesmerise them, to lure them away and make them easier prey.

There are also werewolf-like enemies, as well as vampire hunters to look out for as you prowl through the city, asking yourself what exactly you’d do for your own survival, despite your Hippocratic Oath. What is cool is that the game is completely playable without killing anyone, which some might try as a challenge.

 

10. Daymare 1998

Developer: Invader Studios
Publisher: Invader Studios
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
When you should be ready to run for your life: Q3 2018

This game is on the list mainly for what led to it. Originally, Invader Studios was working on a Resident Evil 2 remake in Unreal Engine when suddenly Capcom announced their own remake of the beloved sequel, and unlike Nintendo, who keep sending cease and desists and leaving it at that, they invited the team to their studio, asking them what they thought the fans would want in a RE2 remake, since they had put so much effort into working on it.

The team then started working on Daymare 1998, which looks like it’s going to play a lot like Resident Evil 4, which is not much of a surprise seeing as the team is filled with fans of the Resident Evil series.

Enjoyed this? Want some more horror gaming in your diet? You could always take a look at our lists for the best PS4 horror games and best Xbox One horror games. If you’re feeling peckish for brains, a quick look at our list of the best zombie games should also fill you up.