The Best Horror Games for People Who Scare Easily
The best horror games for beginners who scare easily, from creepy-cute adventures to games you can play with the lights on, with few jump scares.
Some people love horror games. They play them at midnight with the lights off and headphones on, and they laugh at jump scares. This article is not for those people.
This is for the rest of us: people who love a spooky atmosphere, a good mystery and a creepy story, but who’d quite like to sleep tonight. The games below are spooky, eerie or tense, and some have the odd scare, but none of them will leave you checking under the bed. We’ve given each one a scare rating out of five, so you know what you’re getting into.
Pixel was genuinely scared by Luigi’s Mansion 3, a game made for children, and will never live it down. The hotel lights went out, a ghost dropped from the ceiling, and the controller ended up somewhere between the sofa cushions. The rest of us still bring it up at every opportunity.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Scare level: 1/5 · Platforms: Switch
The perfect first “horror” game. Luigi, Mario’s nervous brother, explores a haunted hotel with a ghost-sucking vacuum cleaner, searching for his missing friends. It’s more Scooby-Doo than horror film: the ghosts are funny, Luigi’s terrified reactions are adorable, and there’s a co-op mode where a second player controls Gooigi, a gooey green copy of Luigi. Great for kids and nervous adults alike.
Where to get it: Nintendo
Dredge
Scare level: 2/5 · Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
A fishing game. With a dark secret. By day you sail a small boat around a group of islands, catching fish, upgrading your vessel and doing jobs for the locals. At night, things change. Fog rolls in, your panic rises and strange shapes move in the water. Some of the fish you catch are… wrong. It’s creepy and atmospheric, but you can always head back to port before dark if it gets too much.
Where to get it: Steam
Little Nightmares II
Scare level: 2/5 · Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
You play Mono, a small boy with a paper bag on his head, travelling through a grotesque, oversized world with Six, the girl in the yellow raincoat from the first game. The adults in this world are horrifying, stretched-out creatures, and there are tense chases. But it’s more dark fairy tale than horror, and the puzzle-platforming keeps things moving.
Where to get it: Steam
Inside
Scare level: 2/5 · Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, mobile
Dark, oppressive and deeply unsettling, but never truly scary. A boy runs through a dystopian world, avoiding guards and solving puzzles, towards an ending people still argue about. It’s only a few hours long, too. (More short picks in The Best Short Games You Can Finish in a Weekend.)
Where to get it: Steam
Oxenfree
Scare level: 2/5 · Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, mobile
A group of teenagers on an overnight party on an abandoned island accidentally open a ghostly rift with an old radio. It’s a supernatural mystery driven by brilliant, natural dialogue, where you choose what your character says. It’s eerie and occasionally startling, but the focus is on the characters and the story.
Where to get it: Steam
Inscryption
Scare level: 3/5 · Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
You’re trapped in a dark cabin, forced to play a card game against a mysterious figure whose eyes glow in the shadows. Sacrifice your squirrels to summon stronger creatures, solve escape-room puzzles in the cabin between hands, and try to work out what’s really going on. It’s more unsettling than scary, and it’s one of the cleverest games of the last decade. The less you know, the better.
Where to get it: Steam
Until Dawn
Scare level: 3/5 · Platforms: PS5, PC
A group of friends in a remote mountain lodge, a snowy night and something stalking them. Until Dawn plays like an interactive slasher film where any character can die depending on your choices. There are jump scares, but it’s also hilarious with friends: pass the controller around, shout at the characters for walking into the dark basement, and argue about every decision. Much less scary as a group.
Where to get it: Steam
Resident Evil 4 (2023 remake)
Scare level: 3/5 · Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, mobile
If you want to try a “real” horror series, start here. Leon Kennedy heads to rural Spain to rescue the president’s daughter from a creepy cult. It’s more action than horror: you’re well armed, enemies can be fought, and the tone is often deliberately cheesy. The first village scene is tense, but once you get going, it’s more exciting than frightening.
Where to get it: Steam
Lethal Company
Scare level: 3/5 (but you’re laughing) · Platforms: PC
A co-op game where you and up to three friends work as scavengers collecting scrap from abandoned moons, while monsters lurk in the dark. It’s genuinely scary at times, but the proximity voice chat turns it into a comedy: hearing a friend’s screams fade into the distance as they’re dragged away is somehow hilarious. Horror is always better with friends.
Where to get it: Steam
How to make horror games less scary
- Play with the lights on. Simple, but it really works.
- Turn the volume down. Sound design does most of the scaring. Lower it, or use speakers instead of headphones.
- Play with someone. Co-op games, or just a friend on the sofa, take the edge off.
- Play during the day. A sunny Sunday afternoon is very different from midnight.
- Remember you can pause. No shame in taking a break.
Ready to level up?
Once you’ve played a few of these, you might be ready for something properly scary. When you are, the Resident Evil 2 remake, Alien: Isolation and Signalis are all excellent, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the least scary horror game?
Luigi’s Mansion 3. It’s spooky and full of ghosts, but it’s funny rather than frightening, and suitable for kids.
What’s a good horror game to play with friends?
Until Dawn (passing the controller) and Lethal Company (online co-op) are both great with a group. For couples, Little Nightmares II and Luigi’s Mansion 3 have co-op options.
Are there horror games without jump scares?
Dredge, Inside and Oxenfree rely on atmosphere rather than jump scares.
.jpg){kind=link}