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The Top 10 Scariest Video Games, According to Science
First-person horror games dominated the list compared to other play styles.
Horror movies and TV shows are compelling, but they can’t compete with video games in terms of immersion. Fans of the genre have their opinions on which games are most nightmare-inducing. For a scientific ranking of the scariest horror video games ever made, check out the list below.
Mobile, TV, and internet provider Broadband Choices compiled a list of the top horror games released between 1992 and 2022 according to critics and fans. The researchers then invited 200 volunteers to play the titles while hooked up to heart rate monitors; the games that produced the most beats per minute (BPM) compared to the players’ resting heart rates were determined to be the most terrifying. They also took the severity of heart rate spikes during jump scares into account.
Because the research was conducted over the summer of 2022, the list below doesn’t include releases from the last two years. Broadband Choices also limited the study to games that were available to purchase, either new or used, for PC, PlayStation, or Xbox consoles.
The first-person psychological horror game MADiSON is most likely to get players’ blood pumping. The 2022 title from Bloodious Games puts you in the shoes of Luca, a teenage boy who receives a camera that’s possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. The frights in MADiSON increased heart rates to an average of 97 BPM, which is roughly the same as a moderate jog. You can experience the horror for yourself on Windows, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Nintendo Switch.
Next on the list is Alien Isolation, which comes right behind MADiSON with an average heart rate of 96 BPM. This sci-fi game from 2014 picks up 15 years after the original Alien (1979) film as Amanda Ripley embarks on a search for her missing mother. Alien Isolation is available on PlayStation 3, Playstation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Switch, and macOS.
Visage is the third most terrifying title at 94 BPM. Like MADiSON, SadSquare Studio’s psychological horror adventure for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One explores the paranormal. Players control Dwayne Anderson as he learns about the souls that used to live in his house.
You can read the rest of the top 10 scariest titles below.
Rank | Title | Heart Rate (Resting) | Heart Rate (During Gameplay) | Difference | Highest Spike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | MADiSON | 65 BPM | 97 BPM | 32 BPM | 131 BPM |
2 | Alien Isolation | 65 BPM | 96 BPM | 31 BPM | 127 BPM |
3 | Visage | 65 BPM | 94 BPM | 29 BPM | 128 BPM |
4 | Five Nights At Freddy’s 4 | 65 BPM | 92 BPM | 27 BPM | 122 BPM |
5 | Outlast 2 | 65 BPM | 91 BPM | 26 BPM | 121 BPM |
6 | Resident Evil VII: Biohazard | 65 BPM | 90 BPM | 25 BPM | 121 BPM |
7 | Bloodborne | 65 BPM | 89 BPM | 24 BPM | 101 BPM |
8 | Amnesia: The Dark Descent | 65 BPM | 88 BPM | 23 BPM | 126 BPM |
9 | The Forest | 65 BPM | 86 BPM | 21 BPM | 125 BPM |
10 | Dead Space | 65 BPM | 85 BPM | 20 BPM | 121 BPM |
To see where the rest of top 25 games rank, head to Broadband Choice’s website.
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