The horror genre had one of its best generations on the PlayStation 4. The cancellation of Silent Hills may have left a sour taste in fans' mouths, but they were treated to numerous fantastic, frightening horror experiences over the years, such as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Alien: Isolation, and Outlast.
The PlayStation 5 has been out for nearly a year now, but its stock shortages and huge catalog of games on the PlayStation 4 has meant that many people are content with their last-gen console. The PS4's enormous catalog contains a good chunk of horror games, some of which have slipped out of people's minds over the months and years.
10 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was initially released on PC in 2014, before coming to PlayStation 5 the following year.
The game has a constant eerie atmosphere throughout its 4-5 hour adventure, though its lack of enemies may fool players into thinking it's never actually going to descend into a horror game. That is until one of the most frightening jump scares of the PS4 generation occurs, giving Cry of Fear's "the face" a run for its money for the title of most frightening jump scare of the decade.
9 Perception
2017's Perception is a unique game from its outset as it puts players in the shoes of a blind protagonist, who must use echolocation to get a grasp of her surroundings. Through sounds like footsteps, dripping water, and the tapping of a cane, players will be able to get a rough image of where they are and what's around them.
Unsurprisingly, this lack of perception can make for some horrifying moments as players struggle to see an enemy presence that they know is close. Moreover, if players tap their cane too often, the game's antagonist, The Presence, will kill them.
8 Maid of Sker
Whereas Perception puts players in control of a blind protagonist, Maid of Sker pits players against blind enemies known as "The Quiet Ones." Similar to games like Outlast and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, players can't fight back at the start of the game, so they must adopt a stealth approach in order to stay alive.
Sneaking past enemies in Maid of Sker is easier said than done, as like in Alien: Isolation, players must hold their breath if an enemy comes close - which can lead to some extremely tense moments as their lungs start to empty.
7 Soma
Soma is an odd game to judge, as it features one of the best stories of the entire PlayStation 4 generation, but its gameplay is painfully lackluster. The game tells a dark, thought-provoking story about technological advancements that even the Black Mirror writers would be proud of. Unfortunately, the gameplay fails to stack up, which can make it a grind to play with deaths feeling like frustrating detractions from the story.
Thankfully, Frictional Games acknowledged Soma's shortcomings and introduced Safe Mode, which lets players experience the game without the inconvenience of death. Soma could have been one of the best horror games of its generation, though the weak gameplay has meant that it's rarely spoken about today outside of its fanbase.
6 The Inpatient
The Inpatient was developed by Supermassive Games, a team-best known to horror fans for their work on 2015's PlayStation 4 exclusive Until Dawn. The Inpatient is a prequel to Until Dawn, set 60 years prior. The game puts players in control of a patient suffering from amnesia who is in a clinic to try and restore their memory.
2018's The Inpatient has a fantastic atmosphere that feels truly immersive in VR, though its shortcoming in other areas and PlayStation VR exclusivity have seen it fall out of public interest.
5 Lone Survivor
From a game that intends to scare players right off the bat with its unsettlingly immersive VR implementation to one that uses retro 2D graphics that initially feel more suited to a side-scrolling platformer. Despite pixilated art style, Lone Survivor still manages to feel unnerving, thanks to its fantastic sound design and the development team's ability to implement an impressive amount of emotion into the game's limited pixels.
Anyone that likes the sound of Lone Survivor and wants to give it a try may want to hold off for the time being, as a remake titled Super Lone Survivor is set to release this year.
4 Visage
The aforementioned cancellation of Silent Hills was one of the most disappointing moments of the PlayStation 4 generation for horror fans. Anticipation for the canceled game went through the roof after P.T., a playable trailer for the game that encapsulated and terrified audiences. As the saying goes, "one man's loss is another man's gain," so SadSquare Studio decided to develop their own horror game influenced by Kojima's game.
Visage's similarities to P.T. helped the game earn a strong following on Kickstarter, and it was released to a warm reception upon release, providing a nice alternative to the canceled Silent Hills.
3 Remothered: Tormented Fathers
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is a survival horror game that takes heavy influence from the classic Clock Tower series. The game received high praise from Keiichiro Toyama, the creator of the Silent Hill series, who said that he "fell in love" with Stormind Games' release and would one day like to work with the director, Chris Darril.
Remothered: Tormented Fathers received a sequel in October 2020 titled Remothered: Broken Porcelain, though the game struggled to impress.
2 We Happy Few
Considering how little it's spoken about today, it's easy to forget that We Happy Few was one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2018. The game's art style, character models, and world design intrigued players, while the trailers gave tantalizing insights into a universe that players were begging to explore.
Unfortunately, the final product failed to live up to expectations. We Happy Few was certainly not a terrible game, but its plethora of technical issues and lack of depth to its gameplay saw the game swiftly fall out of the gaming industry's attention.
1 Detention
Detention finds itself grouped with other forgotten games due to Red Candle Games' controversial next release, Devotion, which was released two years after Detention and received mainstream attention after an easter egg was found that insulted Xi Jinping. Unfortunately, this has seen the excellent Detention be overshadowed.
Detention takes place in Taiwan during the "White Terror" period and traps them in an eerie High School, where they start being haunted by creatures known as “Lingered.”