With releases like A Plague Tale: Innocence, Blair Witch, and the Resident Evil 2 remake, 2019 was a great year for the horror genre. However, 2020 is shaping up to be even bigger and better for horror game fans, with a number of major games set to launch this year.
2020 will see the release of the long-awaited Resident Evil 3 remake, a Walking Dead VR game, and other horror titles that all have potential. We have narrowed down the top upcoming horror games to 10 titles in particular, which stand the best chance at being great games and new horror classics.
For this list, we are sticking with horror games that have been confirmed for a 2020 release. It's possible some upcoming horror games that currently have no release date will release this year and earn good reviews, but since they currently lack a confirmed 2020 release window, they aren't eligible for this list.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners (January 23)
The horror genre has benefited greatly from the increased immersion of virtual reality headsets, with one of the best examples being how VR greatly enhances the Five Nights at Freddy's games. For this reason, it's always exciting for horror fans when a new horror VR game is on the way, and luckily, fans of the genre don't have to wait long in 2020 for the first big VR horror game of the year. Later this month, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners will be released for high-end PC VR headsets, and it's coming to other VR platforms later this year.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is a first-person shooter where players have to survive the zombie apocalypse. It appears to be one of the more advanced VR titles on the market, utilizing various mechanics that have been innovated since VR really took off a few years ago. However, The Walking Dead games have a mixed track record, ranging from critically-acclaimed, award-winning titles like Telltale's The Walking Dead to critically-panned disasters like The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. It remains to be seen just how successful The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners will be, but here's hoping it's more like the former.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners launches on January 23 for PC VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, Q1 2020 for PlayStation VR, and Q3 2020 for Oculus Quest.
Resident Evil 3 (April 3)
After months of rumors and speculation, Capcom finally announced the long-awaited Resident Evil 3 remake. Like the highly successful Resident Evil 2 remake, the Resident Evil 3 remake is looking to deliver a mostly faithful recreation of the PS1 original, albeit with major gameplay improvements and some story changes to flesh things out a bit more. What we've seen of the game so far has been hugely impressive, and with Capcom on such a hot streak lately, one has to imagine that the Resident Evil 3 remake will be yet another major hit for the company.
While the Resident Evil 3 remake will primarily be a single-player adventure, it also gives multiplayer horror fans something to look forward to as well. The Resident Evil 3 remake comes with its own multiplayer mode called Resident Evil: Resistance, which is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror experience similar to popular titles like Friday the 13th and Dead by Daylight. Whether or not Resident Evil 3's asymmetric multiplayer will be able to live up to those standards is up in the air, but either way it should give Resident Evil fans plenty more to do this year.
Resident Evil 3 launches on April 3 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The Last of Us Part 2 (May 29)
The original Last of Us is a landmark release, hailed as one of the top video games of the last decade and standing as one of Naughty Dog's highest-rated games. The Last of Us Part 2 looks to continue the combination of survival-horror gameplay with cinematic storytelling seen in the original game, but with vastly improved visuals and new gameplay features. The Last of Us Part 2's theme is "hate," and that looks like it will translate to even more terrifying moments for Ellie and Joel. The Last of Us Part 2 certainly has a lot to live up to, but with a studio like Naughty Dog at the helm, it should live up to the hype and then some.
The Last of Us Part 2 launches on May 29, exclusively for PS4.
Dying Light 2 (Spring 2020)
After finding some success with Dead Island, Techland turned its attention to new IP Dying Light. The original Dying Light retained the open world zombie gameplay from Dead Island, but put a much bigger emphasis on exploration with an exciting parkour system to match. Dying Light 2 is turning everything up to 11, with improved graphics, new abilities, and much more. Dying Light 2 will also be a cross-gen title, meaning we will see a version that takes advantage of the beefed up hardware provided by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles.
Dying Light 2 is launching for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in spring 2020.
System Shock (Q1 2020)
The original System Shock is a sci-fi horror classic, laying the groundwork for the critically-acclaimed System Shock 2 and its spiritual successor, BioShock. Now Nightdive Studios is giving fans the chance to relive the original game with improved gameplay and visuals, which should go a long way in helping modern gamers understand what made the original System Shock so special in the first place. The System Shock remake has hit some development road bumps since its announcement a few years ago, but things appear to be on track and last we heard, it's still aiming for a Q1 2020 release on multiple platforms.
System Shock is launching Q1 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Remothered: Broken Porcelain (Q3 2020)
Remothered: Tormented Fathers was one of the best horror games of 2018, earning praise mainly for its effective scares and creepy atmosphere. Remothered: Broken Porcelain looks to continue the legacy of the hit 2018 game, letting players explore the eerie Ashmann Inn, contending with human and supernatural threats alike. It may not have the massive budget as some of the other games on this list, but Remothered: Broken Porcelain looks like it will be one of the scariest horror games of 2020 by far.
Remothered: Broken Porcelain launches Q3 2020 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Carrion (TBA 2020)
In most horror games, the player takes on the role of a normal individual who has to face down terrifying threats. In Carrion, players instead take on the role of the monster, in what is being described by its developers as a "reverse" horror game. Carrion lets players control an evil monster that kills its victims in the most gruesome ways possible, all the while giving players a Metroidvania-style world to explore. It's an interesting concept that could be great if executed correctly, giving Carrion the chance to be not just one of the top horror games of 2020, but also one of the top indie games of the year as well.
Carrion launches in 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Little Nightmares 2 (TBA 2020)
The original Little Nightmares was a rare horror platformer, earning strong praise at the time of its release for its atmosphere and disturbing imagery. The game also earned some criticism, but developer Tarsier Studios now has the chance to address those complaints in the followup, Little Nightmares 2. Little Nightmares 2 sees Six team up with a new character named Mono, which will lend itself well to some unique puzzles and platforming challenges that weren't possible in the original game.
Little Nightmares 2 will launch at some point in 2020 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Rainbow Six Quarantine (TBA 2020)
Ubisoft revitalized its Rainbow Six franchise with Rainbow Six Siege, which has become one of the most popular competitive shooters available today. While Ubisoft has continued to support Rainbow Six Siege with new content updates on a regular basis, it's also taking the franchise in new directions, namely with Rainbow Six Quarantine. Rainbow Six Quarantine takes the tactical FPS gameplay of the Rainbow Six franchise and combines it with the horror genre. Its focus on cooperative PvE will be quite the departure for Rainbow Six Siege fans, but as long as Quarantine retains the quality of that game, it could be another big hit for Ubisoft.
Rainbow Six Quarantine launches in 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope (TBA 2020)
Until Dawn developers Supermassive Games have become one of the premiere horror game studios, following up Until Dawn with an interactive thriller and a pair of VR horror titles. While some fans may be holding out hope for a direct sequel to Until Dawn, Supermassive has instead started making a horror anthology series that retains many of Until Dawn's gameplay mechanics, albeit with a co-op twist. The next game in Supermassive's horror anthology series is called Little Hope, starring Will Poulter as the main character, and it looks like it will definitely appeal to fans of the studio's past games.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope launches in 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.