2019 got off to a strong start for fans of horror games. The highly anticipated Resident Evil 2 remake launched back in January, earning rave reviews and standing as the highest-rated game of the year at the time of this writing. 2019 has seen some other strong horror titles since then, including the Left 4 Dead-inspired World War Z game that earned its fair share of fans when it launched in April, in addition to various indie games.
But while the year started out strong for horror fans, the last few months have been largely absent of quality horror titles. However, that looks like it could be changing sooner rather than later, with three games in particular that may very well fill the horror gaming gap.
Here are three games coming out in August of 2019 that horror game fans should be excited about.
3 1. Control (August 27)
While not strictly a horror game, Control does seem to feature plenty of horror elements, with some sections shown in trailers reminiscent of developer Remedy Entertainment's past work, Alan Wake. In Control, players take on the role of Jesse Faden, whose brother Dylan was kidnapped by a secretive government agency called the Federal Bureau of Control. The FBC investigates paranormal occurrences, with their headquarters stationed at a bizarre, shape-shifting building called The Oldest House. When Jesse arrives at the Oldest House, she discovers that it has been taken over by a violent entity called the Hiss that possesses people and even has them floating in the air not unlike the poor souls captured by Pennywise the Clown in Stephen King's It.
Control may not be advertised as a horror game, but its premise is plenty creepy and the trailers we've seen so far definitely seem to embrace the game's horror side. Plus, Control is directly inspired by Stanley Kubrick films, and since he directed the horror film classic The Shining, Control still seems like it will be a safe bet for fans of the horror genre looking for a new gaming experience.
Control will launch on August 27 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
2 2. Blair Witch (August 30)
Bloober Team has made a name for itself in the horror genre thanks to the Layers of Fear series and the well-received cyberpunk horror game Observer. Now the studio is trying its hand at adapting one of the world's most financially successful horror films to video game form with Blair Witch. A surprise announcement from E3 2019, Blair Witch is set in 1996, and stars a former police officer named Ellis who is searching for a missing boy in the woods. Ellis and his dog Bullet soon become lost and begin experiencing all sorts of terrifying supernatural occurrences, likely caused by the titular "Blair Witch." As a nod to the found footage nature of the film series, Ellis is armed with a camcorder that will actually play a role in some of the puzzle solving in the game.
Blair Witch will launch on August 30 for PC and Xbox One.
1 3. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (August 30)
After going through a relatively rough development cycle, Until Dawn was a surprise hit in 2015, with horror fans heaping praise on the game as one of the best horror titles on the PS4. Studio Supermassive's following games flirted with the Until Dawn-style of gameplay, but there hasn't been a true followup until The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan. The first in a planned anthology series of horror stories, The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan looks to be a spiritual successor to Until Dawn, but with some twists to help keep things fresh.
Perhaps the biggest new feature in The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is the addition of a multiplayer mode. The Movie Night multiplayer mode allows Dark Pictures players to assign people to certain characters, turning what is typically a solo horror game experience into more of a party game. This may make the game less scary, but it could give it new life and more replayability than it otherwise would have had. Throw in notable Hollywood actors Shawn Ashmore and Pip Torrens into the mix, and The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan has the potential to reach the same heights as Until Dawn, or possibly even exceed them.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan launches on August 30 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.