What’s helped turn video games into such a lucrative and popular industry is that there are a wealth of different genres that titles can explore that in some ways gives them even more versatility than film or television. Each genre has its own merits, but horror video games have progressively grown to find mainstream success. Horror games can mess with the audience in all sorts of ways, whether psychologically or through aggressive scare tactics.
Nintendo has built a reputation where their consoles are viewed as more family-friendly, but there are still a number of horror games that have graced their consoles, many of which are still some of the best of the genre.
10 ZombiU (Wii U)
The zombie genre is definitely oversaturated in the video game industry, but ZombiU tries to breathe some new life into it with this Wii U launch title. ZombiU capitalizes on the sense of panic around a global disaster and the player must survive this overwhelming onslaught of the undead. ZombiU has been ported to other consoles, but the Wii U original highlights how the Wii U’s unique control scheme could be perfect for the horror genre. ZombiU has fallen off Ubisoft’s radar and it’s unlikely that a sequel is coming, but the game has some powerful moments.
9 Sweet Home (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Sweet Home is a title that flies under many people’s radars because it’s a Nintendo game that was never released outside of Japan. However, Sweet Home is considered to be a landmark title from Capcom that didn’t just inspire Resident Evil, but helped build the survival horror genre in the first place. The game features five playable characters who explore a mysterious mansions as they solve puzzles and survive supernatural attacks. There are many RPG elements present, but the game still builds a creepy sense of dread despite the fact that it’s an NES game from 1989.
8 Clock Tower (Super Nintendo)
Clock Tower is a disturbing horror series that temporarily looked like it could have gone head-to-head with Resident Evil. The Clock Tower games combine cat-and-mouse horror with a compelling mystery that revolves around a deranged serial killer named Scissorman who wields giant blades.
The most popular entries in the series are on the PlayStation, but the franchise actually started on the Super Nintendo. The SNES version is still fairly complex in terms of the freedom that it allows the player and it creates real terror as the bodies begin to drop, even if they’re being presented in 16-bit animation.
7 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)
The Silent Hill series has surpassed the Resident Evil games in some regards, but the strongest entries in the series haven’t appeared on Nintendo consoles. However, one ambitious and effective project is Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Wii, which remakes the first game in the series. Shattered Memories features some smart ideas and effective use of the Wii’s motion controls, but the title also works in a psychological test for the player that literally tries to deconstruct their actions and get in their heads. Shattered Memories isn’t perfect, but it takes some big swings and is still very unnerving.
6 Resident Evil Remake (Gamecube)
The Gamecube turned some heads with the news that it’s getting many Resident Evil titles that were exclusive at the time. Resident Evil Remake is a real triumph, not just with what it adds and how it improves the original game, but also with how it makes it legitimately more frightening through monsters like Lisa Trevor or Crimson Head zombies. The Gamecube’s remake of the original Resident Evil is such a success that it’s led to Capcom’s modern fascination with remaking all of the earlier entries in the series, but the original still holds up best.
5 Amnesia: Collection (Switch)
The Amnesia survival horror series is proof that atmosphere is everything. The games find a way to get under the audience's skin as they navigate through a dark castle and work out puzzles. The first-person perspective pushes the player even deeper into this haunted environment.
Amnesia didn't premiere on a Nintendo console, but the Switch's Amnesia: Collection pulls together three of the series' best entries for a new audience. Amnesia: The Dark Descent, its expansion Amnesia: Justine, as well as Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs are all included here and the Switch controls are a perfect fit for the series.
4 Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Wii)
The Fatal Frame series, otherwise known as Project Zero, doesn’t get the same amount of attention as Resident Evil or Silent Hill, but they’re uniquely moody and disturbing. The games revolve around taking pictures of restless spirits and it truly makes ghosts scary. Nintendo has turned into the exclusive home for the Fatal Frame franchise with the fourth and fifth entries in the series, which are both excellent. However, the series’ highpoint, Fatal Frame 2, is available on the Wii in an upgraded version. This is the best Fatal Frame for Nintendo fans and it justifies the Wii motion controls.
3 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (Gamecube)
Nintendo still gets criticism for its lack of mature titles, but the Gamecube made some serious strides to show that Nintendo was also committed to the horror crowd. Eternal Darkness is a brilliant title that tells interconnected stories across multiple time periods and destinations as it takes its cues from the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe. The game’s Sanity Effects are still one of the smartest concepts to come out of a horror title. Fans have been asked for a sequel, or at the least a re-release, for years now.
2 Alien: Isolation (Switch)
Alien is a property that’s made a major dent in the film industry, both with its own franchise as well as its crossover with the Predator films. Video games have attempted to tap into that energy, but the majority of the Alien video games are mixed bags that lean more into action than horror. Alien: Isolation makes the intimidating Xenomorph its priority and designs a brilliant AI system that creates genuine fear whenever the player navigates around. It’s the first time that an Alien game has felt as frightening as one of the feature films, which is a strong accomplishment.
1 Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)
The Resident Evil series is the pinnacle of survival horror and even though every game in the series has their charms, it’s Resident Evil 4 that helped revolutionize the franchise and push it forward. Future sequels run too far with the action angle that Resident Evil 4 introduces, but this game finds the perfect balance between action and horror. There are memorable monsters, thrilling set pieces, and it feels big in a way that the previous games didn’t. It’s gone on to be one of the most highly ported video games of all time, but it started with Nintendo.