Hidden object games aren’t for everyone. They often require a lot of patience and looking at the same screen for extended periods of time. But they are also incredibly satisfying.
Some of the best hidden object games come from the horror genre, as they have the ability to grip you through the tense atmosphere created. Here are 15 scary hidden object games available right now.
15. Phantasmat 3 : The Endless Night
Phantasmat The Endless Night Gameplay
Phantasmat 3 the third instalment of the spooky hidden object game series that has the ability to build atmosphere in impressive ways.
The game starts in a way that sets the tone for the rest of the gameplay – stuck in a car with a mysterious shady figure. Afterwards, you must solve the mystery in your hometown in order to save your daughter from disaster.
Play Phantasmat 3: The Endless Night.
14. Maze: Subject 360
Maze Subject 360 PC Gameplay
Mad Head Games has a reputation for producing some of the best hidden object games around, and Maze: Subject 360 is no exception.
With an immersive storyline, together with excellent audio and visuals. Maze: Subject 360 takes you on a horror hidden object experience that will likely stick with you for a few days. This psychological thriller is spooky right from the start, when you wake up to the sound of a young spooky girl telling you that you have been chosen. Without giving too much away, you should play the game to see where it goes.
Play Maze: Subject 360.
13. Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst
Mystery Case Files Ravenhearst PC Gameplay
Despite being one of the older games in this list, this horror HOPA by Eipix Entertainment has some of the best visuals in the whole of the genre.
It is obvious that the developer took seriously the task of creating a haunting experience, which it did through some artistic lighting and moody sound effects. The Ravenhearst manor has been a frequent feature of past Mystery Case Files games, but this time it finds itself at the centre of attention after a new owner wants to build a museum at the haunted manor. Good idea? No, probably not.
Play Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst.
12. The Emptiness
The Emptiness PC Gameplay
The Emptiness was poorly received in the hidden object world when it was first released, but we commend Hooligans Entertainment for trying to approach the genre a bit differently than normal.
The game is one of the spookiest in this list, and provides some rather intense jump scares. The only reason this isn’t higher on the list is because it is quite graphic in parts and may not be for everyone.
Indeed, the developer even warns in their game description that those who are prone to nervous disorders or unhealthy states of mind should avoid the game. That being said, for me this is easily one of the scariest hidden object games around.
Play The Emptiness.
11. Shadow Shelter
Shadow Shelter PC Gameplay
As a private investigator, you are tasked with finding the heir to a haunted and abandoned Scottish manor. Is the manor really abandoned though? Of course not.
The story may be cliché, but the spooks are as real as anything. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for strange entities in this horror hidden object game, there seem to be some around every corner, and they run the property now.
Play Shadow Shelter.
10. Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker
Shiver Vanishing Hitchhiker PC Gameplay
In Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker, the game begins as the narrator recalls a mysterious event from his past, in which he picked up a helpless hitchhiker during a torrential downpour.
What’s scary is that she doesn’t say anything for the entire drive. To top it all off, she leaves a toy from the storyteller’s past on the back seat after she gets out. This sparks an investigation into who she exactly is, an investigation which takes you to the spooky town of Gordon Creek.
Play Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker.
9. Haunted Hotel: Death Sentence
Haunted Hotel Death Sentence PC Gameplay
Haunted Hotel: Death Sentence is one of the best known and scariest hidden object games in this list.
You are tasked with solving unsolved mysteries of the supernatural kind along with your buddy, James. The story takes a dark turn, though, when you receive a letter from James informing you of his death. He points you in the direction of an abandoned hotel to find all the answers.
The journey there is littered with atmosphere and chilling events. You’ll need to be brave to make it to the end.
Play Haunted Hotel: Death Sentence.
8. Grim Tales: The Bride
Grim Tales The Bride PC Gameplay
The first thing you’ll notice about Grim Tales: The Bride is the artwork – it’s quite something, especially when you consider that this is a free game.
The game begins with the player’s sister disappearing on her wedding day without any trace or clue to her whereabouts. Using your detective prowess, you have to investigate her disappearance and uncover the truth.
Unfortunately for you, this journey involves a worrying amount of creepiness and mystery.
Play Grim Tales: The Bride.
7. PuppetShow: Bloody Rosie
PuppetShow Bloody Rosie PC Gameplay
The game starts in a seemingly normal fashion. An eldery man is caring for a young crimson-haired girl, preparing food for her and making sure she is comfortable. Sounds normal, right? Wrong. The girl is actually a doll.
After the man gets angry and throws the doll to the ground, the tone is set for the rest of the game. It skips forward to a detective, you, investigating the mysterious death of the wife of Doctor Cox (not the one from Scrubs…). The rest is for you to figure out.
Play PuppetShow: Bloody Rosie.
6. Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers
Dark Strokes Sins of the Fathers PC Gameplay
The Dark Strokes series are among the best hidden object games to be found, and Sins of the Fathers is perhaps the pick of the bunch. There were times whilst playing this HOPA that I was genuinely scared.
Playing as Ethan Black, you are tasked with saving your fiancé from an eerie and evil masked villain known as the Faceless One. The puzzles are challenging and the aesthetics are top level. This is a must try for fans of the genre.
Play Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers.
5. Dark Asylum: Mystery Adventure
Dark Asylum Mystery Adventure PC Gameplay
This horror HOPA from Komar Games is equal parts scary, challenging, gory, and fun. It is one of the better hidden object games available at the moment not only because of the generous amount of content, but also because of the gameplay dynamics. This is one that requires thought, precision, and patience.
See if you can gain the trust of the asylum inmates by undergoing various tasks and puzzles. Once you do, though, you may uncover mysteries that are not for the faint of heart.
Play Dark Asylum: Mystery Adventure.
4. Fear For Sale: The Curse of Whitehall
Fear For Sale The Curse of Whitehall PC Gameplay
The game starts with a chilling scene of a young girl struggling to stay afloat in an Alaskan lake due to a supernatural entity that haunts the water. The next thing we know, you are on your way to the area to investigate the strange happenings.
Nearby construction workers have to cease work due to the paranormal events that transpire. Soon you understand why, as apparitions and otherworldly spirits begin to terrorise your world.
Play Fear For Sale: The Curse of Whitehall.
3. True Fear: Forsaken Souls
True Fear Forsaken Souls PC Gameplay
This game is one of the creepiest hidden object games I’ve ever played. The way the developers create fear and an atmosphere of dread is masterful, and there are moments in the game that can be considered scarier than many of the current triple A horror games.
In this psychological thriller, you investigate an old house filled with puzzles, eerie entities, and a disconcerting lack of light. Be warned, what you find in Forsaken Souls could keep you awake for the next few nights.
Play True Fear: Forsaken Souls.
2. Bonfire Stories: The Faceless Gravedigger
Bonfire Stories The Faceless Gravedigger PC Gameplay
As a group of friends sit around a campfire telling ghost stories, we hear of the story of the faceless gravedigger. A tale which involves two journalists and a whole world of terror.
You take on the role of one of the reporters to uncover the mystery and find out what’s happening at the Quiet Grove resort and why so many people have gone missing over the years. Just try and stay clear of the ominous gravedigger..
Play Bonfire Stories: The Faceless Gravedigger.
1. Scarlett Mysteries: Cursed Child
Scarlett Mysteries Cursed Child PC Gameplay
Scarlett Mysteries: Cursed Child is worth it for the art alone – the graphics are astounding and some of the best in the hidden object genre.
Artifex Mundi have a habit of producing good quality HOPAs, and this one is no exception. Yes, it’s a little on the short side, but what you get is great quality. Use Scarlett’s paranormal and abilities to locate her dead within a grand Victorian mansion that oozes creepiness.
Play Scarlett Mysteries: Cursed Child.
Get in Touch
Did you see your favorite horror hidden object game in this list? If not, let us know which games in the genre you like playing in the comment section below.
If you liked this, you may also like reading about the best horror games for the Xbox 360.
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