It is a great time to be around if horror games are your thing (Outlast, Soma, Resident Evil 7, etc.), but some of the top games can be a bit pricey if you’re on a tight budget/love a good bargain. With that in mind, the team at Blog of Games have put together a list of the best free horror games available for PC gamers right now, with download links provided.
Minds Eyes
Minds Eyes – Free Horror Game
Kicking off this list of the best free horror games for the PC is Minds Eyes, a seriously creepy first-person horror game that is heavily modelled on P.T.
Released in 2016, this indie horror game was developed by Stanislaw Truchowski as an experiment to see what would really scare players. The experiement seemed to work, and Minds Eyes does an excellent job of creating a haunting atmosphere that will keep you on edge throughout the whole game.
The game is only short, but is absolutely worth a try considering it’s free. I’d also recommend trying out the developer’s subsequent game, A Girls Fabric Face, which is not free but certainly as scary!
Play Minds Eyes for free.
Penumbra Tech Demo
Penumbra is an episodic survival horror game that was released in 2007 and developed by Frictional Games – the same developers of the Amnesia games, so you know it’s gonna be good. The game is delivered from a first-person standpoint, and has elements of psychological horror and adventure in its gameplay. The game was released in three episodes: Overture, Black Plague, and Requiem.
Before the release of these three episodes, however, there was the Penumbra Tech Demo, which was designed and released to showcase the power of Frictional Games’ new HPL Engine 1. The game was not originally intended to be released as a commercial product, but it received such wide critical acclaim that the developer decided to make it available as a full-length game. Now, this tech demo is completely free and can be downloaded from the link at the end of this segment.
Penumbra has gained universal praise for its ability to create tension and atmosphere, in a way similar to its successor, Amnesia. The game also has similarities in its use of an interactive environment, whereby the player can explore the story in close detail to make their way through the game.
Many users even prefer Penumbra to its successor, due to the fact that the enemies you encounter are always already present, and are not spawned and de-spawned as they are in the Amnesia series.
Comparisons aside, this is a great game from a great developer of horror games, and one that should absolutely be tried, especially when it’s available for free. No doubt, it’s one of the best free horror games for the PC available right now.
If you want to download Penunmbra, follow the link here.
Phobia 1.5
Phobia 1.5 is a first-person horror game set in a spooky mansion that begins with the protagonist lost in a car whilst trying to reach their destination. They run out of gas and begin to traverse the area on foot in order to take shelter from the freezing cold. The protagonist then encounters a mysterious, abandoned mansion, and enters (of course).
The first impression of Phobia 1.5 is that the graphics are very impressive for a free game, and certainly sufficient enough to create a chilling and haunting atmosphere. It does exactly this. From the offset, you are stuck in absolute dark, trying to manoeuvre your way through an ominous looking hallway whilst deafeningly eerie music plays in the background. It is not long before you discover that the abandoned mansion has a dark past.
One thing that this game does very well is creating tension and suspense by building up fear and doubt in the players mind, through dripping information to the player through notes and clues. The layout of the house ensures that the player is always on edge, and you can encounter the main foe from all directions at any given time. This adds an extra edge to the game, making it excruciatingly creepy at times.
If being lost in abandoned and eerie mansions with nothing on your person is your thing, then this will definitely be one of the best free horror games for you. Follow the link to download Phobia 1.5 for free.
SCP Containment Breach
If you’ve looked around before for the best free horror games for the PC, you’ve probably come across this game already, and with good reason. SCP Containment Breach is a game which has an incredible amount of creativity to its gameplay, and each of the monster foes have been inventively created to make them terrifying in their own unique way.
In this game the player explores a randomly generated facility, which contains creatures of all shapes and sizes with differing characteristics. Some can walk through walls, some get up close and personal to snap your neck like a wishbone, some make shrill and eerily high-pitched screams that send prolonged waves of shivers down your spine. In other words, the diversity in encountered enemies is not comforting.
The main antagonist is a rather comical looking living statue, which has a rather surprising ability to make one as scared as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Despite the game’s now dated graphics engine, the gameplay is truly frightening, and a loyal community of modders help to keep this game fresh.
If you want to find out more about this free PC horror game, follow the link here.
Cry of Fear
Cry of Fear is easily one of the best free horror games for the PC. Its story has a focus on the theme of depression, and in a time when mental health problems are increasing (find out more here), this game has a level of pertinence that has become ever so real.
The game begins with the protagonist describing his battle with depression and how, despite having friends and family surrounding him, he has never felt so alone. The ensuing gameplay revolves around the thoughts and nightmarish feelings that spawn from the mind of Simon (the protagonist).
Every interaction and every foe encountered symbolizes something far greater than its face value, and navigating the story gives a level of intrigue tantamount to its level of terror. In fact, its cleverly worked first-person gameplay gives a whole new meaning to suspense and fear, and you’re braver than I am of you make it through the whole game without wanting to hide away in a corner.
Cry of Fear is truly one of the greatest horror games out there today, and to see it available for free is as shocking as it is exciting. I strongly recommend that you give this game a chance.
If you want to find out more about this free PC horror game, follow the link here.
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