Asian horror is widely renowned as being the best in the entire genre. While most of the output within the continent is skewed towards Japanese horror games, there are plenty of terrifying games to come out of China and Taiwan, too.
We’ve rounded up 5 of the best Chinese horror games below for you to try out. The top 2 are particularly terrifying!
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5. Detention
Developer: Red Candle Games
Year: 2017
Platform: Switch, PS4, PC, Android
Detention is a Taiwanese horror game that has a unique 2D side scrolling puzzle approach to the genre.
Set in the 1960s when Taiwan was under a period of martial law known as the White Terror, Detention draws horror through the use of immersive gameplay, intense atmospheric horror, and puzzle solving.
The narrative is meaningful, and it gives the player an insight into what it is like to grow up in a country where government censorship is extreme. The story revolves around two students who are stuck in Greenwood High School, Taiwan, and have to navigate their way through mysterious surroundings in order to escape.
This is a point and click 2D horror experience you won’t forget in a hurry, and is easily one of the best Chinese horror games of all time.
4. Firework
Developer: 拾英工作室
Year: 2021
Platform: PC
This Chinese horror game is one that requires an understanding of the language in order to fully enjoy. If that isn’t you, move on to number 3 in this list of the best Chinese horror games.
Firework is a puzzle horror game that requires players to solve the mystery of an accidental fire that takes place in a remote Chinese mountain village.
Firework draws on atmospheric horror as opposed to jump scares, and the sense of dread that builds as it progresses is intense. The unique art style, the story, and the puzzles take you on a real journey and, by the time you get to the end of it, Firework is sure to leave a lasting impression on you.
3. Paper Dolls
Developer: Beijing Litchi Culture Media Co., Ltd.
Year: 2019
Platform: PC, PS4
Paper Dolls was a game I went to with no real expectation and prior knowledge of. After about 15 minutes of playing the game for the first time on the PS4, I thought I was in for an easy ride and that there would be no problems completing it.
Then, all of a sudden, the atmosphere changed and I realised that I was in for a spine-chilling journey. So much so, in fact, that I had to put the game down and return to it a few days later. Paper Dolls creates an atmosphere of dread in a way that only the top tier horror games can, and if that is the kind of thing you are looking for, you won’t want to sleep on this.
You are thrown into the deep end right from the outset, and wake up in a darkly lit room with a few different artefacts for you to explore. As you progress, notes and items add to the lore of the game and help to keep you engaged.
Without giving too much away, it’s a game that you just have to play to understand and, without a doubt, is one of the best Chinese horror games ever created.
Download Paper Dolls on Steam.
2. Devotion
Developer: Red Candle Games
Year: 2019
Platform: PC
You may have heard about the horror game Devotion for all the wrong reasons. The game, which is produced by the same Taiwanese developers as Detention, entered mainstream news shortly after it was released due to it being banned in China for having a secret reference likening Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh.
Despite the controversy that the game garnered, it is one of the most terrifying horror experiences to have come out of the past few years and is a must play for fans of the genre.
Set in Taiwan during the 1980s, Devotion plays as a first-person walking simulator that revolves around a mysterious family who have each made vows in the name of their religious belief.
The combination of the unsettling atmosphere and the appropriately chilling sound design is enough to send shivers down the hardiest of spines. This is a game that only the brave will survive.
Download Devotion from the Red Candle Games website.
1. Paranormal HK
Developer: Ghostpie Studio
Year: 2020
Platform: PC
If you’re looking for the kind of horror game that will prevent you from sleeping comfortably for the next few days, Paranormal HK could be exactly what you need.
Set during the Hungry Ghost Festival in the Kowloon Walled City, Paranormal HK requires players to delve into the world of Hong Kong urban legends and criminal cases. It is a first person horror adventure game that follows a largely linear plotline, and you must solve the mystery of a missing person, as well as other strange phenomena encountered along the journey.
By all accounts, Paranormal HK is completely terrifying and I’m not alone in regarding it as one of the scariest Chinese horror games around.
Download Paranormal HK on Steam.
Get in Touch
Did you know about any of these best Chinese horror games? Maybe you know of some others that we didn’t include in the list. If so, let us know in the comment section below!
For any enquiries, contact me at richard@blogofgames.com
You can see this game being played by jacksepticeye in the YouTube video below.