Reacting to IGN's Top 25 Horror Games of All Time

[@HecticArtVideos]

Honestly, loving how protective you got of PT. That demo is better than most full length games nowadays

[@JohnTwolfe]

Thanks! PT is longer than many

[@jordanhunter13]

@@JohnTwolfetruly a game changer.

[@spicydong317]

Walking sim ass game with few good scares, but people circlejerk it because of kojumbo

[@wiltmostyn]

​@@spicydong317 you can say you dont understand the themes of silent hill games, its ok

[@whatastandupguy3050]

@@wiltmostynSilent Hill themes… PT: Waaah waaah you killed your family ooga booga

[@abigailsimenton9929]

It’s so crazy to me that they didn’t have Re7 on here, like that game not only is terrifying and really well made but also saved the RE series as a whole

[@itzgin3290]

It literally rebooted the series and soared them into popularity once again...probably one of the craziest rises for a franchise after it fell so far down. The fact that it didn't make this list AT ALL is insane when some of the other games on here shouldn't be anywhere near top 25....let alone top ~15-20 like some are, whoever made this list must like action games because they put quite a few on here, and the fact RE7 isn't top 3 (or on here at all) is insane too.

[@bobdobbz9334]

​@@itzgin3290 Crazy. Like half the games shouldn't even be on the list to start with.

[@bobdobbz9334]

100% RE7 is top 10 for me. Better than every subsequent RE game IMO. RE7 > RE2R, RE3R, RE8, & RE4R

[@INeedJesus4sure]

I know right, scariest of them all in my opinion

[@ollielynch4733]

RE7 is truly a masterpiece imo. I absolutely loved it and it’s still the best horror game I’ve played to date.

[@funnygoat7950]

I’ve noticed in a lot of these lists that the Fatal Frame series is always left out. It doesn’t make sense that Slender: The 8 Pages or Inside or DBD is rated as better or scarier than any Fatal Frame game.

[@because-strudels]

Yeah, I agree. Feels like games like Slender were added because they blew up. And that doesn't mean it was scary by any means. Just a format that can go viral.

[@evanpeters87]

Fully agree

[@DerangedMallard]

>DBD *WHAT. YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING.*

[@lionofthebluevale7170]

John rating rating lists is something we need more of

[@Linkfangirl]

Or him making his own lists! :)

[@crapparc]

I'm gonna rate John's rating rating.

[@Linkfangirl]

@@crapparc your his favourite kind of viewer 😂 dew it

[@Banaziir]

I suppose the question is what are they ranking? "Best" or "Scariest"? Completely different thing, I would say. I think Little Nightmares 2 is an absolutely amazing game, but it isn't very scary. Same for Inside. Same for arguably Silent Hill. Eerie, but not terrifying. But super atmospheric. Cool story. Great worldbuilding. In that sense, better than a lot of horror games that are actually good at scaring me. I think Outlast for example is scarier than Alan Wake, but I think Alan Wake is better overall.

[@SemiIocon]

Scariest, according to the starting blurb, but they also do the caveat of saying "what's scary is different for everyone" probably so people don't yell at them in the comments, lol

[@drewgoin8849]

​@@SemiIocon We both know that, regardless of how many qualifiers are appended to the list, nothing will prevent some Internet commenters from criticizing the rankings.

[@bluewolf7111]

Agree, although Little Nightmares is scary, just not *the scariest* for sure. At the very least its scaries than some action games packed in this list. I always stand by this logic, but a game where you can kill monsters, it will have the hardest time being scarier than a game where you cant. That is why, I have the very controversial opinion that RE is not that scary. (Albeit its more specific than that because I do agree silent hill is one of the scariest experiences)

[@jordanWAH]

I was just about to make this comment. It does say best horror games, so there might be a deliberate intention of just great games that happen to be horror 🤔

[@cainabel404]

I agree about Little Nightmares etc. Great but not scary. Silent Hill though - I think eerie is an element of scary. It's not just about the biggest jump scares. Same with Soma - sufficiently horrifying and unsettling to be considered scary. I do think it's difficult to compare different types of scary, but a list like this is probably allowed to accommodate jump scares, eeriness, uncanniness, unsettling oppressive tension, etc etc. Scariness in its broadest sense. Otherwise you need 10 different lists for each sub-category of scariness.

[@freakishuproar1168]

_Slender: The Eight Pages_ is undeniably a cultural milestone, with all the good and bad that status entails. But I agree with you John, it hasn't held up as a scary experience. I'm glad you rated _Soma_ so highly :3 I feel even with some of frustrating gameplay elements in mind, that game is seething with desperately sad and dread inducing atmosphere, and deals with genuinely haunting themes and concepts.

[@bluemooninthedaylight8073]

It bums me out the artist who created Slenderman has gotten little to no financial compensation. People were quick to profit from it with little care for the person who created it.

[@cupid3890]

ugh god the ending is just so existential dread, like Simon not understanding how the technology works over and over again, and causing Catherine's motherboard to just break, leaving him alone on the ocean floor....literally being the last human like thing on the earth.

[@bobdobbz9334]

I deny it. Slender Man was a blip. I agree there was somewhat of a cultural phenomenon surrounding it, but it came and went, more as a trendy fad for kids than a game. There were T-shirts and memes, and goofy youtube videos. Like skibbidy toilet.

[@theotv5522]

I feel like John missed out on the RPG-maker horror genre, and iirc his reasoning was simply he doesn't like RPG games.

[@cupid3890]

@@theotv5522 yeah and that kinda sucks because theres a lot of good narratives and scares from these games, even though they’re not embodying “realism”. Like the faith trilogy has a lot of moments that are just uncanny to the point where it’s creepy and sends a shiver down someone’s spine. The movements in the cutscenes are so realistic but the pixelated style tells you it’s not. Really great stuff and it goes to show that horror doesnt always have to be ray traced. Faith devs also used rotoscoping to give the movements a more realistic flow. Just as someone whose childhood was ruled by these games lol.

[@TrippyTheShroom]

SOMA is one of the scariest games I've ever played not for the jumpscares... but for the implications it leaves the player with. A genuine masterpiece in my opinion.

[@Revealingstorm.]

Soma is amazing

[@pinkeye6803]

Yep finished it a few years ago. And the dread it left me with when I came to the ending still pops up from time to time as I think about it randomly.

[@ghosteyes2708]

The monsters and the music when they're around scares the shit out of me lmao. It's one of the few horror games I could never beat twice.

[@Jwitdaplays]

SOMA is one of my favorite horror game experiences in recent memory. I’ve rewatched John’s playthrough multiple times

[@archandia]

one of my closest friends made the amnesia mod The Great Work; the fact that you still remember it after so long means a lot. :)

[@RamenLlama]

The Great Work still holds up decently well; Damascus and team did a very good job.

[@chagis100]

the OG days fr

[@Videosyncratic]

Not only do I remember _The Great Work_ but wanting to play it for myself was actually the reason I acquired _Amnesia_ in the first place - please send your friend my regards for making such a fantastic mod!

[@noxastraaa]

I just read about Manhunt. The controversy was around the violence depicted in the game itself and also how a copy of it was found in a 17 year old killer’s bedroom. I read the game was linked to his crime as a negative influence however both the police and the court denied the connection between the two. Crazy story tbh.

[@Sil3ntKn1ght]

It's also about the context of the violence, as a player. In Manhunt, unlike, let's say Call Of Duty, the context of the violence is much more bleak than other games.

[@danielleforet8057]

Imagine being a kid, playing that game back in the day. It felt so taboo to play it at the time. I love it. Wish it were possible to get a remake of it and Manhunt 2. But, that's definitely not happening in today's society. A shame, really.

[@J.J.Jameson_of_Daily_Bugle]

I remember playing it back in the day, it came around the time Big Brother was popular so this is kinda riff on it, sorta, because you are going around killing other contestants and it's all broadcasted, so the more gruesome and violent the execution is, the more ratings go up, etc. I think this is why the game will always be hot topic and controversial, because they can always use it as proof how video games glorify violence, because this game is literally about making glorifying murders if you think about it.

[@J.J.Jameson_of_Daily_Bugle]

@@danielleforet8057 I remember that Hatred game and hot it was controversial and they said it's "school shooter" simulator, then you get to play it and after maybe initial shock of PC gunning down groups of people on street, it quickly becomes one note dull game after initial "gotcha" moment wears off. It's like tracking down one of those movies that claim to be banned for years and banned in multiple country, and you start to watch them and they turn out to be utter crap that most likely stayed on shelf for five years because no one wanted to release it because how amateurish and garbage it is. Looking at you, Murder-Set-Pieces.

[@kkarawei]

I was fully expecting Fatal Frame! What an interesting list.

[@Lea-is-sleeping]

Same! What a shame, they are such fantastic games.

[@mandawins02]

appreciate all the re7 love, i love the originals and remakes but i'm sick of people hating on my boy ethan and his games they are just as good!!

[@cahebding]

RE7 just nailed the atmosphere. Like when I think about it the first time I played it, I get this indescribable feeling of like, fear, deaolation, lonliness, hopelessness, mostly just thinking about the soundtrack and visuals. Anyone else feel that way? But FUCK THAT SHIP SECTION OMG

[@Phantom-kc9ly]

RE7 I played blind in VR and there's not been an experience like it since.

[@redisthecoolestcolour]

Walking around the guest house with NO CLUE what is going on wearing good headphones? Every creak made me whip my head round and my stomach tense. It was horrifying and I loved every second of it.

[@annaisntcool]

that damn ship section gave me so much anxiety that i had to hand my friend the controller lmfao

[@ollielynch4733]

@@cahebding They nailed the atmosphere in the first house. It really sets the tone for the rest of the game. It’s so quiet in there and you’re just waiting for something to happen

[@theotv5522]

If you think RE7 is scary, can't wait to hear your thoughts on games like Imscared, IT STEALS, or even some RPG-maker horror games like Mad Father or Cat in the box.

[@reneemitchell4281]

I wish Mortuary Assistant was on the list even near the bottom because while the gameplay was a lot, the scares were good and I was on edge the entire time and afraid to even look up or behind me.

[@Wasserliliensee]

I also thought of mortuary assistant, especially when John talked about how no one plays indie horror. Like people completely miss gems like that and put Slender in a list...

[@jordanhunter13]

I have never played it personally but have watched many a play through and am STILL scared by it 😭

[@sandracatinezmar2564]

You are right! Mortuary Assistant is really good and a good balance of jump scares, atmosphere and an interesting story.

[@theotv5522]

Mortuary Assistant abused jumpscares so much it became annoying for me after 10-15mins. For me, jumpscare should only be a small part of the game, not the whole thing, and makes you think about it even after you turn it off. Games such as: Imscared, Faith, or Mad Father are good examples of horror that don't trigger your fight/flight response every 3 mins. Or if you want a really, really good example of this, try the Haunted mansion level in Vampires: the masquerade. You know it's good horror when you're left terrified despite playing as a literal vampire, and that the whole section has no jumpscares.

[@random_stuff9547]

​​​@@theotv5522I mean ... I really like the VTMB but that ghost mission is not scare at all for me ... This just shows that is kinda silly try to determinate "the most scary whatever" ... Theres too much subjectivity involved.

[@ReagentLilith]

The scariest thing about dbd is the community.

[@theotv5522]

I will never forget that 1 time the devs got humiliated so hard ON STREAM by SWF right after he said the game is balanced and that "I'm the dev, surely I won't get bodied by randoms" And also I would say the 2nd scariest thing about DBD is it leaking your IP while the company denied it. I remember John couldn't play DBD for a year or so because of that.

[@erikl530]

Not a single game from the esteemed Timore franchise?

[@spirameowmeow]

faxnuke! the whole list should've been timore games

[@ringer1324]

I miss timore….

[@GDroidX]

@@ringer1324 We Seriously Need TiMORE Of It... T|M0RE-

[@theotv5522]

Bigger question: not a single RPG-maker horror game. I'm thinking of Witch's house, Mad Father, Cat in the box, Ao Oni.

[@aguyfromflorida4842]

​@@theotv5522 would IGN people even care about RPGmaker games?

[@Haysey_Draws]

The problem with these lists by big sites was highlighted in the first few minutes... the tags. They picked so many of the remakes because they are recent and thus the tags will get clicks. It's not a definitive horror list, it's a 'whats trending now in horror' list.

[@christophertablante7680]

100% agree, this IGN list is complete B.S. Theres no way they did any analysis or objectivity.

[@cahebding]

They really need to clarify if they are judging based on the scariness WHEN THE GAME RELEASED or if it is STILL scary now compared to everything that came after it. Because yea, you can say the original RE1 is not scary if you played it today and I think we can all agree on that one, but back in 1996 if you were playing it you were pissing your pants.

[@bluewolf7111]

I think the game should be able to be scary today or ages ago for it to really be scary. If a game is scary because it was like one out of ten horror games in the world it doesnt strike as much of an achievement in of itself. There is however a case to be made with how the experience might be ruined over time, a prime example would be FNAF, the game is actually scary, but if you go into it today, there is practically not a person in the world who has the corrupted image that the annoying community, and the extensive lore videos, and the furries who tried to claim the game left on the internet since then. And that image will hinder most people's first experience.

[@drewgoin8849]

Just thinking back to my first experience with "Resident Evil" still increases my anxiety level!

[@cahebding]

@bluewolf7111 I don't think I fully agree. 1990s horror games were scary, legitimately, but now it's like we know how good horror games can look so anything older just doesn't do it for us anymore. I guess it's hard to judge as someone who played these games. You would need to give original RE to someone to play who has never played it before to get a perspective.

[@JohnTwolfe]

I feel like for an "all time" list, the only POV that makes sense is the retrospective one. I'd ask for each game, how do they hold up in 2024? But since that would mean you'd put universally respected classics like RE1 much lower, I guess they opt for a hybrid approach. And it comes across like a weird flip-flop list that's on-point for one slot and has a totally weird pick for the next. I genuinely think there's no winning when it comes to horror lists. They're always going to be polarizing - more subjective than any other genre IMO. But these are still fun to react to lol

[@drewgoin8849]

@@cahebding So many "firsts" in the horror category of video games, TV shows, and movies don't have the same impact that they did upon release. It's just how things go. Stylistic camera tricks, specific storylines and themes have been copied over and over. Now, many of the scariest titles from yesteryear can seem watered down when weighed against the impact they had on the folks in years past. I no longer pee my pants when I watch "The Exorcist", read "Frankenstein", or watch a "Resident Evil" playthrough. Nevertheless, they still deserve to be celebrated as pioneering works of horror.

[@ahmedgamal-hf8jn]

we need your own list john ❤

[@redisthecoolestcolour]

I'm still waiting on his Resi 4 treasure tier list 😭😭

[@thepenitence]

@@redisthecoolestcolour OH yeahh I remember he talked about wanting to do that way back xD

[@emmaalderson569]

RE7 being absent from this list is shocking

[@MakotoMajima30]

a game where you are forced to read IGN reviews would easily be the most horrifying game ever

[@InnominateYT]

since it didn't get a lot of recognition in chat just commending you for your selection of Sonic CD music in the last segment

[@JohnTwolfe]

Thank you, you are the first person to recognize it haha

[@BowenBenedict]

Maybe for a charity stream or something John could make his own "Scariest Games List" Could be both fun and traumatizing revealing them with an audience haha.

[@ravynkalfayan8429]

YES!!

[@AbbaJoe26]

With all respect to Dead By Daylight (and full respect for it being fun for a lot of people) even games like Outlast Trials is scarier than DBD. It probably ranks in multi-player online coop gaming lists, but DBD on a Horror list....is debatable.

[@cupid3890]

outlast trials single player is crazy like wow

[@AbbaJoe26]

@@cupid3890 It totally counts as Horror, and is even scary. Well, scary-enough. It kinda Tries Too Hard (TM), but it gets there at times. heh

[@RavenGaming]

It hurts me so much that PT and SH2 remake are the only Silent hill games on here. SH3 definitely deserves a spot on this list over many other games listed here. Also I completely agree that RE7 should be on this list, it was definitely the scariest of all the RE's I feel.

[@18ps3anos]

All 3 original SH games deserve to be on a top 25 horror game list. The ps1 and ps2 are full of gems that belong here. Half of this list is incredibly questionable.

[@punkshark7185]

IGN really gotta read a dictionary and figure out what "scary" qualifies as.

[@shiverhug]

The best moment in my whole experience playing horror games was in Resident Evil 3 Nemesis when he busted through the wall of a save room. You’re so used to that kind of safe space. Blew my mind at the time. My cousin almost went into labour

[@cupid3890]

oooh another good moment like that is in Amnesia: Bunker, where the monster is known for crawling in the walls and making holes, somehow a hole appears in the "safe room". Causing the player to immediately question their safety.

[@antarcticdissuasionforce2625]

Phasmophobia had potential, and still does, to be higher on the list, tbh, but they have to recapture that risk of the early versions of the game. The game is SOOOO much better if you don't watch other people play it, but yeah, after playing it for 100 levels you start to understand the repetitions of the various ghosts. It's one of those games that the better you get the worse it gets. But one thing I love about it is how it builds the tension rather than the constant jump scares that a lot of PP clones and revisions have. Like John says, the first game you get where you actually feel like you're being hunted is excellent. The progression update is great for the new gear, but the mechanics didn't change with it. I'd love to see the ghosts get a rewrite, especially to be more reactive to the players.

[@ClassicChrisGaming]

When John mentioned Phasmophobia, and how so many people have "solved" it, I think it was better when you could actually solve with unique ghost abilities. Phasmophobia used to be a game you could put on and have a good time with friends without needing levels to unlock certain things. It's not like that anymore, and they keep adding stuff because the people who have played since launch keep begging for new content, and it's not the game it used to be. Now, it's full of level-locked content with a heavy focus on cheesing for max money and exp, then "prestiging" to show off to people, because people like Insym wanted it to be harder since they speedran ghost to above level freaking 10,000, and the devs took it as "We should make it grindier and give ghosts less personality" instead of caring about the casual players who wanna fire up a game with some buddies every once in a while. You can't get all of the items level 1, so you can't even gather all of the evidence required for the game's basic function, which is identifying the ghost; this makes your ghost hunting entirely reliant on the non-existent and always buggy "ghost abilities" or whatever, since the coders always break the ghosts and tell you it'll be fixed "next update", but they just break another. Not only that, but upgrades to get what the game's items used to be are level-locked, so you get the weakest possible starting items, and it doesn't make the game scary, it's just frustrating. "Prestiging" brings you back to level 1, and you have to work your way up without a lot of evidence until you can have everything again. Phasmo's no good anymore. Putting it in a top-25 list these days? It doesn't deserve its placing. Maybe a few years ago, before the artist and the other person joined to make it a grindy and boring experience. I played that game so much, and I enjoyed watching the game, but the game changed so much, it's not for me anymore. I'm not gonna grind 50 hours or cheese 20 hours to get a strong flashlight, bro. Stuff that, I want my old phasmo back.

[@supahnoobie]

It's still scary to new players going in blind. The mystery of it is still there until someone looks up a guide or has a veteran guiding them. They don't know what they're missing with the terrible level 1 equipment yet. It's totally a solved game once you read a guide and have the better gear, but once in a while I find a game with completely new players and I can still hear the fear and cowardice in players tones lol. Also what unique ghost abilities do you mean? Aren't they kinda sorta still there?

[@ClassicChrisGaming]

@@supahnoobie They're still there, but the devs keep breaking them. All the time for the last 2 years, I've been seeing "X ghost is not working properly, we're working on a fix!" and every patch or two, another one broke. Not sure if it's still happening, but a unique skill of a ghost being able to throw things further doesn't mean it's that ghost when you see something get thrown something kinds far... ya know? Oh, and Mimics exist, so... lower levels, you're screwed if it's a Mimic. No way to differentiate without getting hunted, but a new player will probably scream and die... Happy to hear newer players are having fun, though. :)

[@Wasserliliensee]

Honestly, I think you are overexaggerating here. Phasmo is still a fun game. I play it with friends still and I play it solo sometimes and you dont have to care about prestiging at all. I also played it since its very early stages. The equipment unlocks arent that bad actually, especially since some of the lower level items are still good (like the flashlight? Come on, you dont need a tier 3 flashlight at all) and sometimes even better than the tier 3 (which maybe should be changed, its a bit unlogical). I personally find its very fun to play with 2 evidences, to narrow it down and then use the ghosts unique abilities to figure it out. Which works, because there arent actually that many bugs. I think many of your grievances are made by your own attitude towards the game. If you approach it as a chill game thats fun to play, it still is. If you want to be on the same level as someone who grinds the hell out of it.. maybe let go of that.

[@ClassicChrisGaming]

@@Wasserliliensee As I said before, the ghost abilities were constantly bugged and completely useless, and they level-locked things literally required for evidence, so I stopped playing. It's fine if you like it, but I don't :)

[@Wasserliliensee]

@@supahnoobie The unique ghost behaviours are absolutely still there and they arent all bugged all the time like Chris said. I'm not saying that there arent any bugs in the game, but it's not nearly as bad. And even the people who "solved" the game can get it wrong sometimes. Like to the people complaining: if the game got boring for you, fair enough, but dont blame the game for that? Like literally how do you expect the game to make your 100th match as scary as your first?

[@supahnoobie]

The Dead Space remake actually makes a stronger argument for "scarier". The Audio Design in it was incredibly nuts. I was on my... I dunno, 3rd or 4th playthrough and playing it in a more casual manner, cleaning up achievements and messing around... and the ambient noises kept giving me the willies. I thought I'd be numbed to anything the game still had, but damn the audio was so good.

[@BearlyAwake13]

Aren't some things also randomized to a degree? Like not enough to make a huge difference, but the idea was for the scares to be less predictable iirc?

[@kujumz]

meh

[@Bridgeofaudio]

47:13 taxes. Taxes are just as scary, if not more so, than they were 14 years ago.

[@charcharbug]

The fact they didn't put Fatal Frame on here but L4D2 is astonishing Edit: 52:50 THANK YOU

[@mootpoint7053]

Silent Hill is KING of all horror. But dang it man, there are soooo many good games they left out. A bit of a disturbing list if you ask me. I think it's based mostly on popularity and not necessarily scare factor. Oh well, whatcha gon do?

[@theotv5522]

You say that, while Jon here completely ignores the RPG-maker horror just because he dislike RPG in general. He's missing out on many great games and that's such a shame.

[@mootpoint7053]

@@theotv5522 But to John's credit he has played hundreds of horror games. And I would really like to see him get back in to his old ways. I've been a fan of his for probably 7 years now or maybe longer. Back when his name used to be "Harshly Critical".

[@theotv5522]

@@mootpoint7053 My point is he completely ignores the RPG horror genre simply because he doesn't like the RPG as games in general. Dude is missing out on so many good horror games.

[@mootpoint7053]

@@theotv5522 I do not remember the name of the game, but he did play a top down NES style horror game in the past few years. It's not like he's totally ignoring the genre. He's been at it for a really long time. Personally, I think he's just getting burned out. Plus he now has a family to take care of.

[@theotv5522]

@@mootpoint7053 Please go look for said game you've mentioned because I can not recall him ever playing anything that is like that.

[@Videosyncratic]

I will always have to begrudgingly admit that the first _FNAF_ is probably the only game ever to have given me a sleepless night and for that very reason would have no other choice than to rank it highly on any list such as this which I would make for myself

[@auzell1449]

IGN putting Alien Isolation at #6 in a Top 25 Best horror games list is really funny to me ngl

[@tmac326]

Playing RE7 on launch with the PSVR and a headset on is an unmatched experience. I can’t go back to it without playing it in VR.

[@nyx8]

i'd love to see an updated horror game tier list from you John! i remember the one you posted a couple years ago and i had so much fun trying some of the games you recommended

[@katyawc]

I saw slender and said out loud to no one "you're joking"

[@drewgoin8849]

That game was so simplistic in concept and short in length. Even giving consideration to the article's disclaimer, jump-scares don't rate as highly in my book as a spooky plot that slowly builds up the tension in a game.

[@theotv5522]

@@drewgoin8849 The irl plot where a girl lured her friend out to the forest to stab her to appease the Slender man is scarier than the game itself lmao

[@ryanhand5036]

I'm a Visage defender. I'll concede there's problems. But it exists to say "Hey, if Konami won't make PT a full game, we'll make our own." And it does that. It's not Silent Hills. It's not what Guillermo and Kojima would've done. But it is an absolute home run of turning PT's ideas into a complete experience. Plenty of other games have tried and done worse so I like Visage.

[@CeetjeBeetje]

If I'd make a very personal list of scariest horror games, it'd go something like this: 1. RE1 Remake 2. Dead Space (OG) 3. Silent Hill 3 4. PT 5. Bloodborne I'm serious with putting Bloodborne on there as well. I played it back in 2015. I never had played any of the Dark Souls games. I didn't even know BB was made by the same developer. And it scared the crap outta me! After something like 500 hours on it now and having played many Soulsborne games since then, it doesn't anymore of course. And the 4 actual horror games on my list are there, because I played them way back when (mostly the top 3), when I was very new to horror games. I still don't play many horror games. I'm very picky with what games I invest time in. But those 3 games were basically some of the very first horror games I played that I thought were very scary at the time.

[@Osoros666]

Just having P.T. on a PS4 installed doesn't cut it anymore btw - they disabled the game via an update. Makes it even rarer now.

[@tropezando]

I screamed at the Hunter introduction in RE1 1996 at age 9, and I screamed at the FNAF1 jumpscares in 2014 at age 28. I also cowered in fear at Rockafire Explosion animatronics as a kid, which a lot of modern FNAF haters don't get about those of us who went into FNAF1 blind.

[@feralpoodles]

i love these lists videos. your takes are always fun to listen to, you have like encyclopedic knowledge of horror games like no one else

[@thesuperginge1348]

"What is as scary as it was 14 years ago?!" The prospect of dying alone, homeless, John. That's still pretty scary, and it gets more and more likely!

[@s0r480]

Love me some John Reacts in a responsible way, great work man!

[@westingtyler1]

yeah I think there's different categories: "most scary/exhilarating" "most influential" "best vibes/atmosphere" and "overall top horror games of all time" "best philosophical/psychological horror" and all those are DIFFERENT things.

[@koficulpepper]

Slender Eight Pages is an important checkpoint in the genre. And people who played it first time actualy loved it and got spooks, it was novelty back then. It was fun.

[@ultimantomega]

This list would be a lot more understandable if it was just ranking their top 25 games in the horror genre rather than trying to make it seem like these are the top 25 scariest games out there.

[@hyrulianhero116]

Playing siren as a child terrified me😂

[@18ps3anos]

Siren is such an interesting take on horror. I was really hoping for a Siren 3 instead of Slitterhead.

[@aettic]

Hey John, thanks for obscuring the ads in the video. Sorry your ad blocker wasn't working for it :/

[@because-strudels]

This video made me feel old but also gave me comfort. Was a nice little walk down memory lane in a way.

[@J.J.Jameson_of_Daily_Bugle]

Not gonna lie, considering this is IGN, this entire list exist to shill for Silent Hill 2 remake. Don't get me wrong, I actually like the remake, but this is pattern recognition with IGN "top lists", they always do this when they need to shill for some game or movie, like when Hereditary came out and out of nowhere they made list of best horror movies of all time and wouldn't you know, Hereditary that just happen to be at #1.

[@sleepylichdisease]

loved hearing your thoughts on this one, john! i think visage's biggest downfall is that all of its parts feel like disparate pieces, not just from a story standpoint but even down to how certain mechanics and button prompts are implemented and changed through the entire course of the game. it feels very much like each individual chapter was developed separately and then hashed together later rather than thought of as a part of a whole experience, which is very unfortunate for everyone who sits down to play it after the fact. also super agree about the 2002 RE remake! original RE came out when i was far too young to play it (i'm in my 30s now, lol) but i grew up watching my parents play it and finally got the 2015 remaster of the 02 remake when it came to steam and it was an excellent way to re-experience the first game! was sad not to see RE7 or fatal frame 2 on the list, those are definitely standout scary games for me as they are so many others. some of the scariest games i've played have also been like, mods for other games like half-life 2 and many are scarier than... i don't know, dead by daylight, lmao.waiting for the day someone puts resident evil: gaiden on one of these lists just for everyone's reactions.

[@smiff9577]

The left 4 dead witch music was spot on. Lol

[@SerenityState]

Speaking of Chilla’s Art, I’d love to see your play through of their updated Bathhouse

[@LWT1331]

Great stuff. I'd be interested to see your personal top 25.

[@Sol-2099]

No faith is BOLD. NUTS even no fear and hunger is also strange

[@KyleRichter34]

I loved TBG's, but it just doesn't really work for horror. Or at least it lessens the scariness when the monster patiently waits for you to take your turn.

[@Sol-2099]

@@KyleRichter34 That's certainly a hot take for me. I don't think a turn-based system necessarily takes away from the horror especially in the case of Fear and Hunger when practically any enemy can severely debuff you or one shot you. For me, it's a very bleak and horrific game, and the turn based combat adds to the flavor, but to each their own

[@theotv5522]

@@KyleRichter34 Fear and Hunger doesn't scare you in the sense that it has Freddy Fazbear runs at the camera to jumpscare you, it makes you feel unsettled, and think about it for days after. To me that's what horror games should be about. You should try playing Vampires the masquerade, specifically the Haunt house level. There's a reason the community made codes to skip it, because it was too scary. Other games like Imscared, Dredge, IT STEALS, Mad father, Witch's house, Cry of Fear, Total Chaos, are all great horror games, and worth a playthrough for everyone at least once in their life.

[@kockoklosharcheto]

Soma is one of my favourite games ever, so glad to hear that John likes it too. Scary - not at all, max 2-3 jumpscares, more like tension, not horror, but guys YOU MUST PLAY (OR WATCH) THIS. You would be doing yourselves a favour. Amazingly well done game, very rich world-buildingwise and storywise, nothing short of what you'd expect. Only the endings I'd say are a bit anticlimactic, not bad, a bit vanilla, but that's the last 5 mins of a loong game. One tip - pay attention to the details, because they actually connect as you play and it's awesome.

[@DerangedMallard]

It looks like they forgot to add Cry of Fear to the list. I guess it was a mistake since it couldn't possibly have been on purpose so I can forgive it, but they really should fix that issue so that the list becomes objectively right and accurate.

[@compencemusic]

There are 3 consistents in life: Death, Taxes, and SOMA staying criminally underrated in rankings

[@prodLUDO]

SOMA is one of the few games that kept me thinking for days after beating it. Such a good game

[@Jamie-o6v]

I really enjoys John's videos and content. I think he makes great videos, it's something akin to Jaksetic who has passed the threshold of one million subscribers. I think John should also pass one million subscribers.

[@anacsadder]

Omg, I'd forgotten how FRUSTRATED I got with the asteroid shooting part in the original Dead Space. I love Dead Space, the different weapons were so much fun, but I almost didn't finish it because of the asteroid part. Like I literally almost couldn't finish it because of the asteroid part. I think I just got lucky at some point. EDIT: It's funny that out of the top 15 games from the audience picks at the bottom, so many of them are Silent Hill and Resident Evil games. There are so many entries in those series.

[@merprincesspacifica]

Anatomy remains one of my favourite horror game experiences.

[@stevebob240]

RE7 should definitely be on there. Madison VR is the scariest game overall by far!

[@harleyharding7330]

I remember watching your RE 7 DLC streams in 2017, the 21 and Ethan Must Die content was some of the most fun i've had watching a content creator.

[@FarShootingStar]

"Scariest" is an awful metric for rating games (especially "of all time"). I think they should've reworked the whole idea, by choosing stuff like a specific span of time or maybe a more particular type of horror game, like "atmospheric horror", "action horror", maybe "indie horror" if they're feeling frisky, etc. It's just way too broad and fiddly to try to list "the scariest of all time" in general.

[@skyrimking1803]

Resident evil revelations gave us the phrase it's like there's a disco ball in front of my face

[@creasefold1986]

Hey John, you dropped this buddy 👑

[@bfg_pz2213]

Subnautica should have been there tbh. Truly a unique horror experience

[@chucklebutt4470]

For real, Subnautica has made me feel terror in ways no other game has. When you first venture down and hear a reaper leviathan and see it's silhouette it's like oohhhh fuck...

[@ColdSkull37]

I just played Manhunt, and it's genuinely terrifying at times. Would love to see you play it one day!

[@theotv5522]

Probably gonna get banned lmao

[@Cecrophia]

Felt like a list to just suck-up to people imo with a recent popular game at the top. What a cop-out

[@drewgoin8849]

Yeah, the article featured so many newer releases. It's a shame that Internet culture has such a short memory.

[@theotv5522]

@@drewgoin8849 Mate, going by that logic Slender should be at the top because when it came out it was the scariest thing there is, along with Juon: the grudge. But if you play them nowadays they both suck. It's ok to show respect to games that pioneered the genre, but at the same time that matters little when it comes to ranking it's quality. It's like if I bake you a muffin using the recipe way back when it was first written, it would definitely not taste as good as modern day muffins. Horror games have come a long way, and looking into the past with rose-tinted glasses and say "Old good, new bad" is a very biased view at things.

[@Karakikon]

I love these videos so much. Your commentary is addicting! I guess it's because you have strong opinions about things you have a lot of knowledge about. The soul of harshly critical lives on! 🥰

[@msbananas4333]

Ok here me out ... subnautica deserves to be on the top 25 list. It's always slept on for these rankings but as a huge horror fan, Subnaughty has gotten me to fear levels that were unmatched, soma came close but not quite ❤

[@softlymeowgical7609]

My personal top 15 horror games of all time: 1. Silent Hill 3 2. Silent Hill 2 3. SIGNALIS 4. My Friendly Neighborhood 5. Still Wakes The Deep 6.Bramble: The Mountain King 7. Killer Frequency 9. Silent Hill 1 9. Teleforum 9. Fear The Spotlight 10. Kuon 11. Ib 12. The Tartarus Key 13. Crow Country 14. Sniper Killer 15. Silent Hill 4

[@dpurut]

Yay for signalis!

[@drewgoin8849]

I still need to check out "Killer Frequency".

[@cupid3890]

ugh I loved the witch's house, like the final scene where you're being chased by the girl with no legs or eyes is so horrifying. At least it was for me as a kid. Definitely in one of my top spots.

[@christophertablante7680]

I mean, much better list than IGNs

[@BearlyAwake13]

Mentioning Kuon and Ib is amazing

[@baddie_brayyy]

this should have been called “25 most influential horror games “

[@unholylivingded]

Both Manhunt games have a very special place in my heart, the scary for me comes from the dread of being caught since they're both stealth games, and parts of the first one especially are fairly disturbing, but I love it. The second one got the super short end of the stick from rockstar but I still really like it for what it is, and the main character voice performances are excellent.

[@flcmehair]

i can’t believe they don’t have RE7 on there. that was the scariest RE game in my opinion

[@Amanda-or9wh]

Could someone be so kind as to tell ms what is the name of the song playing at 59:43 when John changes from the Castlevania score ? 🙏🏼 it’s perfect coding music

[@hurts2hatelo]

I would love to see you replay RE7! It was the first game I ever watched you play.and ive also forced my friends to watch it in the past. I rewatch your play through in the background when I have nothing else to watch sometimes

[@jettoscranda]

Did you ever play The Suffering and its sequel? Great horror games.

[@theguyishere249]

Sweet home is another early horror game. Also left 4 dead 1 and 2 are pretty scary. Maybe not number 8 scary but still deserves to be on the list.

[@Admir-t9m]

P.T. is the best horror game, i remember playing it the first time, and when radio turned on and they started speaking in Swedish, (i am from Sweden) and i am holding the controller and thinking wtf is happening 😱

[@drewgoin8849]

I was expecting "P.T." to receive a high ranking. To my understanding, "P.T." was a teaser for an unfinished game. Regardless, it made a lasting impression on many fans of horror video games.

[@darkestnights77]

What was said in the radio if you happen to know?

[@theotv5522]

@@darkestnights77 It was a police report about a wife killing her family and then herself iirc, it's basically there to hint the player in case they haven't figure out the plot of the hallway loop yet.

[@Dazzlingdiamond14]

I personally think Until Dawn is scary and the Until Dawn remake is even scarier think it's because of how realistic the graphics look 😂 it's a stunning game in my opinion. Clock tower not so scary I thought haunting ground was scarier always something scary about been chased by enemies and the element of stealth with no combat or ways to protect yourself 😮 the original Resident evil is not scary based on today's standards the remake is much better. FNAF 4 was definitely the scariest in the franchise with the breathing and the door openings 😂 Resident evil 4 is my favourite game of all time its a superb game just not scary. Outlast is more just shock value moments than scary 😅

[@ahappydogwithsunglasses]

Oh man, I love the Super Castlevania music. It's maybe my favorite from the series since it's so jazzy and dark in a brooding way? IDK, just, ugh, so good.

[@austinkgraves]

John, have you done your own top 10 or 25 horror games of all time? I'd be interested to hear how you'd rate them.

[@Frith2010]

It was night trap and mortal kombat that lead to esrb ratings

[@drewgoin8849]

Wow! Blast from the past. Honestly, I never knew a person who actually played "Night Trap". Wasn't it played using a VCR tape?

[@Frith2010]

@drewgoin8849 i think Sega cd

[@drewgoin8849]

@@Frith2010 Ohhhh.

[@pyopyonyo3222]

Any list that does not contain: Fatal Frame, Hunting Grounds, Rule of Rose, Kuon or even Alone in the Dark is incomplete and does not appreciate the history of horror games. Hell, even Still wakes the deep deserves recognition in my eyes, amazing game. Also in defense of Bloodborne - it is a horror genre and have amazing enemies and atmosphere. I would not put it on the list but would absolutely fav mention it.

[@ER-81307]

Dear John and fellow shareholders! I propose to rearrange the future lists by John while reviewing with possible additional elements after which should have been there. Thank you for the opportunity.

[@Demonic0Jester]

as someone that only recently got into the silent hill games, gone through 1-4 + 2 remake I actually liked 3 the most

[@sanictheedgehog]

Of the first 4, 3 is actually my least favorite. It felt like the most "hollywood" of the 4 for lack of a better term. Threw a lot of nuance out of the window to go SPOOKY CULT again with a lot of lame characters like grizzled detective man, sassy teen, and le ebil cult lady. It's biggest sin was killing harry off screen like a jobber.

[@mariegeake7461]

I can't remember if this was mentioned before, but I wonder if John will do another Still Scary video? I loved those

[@tribalstyle138]

Love you John (platonically)

[@Cupo666]

I had to tell myself out loud that it’s okay to die in alien isolation because it’s just a video game, and that was because of the first mission with the Joes. The Joes scared the hell out of me and their dialogue is delivered so well.

[@Mikeanglo]

Eternal Darkness isn't on here but Slender is? Absolute trash list. I wouldn't expect anything less from IGN. I give this list a 7/10.

[@the_gloria_dei]

Believe me, editors who write those AI-like intros hate them as well. Alas, "spoiling" some results is good for views

[@TheElementalBlood]

The second you said Resident Evil Revelations, all I could hear was you aghast yelling "Get out of the water Parker!" For whatever reason, that and side walking Chris are the two things I cannot forget about that game.

[@redisthecoolestcolour]

56:35 PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE replay RE7. It's one of my fave playthroughs you've ever done. I had such a blast watching you play.

[@La-PetitMort]

Chatgpt definitely made this list

[@AnastasiaMeng]

Is there gonna be 25 of the scariest games by John? I would watch that ❤

[@heavenjohnson6753]

I'd love to see you make your own list of scariest games! A lot of these didn't really fall under that category in my opinion.

[@Nuju8605]

59:51 Sonic CD - Wacky Workbench (PAL/Japan) version 😭❤ my heart I'm so glad someone else likes Sonic CD