Horror and video games are a match made in heaven. While the horror genre is popular across all forms of media, there’s a case to be made for video games being the superior medium through which to experience it. The unique element of interactivity afforded by video games puts players in the middle of the action in ways that movies and books can’t. Viewers and readers are essentially along for the ride, while players are burdened and have to drive the car themselves, thereby adding a crushing sense of tension and responsibility for what happens in-game.
Horror is hardly in short supply these days.Resident Evilis having its own renaissance, and indie games likeCarrionhave added their own unique twists to the genre. The recently-concludedE3 2021showed that the library of modern horror games is, fortunately, about to get even larger throughout the next few years. A spiritual successor to a horror classic, an unexpectedly high-quality adaptation of a legendary film franchise, and a terrifying twist on a long-dormant series were just some of the surprises fans of the genre got treated to at E3.
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A Plague Tale: Requiem
Announced during Xbox and Bethesda’s joint E3 conference,A Plague Tale: Requiemis the sequel toAsobo Studio’s award-winning title,A Plague Tale: Innocence.While no gameplay ofRequiemwas shown, an in-engine trailer offered a possible first look at the game’s visuals, while also showcasing some narrative elements. Protagonists Amicia and Hugo appear to be older, moments of combat are peppered throughout the trailer, and it looks like the unsettling, alarmingly large swarms of rats will be just as present this time around as they were in the previous game.
A Plague Tale: Requiemwill release on PC, PS5, Switch (Cloud Play), and Xbox Series X/S consoles in 2022.
Back 4 Blood
One could argue that theLeft 4 Deadfranchise has long been left for dead, but the original developers of the series aren’t quite ready to give up on it just yet. Formerly known as Valve South, Turtle Rock Studios is bringingLeft 4 Dead’sbrand of high-speed, four-player co-op action to modern consoles witha spiritual successor titledBack 4 Blood.
During E3, Warner Bros. gave digital attendees a peekatBack 4 Blood’s"Swarm" mode— a player-versus-player (PvP) mode that, similar toLeft 4 Dead 2’s"Versus Survival" mode, pits one team of survivors against a team of infected to see who can survive the longest. Even the shortest glimpse ofBack 4 Blood’sgameplay shows how strongly the DNA of Valve’s long-dormant series courses through this title; it’s fast-paced, intense, and matches are going to require a lot of teamwork in order for either side to come out on top.
Back 4 Bloodis set to release July 22, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
It’s been nearly 40 years sinceEvil Deaddebuted in theaters, so it’s only appropriate that the latest game to come out of the famous horror franchise pay tribute to the series' history.Evil Dead: The Gamelooks to incorporate characters and locations from nearly every installment in the film series, effectively making it a ‘greatest hits’ ofEvil Dead.In addition to playing as fan-favorites, players can also take control of the Kandarian Demon to wreak havoc on others.
Evil Deadis an iconic piece of horror fiction. Numerous directors have cited Sam Raimi’s 1981 classic as an inspiration, and its influence can also be felt in video games; the character of Duke Nukem takes some obvious cues from the over-the-top,big-talking bravado ofEvil Dead’sprotagonist, Ash Williams. This isn’t the firstEvil Deadgame, but it’s the first one to come to console since 2005. It’ll be interesting to see what Saber Interactive takes away from other hallmark horror games to deliver an authenticEvil Deadexperience when the game launches later this year.
Evil Dead: The Gamewill release on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2021.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
A remaster of the latest entry in theFatal Framefranchise will soon be making its way onto nearly every platform out there.Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Watermay not be a new title, but this remaster is still worth noting thanks to the series' celebrated history as a standout in the horror genre, as well as it effectively breaking the franchise’s seven-year hiatus that started followingMaiden of Black Water’soriginal release in 2014.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Wateris set to release on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2021.
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Metroid Dread
Metroidisn’t a horror series, but its latest installment seems to posit that it could be.InMetroid Dread, players will be constantly stalked by robots under the moniker of E.M.M.I, and series creator Yoshio Sakamoto has explained this choice was made to instill fear in players by making them feel like they’re being hunted.
In theory, this newly introduced element seems like it will work similar to that ofResident Evil 2’sMr. X, whose daunting, constant presence added persistent feelings of fear and uncertainty toResident Evil’salready stressful gameplay. Based on early gameplay footage, E.M.M.I robots look more than capable of keeping pace with Samus, and just like Mr. X or Nemesis, trying to take them head-on is futile.Metroid Dreadlooks like it will use horror to help take the franchise in a new direction, but this change shouldn’t concern or scare fans as much as the E.M.M.I bots inevitably will.
Metroid Dreadwill launch on July 24, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch.
Rainbow Six Extraction
It’s, admittedly, a little off putting seeing the “Tom Clancy” name attached to an otherworldly survival horror shooter. But if it works, it works. TheupcomingRainbow Six Extractionappears to innovateon the run-of-the-mill co-op zombie shooter popularized by games likeLeft 4 DeadandCall of Dutyby focusing on what makesRainbow Sixunique: its slow-paced, tactical, team-based gameplay.
WhileRainbow SixExtraction’sgameplay trailerdoesshowcase moments of fast-paced gunplay akin to other survival shooters, it’s not portrayed as the ideal way to play. There’s an increased emphasis on stealth, taking out enemies quietly, and launching coordinated assaults as opposed to charging in guns blazing. Despite its unconventional premise, it looks like it could be a fun, tactical twist on a popular gaming genre.
Rainbow Six Extractionwill launch on June 11, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
Redfall
LikeRainbow Six Extraction,Arkane’sRedfallseems like it will shake things up for co-op zombie shooters. For starters: Zombies aren’t the enemy this time around. Rather,vampires are, and as evidenced byRedfall’strailer, they’re capable of things the undead typically aren’t in other games. Additionally, the main cast each have their own set of unique, sometimes supernatural, abilities that are sure to help even the playing field.
Atrailer forRedfallwas shown during Xbox and Bethesda’s E3 conference that not only showcased some of these abilities, but also offered a first look at the main cast, who are each bursting with levels of charisma and personality that rival those of the leads ofBorderlandsorLeft 4 Dead.
Redfallis planned to launch in summer 2022 for Xbox Series X/S consoles.
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