Summary
Open-world gaminghas become so prominent that developers must do something different to stand out. Ubisoft’s mistakes have made it abundantly clear that trying to churn out more games with less effort won’t entice fans to give such sandboxes a shot anymore.
Most developers understand this and make it a point to develop open-world games that boast something new to keep fans engaged. Instilling a sense of tension and unease in players, almost as if they were playing a horror game, keeps players immersed and hooked. These open-world games do just that, working to arouse fear in their players that can even go beyond what pure horror gaming can achieve.
Undead Nightmareis an excellent piece of DLCforRed Dead Redemptionthat forces players to deal with the threat of zombies in the game’s open world. Seeing hordes of shambling undead is bound to be unnerving for players who don’t like witnessing decomposing corpses moving around.
Players can gun down zombie hordes as long as they’re vigilant. However, if they let their guard down, a zombie horde can easily hunt them down and make them panic as they try to flee by any means necessary.
Gothicis one of the best and most challenging video games ever made. The Nameless Hero will be unceremoniously dumped into an elaborate prison, where they’re forced to learn how the game works and slowly but surely get stronger.
Even a group of the game’s weakest enemies will obliterate careless adventurers, which is why even the sight of a bee or a wolf is enough to send players scampering for their lives. It’s not until they invest their experience points that they get stronger, and even then, there are powerful enemies like orcs who can flatten the Nameless Hero with a single hit if players aren’t prepared.
A survival game with dinosaurs that has become a major hit,ARK: Survival Evolvedis one of the best multiplayer games for players who want to explore a hostile world with their friends.
This title boasts ravenous dinosaurs that will chase down players if they even catch a whiff of their scent. There’s nothing more terrifying than running away from an advancing T-rex, which spells instant doom for players unless a miracle saves them in the nick of time.
The atmosphere of theArkhamseries is a huge reason why players love Rocksteady’sBatmangames.Arkham Knighthad a bit of a mixed reception to certain aspects of the story and the Batmobile, which is why it took way too long for players to appreciate just how incredible the game’s atmosphere is.
Jumpscares are used multiple times but rarely feel cheap, with theside quest featuring the Man-Batbeing a glowing example of the same. Even when players are just soaring through Gotham City or experiencing the main story, a scare can always come out of nowhere and bamboozle them.
Subnauticais not a game that thalassophobic people should play. The amazing survival gameplay and a vast open world make it a great exploration game, but there are moments when this title will scare the pants off players.
Even people whoaren’t too afraid of the great unknownwill get chills down their spine when they venture too far and see a massive underwater behemoth that will cause them to freeze. The last thing they want is to attract the attention of a giant fish that will swallow them in one fell swoop.
FromSoftware games are known for having an immaculate atmosphere, andElden Ringis no exception. The open world is full of nightmarish monsters that will flatten unprepared players.
That’s to say nothing of the bosses, who are so ferocious that players will find their heart beating at the mere prospect of tackling such a foe. Handcrafted dungeons will also surprise players with ambushes that may cause them to panic and die as they fail to anticipate the horrors that this game is willing to throw at them.
Even thebase game ofOuter Wildshas some scares that will take players by surprise, namely the foggy depths of Dark Bramble. However, nothing comes close to the horrors that await players inEchoes of the Eye.
The first-person viewpoint is used to scare the wits out of players so many times that the developer decided to add an option to reduce the scare factor of this DLC. It’s just one of the many reasons whyOuter Wildsis such a masterpiece with a downright rabid fanbase that loves watching other players experience this game’s magic for the first time.
