The Best Horror Games on PC and Mobile (2026)

Quick answer: For pure single-player tension, the Resident Evil 4 remake is the best overall pick with a 97 percent positive rating on Steam. If you want co-op, Lethal Company delivers chaotic scrap runs for $9.99. For mobile play, Alien: Isolation is free to try on iOS and Android, and $14.99 on iOS unlocks the full game and all seven DLC packs, making it the most complete handheld horror experience.

Horror games rely on things you cannot see. The clatter of an air vent overhead, an empty shotgun when a door gives way, and the blind turn at the end of a corridor do far more work than raw violence ever could. October is naturally the month when everyone goes searching for that specific jolt. When the temperature drops and the evenings get dark early, spending two hours surviving on three handgun rounds just fits the calendar.

This guide is built entirely on desk research. We checked store pages, user review numbers, App Store and Google Play customer ratings, and current prices across the board on September 23, 2026. Nobody on our staff was assigned to play through these games for this article. Instead, we pulled the verified numbers, verified which titles actually offer legitimate mobile ports, and flagged every pricing trap we could find.

Game	Best for	Platforms	Steam reviews	From
Resident Evil 4	Best overall	PC, iPhone	97%	$39.99
Silent Hill 2	Best psychological horror	PC	95%	$69.99
Alien: Isolation	Best horror on a phone	PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android	93%	$14.99 on iOS
Signalis	Best indie survival horror	PC	97%	$19.99
Phasmophobia	Best co-op ghost hunt	PC	94%	$19.99
Lethal Company	Best cheap co-op	PC	97%	$9.99
Inscryption	Best card game horror	PC, Mac, Linux	97%	$19.99
Mouthwashing	Best short story horror	PC	95%	$12.99
Darkwood	Best atmospheric slow burn	PC, Mac, Linux	95%	$19.99
Dredge	Best low stress horror	PC, Mac, iOS, Android	96%	$24.99
Little Nightmares	Best cheap mobile horror	PC, iOS, Android	95%	$7.99 on iOS

1. Resident Evil 4: The standard for modern survival action

• Developer: Capcom
• Released: 2023
• Steam: 97% positive (278,617 reviews)
• App Store: 3.9/5 (2,062 ratings)
• iOS: iPhone 15 Pro or newer
• Price: $39.99 on Steam, $59.99 unlock on iOS

Capcom rebuilt this classic around modernized controls, vivid visuals, and a retold campaign. You play Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the president's kidnapped daughter from a secluded European village six years after Raccoon City. The loop keeps you balancing ammo conservation against aggressive crowds of infected villagers. It rewards careful aiming and spatial awareness across intense encounters. This is the definitive single-player horror experience for anyone wanting high-budget pacing and deep mechanical polish.

The catch sits squarely in the pricing and platform limitations. While the Windows version lists at $39.99 with 278,617 Steam reviews sitting at 97 percent positive, the iOS version charges $59.99 for its base game unlock. That port also limits compatibility to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 family, and newer devices, with user ratings hovering at 3.9 out of 5. Ray tracing on PC requires beefy hardware like an RTX 2060, and Android users get no native version at all.

Video: Resident Evil 4 Remake Review by GameSpot

2. Silent Hill 2: A bleak masterclass in dread

• Developer: Bloober Team (published by Konami)
• Released: 2024
• Steam: 95% positive (65,393 reviews)
• Platforms: Windows
• Price: $69.99

Bloober Team and Konami reimagined the 2001 psychological masterpiece with an over-the-shoulder perspective and an expanded town map. James Sunderland arrives in the fog-drenched town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his deceased wife, eventually crossing paths with Maria by the lake. The gameplay loop centers on exploring the fog-bound town, solving puzzles, and dodging nightmarish creatures with a steel pipe and handgun. It is aimed directly at players who prefer psychological weight and slow, suffocating tension over Hollywood action.

That atmosphere demands serious hardware. Konami lists the game at a steep $69.99, and the Steam minimum spec demands 16 GB of RAM, 50 GB of storage, and an RX 5700 or GTX 1070 Ti just to maintain 30 frames per second at 1080p on low or medium settings. There are no mobile versions on iOS or Google Play, and unlike Alien: Isolation, it remains locked to Windows PCs. For those with capable rigs, its 95 percent Steam rating reflects the ambition on display.

Video: Silent Hill 2 Remake Review: Bloober Team Nailed It by GameSpot

3. Alien: Isolation: The premier portable survival nightmare

• Developer: Creative Assembly (mobile by Feral Interactive)
• Released: 2014
• Steam: 93% positive (66,947 reviews)
• App Store: 4.5/5 (1,294 ratings)
• Google Play: 4.0/5 (8,258 reviews)
• Price: $39.99 on Steam, $14.99 unlock on iOS

Creative Assembly puts you in the boots of Amanda Ripley searching the decommissioned Sevastopol station for her mother's flight recorder. You face a lone, unscripted Xenomorph that stalks the corridors using dynamic hearing and sight systems. Survival means crouching through maintenance shafts, hacking locked doors, and crafting items to distract the creature. It is an exhausting, thrilling game designed for players who want genuine vulnerability rather than an arsenal of heavy firepower to blast through corridors.

While it sells for $39.99 on Steam with Windows, Mac, and Linux support, the mobile edition from Feral Interactive is the standout deal. Missions 1 and 2 are free to sample, and a $14.99 purchase unlocks the full campaign plus all seven DLC packages. The iOS release holds a 4.5 rating out of 5 and runs on hardware dating back to the iPhone 8 Plus, though the iOS build has not been updated since May 2024. Steam also lists an upcoming sequel.

Video: Alien: Isolation for iOS Review | A Strange but Fantastic Port! by Zade

4. Signalis: Old-school survival horror done right

• Developer: rose-engine (published by Balor Games)
• Released: 2022
• Steam: 97% positive (34,600 reviews)
• Platforms: Windows
• Price: $19.99 ($13.99 on sale as of Sep 23)

Signalis is a love letter to early survival classics. You play Elster, a technician android searching for her lost partner across a derelict starship and a government facility run by the totalitarian Eusan regime. The loop relies on tight inventory management, cryptic puzzles, and scarce ammunition against grotesque industrial horrors. If you love the rigid math of tracking bullets while mapping out safe routes through bloodied corridors, this retro survival experience was crafted specifically for your tastes.

Developer rose-engine built this strictly for traditional desktop setups, meaning there are no mobile ports on the App Store or Google Play. On Steam, the regular list price is $19.99, though it sits on a temporary 30 percent sale at $13.99 on September 23, 2026. The developers explicitly suggest playing on a 16:9 aspect ratio display. Hardware demands are refreshingly low, needing only an ancient GTS 450 graphics card and 2 GB of storage space.

Video: Signalis Review: Horror in body, mind, and soul... by Bricky

5. Phasmophobia: The essential investigative ghost hunt

• Developer: Kinetic Games
• Status: Early Access since 2020, 1.0 planned for 2027
• Steam: 94% positive (839,870 reviews)
• Players: Solo or 4-player online co-op, VR supported
• Price: $19.99

Kinetic Games turned paranormal investigation into an enduring co-op routine. Up to four players enter more than ten haunted locations equipped with thermometers, EMF readers, spirit boxes, and video monitors to deduce which of the twenty-plus ghost types is haunting the location. You can speak into your microphone to trigger ghostly reactions via voice recognition, while another player coordinates safety from the monitoring truck. It is ideal for friends who love methodical communication mixed with sudden panic when the front door locks.

Potential buyers should remember that Phasmophobia remains an Early Access title despite launching in 2020, with developer Kinetic Games delaying the 1.0 update to 2027. It sells for $19.99 on Steam with Windows support and VR options, backed by 839,870 user reviews. However, you will not find it on phones, as app stores only host unauthorized knock-offs. The official roadmap continues to focus on stabilizing the experience following earlier character update troubles.

Video: Is Phasmophobia Worth Playing in 2024? (Review) by Game Grader

6. Lethal Company: Hilarious industrial scavenge and panic

• Developer: Zeekerss
• Status: Early Access since 2023
• Steam: 97% positive (511,003 reviews)
• Players: Solo or online co-op
• Price: $9.99

Zeekerss delivered an unmatched blend of horror and workplace absurdity. You and your crew explore abandoned, industrial moons to scavenge scrap metal to satisfy profit quotas set by the Company. Earnings get funneled into tools like lights, shovels, walkie-talkies, and stun grenades, or invested in routing to riskier moons where night is even more dangerous. One crew member can man the ship radar to call out traps and open locked doors. It is tailor-made for groups who want genuinely funny panic when proximity chat cuts out.

Priced at just $9.99 on Steam, Lethal Company holds an Overwhelmingly Positive score across 511,003 reviews. Keep in mind that it remains in Early Access and only offers partial controller support. Do not look for it on your phone: the game is Windows-only, and any downloads found on the Google Play Store are unofficial clones from third parties rather than genuine releases by Zeekerss. Minimum hardware requirements are modest, requiring just an i5-7400 and a GTX 1050.

Video: Lethal Company Early Access Review by IGN

7. Inscryption: A brilliant occult deckbuilder trap

• Developer: Daniel Mullins Games (published by Devolver Digital)
• Released: 2021
• Steam: 97% positive (148,716 reviews)
• Metacritic: 85
• Price: $19.99

Daniel Mullins Games twists traditional deckbuilding into a dark psychological puzzle. Trapped inside a dim cabin, you are forced by a shadowy figure named Leshy to play a tabletop card game with woodland creatures, building your deck by draft, surgery, and self mutilation. Between hands, you stand up from the table to solve room-escape puzzles that unlock fresh cards and uncover hidden secrets. It is designed for card game fans who want a subversive narrative filled with deliberate structural surprises.

Inscryption costs $19.99 on Steam, where it boasts an Overwhelmingly Positive 97 percent rating and a Metacritic score of 85. It supports Windows, Mac, and Linux machines smoothly. The primary caveat is that it is fundamentally a card game and puzzle box rather than a conventional survival simulator. If you are shopping for jump scares or direct action, look elsewhere. Furthermore, despite its turn-based format being ideal for touchscreens, no official iOS or Android versions exist.

Video: Inscryption Review by IGN

8. Mouthwashing: Unflinching narrative space dread

• Developer: Wrong Organ (published by Critical Reflex)
• Released: 2024
• Steam: 95% positive (38,789 reviews)
• Content warning: Extreme violence, gore, mutilation
• Price: $12.99

Wrong Organ presents a bleak psychological tragedy set aboard the shipwrecked space freighter Tulpar. After a failed crash-suicide leaves captain Curly maimed, five crew members slowly reckon with dwindling rations, looming power loss, and extreme isolation over their final months. You navigate the claustrophobic retro corridors as interpersonal tensions bubble into surreal body horror. It is an intensely focused single-player story aimed at players who appreciate retro PSX aesthetics paired with mature narrative storytelling.

This is a narrative-first piece with a low $12.99 price point on Steam and an Overwhelmingly Positive 95 percent score. The game is Windows-only with no mobile editions available, despite unofficial ports floating around itch.io. Content warnings are significant: the developers flag extreme violence, mutilation, and heavy themes. It runs well on modest machines with 8 GB of RAM, though it lacks the randomized replayability found in games like Lethal Company or Phasmophobia.

Video: Mouthwashing Launch Trailer by Wrong Organ

9. Darkwood: Brutal tension without cheap surprises

• Developer: Acid Wizard Studio
• Released: 2017
• Steam: 95% positive (25,007 reviews)
• Metacritic: 80
• Price: $19.99

Acid Wizard Studio takes a top-down approach to survival horror that avoids jump scares entirely. By day, you scavenge a forest whose map rearranges with each new game. By night, you barricade your hideout and try to last until morning while unknown horrors scratch at the walls. The world offers zero hand-holding and features branching quest choices that can alter the fate of entire settlements. It is made for patient, methodical survival enthusiasts.

Darkwood sells for $19.99 on Steam and holds a 95 percent positive rating from 25,007 reviews. It is one of the few horror titles on this list with native builds across Windows, Mac, and Linux. The catch is pace: the store itself calls it a slow burn, and there is no route to memorize because the map changes every game. There are no legitimate mobile builds on the App Store or Google Play.

Video: Darkwood Review by MandaloreGaming

10. Dredge: Chilling deep sea eldritch fishing

• Developer: Black Salt Games (published by Team17)
• Released: 2023
• Steam: 96% positive (57,093 reviews)
• App Store: 4.3/5 (1,087 ratings)
• Google Play: 4.3/5 (3,649 reviews)
• Price: $24.99 on Steam and Android, free to try on iOS

Black Salt Games mixes relaxing maritime routines with cosmic unease. You pilot a small fishing trawler through a remote archipelago, catching over 125 types of marine wildlife to sell to locals and fund boat upgrades. As night falls, fog rolls over the water and the archipelago turns dangerous. It is the best choice for players who enjoy relaxing management loops but want an eerie, sinister undercurrent.

The standard Steam game costs $24.99, but its Complete Edition is currently on sale for $19.99, making the bundle cheaper than the standalone game on September 23, 2026. Mobile availability is broad: iOS offers the first area as a free trial alongside an Apple Arcade edition rated 4.8, while Android offers a $24.99 paid download. Keep in mind that Dredge leans heavily toward inventory management and atmosphere rather than heart-stopping terrors.

Video: Dredge Review by IGN

11. Little Nightmares: Bite-sized pocket atmospheric platforming

• Developer: Tarsier Studios (mobile by Playdigious)
• Released: 2017
• Steam: 95% positive (116,621 reviews)
• App Store: 4.37/5 (1,996 ratings)
• Google Play: 4.4/5 (14,921 reviews)
• Price: $19.99 on Steam, $7.99 iOS, $8.49 Android

Tarsier Studios crafts a surreal puzzle platformer where you guide a small child named Six through the Maw, a huge metal vessel full of distorted adults. Equipped only with a brass lighter, you sneak across floorboards, scale furniture, and run frantically through child-sized passages to evade giant grasping hands. It fits anyone looking for a quick, tightly scripted puzzle game with striking art direction and a constant sense of vulnerability.

The PC edition on Steam carries a normal $19.99 list price, though it sits on a temporary 75 percent discount at $4.99 on September 23, 2026. On phones, Playdigious sells the mobile port for $7.99 on iOS and $8.49 on Android, backed by over one million downloads on Google Play. The mobile listing does not mention the Secrets of the Maw expansion, so do not count on it being included.

Video: Little Nightmares - Official Mobile Launch Trailer by IGN

Six more worth a look

If you want other options, several strong titles missed our main list. Resident Evil Requiem released on February 26, 2026, earning a 96 percent Steam rating across 184,990 reviews at a $69.99 price point. The Dead Space remake lists at $59.99 but sits on a temporary 75 percent sale at $14.99 on Steam with 71,189 reviews. Amnesia: The Bunker brings intense WW1 survival with a 93 percent rating from 12,630 reviews for $24.99. The physics-driven co-op scavenger R.E.P.O. boasts a 96 percent score from 425,088 reviews at $9.99. Scott Cawthon's classic Five Nights at Freddy's costs $2.99 on iOS with 23,669 user ratings. Finally, anomaly puzzle The Exit 8 costs $3.99 on Steam with a 93 percent score.

The gear we'd play these with

Horror games depend on positional sound to build panic, whether you are tracking creature movement through station vents or hearing a friend scream over proximity chat. Good audio gear transforms the genre entirely. If you play on mobile or handhelds, pairing that sound with dedicated physical controls makes surviving sudden encounters far less clumsy. Our full breakdown is in the best handheld gaming PCs and mobile controllers of 2026.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

If you want a polished blockbuster with outstanding combat, grab the Resident Evil 4 remake. For an evening of chaotic multiplayer screaming with your friends on PC, pick up Lethal Company for $9.99. If you want a full-length, uncompromised horror experience to play right on your phone, spend $14.99 on Alien: Isolation.

Ratings, prices, and review counts were checked on September 23, 2026 and will drift, and the Steam sales mentioned above are temporary. Store links go straight to the official listing.

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