The Ultimate Scary VR Games Guide
Virtual Reality has made video games more immersive than ever before, so join us as we explore the best scary VR games on the market to give you the biggest spook in our ultimate scary VR games guide for 2024.
VR and Horror
The popularity of VR gaming has taken off in the past few years, with the experience evolving from a nauseating gimmick at first to the best way of enjoying media and video games in 2024. VR headsets are quickly becoming a household item, with tech giants like Microsoft, Facebook, and even Apple hopping on the bandwagon.
Game developers have been quick to jump on the VR trend as well, with games from every genre popping up with the support for these next-generation headsets. And who can blame them? Gamers can’t seem to get enough of it!
Speaking of VR gaming genres, there is one category that stands above all else in our humble opinion. Of course, we are talking about good ol’ horror games. If you are a regular visitor of the Scary Games Vault, you already know that we love a good spook, and if you share the passion for getting a blood-curdling scare once in a while, let us tell you, there’s no better way than virtual reality!
Excited? So are we! Buckle up, this is the Ultimate Scary VR Games Guide for 2024!
What Makes a Scary VR Game Great?
Before we get started, let us tell you why we believe VR is the best way to enjoy a scary game.
It’s all about immersion! VR plays tricks on your mind and puts you in the shoes of your in-game character, and suddenly every footstep, creek, scream or scare becomes oh-so-real.
Just imagine if you could investigate the creepy hallways in Haunted School completely immersed in the spooky atmosphere on your hunt to exorcise the demon spirits that lie within. Gives us the creeps just thinking about it.
A VR version of Haunted School is yet to arrive, but don’t let that deter you from getting scared out of your shoes. So, without wasting any more time, here are the scariest VR games you should play in 2024.
Scariest VR Games of 2024
Ready to run down our list of the best scary VR games? Lets go!
Inside the Backrooms
Imagine exploring the dimly lit, dilapidated hallways of backrooms on your own, finding your way out with no map or clues in sight. Imagine no more, as Inside the Backrooms throws you head first into this strange world along with your best mates or complete strangers.
Escaping the backrooms is not as easy as simply running down hallways aimlessly until you make it out. There are plenty of puzzles to solve if you want to survive, oh, and did we mention the fiends that call this place their home?
Liminal spaces might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we commend Inside the Backrooms for a perfect recreation of this iconic creepypasta for virtual reality.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
Freddy Fazbear is back, and this time he’s more alive than ever. The dimly lit, simplistic gameplay of FNAF makes it an ideal VR game, and the addition of mini-games in Help Wanted puts a unique twist on the spooky experience.
The Five Nights at Freddy’s series is infamous for keeping players always on edge, and things only get tenser once you put on the VR headset. All your senses will be on constant alert, fighting every second to survive. Don’t blink, because if Freddy gets you, there’s no way to fight back!
Killing Floor Incursion
If you can’t get enough of slaying hoards of demons in Deamon Killer, we bet you’ll love what Killing Floor Incursion brings to the table. Put on your headset, grab your weapons, and start blasting zombies to your heart’s content.
Don’t think you can get away with just aimlessly blasting monsters, however, as the game world is filled with some puzzles for you to solve, too! Killing Floor Incursion is an experience that requires both brains and brawn to get through, so are you up to the challenge?
The Forest
Getting stranded in the woods alone is one of the deepest, darkest fears of any human. The Forest brings this inert fear to the VR world, and trust us, once you venture in, you’ll never look at the woods the same ever again.
The Forest is equal parts horror and survival, and things take a turn for the worst once you discover that you are not alone. You’ll be chased around by weird cannibals, to whom the game developers have given the sense of self-preservation making them some of the most intelligent enemies you’ll come across in VR gaming.
Blair Witch
The Blair Witch Project took the world by storm when it was released in theaters back in 1999, and deserves fool credit for popularising the found footage horror genre. This simple yet effective formula of stitching together shaky handy cam footage to tell an unnerving story has translated well into VR, as this game which borrows the name of the movie goes to show.
In Blair Witch, you’ll put on the shoes of Ellis Lynch. You’ll venture into the woods in search of a lost child, unknowing of the horrors that lie inside. If you have watched The Blair Witch Project, you might have a slight idea of what to expect, but trust us when we say things only get creepier in Virtual Reality.
Narcosis
Narcosis traps you in the pressure suit of an earthquake survivor in a methane farming station at the bottom of the ocean, and if that doesn’t strike fear in your mind, we don’t know what will.
On top of the claustrophobic situation you are put in, you’ll have to battle with managing your oxygen supply and the supernatural horrors the ocean has to throw your way.
If exploring the deep, dark depths of the ocean in virtual reality sounds like a bit of you, we highly recommend giving Narcosis a go.
Dreadhalls
The spooky dungeons in which Dreadhalls by White Door Games is set are procedurally generated, meaning no two playthroughs will be the same and you’ll always be on edge. Familiarization flies out the door, as you manage your lantern’s oil supply and navigate through the maze.
You better pray that you don’t come across any horrors the dungeon hides within, as there is no way to fight back. Stealth is your only option, and the lantern is your only friend. Are you up to the challenge?
Torn
Torn has a similar premise to Haunted School, where you explore an eerie building, this time in virtual reality. Prepare to get spooked out of your socks when this old mansion comes alive before your own eyes.
Exploring this dilapidated house is the only way to uncover the hidden story behind this mysterious adventure, which touches upon the concepts of parallel universes and the horrors hidden deep within the human mind.
Torn has been built from the ground up for VR, and we wholeheartedly recommend it for all horror aficionados out there.
Here They Lie
Here They Lie is an atmospheric horror experience that is only available on Sony’s PSVR, and poor availability aside, deserves its place as one of the scariest VR games around.
Filled with gut-churningly disturbing imagery and nightmarish in-game characters forcing your every move, Here They Lie’s complex story surrounds a mysterious Woman in Yellow. Like other games we looked into so far, the story is confusing at first, but we well the dark and mysterious theme around it does a great job of keeping players hooked from start to end.
Arizona Sunshine
Only a few zombie games have been able to earn our recommendation, and Arizona Sunshine sits at the top of that list. It mixes the adrenaline rush of a first-person shooter with the thrill of a zombie apocalypse, making up for an immersive zombie shooter experience unmatched by anything else out there.
In a day and age where most games lack a captivating protagonist, Arizona Sunshine delivers in spades. Although unnamed, the titular character of Arizona Sunshine will keep you invested, breaking the ice with witty comments even with the horrors unfolding all around you.
Add in the realistic combat and the freedom to traverse the world to your heart’s content, it quickly becomes clear why Arizona Sunshine deserves a place as one of the best FPS horror games of the modern era.
I’m on Observation Duty 3
Ever dreamt of exploring a haunted house and documenting every strange occurrence that happens around you? Neither have we, but in case you have, I’m on Observation Duty 3 might just be the game of the year for you.
Strapping on your VR headset, you’ll be handed a smartphone, which becomes your companion through this bone-chilling journey. Photographing everything happening around you is one of the main goals, which is easier said than done with the horrors that constantly pop up before you as you wander down the hallways.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
The Until Dawn series has made a name for itself for its slow-burning story and revolutionary gameplay mechanics, but its VR counterpart could not be more different. Rush of Blood is an Until Dawn game only in name, as it pits you head-on with waves of enemies with a few familiar touches along the way for a touch of Nostalgia.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a horror experience that every gamer should experience, as this game explores the human mind’s fragility in one of the scariest ways possible – by frightening you to the core.
Red Matter
Red Matter is a VR horror experience that is out of this world – literally. Set in one of Saturn’s moons following a cosmic cold war, Red Matter tasks you with exploring a top-secret research base for secrets of the world’s elite.
As you might have expected, things take a dark turn as you venture deep, and the lore gets heavier as well. The extraterrestrial aesthetic will capture your imagination, and there are plenty of puzzles that play with your brain.
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia lets you live out the fantasy of being a Ghostbuster, but the ghosts are much spookier than you see on the big screens. You’ll be handed the de-facto ghost-hunting toolkit, as you hop from one investigation to the next with your buddies to banish the unwelcome spirits to the other realm.
The gameplay in Phasmophobia is much more than directing an energy beam at a ghost and trapping it in a bottle. Every ghost hunt starts off with an investigation phase, as you race against time to look for clues and pin down the type of spectre you’re hunting for. Not only does this make the hunt easier, but nailing the spectre type will increase the in-game earnings, too!
The VR experience in Phasmophobia is terrifying and fun at the same time, so make sure to give it a go the next time you power on your VR headset.
Conclusion
Virtual reality has transformed the way we enjoy video games and with the prices of VR headsets coming down year over year, it would only be a matter of time before this tech becomes a household item.
In this guide, we explored what we feel as the best scary VR games that you can play in 2024. Each of these games offers a unique experience and is sure to leave you shaking once you finally decide to take the headset off.
So, there we have it! If you enjoyed any of these games or feel that our list is missing something, do let us know. If you are looking for some scary games to play on your PS4, then check out our guide: Scary PS4 Games: 10 Titles to Play with the Lights On.
If you like to enjoy your horror games on a flat screen instead of virtual reality, why not explore our catalogue of scary games? We have collected the scariest games on the internet in one place, so why not give Antarctica 88, Vampire Survivors, of Demon Killer a go?
