Best Modern Horror Games That Use PS1 Graphics

Almost everything in life is cyclical; literature, fashion, music, and video games are no exception. While there are many 8-bit and 16-bit video games that successfully achieve the aesthetic and feel of the era they’re paying homage to, there aren’t as many games that call back to that golden age of blocky PlayStation 1 graphics.

It’s been said before that the defects and mistakes of any medium will eventually become the aspects of it that trigger audiences’ nostalgia (via musician Brain Eno). While the tracking lines, bad textures, and low-poly character models were once the PS1’s weak points, in the modern age, it’s some of the most endearing parts of the retro gaming experience. For any horror gamers who are reminiscent of the old-school Resident Evil or Silent Hill days, here are a few great modern titles that mimic that iconic PS1 aesthetic.

Updated on March 15, 2024, by Christine Mendoza: The PS1 era may be (chronologically) long behind us, but the community (in particular, the indie community) is alive and thriving to this day. Not only is the genre popular, but it is also much easier for new, upcoming developers to try their hand at, in comparison to hyperrealistic graphics that most big companies aim for when it comes to horror. There’s something about the low resolution and simplistic controls that add to the horror and fans can’t get enough. A few new entries (as well as Steam ratings) have been added to help gamers get their PS1 horror fix.

30 Cannibal Abduction

Steam Rating: 9/10

• Developer: Selewi
• Year: 2023
• Platform: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Xbox Series X/S, Linux

The player takes control of Henry as his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Luckily for him, a kind older man happens to be driving by and offers to tow Henry and his car to his family farm just down the road. The man then offers to fix Henry’s car in exchange for fixing an old wardrobe for his wife.

As night falls, Henry finds himself locked inside the house, seemingly alone. He slowly finds diary entries about the family’s strange and disturbing behavior and realizes that he is in danger and must escape.

29 The Night of The Scissors

Steam Rating: 9/10

• Developer: Selewi
• Year: 2022
• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux

The game begins with Kevin and Adam, ready to break into and rob a seemingly abandoned post office, ready to find some valuables to sell for pocket money later. However, as Adam (the player) makes his way inside, the shutter to leave the building suddenly shuts, with Kevin nowhere in sight.

As Adam makes his way through the dilapidated building, he finds red markings in the shape of scissors on the walls along with newspaper clippings about a mysterious individual called the Snipper who is still on the loose and hiding in the post office with Adam. The player must find their way out of the building, avoiding the Snipper by listening for the sounds of snipping scissors.

28 Happy’s Humble Burger Barn

Steam Rating: 9/10

• Developer: Scythe Dev Team
• Year: 2021
• Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

While it may seem like just another wholesome food prep/cooking simulator, Happy’s Humble Burger Barn is much more sinister than it first appears. Strange happenings begin to occur throughout the night as the player is still expected to manage the restaurant and serve customers.

However, the game begins to mix mediums and art styles, suddenly taking a terrifying turn. For any horror lovers who are in for a strange and terrifying ride filled with tons of unpredictable twists, the Happy’s Humble Burger Barn series may just be the perfect answer.

27 Feed Me Billy

Feed Me Billy is an interesting take on the PS1 horror genre, as it flips the script and gives the player the chance to be the one doing the terrorizing, instead of the other way around. While typical horror titles force the player to hide, run, or fight a terrifying killer, Feed Me Billy puts the player in the role of the killer that others must flee from.

Billy is a young man who one day wakes up to a horrific flesh-eating monster in his closet. It is his job to find and hunt down victims to feed the massive monster in order to satiate its hunger.

26 Broken Through

itch.io Rating: 4.6/5

• Developer: JordiBoi
• Year: 2022
• Platform: Windows

Broken Through begins with the player finding out that their best friend, Leo Williams, has been legally declared dead after going missing for seven years. The player visits Ava Williams, Leo’s mother, as she hands off some of Leo’s most treasured belongings, stating that Leo would have wanted his best friend to have them, rather than go to waste.

However, after trying out a game found in Leo’s old possessions, it seems as if Leo didn’t die after all. The game blends the PS1 era graphics with FMV footage to create an eerie dream-like world to give a new twist to a classic genre.

25 Night Security

Steam Rating: 9/10

In true Chilla’s Art style, Night Security is a horror game that merges the terrors of real life with more classic horror tropes. Night Security follows the long, tedious, and (purposely) repetitious life of a nighttime security guard of an office building.

While there are definitely elements of supernatural horror, Night Security also hones in on the harsh reality of how common overworked employees are in almost any workplace. Just as the player feels as if they’ve grown accustomed to their patrol route and gotten used to their banal duties, Night Security throws them for a loop, keeping players on their toes, flashlight at the ready.

24 Deadly Night

Steam Rating: 9/10

Heavy content warning for this particular entry.

Deadly Night follows the tale of a young lady named Carol who decides to spend the night in a shady motel as her ride drops her off before she heads out once again to make the long trip to see her parents the next morning. Carol is immediately put off by the aggressive Mr. Shiny, the perverted motel owner. After finding a backroom with footage of Carol showering (taken from a hidden camera), it becomes clear that the deranged Mr. Shiny is the dangerous antagonist the player must escape.

However, things take a huge turn as Carol finds Mr. Shiny’s bloodied corpse on her way out of the motel. The player must then help Carol out of the true nightmare: the murderer’s house.

23 Rewind Or Die

Steam Rating: 9/10

For any fans of old-school slasher flicks who are itching for a fun thriller with matching old-school graphics and a banging 80s soundtrack, Rewind Or Die just might be the perfect game. Rewind Or Die follows the tale of a bloodthirsty, masked serial killer who goes by the name Slaw.

The player takes on the role of a video rental store employee who is surprised by a visit from a detective who reveals that every missing person in the Slaw case had one thing in common: an account at Video-2-Go. After shaking it off as a coincidence, the player then continues their menial duties. However, before they can close the store for the night, the player is soon interrupted by the terrifying Slaw himself. It’s then up to the player to make their way out alive and discover the truth behind Slaw.

22 Parasocial

Steam Rating: 9/10

It’s a bit of an inside joke within the gaming community that Chilla’s Art games are particularly popular among V-tubers (virtual YouTubers). In Parasocial, players get a taste of the illusive V-tuber life and take control of Nina, a young girl who uses her 3D virtual model to stream games online to her loyal fanbase.

After a terrifying moment where her identity (behind the camera) gets leaked by accident, Nina’s life begins to sour. She begins to notice unusual happenings around her apartment and starts receiving messages from an unknown number that threatens to blackmail her. It seems as if everyone is worthy of suspicion, not just Nina’s online audience, but even the people in her real life as well.

21 Haunted Cities (Collection)

itch.io Rating: 4.6/5

• Developer: Kitty Horrorshow
• Year: 2015- Ongoing (?)
• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux

Kitty Horrorshow’s Haunted Cities is a collection of short horror experiences that first began back in 2015. Haunted Cities was initially released for free as a gift to Kitty Horrorshow’s loyal Patreon members. Luckily for fans who aren’t Patreon members, Haunted Cities was later released to the public to download for free!

There are currently four different volumes of Haunted Cities for players to explore. Each installment within the volumes is an experimental horror short that gives players a variety of scares; both subtle and shocking.

20 The Karaoke

Steam Rating: 9/10

One of the newest releases from Chilla’s Art, The Karaoke, is not the type of horror game for the faint of heart. Rather than use terrifying monsters that only exist in players’ imaginations, The Karaoke uses regular human beings as one of the most horrific villains conceivable. The story begins as innocent as always and follows the young Mira and her friend Moeka as they decide to stay after school to practice some basketball. After their coach kicks them out for the day, the two decide to visit their local karaoke joint which happens to be open 24 hours.

As simple as this premise seems, Mira and Moeka’s story can pan out in many different ways. Mira and Moeka must safely make it through the night, avoiding terrors that roam the darkness of the city. The Karaoke proves that sometimes the most terrifying things one can fear are the heinous actions of everyday people.

19 The House

itch.io Rating: 4.4/5

The House may seem like it’s bound to wind up just like any old slasher horror flick, but things take a turn the moment the player feels as if they can predict how things will unfold. The story takes place in Colorado in the 70s and follows Amanda and her friends as they decide to spend a weekend in her buddy Scott’s inherited house in the countryside, away from the noise of the city.

However, the group later realizes that Scott lied about his inheritance and that his parents had no idea he and his friends decided to stay the weekend in the abandoned house. While it may seem cliché enough to have each of the teens be killed off one by one, courtesy of a crazed masked murderer, Amanda, and the others slowly realize that their predicament is much more complicated and that the mysterious house itself hides a sinister secret and shows what dangers can happen when science goes too far.

18 The Bathhouse

(Discontinued On Steam)

More often than not Chilla’s Art games use an antagonist that is well-rooted in reality. Instead of a terrifying ghost or supernatural being, the player must avoid another human being who is malicious and wishes to harm them. However, The Bathhouse is a Chilla’s Art title that takes a different route, and leans more towards the supernatural side of horror; perfect for fans of ghost stories or hauntings.

The player takes control of a girl named Akimura Maina as she decides to take a job at a bathhouse after moving to the countryside, away from the busy city. In need of money and a place to stay, she takes the job as it promises both pay and a rent-free apartment to stay in while employed. Many players may find her ordeal a bit too good to be true, which definitely is the case in The Bathhouse. Slowly, the player realizes that a presence lurks within the walls of the bathhouse; the question is: is it trying to harm Akimura or warn her?

17 Pigsaw

Steam Rating: 8/10

Pigsaw, aside from being a fantastic pun, is an indie horror game that places the player in a dystopian world in which pigs are butchers who incarcerate and slaughter human beings. The player is dropped right into the middle of the chaos right from the get-go, so players beware, time for learning is short.

The player must venture through the depths of the pigs’ (known as “Butchers”) slaughterhouse/prison in order to find their way out toward freedom. Throughout their journey, the player is forced to fight against armies of Butchers and make their way through secret colonies of other human survivors to escape. If the player does indeed make it to the end, they can either fight their way to freedom on their own or by the side of their fellow prisoners.

16 Night Ripper

Night Ripper follows protagonist Rachel as she leaves a diner late at night to find out that she had forgotten her keys back at home. With no way inside her apartment, Rachel is forced to roam around the city at late hours of the night to find loose change for a nearby payphone to call her roommate to unlock the apartment door for her.

Unfortunately for Rachel, a killer by the name of the Night Ripper, inspired by the notorious Jack-the-Ripper, stalks the streets at night, looking for helpless victims to claim as his prey. The terrifying killer wears his signature yellow duck mask and drives around the city, hunting for the player. If Rachel panics too much, she becomes paralyzed and loses her ability to run at full speed, making hiding (and being patient) an imperative part of Night Ripper‘s gameplay.

15 Slide In The Woods

itch.io Rating: 4.5/5

• Developer: Jonny’s Games
• Year: 2021
• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux

Slide In The Woods is a short yet immersive horror experience about a simple day in the park. What seems to be a fun day in beautiful weather slowly turns into a terrifying nightmare. The unnamed protagonist finds a seemingly innocent playground during a walk in the park one day. Upon the first few trips down the red tube slide, things seem fine–until they aren’t. Suddenly, time seems to move faster, the sun disappears, and the player finds themselves lost in a terrifying underworld.

Slide In The Woods is more of an experience rather than a real story with characters and plot; few details are ever explained and questions are left unanswered. However, rather than making the player feel frustrated and confused, it works well with the experience rather than against it. Slide In The Woods brings the player through the chilling journey, shows the audience what it has to offer, and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

14 Stay Out Of The House

Steam Rating: 9/10

Stay Out Of The House was a long-time project for developer Puppet Combo, having its initial early access release back in May of 2018, under the name “Night Shift” (a prequel demo). It finally had its long-awaited full-finished release in October 2022. In the Night Shift demo, protagonist Debra serves as the notorious Night Shift abductor’s (known as “The Butcher”) first victim, leading to the events of the main game.

Meanwhile, Stay Out Of The House stars Roxanne, a poor girl who finds herself abducted by The Butcher in an old dilapidated house where she finds corpses and human skin transformed into rugs. As Roxanne makes her way through the house to find keys to her escape, she finds notes about The Butcher’s motives and inner workings, allowing the player a horrifying look into the mind of the game’s terrifying villain. Whether or not The Butcher’s reasoning for bloodshed is justified (or even believable) is up to the player to decide.

13 No One Lives Under The Lighthouse

Steam Rating: 9/10

For any horror film buffs who loved the 2019 psychological horror The Lighthouse, No One Lives Under The Lighthouse is a great retro horror experience to give a go. Sowoke Entertainment Bureau is an indie Ukrainian developer that specializes in retro horror games. While this title starts off relatively slow the descent into madness and uncovering the real dangers that reside on the island after each passing day makes the slow burn worth the wait.

That eerie feeling of the solitude of being on one’s own slowly fading from calmness to paranoia is one of the most difficult horror game experiences to create and No One Lives Under The Lighthouse certainly delivers it successfully.

12 The Convenience Store

Steam Rating: 9/10

Chilla’s Art has been well known in the Japanese indie gaming scene for their fantastic horror games that always start out as seemingly mundane, everyday jobs that eventually transform into something more sinister. The Convenience Store follows the life of a young college student on her way to her night shift at her local convenience store. However, as each night passes, more and more eerie happenings occur in both the protagonist’s house and while at work.

The game effectively utilizes the retro-style VHS static aesthetic and works the low fidelity into the theme of the game as it heavily features the use of CRT monitors when checking the security footage at work or when watching the mysterious VHS tapes in the protagonist’s home.

11 Paratopic

Steam Rating: 9/10

Paratopic is a first-person horror game that is separated into shorter gameplay segments that are all loosely connected in the end. With all the perspectives shifting from one to another and through time as well, the player is constantly kept in an unnerved and tense state, not having all the information or details to fill in the blanks.

Paratopic is often praised for being known as a short horror experience rather than a more conventional video game. The game focuses heavily on its gritty appearance and atmosphere in order to tell the dark story it wants to tell with the mysterious cast of (intentionally) unnamed characters.