Could 2023 be one of the biggest years for horror games ever? The year kicks off with two huge remakes in Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, before serving up a steady diet of new entries in well-liked series, including Alan Wake 2, The Outlast Trials, Amnesia: The Bunker, another Dark Pictures episode, and more. Indies are also bringing it in a big way, with original, polished games like Ad Infinitum and Unholy looking to compete with the big boys. Finally, there are a lot of “maybes” that could really push the year over the top, including the Silent Hill 2 remake and new Alone in the Dark. Here are the nightmares, both big and small, that will be keeping you awake in 2023…
Check out Wccftech’s other Most Anticipated of 2023 lists: Fighting, RPG, Multiplayer, Action, Adventure
Note: Only games with confirmed 2023 release dates are eligible for these lists. Stuff that’s only rumored or speculated to be coming out is relegated to the honorable mentions.
Dead Space (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, January 27)
2023 is a big year for horror remakes, with Dead Space representing one approach to revisiting a classic. Developer Motive Studio is largely sticking to the same story beats and structure as the original rather than completely reinventing anything, but they’re modernizing the game in other ways. Expect a redesigned seamless map, new dynamic horror events, more gruesome scripted moments, and more. The Ishimura has received a significant tune-up, but it should be just as scary.
Resident Evil 4 (PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, March 24)
The horror remake train rolls on the much-anticipated Resident Evil 4, which promises to be a rather different project than Dead Space. Capcom tends to strip their RE remakes down to the bolts, rebuilding them from the ground up to create games that are true to the spirit of the originals if not the minute-to-minute action. To be fair, the new Resident Evil 4 looks to be fairly faithful to the original, bringing back the action-movie tone and even some of the game’s more divisive chapters. That said, early footage shows a lot of new material has been added as well. Expect to be surprised, even if you’ve been spin-kicking with Leon for decades now.
Ad Infinitum (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, April 20)
It isn’t all remakes in 2023! Ad Infinitum from German developer Hekate offers a premise I guarantee you haven’t experienced before. The game casts players as a shell-shocked German World War I veteran and is split between atmospheric P.T.-flavored horror and intense monster-packed Outlast-style flashbacks set amongst the horrors of trench warfare. Of course, expect the two sides of Ad Infinitum to blur in ways that will keep you on your toes.
Unholy (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, 2023)
The line between AAA and indie horror games is quickly disappearing as smaller studios have begun to offer titles nearly as visually impressive and polished as the big boys. Unholy from Warsaw-based developer Duality Games is one of the most eye-catching indie horror games yet, presenting two impressively-detailed parallel worlds — one, a carefully-crafted recreation of a bleak post-Soviet Eastern European town, the other a dark nether realm full of twisted ceremonies and creatures. The best horror games transport you to entirely new terrifying worlds, and Unholy looks to serve up one of the most unique and intricately crafted ones I’ve seen in some time.
Alan Wake 2 (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, 2023)
Remedy Entertainment has long dabbled in the creepy and atmospheric, but Alan Wake 2 promises to be the studio’s first full-on horror game. Not a lot is known about Alan Wake 2 yet, but its debut teaser trailer offers plenty of dark rain-soaked locales, hints at sinister plots, and a decidedly more threatening version of Mr. Wake. Remedy arguably hit a new high-point with 2019’s Control, so hopefully, Alan Wake’s homecoming is a memorable one.
Honorable Mentions and Possible Surprises
The games listed above are really just the tip of the spooky iceberg, as a number of other established horror series serve up new entries this year, including Amnesia: The Bunker, The Outlast Trials, Layers of Fears, the System Shock remake, and The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020. You can also look forward to more indies, including Greyhill Incident and Luto, and a few games that may not qualify as full-on horror, but certainly have strong creepy vibes like STALKER 2 and Redfall.
There are also a number of horror games that haven’t quite nailed down a release date yet, but could tip 2023 into all-timer territory if they manage to come out this year. These include Konami’s recently-announced trio of Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill Townfall, and Silent Hill f, the indie Silent Hill successor Slitterhead, and the new Alone in the Dark. There’s also Hideo Kojima’s new cloud-powered horror game codenamed Overdose – a 2023 release for that is probably a stretch, but hopefully, we at least get a peek at it this year.
Those are the games you’re going to be creeping through in 2023! Any promising horror games I missed? Round up your own list and share it in the comments!
