I don't know about you, but with Halloween already upon us, I'm on the lookout for some upcoming horror games that can scare the life out of me well beyond the boundaries of the spooky season. Thankfully, video game developers of all sizes seem to be investing heavily in the horror genre right now, and it's leading to something of a renaissance. As GamesRadar's Joe Donnelly noted last October, creativity and risk are driving modern horror games though there was some question of where the form would go next.
Well, we've already seen a new wave of tiny horror games you can finish in minutes from independent developers. There's been creepy smaller-scale games like The Mortuary Assistant and Signalis. Multiplayer-horror experiences like Evil Dead: The Game. Those that attempt to leave psychological scars like Martha is Dead. Larger-scale productions which attempt to cast you as director of your own horror movie, as we saw with Supermassive Games' The Quarry. And then there are those who simply want to invoke a sense of time and place which is truly alien, like the ever-divisive Scorn.
It's been a great year for horror games, and looking at the lineup of new games for 2023, there are plenty more to come – hell, remakes of Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 are due out before the end of winter, while Silent Hill: Ascension, Stalker 2, and Slitterhead are all penciled in for release later in the year. But while it's clearly time to start getting excited about next year, let's just take a moment to focus on five fantastic horror games that are set to release before the end of 2022. They may be missing out on All Hallows Eve, but they will be doing the season proud throughout the rest of this year.
The Dark Pictures Anthology – The Devil in Me
Developer: Supermassive Games
Release date: November 18, 2022
Not content with releasing one of the best horror games of 2022, Supermassive Games is back with the season finale of its experimental Dark Pictures Anthology. Arriving November 18, The Devil in Me will see a group of documentary filmmakers head into an eerily true-to-life reconstruction of serial killer H.H. Holmes' infamous 'Murder Castle', and then have to survive the onslaught of a copycat killer. You'll need to make split-second decisions and take incisive action to get the crew out of there alive – although if the previous games are anything to go by, not everybody under your control will.
Read more: The Dark Pictures Anthology – The Devil in Me hands-on preview
The Callisto Protocol
Developer: Striking Distance Studios
Release date: December 2, 2022
The Callisto Protocol looks like it's going to be a genuinely disgusting, gruesome time. Honestly, it has the makings of the perfect holiday gift for any horror aficionado. Coming from some of the creative minds who brought you the Dead Space series, this spiritual successor is set to be a haunting crawl through a prison on Jupiter, one that's absolutely packed with horrendous alien creatures and its fair share of corridors without functioning light bulbs. The Callisto Protocol looks like it could start a new wave of big-budget survival horror games, and we're keen to see if Striking Distance can pull it off.
Read more: The Callisto Protocol hands-on preview
Killer Frequency
Developer: Team17
Release date: Q4 2022
Killer Frequency is born of the horror comedy mold, casting you as a late-night radio host for KFAM 189.16 in Gallows Creek, USA. With a large, authentically detailed radio station at your command, you'll need to try and make it through the night shift – playing the '80s inspired music rocking and fielding calls from the locals. It's when those calls start to reveal a serial killer on the loose, you'll need to help the citizens of this town in the Midwest escape a slasher story for the ages. It doesn't have a firm release date, but we're expecting Team17's first-person horror adventure to launch in 2022.
Do Not Open
Developer: Nox Noctis
Release date: Q4 2022
Do Not Open is the sort of experimental game that I want to see more of in the horror genre as we push into this new generation. Coming to PC, PS5, and VR platforms, Do Not Open is a first-person escape room experience built on the back of procedural generation. Every time you dive into Do Not Open, the composition of its world will be different, as will the puzzles you'll need to solve to survive the horrors contained within. Boasting a stunning visual design and thick atmosphere, Do Not Open is one of the more interesting horror games set to launch before the end of 2022.
Read more: Do Not Open preview
The Outlast Trials
Developer: Red Barrels
Release date: Q4 2022
After a few years of teasing, The Outlast Trials is finally in sight. Series developer Red Barrels is subverting the usual, linear nature of Outlast for something more experimental – a multiplayer co-op mode, where you and up-to three friends can attempt to survive the hellish trials of the Murkoff facility together. At its heart, The Outlast Trials is still a stealth-oriented experience, albeit one where jump scares may await you around every corner. I'm keen to see how a multiplayer-focused, non-confrontational horror game works in practice, but it certainly has lots of potential.
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