Summary
For many people, the home is a place of security and safety, somewhere that they can enjoy comfort in privacy without the pressures of the public world. But sometimes, the risk of bumping into hostile strangers doesn’t stop at the front door, and potential outside threats can leave occupants paranoid.
Whether it’s kidnappers, burglars, killers, or monsters, ahome invasionis one of the scariesthorror sub-genresbecause of its possibility of happening in real life. Being left home alone or panicking about leaving the door unlocked are very real fears, and the following games are some of thebest home invasion horrorsthat will leave the player truly disturbed.
10Intruders: Hide And Seek
Steam User Rating: 72%
InIntruders: Hide and Seek, the Richter family is going on vacation to one of their holiday homes, but things take a turn for the worse when a storm rolls in and three intruders turn up. Playing as Ben, the eldest child, players uncover secrets about his family, and the truth about his younger sister Irene’s illness, while trying to get help.
While a lot of the gameplay holds the player’s hand — Irene being an obvious tool for exposition and hints — the simple plot means there’s no need to figure out what the ending means. Overall,Intrudersdeals with heavy topics such as griefand ethics in a refreshingly straightforward way.
9The Swine
Steam User Rating: 80%
On their week off at their rural home, the couple inThe Swineare visited by a strange girl who leaves behind a tarot card. From this moment, unusual things begin to happen as strangers in pig masks with seemingly supernatural abilities start appearing in the house.
Using the disturbing esthetics ofResident Evil 7andOutlast 2,The Swineplays onfears of isolation, with its atmosphere doing a lot to make up for the “find and use object” formula and occasionally odd pacing.
8Boogeyman
InBoogeyman, the player takes on the role of a young boywho must stay up all night to fend off the monster that tries to come through the window, vent, door, and closet. Over a series of seven nights, keeping the Boogeyman away gets harder and harder as its attempts to get in become more relentless.
Between the control-limiting mechanics, the ominous sound design, and disturbing antagonists,Boogeymantakes a common childhood fear and brings it to life in challenging and downright terrifying ways.
7Duck Season
Steam User Rating: 84%
Duck Seasonis a game within a game. The player takes on the role of a young boy whose mom has rented “Duck Season” for the day. The more he plays thislight gun-style shooter game, the more it bleeds into real life, and it soon becomes apparent that the dog mascot is not as friendly as it seems.
With its prominent use of VHS mechanics and retro 80s-inspired design,Duck Seasonis both oddly nostalgic and uncanny. Beyond the horror elements, this game is an equally fun experience, full of mini-games, Easter Eggs, and replay value. There are multiple endings to this game, making it worth going back for a second helping.
6Welcome To The Game
InWelcome to the Game,the player must navigate websites on the deep web to find a Red Room that streams live torture while at the same time beingtracked down by kidnappers. The deeper into the web they delve, the more insistent the antagonists become about breaking in.
While it can at times be laborious scouring through the abundance of web pages for keys, and difficult juggling this with regularly checking the house for hostile intruders, once players get the hang of the game’s workings and find a rhythm,Welcome to the Gameis a hugely immersive experience that explores the dark side of technology.
Hello Neighboris a bit different from other home invasion horror games, as the player takes on the role of the invader, trying to get into their neighbor’s house and figure out what is going on in his basement.
One interesting feature of this game, now becoming more popular, is its use of AI technology, which makes it more difficult to get into the house or escape as the neighbor lays down traps to catch the player based on their strategies. The cartoon style of the gamedoes not take away the darker story, making it a unique way of exploring the horror-mystery genre.
4Scrutinized
Steam User Rating: 89%
InScrutinized, the player takes on the role of criminal analyst Luna, investigating reports of suspicious people in the neighborhood.The goal is to distinguish who is harmless and who is a real threat in the hopes of tracking down the “Blueblood Killer” that killed her cousin.
Completing the work while intermittently having to check cameras and windows for the criminals that are after Luna for their own reasons makes for a tense experience which will leave the player paranoid.
3Fears To Fathom - Home Alone
Steam User Rating: 90%
The first installment of the episodicFears to Fathomgame series,Home Alonefollows 14-year-old Miles, who is by himself in his parents' house while they are working. When a strange person is spotted lurking outside by a neighbor, the player must try not to get caught until the police arrive.
Although the gameplay is relatively simple, essentially being awalking simulator, this game exploits familiar settings to bring to the surface very real childhood fears of being left at home alone at night.
2Unspoken
Steam User Rating: 91%
Unspokenbegins with the player waking from a nightmare to a police warning about an increasing number of home invasions. From a series of newspaper clippings and VHS tapes, they begin to uncover the mystery of missing school children while simultaneously being invaded by an onslaught of people in terrifying masks.
With changing environments and combat, this game fuses the likes ofDoomandP.T.,delving into the psychological horror genre to create a tense mystery with an ambiguous ending.
1Fears To Fathom - Carson House
Carson Houseis the third game in theFears to Fathomseries. The player takes on the role of Noah Baker, an 18-year-old who is house sitting for the media personality Roy Carson. As the power goes out, and they begin receiving texts from an unknown number, their mundane side job becomes a nightmare situation.
This game has good pacing with a gradually unfolding plot that builds tension, great for players who enjoy horrorgames that deal with obsession and stalking.
