8 Scariest Video Game Moments That Made You Turn The Console Off

8. Detention - Hold Your Breath

The opening couple of levels in the Taiwanese indie Detention are just about as atmospheric and horrifying as side scrolling horror can get.

After losing our first playable character and finding him hanging upside down, players take control of Rey, a lonely and terrified schoolgirl who wakes up inside a school full of monsters.

The deeper you explore the cursed nightmare building, the worse the monsters get. The initial few creatures are easily distracted with food, but it’s when you first meet the lantern-wielding Lingered spectre that you will clutch your controller tight with fear.

Why? Because you're transported into Rey’s body yourself, and share in every terrified heartbeat.

Lantern Spectres are very tall, thin ghosts that suddenly appear, accompanied by a fearful gasp from Rey. You’ll have to hold your breath and stand extremely still until they have passed you.

In a game where holding your breath saves you from the terrors stalking the school, it’s easy to become so immersed that you’ll soon feel your own lungs bursting from exhaustion.