10 Horror Games That Don't Rely On Jump Scares
9. Fatal Frame 2
There's a moment, near the start of 2003's Project Zero 2 (Fatal Frame II in some countries) where Mio and Mayu, the twin sister protagonists, are about to enter a very haunted village. The village of Minakami (All God's Village) has a legend surrounding it that says any who enter through the woods will be lost to the village for all time.
At this point in the game, the twins have only experienced a creepy vision, but not seen any ghosts, and haven't even discovered the camera that will let them try to fight back against the unquiet dead.
As they arrive at a door, Mayu wonders aloud if anyone is there. A hand comes to rest on her sister's shoulder as she replies to confirm, but as we see her reach up to touch said hand, Mayu walks by instead, meaning that unidentified hand certainly isn't Mayu's. The hand withdraws and a creeped out Mio looks back to find... nothing.
There are plenty of jump scares in the game, but it's moments like this that slowly build an ever-pervasive atmosphere, making those jump scares so effective, and leaving the player genuinely creeped out in ways other horrors of the time couldn't hope to match.