20 Most Critically Adored Horror Video Games Of All Time
Player beware - you're in for a scare.
Horror video games have been scaring us to death for years now and it's impressive how developers are still finding unique ways to instill dread and terror within players.
Nowadays, the claustrophobic atmosphere of games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill has mostly been replaced with unrelenting jump scares and a bigger focus on weaponless protagonists, forcing players to flee and dodge enemies more. The horror genre is always changing and adapting and that's great for gamers.
There's an impressive number of critically acclaimed horror games out there, in a broad and varied selection, but the most surprising revelation is that they don't often match up to fan-lists. Some titles considered classics by fans didn't go down well with critics and vice versa, and while review scores are all subjective, it's still interesting to see how some of the best horror games of all time fared in the review process.
With that in mind, it's interesting to look back at the highest Metacritic ratings for horror video games, to see which defied fan hate or apathy to dazzle the critics...
20. Resident Evil 4
Rating: 96
Unsurprisingly, Resident Evil 4 stands head and shoulders above the rest of the horror genre when it comes to critical acclaim. A masterpiece from start to finish, it moves the player into an over-the-shoulder camera view, doing away with the fixed camera angles of old. Does this make it any less scary? Absolutely not.
In fact, some might say it actually upped the scare factor - being up close and personal with a bunch of pitchfork-wielding villagers will definitely get the pulse racing.
Yes, the zombies are gone and yes, this is the first step the series took away from its survival horror roots, but to put it bluntly, Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games ever made .