The year 2024 promises a lot of interesting horror games, but 2025 could be even better with upcoming titles like Doom: The Dark Ages and Poppy Playtime 4.
Events like Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards have introduced many games that will be released next year, including the ever-popular horror genre.
From the latest installments in major franchises to innovative and surprising indie games, 2025 is going to bring a lot of amazing horror games. Here are some of the most anticipated titles.
List of Horror Games Released in 2025
10. The Occultist
DALOAR, a Spanish studio, developed a psychological horror game titled The Occultist with its publisher by Daedalic Entertainment. In this game, players will follow paranormal investigator Alan Rebels who is searching for his missing father on the mysterious island of GodStone.
Alan uses the Mystic Pendulum to explore other realities, manipulate illusions and solve puzzles. In his travels on the island, he faces various terrifying enemies while finding out about the disappearance of his father and the cult that once lived in the abandoned GodStone.
The Occultist is a promising survival horror game with stealth mechanics and reality-bending puzzles. While there is still little information available, expect the game to release in 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox.
9. Doom: The Dark Ages
Doom: The Dark Ages, announced at July’s Xbox expo, is the latest in the Doom reboot series. The game will remain an aggressive and fast-paced first-person shooter, with horror elements.
In this game, players will face various demons in a dark medieval setting. The weapons used will be more creative and pseudo-historical, such as whips, saw-shaped shields, and miniguns that shoot skull fragments. In addition, players will also fight fantasy enemies such as giants and dragons.
Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to Doom (2016) with the same protagonist, although there is a significant time gap. While not exactly scary, the game offers exciting combat and a variety of monsters in the horror genre. The plan is to release this horror game around 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, although the exact date is uncertain.
8. Poppy Playtime 4
Indie horror game Poppy Playtime will release its fourth installment in 2025. The story still follows a Playtime Co. factory employee who explores a factory that has long been uninhabited.
The movie features evocative sound design and challenging puzzles, with intelligent toys lurking all around. Unlike the previous installments, Poppy Playtime 4 will introduce a new antagonist, Yarnaby the lion, who could be the scariest villain in the series.
Poppy Playtime 4 will continue the story from the previous chapter, with the main character investigating a missing coworker at the factory. The game will release in January 2025, likely only for PC first, before being available on other platforms such as consoles and mobile a few months later. The exact release date for all platforms will be known closer to launch.
7. Tenebris Somnia
Publisher New Blood Interactive launched a new game called Tenebris Somnia, which is inspired by classic horror games like Clock Tower. Although it uses a different visual style from Faith: The Unholy Trinity, this game still carries the survival horror theme with a Catholic feel.
Interestingly, Tenebris Somnia also incorporates live-action cutscenes that provide impressive visual effects, as seen in the trailer. This creates a brilliant blend between the bright, pale-colored world of the game, and the gruesome reality of FMV.
The title discusses the interaction between two media to distinguish reality and dreams in the game. Tenebris Somnia doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but it’s expected to be released in 2025. The game will most likely be a PC exclusive, although there is a possibility of a release for Nintendo Switch as well, just like Faith.
6. Cronos: The New Dawn
After the huge success of the Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober Team introduces its latest project, Cronos: The New Dawn. The game will carry a retrofuturistic horror theme, set between a frantic past and a bleak future, amidst an apocalyptic event called The Change.
The protagonists travel to the past to rescue people who can help the future. They use a device called the Harvester to extract the essence of those people and bring them to the future. However, this journey is not without obstacles, and some terrible secrets about The Change will be revealed.
Chronos is an original horror game inspired by Polish history and culture, similar in style to Bloober. In this game, players will face third-person shooter combat against mutated enemies, different from Silent Hill 2. This horror game will be released in 2025 for PC, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
5. Dark Fracture
Dark Fracture is a game that has been in development since 2020 and has received positive reviews on Steam thanks to its creepy atmosphere and interesting body horror elements. The game is a simulator that takes you on a walk through various horrors, while solving puzzles.
Creativity in body horror comes through unique elements such as creepy faces, bloody arms emerging from walls, and piles of flesh from the ground. Shifting walls also add to the navigation challenge, creating an atmosphere of desperation for the player.
Horror game Dark Fracture will release in 2025 without further delay, although the exact date is unclear. Currently, the game is exclusive to PC, but this may change after its launch.
4. Dying Light: The Beast
Dying Light: The Beast brings back the iconic open world and parkour elements, as well as support for up to four-player cooperation. The game also offers an immersive day-night system, where enemies become stronger in the dark.
Bringing back the original protagonist, Kyle Crane, now infected with zombie DNA after years of experimentation, Crane can transform into Volatile, unleashing incredible power to overcome obstacles. This information was revealed at Gamescom 2024.
Dying Light: The Beast is set 13 years after the first game, where Crane seeks revenge against a figure called The Baron. Originally planned as DLC for Dying Light 2, the game is now evolving into a full game. The plan is to release this horror game in summer 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
3. Little Nightmares 3
Little Nightmares is a puzzle platformer game series produced by Tarsier Studios. In this game, the player has no combat abilities, so must use their wits and tools at hand to sneak around or deal with enemies.
Many people thought the series ended after Tarsier was acquired by Embracer Group. However, Bandai Namco, the owner of the intellectual property rights, chose to continue it with a new developer, Supermassive, which is famous for Dark Pictures Anthology and will release a new game next year.
Developed by a new team, Little Nightmares 3 hopes to deliver the same exciting experience as its predecessor with cooperative multiplayer features. In this game, the character Low will use a bow and arrow, while Alone uses a wrench.
You can also play the game alone with the AI as a companion. The game will be released in 2025 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
2. Directive 8020
The Dark Pictures Anthology is a collection of interactive drama games featuring several protagonists and important choices that affect the story. In the latest series, Directive 8020, players will follow Brianna Young, played by Lashana Lynch, a colony ship pilot who experiences an emergency landing on a planet twelve light years away from Earth.
The plot delves into the theme of biological horror, where Brianna is pursued by a creature capable of mimicking other life forms, inspired by films like The Thing, Alien, and Solaris.
Directive 8020 is a horror game set to release in 2025, offering an interactive cinematic story experience like the games in the Dark Pictures Anthology. The game will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, although the release date is uncertain.
1. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines released in 2004 was praised for its intelligent script and player freedom. Although the sequel experienced many delays and changes, it is currently planned for release in 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and many hope that it stays on track.
Set in present-day Seattle, Bloodlines 2 invites you to take on the role of a self-created vampire. In this turbulent world, you’ll be involved in a power struggle between vampire clans, which will affect your abilities and alliances. In addition, you must overcome the complexities of vampire politics while keeping your identity a secret from humans.
The horror games Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, due for release in 2025, is becoming one of the most anticipated horror titles. However, some aspects of the game may become more difficult if discovered.
