Top 10 Most Disturbing Video Games Ever
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Disturbing Video Games. For this list, we’ll be looking at games whose subject matter burrowed under our skin and made it crawl. Since we’ll be talking about general storylines, a spoiler warning is in effect. Which of these games unnerved you the most? Brave those comments and let us know!
#10: “The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth” (2014)
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The original version of this modern indie classic is certainly upsetting, but “Rebirth” is the definitive, disturbing experience. The premise alone is enough to make you feel uneasy. Based on the biblical tale, players control the unfortunate Issac as he flees from his mother, who wants to sacrifice him. Blending a “Zelda” style with a roguelike structure, you have to make it through an underground dungeon filled with some of the most unsettling 2D enemies in gaming. Plus, when you start, your one defense is shooting those enemies with Isaac’s tears. Poor kid. As disturbing as it is, that hasn’t stopped players from flocking to it and making “The Binding of Isaac” one of the most successful indie titles.
#9: “Scorn” (2022)
While most players agreed “Scorn’s” combat wasn’t up to snuff, the developers went out of their way to make its visuals incredibly strong. Set on an alien planet, you’re forced to navigate through a twisted facility made of equal parts machine and flesh. While you struggle to make sense of the game’s world, your eyes will struggle to take in on all the nasty details. It’s not as if you can look away; every structure and creature is some horrible amalgamation. It doesn’t help that every action is accompanied by gross sound design. Everything is just so slimy and fleshy, which are not adjectives we like to use when describing a place we’re trapped in.
#8: “Doki Doki Literature Club!” (2017)
This dating sim makes you think you’ll be wooing cute anime girls. In reality, you’re lured into a false sense of calm before being confronted with traumatizing imagery. After joining an after school book club, you spend time with each of the members. Halfway through the game, one of them takes their own life with you discovering the body. That’s quite the twist, as is the fact that the game then starts over with that character missing. Strange glitches and jumbled, unreadable text become commonplace until another one of the girls stabs herself in front of you. As you find out, Monika has grown sentient, altering and “deleting” the others until only you and she remain.
#7: “Dead Space” (2008)
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Horror games usually want to disturb us, but that means standing out in the sea of disgust can be tough. Well, not for “Dead Space.” Developer Visceral Games knew the importance of unique enemy design, and made the Necromorphs both terrifying in their appearance and how you fight them. Around every turn is a horrific monstrosity waiting to remove your insides. Their unnerving movement and gag-inducing appearances make it hard to stay calm while you try to dispose of them. With every room and hallway of the Ishimura being bathed in shadow, it’s the perfect environment to leave you on edge at all times. Plus, the game only grew more disturbing with the 2023 remake.
#6: “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017)
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Capcom’s “Resident Evil” franchise has been terrifying players since 1996. After a brief lull in quality, the mainline series came back with a vengeance and a seventh entry. The plot was scaled down, following new protagonist Ethan as he searched a derelict estate for his missing wife. Combined with a new first-person view and a distinct feeling of helplessness, this smaller approach worked wonders in its favor. Everything felt more personal, as well as claustrophobic. As they hunted us through tight, dimly lit spaces, the Baker Family felt scarier than the majority of the monsters we’d gone up against before. Not only did it deliver thrills, but also nauseating moments to further unravel us.
#5: “The Last of Us Part II” (2020)
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Many games explore the disturbing horrors of the undead trying to eat you. But when it comes to “The Last of Us Part II,” it was our encounters with the living that were truly upsetting. While there were plenty of evil-doers in the original, those in “Part II” managed to outshine them. More importantly, the game had us commit some pretty heinous acts as well. From Abby hunting Joel down to Ellie killing the pregnant Mel to the twisted reason why Lev fled the Seraphite community, the post-apocalyptic hellscape brings out the worst in humanity. Regardless of how you feel about the final product, Naughty Dog wanted to show how toxic and destructive revenge can be. In that, it succeeded.
#4: “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” (1995)
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Based on Harlan Ellison’s short story of the same name, “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” may not have the strong imagery of modern games. But what it lacks there, it makes up for with one of the most disheartening plots in gaming. Set in the far-off future, it follows the last five people on Earth held captive by an unhinged AI. They’ve spent the last century being tortured and forced to navigate their own personal Hells. Needless to say, these people are pretty powerless. As is the player, as they must face particularly challenging morality choices in terrible scenarios, some of which had to be censored for release in certain countries.
#3: “Outlast” (2013)
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Like “Dead Space,” the lighting of “Outlast” is almost non-existent. But at least “Dead Space” lets you fight back against your attackers. Players control an investigative journalist who breaks into a mental asylum after getting a tip about inhumane treatment. As such, you have no line of defense against the patients that have overtaken the facility. All you have is a video camera to document what you see, with night vision to make it through darker areas. All around you are mangled bodies, unsettling whispers, and certain murder-happy patients that will chase you up and down the asylum’s halls. As if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s also an occult threat lurking in its depths.
#2: “Silent Hill 2” (2001)
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With the original game’s stellar foundation, “Silent Hill 2” took the Horror community’s collective breath away when it launched in 2001. Taking full advantage of the sixth console generation’s updated tech, Konami released what many still believe to be the best in the series. As James Sunderland, players navigate the haunted town after receiving a letter from their dead wife. Unfortunately, only despair awaits him there. The series’ trademark, daunting creature design is in full effect, particularly with the future icon, Pyramid Head. The plot also veers into depressing and often demoralizing territory as James’ past is exhumed and examined. The game’s palpable atmosphere enhances every disturbing encounter and every harrowing moment.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Phantasmagoria” (1995)
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“Inside” (2016)
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“Hatred” (2015)
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#1: “Manhunt 2” (2007)
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With a focus on executions, 2003’s “Manhunt” drew a lot of controversy. However, Rockstar went bigger, badder, and bolder with the sequel. Since it follows an escaped mental patient whose ally is an assassin, you can probably guess what types of actions people took issue with. Graphics and mechanics are naturally stronger in the sequel, which has the same focus on stealth executions with three different levels of violence. Whether you used a knife, a crowbar, barbed wire, or even a toilet, every foe met a nasty end. Of course, controversy breeds censorship, and Rockstar had to make significant changes to avoid an ‘Adults Only’ rating in the US. Although, that didn’t stop it from getting banned elsewhere.
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