Top 10 Insanely Stressful Video Games

Top 10 Stressful Video Games

Remember...it’s just a game, breathe in…breathe out! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Stressful video games.

For this list, we looked at the video games that cause huge amounts of stress either from their overwhelming number of objectives, painfully difficult enemies and in the case of horror games; their capacity to make the act of turning a corner absolutely terrifying.

#10: “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” (2010)

Having to explore a deep, dark and eerie castle doesn’t sound bad at all, does it? While the environment, puzzles and enemy designs area all unnerving enough, the real kicker here is a gameplay mechanic that affects the player’s ‘sanity’ meter. The longer you are in dark areas or surrounded by disturbing scenery, the lower the said ‘sanity’ meter will drop which will consequently create a barrage of both visual and auditory hallucinations meant to do nothing else but screw with your head. Having to constantly keep your character’s mental state in check while questioning what’s real and what isn’t is sure send many players into a heightened state of fear and frenzy.

#9: “Thumper” (2016)

Categorized as a “rhythm/violence” game, ‘Thumper’ is a…hey, wait. “Rhythm/violence”? What the heck does that mean? This is a question that will run through many gamers’ minds before booting this one up and…well, let’s just say it will be the famous last words of your patience and sanity as we know it. Tasked with travelling at a ludicrous velocity, the player must pay close attention to successfully manoeuvre around tight turns, dodge obstacles and hit speed boosts. The game’s visuals and soundtrack evoke feelings of dread and hostility, with each passing moment of gameplay feeling more aggressive than the last. Anticipation and timing are key here. Just…don’t break anything after playing this one, huh?

#8: “Don’t Starve” (2013)

With the name of the game itself being your only real set of instructions or tutorial, the player is immediately plunged into the game world, with their only clear objective being: “don’t starve”. Blood pressure and panic may rapidly set in, as its not totally obvious what you can interact with and what you can’t, forcing the player to ‘figure it out’, exploring the environment and experimenting with what they find in order to gather resources and survive. Just when you think you’ve got the hang of it, night-time falls and you’d better pray you’ve got a fire going or else you’re going to be some freaky monster’s snack.

#7: “XCOM 2” (2016)

Strategy games are recognized for being highly meticulous and complex in design, but oh-my-GAWD does ‘XCOM 2’ kick things up a few notches. The battles can become excruciatingly overwhelming rather quickly, so its important for the player to be five, no, ten steps ahead in order to not be trampled over by the game’s enemy A.I. On top of this, the game features an interesting storyline and compelling characters. What does this have to do with anything? Well, as you progress, you’ll find yourself legitimately caring about said characters and with such a connection established and death so frequent on the battlefield…this game is sure to break some hearts as players struggle to keep their soldiers alive.

#6: “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (2014)

Who knew fuzzy looking animatronic machines could be such haunting nightmare material. The player controls a security guard, who while working a night shift, has to endure a squad of terrifying animatronics, who have inexplicably come to life. The animatronics exhibit a vicious lethality as they charge towards the player, demanding a high sense of patience and focus on the various security cameras to keep track of the looming danger at all times. There isn’t much room for error here, as one slight misstep is all one of those animatronics need to rush towards the player and deliver a startling jump scare. We didn’t feel like sleeping much tonight anyhow.

#5: “Outlast” (2014)

Living up to its name, this first-person horror game’s only goal is to survive being in a dilapidated mental hospital, practically overflowing with deranged, homicidal psychos and sickos around every corner. With your video camera being the only real way to see anything in the extremely dark environments, you’ll need to always scavenge around in search of batteries to keep it fully charged. But you don’t exactly want to do that because of the aforementioned weirdos trying to tear your face off…but you kinda do want to look around so that you can get the hell out of this insidious place. You might even go insane yourself after playing through this one.

#4: “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)

This Zelda game is just as massive as others in the series, however it has one major catch that changes things up entirely: you only have three-in game days to save the world. Before this, Zelda games could be enjoyed at your own pace, but now, the player needs to be on the ball 24/7…er…24/3, in order to successfully stop a moon from crashing into the land of Termina, under the strict time constraints. This added layer of gameplay endows the player with a true sense of responsibility as they quite literally race against time to save countless lives – no pressure.

#3: “Papers, Please” (2013)

How stressed out would you feel if your job was a border crossing immigration officer in a dystopian landscape, reviewing people’s documents to ensure they are eligible to be granted entry into the country? It’s a lot of weight to have on your shoulders, especially when you have a family to feed, and it really bears down on you the more you progress in this game. The descriptions of each new immigrant become increasingly more dense and complex, requiring you to be fully attentive to catch any fraud or mistakes that appear. Furthermore, the game punishes you if you screw up by providing you with less money to take care of your family. So, uh, yeah, have ‘fun’.

#2: “Bloodborne” (2015)

Building upon the already strenuous gameplay found in their ‘Dark Souls’ series, FromSoftware unleashed ‘Bloodborne’, a game that is arguably more difficult for multiple reasons. Whereas ‘Dark Souls’ places on emphasis on defense, ‘Bloodborne’ instead opts for much more fast-paced and brutally offensive combat. This requires the player to constantly be on their toes, acting with split-second reflexes and holding their breath as they carefully time their strikes and evasions in hopes of victory. The relentless onslaught of towering boss battles and vicious enemies, makes traversing the maze-like environments in ‘Bloodborne’ a blood-pumping experience well worth the dozen or so near-heart attacks you’ll suffer while playing it.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few more games that’ll give you heart palpitations…

“Resident Evil 7” (2017)

“Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem” (2002)

“Punch-Out!!” (1987)

#1: “Alien: Isolation” (2014)

Perfectly replicating the atmosphere present in the 1979 film, ‘Alien: Isolation’ nails what its like to be trapped on a derelict space station with an extraterrestrial killing machine. With the environments so dark and claustrophobic and your supplies so minimal; avoiding the Xenomorph is unbelievably nerve-wracking. Your guard constantly needs to be up, as the creature could appear anytime, so you never actually feel a moment of safety during the experience. You’ll be in such a nervous sweat, that even the slightest sound will cause you to jump in your seat. In space, no one can hear you scream; but your neighbours can… so…try to keep it down if ya freak out.