Top 20 CREEPIEST Video Game Glitches

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

“Skyrim” was already plagued with bugs when it launched way back in 2011, and many of those bugs are still present even in the newer versions. Unfortunately, there was one glitch that might have scared some players away from the game. In some areas, you might stumble upon a couple of mannequins, and surprisingly, they are alive! You cannot interact with them, and they cannot interact with you. They are simply faceless, sentient statues that will only stare at you. Some can be reset back into their correct states, but others…you might have to just leave and never return.

“Battlefield 3” (2011)

The “Battlefield” series is already infamous for having ridiculous bugs at launch. We won’t ever forget the time where everyone could suddenly become giraffes. But “Battlefield 3’s” most terrifying bug was when everyone suddenly became giants! This wasn’t just a glitch that affected the size of the players either. More often than not, a player character’s entire face would be distorted with texture stretching and floating eyes and mouths. Yeah, suddenly, “Battlefield 3” became the stuff of nightmares for those who played at launch.

“Luigi’s Mansion” (2001)

It’s hard to believe that Nintendo would put anything mildly frightening in their games, even if it is a bit spook-centric like “Luigi’s Mansion”. However, one glitch led many to believe that Nintendo was sneaking in a rather morbid scare! Upon entering Area 3, the power will go out across the entire mansion, and you’ll need to answer a phone in one of the nearby rooms. When lightning strikes, you’ll see an odd silhouette of Luigi that looks like it's hanging in the air. Some players thought this was a haunting image of Luigi hanging himself when in reality, it was simply an unexpected symptom of the GameCube’s lack of fidelity in lighting and animation.

“The Casting of Frank Stone” (2024)

This is a glitch one of our own writers came across when playing “The Casting of Frank Stone”. In one of the later chapters of the game, you’ll take control of officer Sam Greene and come across the film camera needed to defeat the vicious killer, Frank Stone. However, after fiddling with the controls, Sam’s body began to contort in a way that would cause anyone to call in a priest. Sam’s head and legs suddenly did a complete one-eighty while the torso remained facing the direction it needed to. So much for sleep.

“Hitman: Blood Money” (2006)

By now, you’re probably used to the spit and polish condition later “Hitman” games launched in. However, if you were around when “Blood Money” launched, you might have come across a glitch that was truly disturbing. After taking out an enemy or NPC, some players immediately regretted their decisions after the bodies started following Agent 47 around. It was almost as if the corpses had their own unique pathing! You can guarantee some players were much more cautious with their shots after this glitch.

“Surgeon Simulator” (2013)

It can be tough to make a game completely free of bugs and glitches, especially if your game is entirely dependent on physics for the core gameplay. Case in point, “Surgeon Simulator”. It was already tricky honing in on tools and trying to perform operations without killing a patient. But there was one bug that might have caused a distraction for some players or even instant losses. Trust us, once you see someone’s head convulse at an intense rate, you may not boot up “Surgeon Simulator” ever again.

“eFootball PES 2020” (2019)

The “eFootball” series saw a rather rocky launch back in 2019. The game was plagued with all sorts of bugs in the animations and visuals, so much so that there are plenty of compilations to look up. Some of these bugs, like players’ mouths behaving like a guppy fish’s mouth, might come across as just uncomfortable. Other bugs, like limbs twisting and contorting in unnatural ways, might be downright unsettling to witness. Either way, these bugs were almost unsurprising to experience given the awful track record Konami has had with the “Pro Evolution Soccer” games that came before.

“WWE 2K20” (2019)

Just like with “eFootball”, “WWE 2K20” launched in such a broken state that asking for one stable game was like asking Taco Bell to make their nacho fries a permanent menu item: it will never happen. Thanks to this, you could expect all kinds of bizarre issues to crop up in character rigs and collision detection. Have you ever seen someone completely defy physics and gravity just to become one with another object? Well, be prepared to see the ref clip through the floor and pull off some unholy crouch-walking! You will never unsee this!

“World of Warcraft” (2004)

The second we heard there was a hidden level in “World of Warcraft” that can only be accessible through a glitch, we had to see it for ourselves. Folks, this is a lesson in “be careful what you wish for”. The world in question is known as the Karazhan Crypt, or “the Forgotten Crypt”. As you might expect from such a morbid place, players will find dead bodies hanging from the ceilings and walls in almost every room. What makes the place super creepy is how you will be completely alone while exploring, and the loneliness gets unsettling super quick.

“Pokemon Red & Blue” (1996)

As most “Pokemon” fans know, the urban legend MissingNo is very much a real glitch that can be replicated in original cartridges of “Pokemon Red and Blue”. You can even replicate it on the Nintendo 3DS versions! But the reason we’re putting MissingNo on this list is moreso the impact it had on us when we were young. Something about its pixelated appearance made it feel more like we were living in our own twisted (yet admittedly stupid) creepypasta before creepypastas were even a thing! It’s funny how Nintendo doesn’t even know what spawned this non-pocket monster, and the company has regarded it as “a programming quirk”.

“Halo” series (2001-)

Spotted primarily throughout “Halo 2,” 3, and Reach, the Ghosts of Halo are terrifying apparitions that will make you want to stay far far away from the nightmare that is the series’ multiplayer. These ghosts are essentially spectral figures that randomly show up on various maps and behave erratically, including gliding across the floor and attacking other players like a vengeful poltergeist. They have no gamertags, do not appear on the scoreboard, and are seemingly impervious to damage. Some possible causes for these ghosts include stress on the game’s engine and severe network lag, but let’s be serious, I think that we can all agree that the real reason is that the games are cursed with the souls of the damned. End of story.

“Red Dead Redemption” (2010)

The world of “Red Dead Redemption” is filled with crooks, liars, and murderers. And that’s just in the city! Travel outside the town limits and you could be faced with obstacles just as dangerous, like scam artists, bloodthirsty bears, and OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? As if the Wild West wasn’t frightening enough, it was apparently littered with lightning-fast baby-faced creatures that wanted to eat your brains, animals with the heads of human men, and bodies flying through the air like souls trapped between heaven and Earth. That’s it, I’m moving to the city.

“Call of Duty” series (2003-)

These probably weren’t the zombies that the developers had in mind when they implemented zombie mode. Throughout the “Call of Duty” series, and especially prevalent in “Black Ops,” a glitch occurs which sees dead bodies rising from the grave in some form or another, like moving their mouths or standing in the path of the player, their soulless eyes endlessly judging you for sending them to the afterlife. It’s somewhat jarring being immersed in a military shooter one second and seeing the risen and bloodied corpses of your victims standing in front of you the next. Apparently war really is Hell on Earth.

“The Sims 3” (2009)

We get it, children can be a little scary. They’re a lot of responsibility, they scream a lot for seemingly no reason, and they projectile pea-coloured bile like Reagan from “The Exorcist.” But that’s nothing compared to the nightmares that are the demon children of “The Sims 3.” This glitch makes certain babies and children extremely deformed, with some becoming nothing but elongated limbs left to scuttle around on the floor like the spider head thing from, well, “The Thing.” We understand not wanting to burn your house down, but it’s the only way to combat these little suckers.

“The Witcher” (2007)

If there’s two things that we can state as facts about this game they would be 1) it’s awesome, and 2) Geralt’s a total boss. Its just that in some instances throughout the game, a glitch occurs which sees Geralt’s face become extremely droopy and grotesque, while his weapons float around him via Witcher magic (or something). The glitch only affects the appearance of his face, which makes it hilarious to have everyday interactions with the townsfolk while you’re wearing the face of Satan himself.

“Assassin’s Creed: Unity” (2014)

A textbook example as to what happens when you try to push out yearly releases, “Unity” when it launched was a glitchy mess from beginning to end. What stood out however were these incomplete faces that were such a great balance between terrifying and hilarious that they became a widespread joke on the internet. It’s a good thing that the history books omitted the fact that people in 18thcentury France walked around with floating eyeballs, because these would give anybody nightmares.

“F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin” (2009)

“F.E.A.R. 2” was a worthy successor to one of the creepiest games of all time, and it featured some fantastic scares throughout, with most of them centering around the sinister little girl named Alma. Alma would randomly appear in the player’s field of vision, giggling like a madwoman and just generally causing tomfoolery. However, some players experienced a glitch, particularly in the swimming pool section, which would see Alma simply hover and never disappear. It’s creepy enough seeing a little girl pop in out of nowhere. It’s something else entirely to have her glide through the air like a demon, inching ever closer towards you, her haunting black eyes unceasingly staring into yours … okay, uninstall.

“Mafia II” (2010)

During one particular cutscene, and especially prevalent when played on a Macbook, a nasty glitch can occur which sees the protagonist’s mother turn into a terrifying mannequin-esque monstrosity. Her skin becomes a leathery and nightmarish dark brown, her eyes turn into little black beads, and she moves with the grace of a puppet, all while talking to her son as if nothing’s going on. What makes the glitch even better is the fact that the real mother sometimes makes brief appearances throughout the conversation, like her soul is trying to fight the Satanic possession that has overtaken her, but it’s all to no avail.

“Fallout: New Vegas” (2010)

This infamous glitch almost fits with the game’s narrative, as the opening has the player getting shot in the head, and the good doc here telling you that he had to basically reassemble your brain. If that’s the case, he may have done you more harm than good. Not content with simply creeping you out, he will also float through the air with limp limbs and a completely upside down head, ensuring that you eject the game, snap it in half, and bury it in a landfill where it can never be touched by human hands again.

“Mount & Blade: Warband” (2010)

Imagine playing a game like “Mount & Blade: Warband”, getting through the tutorial, and finally experiencing that “step-out” moment like so many other RPGs try to evoke. But as soon as you do, you witness a horrific sight - the skybox is actually the face of another person. Yes, “Mount & Blade: Warband” scared off many players as they began experiencing “sky faces” in their games, some only being able to see them if they faced the camera in front of their character. Suddenly, “Warband” had a much more sinister tone to everything. To this day, the glitch remains a frequent occurrence.

What’s the creepiest glitch you’ve seen in a game? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo!