This year is shaping up to be one of the best for the gaming industry – especially for survival and horror games. We have some great titles that have been announced for 2023, and some of them have already had their premiere, such as the Dead Space Remake and Sons of the Forest.
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Ad Infinitum
- Dead Island 2
- Amnesia: The Bunker
- The Day Before
- Alan Wake 2
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
- Layers of Fears
- Alone in the Dark
So if you’re looking for some scary games to play this year, here’s our list of the top 10 survival/horror games coming out in 2023.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Release date: 24 March 2023 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: Capcom
- Publisher: Capcom
Resident Evil 4 is an updated version of the 2005 cult horror game. The storyline does not really differ from its predecessor – during the game we play as Leon S. Kennedy, a former Raccoon City police officer and now a secret agent for the US government. The protagonist is tasked with finding the president’s missing daughter. The case leads him to a mysterious city in Spain that has been overrun by the Los Iluminados sect.
During the adventure, we will come face to face with monster humans infected with the Las Plagas parasite. The remake will feature several improvements and a refreshed art style, but will retain the ominous atmosphere of the original.
Ad Infinitum
- Release date: 20 April 2023 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: Hekate
- Publisher: Nacon/Bigben Interactive
In Ad Infinitum, the debut production of Berlin-based studio Hekate, we play a German soldier who survived the First World War. His life is no longer the same as it was before the conflict – he suffers from hallucinations, post-traumatic syndrome and nightmares.
Hekate’s production is a first-person psychological horror focused on exploration, hiding from enemies and solving puzzles. During the game, we explore war trenches and battlefields distorted by the protagonist’s trauma. His fears are represented by terrifying monsters from which we must hide. From time to time we also come across puzzles that fit the historical period of the game.
The world we explore changes as a result of our choices. Also worth mentioning is the soundtrack, which adds to the dark and overwhelming atmosphere of the game.
Dead Island 2
- Release date: 21 April 2023 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: Deep Silver Dambuster Studios, YAGER, Sumo Digital
- Publisher: Deep Silver, Plaion
Dead Island 2 is a combination of action and survival horror. The game begins shortly after the events of the first part of the series. A virus has reached California, turning people into zombies. The military, unable to control the situation, finally withdrew from Los Angeles. The metropolis was quarantined and the inhabitants were left to fend for themselves.
Turns out the virus does not affect everyone in the same way – some people get special skills from the virus. We start the game as one of them, and our goal is to learn more about the epidemic, find its source, and discover the truth about ourselves.
Amnesia: The Bunker
- Release date: 16 May 2023 (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: Frictional Games
- Publisher: Frictional Games
The fourth in a series of first-person survival horror games, Amnesia: The Bunker introduces several new features to diversify gameplay. The game offers more freedom, as well as the use of firearms and grenades. As the game progresses, we take on the role of French soldier Henri Clement, who finds himself in a World War I-era bunker. There are monsters and a very dangerous monstrous beast that reacts very dynamically to all the player’s actions.
The goal is to survive the confrontation with the boss, which will not be easy due to the game’s semi-open world, the passage of time and the unpredictable consequences of our decisions.
The Day Before
- Release date: 10 November 2023 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: Fntastic
- Publisher: MyTona
The population of the post-apocalyptic world of The Day Before, a survival MMO game, has been decimated by a mysterious disease that turns people into bloodthirsty monsters. As the game progresses, we take on the role of one of the survivors, searching for answers to the mysteries surrounding the disease and helping to rebuild the world. The creators of the game have prepared a vast area in which we will find, among other things, a huge city, wild areas and a military outpost.
While exploring, you will have to be constantly on your guard – hostile players can appear at any time. If you engage in combat with them, you risk attracting the attention of hordes of the living dead – defeating them will not be easy.
Alan Wake 2
- Release date: 2023 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher: Epic Games
Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror game that continues the story of the titular author. Not much is known about the plot, but according to information provided by Remedy, the main character will undergo a psychological struggle, just like in the first game.
Fortunately for new players interested in this Alan Wake 2, Sam Lake, the game’s developer, has stressed that knowledge of the first part is not required to enjoy the game. As with Quantum Break and Control, the new production will use the Northlight engine and will be a third-person perspective game.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Release date: 2023 (PC, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: GSC Game World
- Publisher: GSC World Publishing
The second part of the cult series from Ukrainian studio GSC Game World takes us back to the post-apocalyptic area, but this time we will be able to enjoy a vast open world. The Chernobyl Zone has been enriched with warring factions, murderous mutants and deadly anomalies.
The game puts us in the role of a hero called Skif, who decides to uncover the secret of a mysterious energy source that appeared in the centre of the Zone. All of our decisions will have an impact on the subsequent story – the game has a non-linear structure and requires us to make difficult choices.
Unlike the previous game in the series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Chornobyl uses Unreal Engine 5 technology. The change was made partly because of technical problems with the resource-intensive and buggy X-Ray engine. The game also boasts high-quality visuals and the use of modern solutions, including ray tracing.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
- Release date: 2023 (PC)
- Developer: Free Range Games
- Publisher: North Beach Games
Survival game set in the Lord of the Rings universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien, in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, just after the events known from the trilogy. In the game, we play as dwarves who arrive at the titular mine at the summons of Lord Gimli Lockbearer. Our task will be to reclaim the underground metropolis and recover the treasures. Of course, it won’t be easy – Khazad-dum is full of dangers.
The heroes fight mainly with axes, but nothing prevents us from equipping more sophisticated tools. These can include swords that glow when orcs are nearby. Speaking of Orcs – although they are our main opponents, there will be plenty of opportunities to cross axes with larger and more dangerous enemies. While skirmishes are an integral part of our mission in Moria, many of them can be avoided by keeping within a certain noise level.
As well as a complex crafting system, the game features a procedurally generated Moria, meaning that each adventure is different from the last.
Layers of Fears
- Release date: 2023 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
- Developer: Bloober Team, Anshar Studios
- Publisher: Bloober Team
The new game from the Bloober Team studio builds on the foundations of the first two games in the series, but presents a completely new story. The developers have approached familiar themes in fresh and sometimes surprising ways, expanding some plots significantly. Heavily inspired by 19th-century painting and architecture, the story follows artists enslaved by obsessions and terrifying visions.
Gameplay consists of exploring dark corridors and interacting with various objects. Combat itself is not possible – the player cannot use weapons, so must find another way to defeat the protagonist.
Layers of Fears was developed using the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5. This allowed it to implement ray tracing, HDR imagery, 4K resolution, and the Lumen system for an immersive and deeply moving gameplay experience.
Alone in the Dark
- Release date: 2023 (PC, PS5, Xbox Seiries X|S)
- Developer: Pieces Interactive
- Publisher: THQ Nordic, Nordic Games
Alone in the Dark is a reboot of the cult horror series first released in 1992. In the game, we play as Emily Hartwood, whose father has disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and Detective Edward Carnby. Our mission is to solve the mystery of Emily’s father’s disappearance.
We arrive at Decreto Manor, which has been overrun by sinister forces that manifest themselves in the form of terrifying monsters. They are the ones who turn our stay there into a battle for survival. As the game progresses, we will solve a series of puzzles and gradually uncover the secrets hidden within the mansion.