Most adrenaline junkies would agree that there’s nothing quite like a good slasher movie. Whether it’s the gore, the suspense, or the hesitance to turn your lights back on afterward, nothing can compare to the nail-biting anticipation of people getting theatrically cut down on-screen.
But what if you could actually step into the action? Not literally, of course, but more than a few games capture that same heart-pounding excitement.
Whether you’re running from a crazed serial killer, trying to outsmart your pursuers with traps, or causing mayhem as the killer yourself, these games feel just like playing through a slasher movie.
Here are all of the best games that bring the slasher movie vibe to life!
10Killer Frequency
Slasher Movie Simulator
Killer Frequency
This game literally feels like an 80s slasher movie simulator.
Want to know what it’s like being hunted by an unknown killer while you watch your friends get picked off one by one? Killer Frequency is here to scratch that itch. Set in a late-night radio station, you’re the graveyard-shift DJ trying to guide callers to safety as a masked serial killer torments the town.
With its classic 80s horror vibes, sarcastic humor, and timed decision-making, it’s like stepping into a horror movie where you’re both the victim and the hero trying to save the day.
Figuring out the killer’s identity is one thing, but doing so with your life intact, too? Good Luck. The game’s incredible mix of suspense, puzzles, and dark humor serves as a love letter to classic slasher films; just make sure you remember to save yourself at the end, too!
9Sons of the Forest
Cannibals, Mutants, and Conspiracies
Sons of the Forest
As the highly-anticipated sequel to The Forest, Sons of the Forest doesnotmess around when it comes to slashing and slicing up protagonists.
This game has even more blood, guts, and mutants than its predecessor if you can believe it; it’s a gore-filled carnage party that looks like the inside of a vampire’s wet dream. Most of this game’s combat just looks like that"elevator of blood" scene from The Shining.
Stranded on a creepy, isolated island filled with cannibals, mutants, and conspiracies you probably shouldn’t uncover, Sons of the Forest is a glorified gore-fest equal parts horror survival and terrifying nightmare.
It’s like a slasher movie where the killer you’re running from isn’t just one masked maniac - it’s an entire island of nightmarish, stalking monsters that all want to see you dead.
8Lakeview Cabin 2
Pixelated Slasher Flick
Lakeview Cabin is probably the cutest slash-fest you’ll ever play. This game perfectly encapsulates the chaotic and occasionally ridiculous nature of classic slasher films, and it does it all ina 2D, side-scroller experience.
Each new level throws you into a fresh level of pixelated Hell, complete with masked killers, oblivious victims, and enough bloodshed to make even Quentin Tarantino sick to his stomach.
Despite its admittedly charming art style, don’t let it fool you into thinking it’s something that it’s not; Lakeview Cabin 2 is the farthest thing from a kid game that it gets.
If you thought this cute little game was going to have minimal bloodshed, think again; I don’t know how they made all that pixelated blood, guts, and gore look so realistic, and honestly, I don’t evenwantto know either. All I know is that this game is far more blood-curdling than it’s given credit for.
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Outlast the Killers
If Outlast were a slasher movie, it would be one of those unrelenting nightmares where the main character is doomed pretty much no matter what they do. If you’re familiar with the “The Collector” horror movie franchise, then you already know what it’s like to play this game.
Playing as a helpless investigative journalist, you break into an abandoned insane asylum to uncover its dark secrets, because why not? Unsurprisingly, you end up finding yourself on the wrong end of a gory game of hide-and-seek with its deranged residents.
Armed with nothing but a camcorder, your terrible life choices, and your weak bladder, you’ll spend most of the game running, hiding, and praying that whatever’s chasing you doesn’t catch up. In Outlast’s relentless labyrinths, there’s no fighting back and no hero moments - just pure, unfiltered terror.
Once you add in the flickering lights, terrifying screams in the background, and enough blood to rival The Red Cross’s storage room, you’ve got yourself a slasher experience that’ll leave you sleeping with the lights on.
Classic Horror Experience
Dead by Daylight
Ever wanted to kill all of your friends in a 4v1 horror experience? Great! Because that’s exactly what you’re getting with Dead by Daylight.
This game is actually one of my favorites and deserves all of the hype it gets; no matter what you’re in the mood for, being hunted or becoming the hunter,Dead by Daylight’s got your back.
Dead by Daylight lets its players take on one of two roles: a supernaturally inclined serial killer, or one of the four survivors trying to escape them. Whether you’re setting up traps to outwit the killer or causing mayhem as one yourself, this game is easily one of the most versatile games on this list.
Plus, with its constant updates and crossovers with iconic horror franchises (like Chucky and Michael Myers), it’s like you’re literally stepping into the ultimate slasher crossover fanfiction.
Literally a Man Hunt
This game’s graphics may leave something to be desired, but its gameplay is 100% like a slasher movie in every possible way.
Manhunt chucks you headfirst into an arena where you play as a guy who’s forced to commit murders for the entertainment of a sadistic director. The entire game feels like a cross between The Hunger Games and a Rob Zombie film, so I wouldn’t pick it up if you’ve got a weak stomach.
Playing as the stealthy rodent in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, you’ll spend most of the game lurking in the shadows, silently taking out your “prey” with anything from plastic bags to blunt instruments. It’s pretty much as gritty and grim as it gets, channeling the pure, fight-or-flight experience of having to kill for your life.
Remember when you had to read “The Most Dangerous Game” in English class and were astounded that someone could get pleasure in killing another human being for sport? Yeah. I’m pretty sure that that was the inspiration behind this game.
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Glorified Gore-Fest
Hatred is probably one of the most controversial games on this list, and not just for the reasons that you’re thinking.
Hatred received a ton of backlashwhen it was released back in 2015, most of which came from concerned parents who all thought it would turn their children into serial killers. With complaints like that, you justknowthat it’s got to be crazy.
Hatred is pretty much the ultimate slasher simulator, with its protagonist being a man who’s dead-set on slaughtering the entire human race. Apparently, Hell needs to keep a closer eye on its demons because this guy managed to sneak out a window somewhere.
This game will literally have you questioning the sanity of everyone who developed it - and everyone who bought it too, for that matter.
It’s not subtle, it’s not sweet, and it’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re into massacre marathons with a side of world domination, then you may count on Hatred to deliver the goods.
3The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Leatherface Strikes Back
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is pretty self-explanatory in terms of slasher-flick similarities. I mean, come on - it’sliterallya game based on an award-winning horror franchise.
If you’ve seen any of the movies, then you already know what to expect: a horrifying, suspense-filled survival game where one wrong move could lead to a chainsaw through your chest.
Similar to Dead by Daylight, this game also lets you choose whether you want to be a killer or a survivor, with one small difference: if you choose to be a killer, then you get to hunt in a pack.
Not only does The Chainsaw Massacre feature Leatherface, but it also brings in the whole murder family! What better way to bond with your relatives than hunting down some teenagers?
2The Quarry
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Horror
The Quarry
The Quarry is a dream come true for any and all slasher fans.
Set at a summer camp with a group of unsuspecting counselors, this game gives you all of the thrills, anxiety, and “why in God’s name would you do that?” moments that you’d expect from a classic horror flick. If you’re a massive Jason Voorhees nerd like me, then you won’t want to pass this one up.
One of the best things about The Quarry is that it allows you to controlliterally everythingthat happens in the game. Want to send someone into the creepy woods at night alone? Go for it. Want to ignore all the obvious warning signs and send your friends to their deaths? Sounds great!
In this game, you can be as incompetent as a leader as you like, and you won’t even have to suffer the consequences.You get to decide who lives, who dies, and who trips over a twig while running for their life.
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1Until Dawn
Ethics? Don’t Know Her.
Until Dawn
And now we come to the biggest, baddest slasher game of them all: Until Dawn.This 2024 remakeis the most anxiety-inducing, bladder-loosening, bloodshot eyes-giving, insomnia-invoking game that I’ve played in a while, and honestly? I’m not all that keen on putting myself through that again any time soon.
Just like in true slasher-flick fashion, this game surrounds a group of teens who decide to go stay at a secluded cabin in the mountains (because of course they do) where some of their friends had gone missing a year prior. Spoiler alert:it all goes horribly wrong.
Trying to get out alive on your own is hard enough, but with the fate of an entire group of teens resting on your shoulders, too? Please. With characters making decisions that are somehow even worse than you’d expect, Until Dawn is a decision-ridden nightmare of a game that will put your morality through the wringer.
How far would you go to save your own life, if it cost someone else’s?
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