Although 2024 is shaping up to be a significant year for horror gaming enthusiasts, 2025 promises an impressive lineup that surpasses expectations. With titles like Doom: The Dark Ages and Poppy Playtime 4 on the horizon, fans of the genre have much to look forward to. Events such as Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards have unveiled many upcoming releases, while several surprising new projects have been discovered online. The horror genre remains a strong contender in these early announcements.
The diverse offerings range from new chapters in iconic franchises to fresh, innovative indie creations, ensuring that 2025 is set to be a banner year for horror games. Below are some of the most eagerly anticipated titles that are generating buzz within the gaming community.
10 Doom: The Dark Ages Blends FPS Action With Medieval Horror
id Software, TBA 2025
Announced during an Xbox showcase in July, Doom: The Dark Ages marks the latest entry in the revamped Doom series. True to its predecessors, this title offers intense, fast-paced first-person shooting set against a haunting medieval backdrop. Players will confront an array of demonic foes while navigating a creative world filled with pseudo-historical weaponry, including flails, saw-shaped shields, and miniguns that shoot fragmented skulls. Expect additional fantasy-inspired adversaries like ogres and dragons.
This game serves as a prequel to Doom (2016), featuring the same protagonist despite the historical gap. While it may not deliver outright scares, the electrifying combat combined with a diverse assortment of monstrous enemies firmly places it within the horror genre. Its projected release is sometime in 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with no specific date confirmed yet.
9 The Occultist Is A Reality-Bending Psychological Horror
DALOAR, TBA 2025
Created by debutant Spanish studio DALOAR and published by Daedalic Entertainment, The Occultist aims to redefine the psychological horror landscape. Players follow paranormal investigator Alan Rebels as he journeys to enigmatic GodStone island, searching for his long-missing father. Alan utilizes his Mystic Pendulum to peer into alternate realities, manipulating the environment to disrupt illusions and tackle puzzles.
While specifics on gameplay remain scarce at this stage, early glimpses suggest an intriguing blend of stealth and reality-bending puzzle mechanics. With its refreshing interpretation of survival horror, the game is anticipated for release in 2025 on PC, PS5, and Xbox.
8 Poppy Playtime 4 Continues The Indie Horror Saga
Mob Entertainment, January 2025
Continuing the tradition of its predecessors, Poppy Playtime 4 is slated for release in early 2025. Following the journey of a former employee within the abandoned Playtime Co. toy factory, players can expect spine-chilling audio design and intricate puzzles, all while evading sentient toys lurking throughout the environment.
Set to pick up from the previous chapter’s cliffhanger, the game releases in January 2025, most likely with the PC version premiering first, followed by console and mobile versions in subsequent months. Fans can expect a concrete date across platforms to be announced as the launch approaches.
7 Tenebris Somnia Blends 2D Terror With Live-Action
New Blood Interactive, TBA
New Blood Interactive’s upcoming project, Tenebris Somnia, draws inspiration from classic point-and-click horror games like Clock Tower while fusing it with live-action cutscenes that showcase innovative effects as presented in their trailers. The title hints at a unique narrative structure that juxtaposes dream and reality – although details on its gameplay mechanics remain under wraps.
With an anticipated announcement for its release date in 2025, this title is expected to launch as a PC exclusive, potentially followed by a Nintendo Switch version at a later stage.
6 Dark Fracture
Twisted II Studio, TBA 2025
Emerging from a promising demo demonstration in 2020, Dark Fracture has maintained a buzz for its unsettling atmosphere and vivid body horror elements. As a predominantly walking simulator, players navigate through an environment rife with horrors, solving puzzles along the way. Unconventional representations of body horror, such as writhing faces and bloodied appendages, create a sense of dread and complicate the otherworldly navigation of shifting walls.
Dark Fracture is set to launch in 2025, barring any setbacks, though it currently lacks a fixed release date. It may initially be a PC-exclusive title, with the possibility of diversifying across various platforms post-launch.
5 Cronos: The New Dawn Is Bloober Team’s Next Game
Bloober Team, TBA 2025
Building on the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober Team is now developing Cronos: The New Dawn, a unique horror narrative set against a backdrop of historical and futuristic elements. The story follows a protagonist navigating a world ravaged by an apocalyptic event called “The Change,”focusing on rescuing individuals from the past to assist in ensuring a viable future.
This game, deeply rooted in Polish history and culture, will also feature third-person shooter mechanics against mutated foes akin to those in Silent Hill 2. The anticipated release window for Cronos is targeted for 2025 across PC, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
4 Dying Light: The Beast Is A Classic Survival Horror Spinoff
Techland, Summer 2025
A cornerstone of the zombie survival horror genre, Dying Light returns to its roots with Dying Light: The Beast. Reintroducing original protagonist Kyle Crane, now imbued with zombie DNA enabling him to transform into a Volatile during his quest for revenge against a figure known as The Baron, Crane’s harrowing journey occurs 13 years post-original game.
Initially conceived as DLC for Dying Light 2, this title has evolved into a stand-alone game, promising a rich open-world experience with rooftop parkour, co-op play for up to four players, and an engaging day-night cycle affecting enemy difficulty. The release is anticipated for summer 2025 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
3 Little Nightmares 3 Brings Back A Platforming Horror Classic
Supermassive Games, TBA 2025
The Little Nightmares series, originally created by Tarsier Studios, returns with Little Nightmares 3. This series emphasizes puzzle-platforming without direct combat, requiring players to use stealth and creativity to survive. Despite initial fears of its discontinuation following Tarsier’s acquisition by Embracer Group, Bandai Namco has confirmed it will continue, entrusting development to Supermassive Games.
2 Directive 8020 Is The Next Game In The Dark Pictures Anthology
Supermassive Games, TBA 2025
The acclaimed Dark Pictures Anthology franchise continues with Directive 8020, developed by Supermassive Games and featuring the talents of Lashana Lynch as Brianna Young, the pilot of a crashed colony ship on a remote planet. Infused with elements of biological horror, Brianna faces off against an entity capable of shape-shifting, reminiscent of classic titles like The Thing and Alien.
Expected to retain the series’ trademark interactive storytelling, Directive 8020 is set for a 2025 release, with details on its launch yet to be unveiled, available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
1 Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Is Our Most Anticipated Horror Game Of 2025
The Chinese Room, TBA 2025
Setting a high bar for expectations, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, rooted in the classic tabletop RPG, has been eagerly awaited since its predecessor enthralled players in 2004. After enduring multiple development challenges, the game is currently targeted for a 2025 release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Plotting a narrative in contemporary Seattle, players will assume the role of a customizable vampire embroiled in a fierce power struggle among vampire clans, navigating the complexities of their dark world while concealing their identity from humans. The stakes are high, and being discovered brings dire implications. The years of anticipation have made Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 a top contender among horror game releases in 2025.
Sources: Daedalic Entertainment/YouTube, New Blood Interactive/YouTube, PlayStation/YouTube
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