#10 Half-Life: Alyx - 2020 (Microsoft Windows)

Revisit the universe of Half-Life as Alyx Vance.

The most recent entry in the long-standing beloved series, Half-Life: Alyx allows players to play as the fan-favorite character, Alyx Vance. Players must journey through the dangerous Quarantine Zone in a bid to discover the Combine’s secret weapon. Players must solve numerous puzzles while evading Combine troops and fighting off a host of bizarre yet deadly alien creatures. 

Choose this game if you like:

• The Half-Life series and are craving for news about a third game. Sorry folks, Valve still can’t count to 3.
• Exploring ruined buildings and solving all sorts of quirky and fun puzzles.
• Experiencing a first-person shooter through VR.

Face off against the forces of the oppressive Combine but be warned – they’re not the only ones after your head.

#9 Observer - 2020 (Microsoft Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S & X)

Peer into the criminal mind as you unravel a chilling mystery.

To track a criminal, you need to think like a criminal. Observer allows players to inhabit the role of a detective in a cyberpunk, crime-riddled world. Your character possesses the ability to “hack” into the brains of other people and revisit their memories as you search for clues regarding an elusive killer.

Choose this game if you like:

• Exploring the dingy alleyways and shady establishments of a cyberpunk world.
• A neo-noir mystery with a sci-fi and psychological horror edge.
• Experiencing the lives and experiences of other people as you unravel a deadly mystery. 

Make your way through the underbelly of a dystopian world in search of answers.

#8 SOMA - 2020 (Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, Xbox One)

Explore the remnants of an underwater facility as you piece together the truth behind all of this.

Isolation has never felt so – terrifying. Players take on the role of an unwitting man as he finds his consciousness transported into someone else’s body – trapped inside a decrepit underwater research facility that houses the last remaining members of humanity. Players must uncover the mystery behind the downfall of humanity’s last bastion while avoiding the monsters that have replaced the inhabitants.

Choose this game if you like:

• Walking around a derelict underwater facility while piecing together answers to a burning mystery.
• Experiencing a dread-inducing walking simulator that will have you fearing every noise you hear.
• A sci-fi horror experience that touches upon themes concerning one’s identity and their own humanity.

Experience an eerie yet enthralling story about identity and one’s own humanity.

#7 Metro 2033 - 2010 (Microsoft Windows, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, OS X, Linux)

Explore the ruined metro tunnels of a ravaged Moscow as you fend off the horribly mutated creatures of the dark. 

The world above ground is no more, only the Metro remains. Total nuclear devastation has finally happened, and humanity has retreated into the underground metro tunnels of Moscow. Join Artyom as he ventures into the darkest and most dangerous parts of the Metro while uncovering the secrets behind an elusive race of creatures that may or may not threaten humanity’s existence.

Choose this game if you like:

• A hardcore shooter with scary and pulse-pounding encounters.
• Exploring the downtrodden and strangely mystical world of a ruined Moscow.
• Dispatching horribly mutated monsters and bandits that are just as nasty as the mutants.

Witness the aftermath of the end of the world. 

#6 S.C.P – Containment Breach - 2012 (Microsoft Windows)

If you think one monster is bad, then wait till you see an entire facility filled with them.

Congratulations. You just got a new lease on life. All you have to do is escape a facility filled with all sorts of nightmarish horrors, and you’re home free. You will take on the role of an unnamed test subject who must survive the S.C.P facility. Along the way, you’ll meet the not so pleasant residents of the facility and the guards, who are a little too eager to show you their gun.

Choose this game if you like:

• The S.C.P creepypastas and associated lore.
• Evading all sorts of monsters and armed soldiers as you make your escape.
• Exploring a large and procedurally generated facility with all sorts of secrets to uncover.

Run or hide, they will all find you.

#5 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl - 2007 (Microsoft Windows)

Journey into a dangerous yet captivating place known only as the Zone.

Welcome to the Zone, where you will find all sorts of personalities, treasures beyond your wildest dreams, and spine-chilling tales of man-eating monsters. Players will step into the shoes of the amnesiac Marked One, as he ventures deeper into the Zone while piecing together his memories. Players can fully explore and admire the eerie charm of the Zone in all its irradiated glory. Take caution, as not everyone is keen to meet you, and not every building is as empty as it seems.

Choose this game if you like:

• Exploring a desolate yet strangely beautiful area.
• Looting abandoned buildings and facilities in search of all sorts of wondrous and terrifying Anomalies.
• Pissing off the wildlife and mutated monstrosities of the Zone.

Adventure, riches, and unimaginable horrors can all be found within the Zone. 

#4 Resident Evil 7 - 2017 (Microsoft Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch)

Explore the Baker family residence and piece together the mystery behind your wife’s disappearance.

Resident Evil makes a triumphant return to its survival horror roots. Players will take on the role of series newcomer Ethan Winters as he travels to a backwater mansion in search of his wife. The series adopts a first person POV, immersing the player in the dingy and haunting atmosphere as they defend themselves from the deranged inhabitants of the mansion while managing scarce resources.

Choose this game if you like:

• Exploring old and decrepit mansions while evading its residents, who are not too keen to show their hospitality.
• The Resident Evil games and are dying for its much-anticipated return to form.
• A survival-horror immersive sim that will completely engross and terrify you.

Better save up your ammo unless you want to be someone’s dinner. 

#3 Dead Space - 2008 (Microsoft Windows, PS3, Xbox 360)

Venture into the unknown and face all sorts of nightmarish creatures.

A modern-day survival horror classic, Dead Space puts players in the shoes of Isaac Clarke, an engineer who must search for his missing girlfriend inside a massive ship overrun by literal nightmare fuel. The game makes excellent use of inventory management and strategic combat encounters to keep the player on their feet. The dingy and spine-chilling atmosphere ramps up the scares to new heights.

Choose this game if you like:

• Exploring a starship in search of your missing girlfriend, all the while scrounging for resources.
• An engrossing, mysterious story that involves cults, alien artifacts, and tons of body horror that will make you say “Nope.”
• A thrilling gameplay mechanic that forces you to play smart and use your resources wisely. 

Keep that Plasma Cutter handy, you never know when something might come out from shadows. 

#2 Bioshock – 2007 (iOS, Nintendo Switch, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows)

Would you kindly visit Rapture and experience its beauty and its horrors.

Explore the mystifying and macabre city of Rapture as you search for answers behind its tragic downfall. Bioshock places an unwitting protagonist in the underwater dystopian city of Rapture, where they must escape while uncovering the truth behind Rapture’s history. Players will encounter shady characters with equally shady motivations while battling the deranged denizens of Rapture. If you think the Splicers are bad, wait till you meet the Big Daddies and their little Sisters.

Choose this game if you like:

• Exploring the morbidly beautiful locales of Rapture inspired by Art Deco aesthetic.
• Playing with all sorts of powers and weapons as you deal with crazed lunatics and destructive behemoths in diving suits.
• A game with exhilarating action and story that explores heavy themes regarding choice and destiny.

A man chooses; a slave obeys. Which are you?

#1 Alien Isolation – 2014 (Android, iOS, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux)

In space, no one can hear you scream – except your neighbors.

Relive the horror of the Ridley Scott classic like never before. Alien: Isolation places players in the shoes of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley herself, as she searches for answers regarding her mother’s disappearance. Amanda would soon discover – or meet – the creature behind the mystery. Players must traverse through Sevastopol Station as they uncover the truth, all the while avoiding the elusive Alien that stalks from the shadows.

Choose this game if you like:

• Experiencing the horror of being stalked by the nigh unstoppable Alien.
• Playing a deadly game of hide and seek against a deadly creature that will relentlessly pursue you.
• Playing a horror game that provides you with the freedom to choose how to survive. Will you cower in fear and hide? Or will you fight back and outwit the Alien.

There’s only one thing you can do to survive: run or hide.

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