Unlock the Shadows: Top 19 Horror Games to Play on Android in 2024

The world of Android gaming experiences has expanded and is chocked full of horror experiences. From blood-curling old-school titles to terrifying new creations, Android is home to a rich selection of horror games. While many horror genres will be discussed here, the focus of the list will be horror, adventure, and puzzle games.

THE SUPERNATURAL SEQUEL: OXENFREE 2

Oxenfree 2 is a masterpiece, further expanding the supernatural vistas opened up by the first game: a must-play for any long-time horror fan or newcomer to the atmospheric adventure, a classic of chill. Oxenfree 2 features no jump scares: the game relies on its excellent story and voicework rather than cheap scares but is nevertheless a fantastic way to get into the genre.

PUZZLING HORRORS: SAMSARA ROOM

Samsara Room is probably the best puzzle game when it comes to horror, marrying the brainside-of-your-head panic box with the more punchy, out-and-out terror you’d expect from a monster. There might only be a few seconds in which you’re not explicitly tasked with solving a particular puzzle, but, with a backdrop of mingled spookiness and anxious thought, every moment of every screen is a battle of wits and nerve. It’s a horror game that, at its best, is as entertaining as it is terrifying, and – if classics like Marble Hornets and Slenderman are anything to go by – that, more than anything else, should be the measure of a success for the genre.

VISUAL NOVELS AND SPOOKY TALES: PARANORMASIGHT

And, with Paranormasight, players are guided into the intense shadows of a world, inspired by the historic Seven Wonders of Honjo, where players make choices of moral significance in an experience that feels as classic as it does terrifying.

COOPERATIVE FRIGHTS: DEAD BY DAYLIGHT MOBILE

But in Dead by Daylight Mobile, traditional survival horror mingles with the power of modern mobile gaming, creating the potential for addictive terror that can only be mitigated by working as a team with real friends. It’s the best co-op horror experience of the year.

ATMOSPHERIC ADVENTURES: LIMBO

For such a stripped-down, abstract game, Limbo hides true horror within itself, in a way that makes it nuanced and edifying. Limbo is truly a classic, and that’s not going to change. Playing through Playdead’s creepy puzzle game, riddled with surprises and bursting from every pore with an atmosphere of dread, is one of those gaming experiences that stays with you through the years. This has earned the game a place among the best horror games on Android.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL JOURNEY: DISTRAINT

Distraint is a psychological horror adventure that is also a creeping self-examination Just because a game isn’t based around spooky-jump-scares doesn’t mean it won’t still terrify you, as any fan of horror fiction knows. Distraint is a good example of the type of narrative-driven scare that can be found within walking sims. Distraint, the first game by Jesse Makkonen and his studio, is a psychological horror adventure that is also a creeping self-examination. Overall, it plays quite similarly to classic horror from the past few decades – the kind with tension-driven atmosphere and methodical plot progression, without having to rely on jump scares.

ANIMATRONIC NIGHTMARES: FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S

No list of horror would complete without Five Nights at Freddy’s, a game that single-handedly brought a new wave of jump-scares and tension-filled core gameplay into the genre. Five Nights at Freddy’s is the epitome of simple horror – perfect, and terrifying.

MORE THAN A GAME: OXENFREE

And bringing us back to Oxenfree, whose 80’s horror movie inspirations are evident, but whose choice-based narrative gives these inspirations greater replayability, which makes it one of the must-play indie horror games for any fan of the genre.

CURIOUS DISCOVERIES: HELLO NEIGHBOR

Hello Neighbor sprinkles some spooky charm on the horror genre’s recipes, challenging the player to outthink a ‘realistic’ AI villain in a blocky little world meant for kids. It’s just one of the latest incarnations of a centuries-old genre that’s proven to be as endlessly inventive as it is terrifying.

A BLEND OF ERAS: BENDY AND THE INK MACHINE

With its vintage vibe married to modern gameplay, Bendy and the Ink Machine is a classic in the making – and thoroughly, wonderfully terrifying.

SUPERNATURAL BABYSITTING: THE BABY IN YELLOW

In The Baby In Yellow, there is a strong and powerful sense of horror on offer, from one of the great masters of the genre – all contained in a tiny, horrifically cute little parcel, accompanied by gameplay that is about as simple as it gets.

THE DARK REALITY: FRAN BOW

It’s this narrative richness – and the way in which Fran Bow’s psychological horror mines fragile, unmoored psychological states – that cements it as a gripping, poignant modern classic.

VARIOUS OTHER TITLES:

Eyes, The Walking Dead: Season One, Alien: Isolation and DOOM each fill a unique niche in the horror space on Android, delivering everything from grey-knuckle action to slow-burn terror.

- Happy Game and Little Nightmares confront the macabre by wrapping psychodramas in childlike play.

- The Secret Elevator Remastered, our final entry, links the two forms, marrying atmospheric adventure to first-person horror, demonstrating the genre’s broad appeal.

EXPLORING THE CLASSIC HORROR GENRE

Essentially, the canon of classic Android horror displays variety, from the psychological to the supernatural, and suggests that real horror blows past the jump scare to become a profound or even introspective experience. Crafted from singular narratives, controls and atmosphere, these titles show where horror-inspired videogame design has come from and what it still holds in store, wedding the traditional with the cutting-edge in order to create unforgettable and frightening experiences.

Whether you grew up on graphic adventures and vintage text adventures, or if you’re a newcomer to horror, Android makes it simple to revive the essence of classic horror games. Whether you’re reviving golden oldies or playing through them for the first time, we’re confident that classic horror lives on. As we move into the new frontiers of horror, it is certain that the spirit of old classics will not relent in their ability to immerse us in horror, terrify us, and captivate our imaginations. The very basis of good horror will continue to thrive across platforms and ages to deliver the kind of tales that keep us up at night.