The Samsung GearVR has been out for a little over a year now, and the content thus far has been staggeringly impressive. Between the great visual artistry by teams such as Felix & Paul and all the way to Unimersiv and their exciting new way of challenging the status quo of educational experiences, it would seem that the ever-flowing stream of content shows no sign of pause. It has been the first portable headset to really show us just how powerful virtual reality is. Its immersion is an incredible introduction to the concept of VR, but to really make the most of it – you’ll need an immersive genre to explore. A genre, and type of content that is calibrated specifically for that.

If there is one genre, that historically has been among the very first to adapt to any new innovation of that kind of technology, surely it is horror. Horror is the most immersive genre by far, and can, with very limited means provoke a reaction that no other genre can hope to even come close to. Just think back of how your first few experiences with scary movies, and how they affected your way of thinking for days onward.

The greatest trait held by horror, is its ability to manifest an honest, fearful suspense, leaving you in an adamant state of awareness. This feeling of being at the edge of your seat in unrest, is why you find many newcomers to the genre, needing the aid of a trusty pillow or close friends, if they are to participate. There’s a genuine fear of the unknown there, and willfully exploring that emotion is what horror is all about.

“Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there’s little fun to be had in explanations; they’re antithetical to the poetry of fear.” – Stephen King

The immersion found in horror-based content has been honed like fine craftsmanship for decades, by horror-legends such as Stephen King, William Friedkin and Alfred Hitchcock.

I don’t know about you, but there’s just something incredible about any form of art that will leave your subconscious mind influenced so late after-the-fact. This is where the prime examples of VR-based horror can find some common ground with works of contemporary art, great books, and sonnets of Shakespeare. Each serve the role of letting you escape for a while, diving into their world and immersing yourself in their moving stories.

Today, we have ten stories for you, each of which can be experienced as games if you have yourself a Samsung GearVR headset. There’s a mixed bag of free and premium content in here, so it doesn’t really matter whether or not you plan on throwing any money after this project today – you’ll find something interesting either way. Without further ado, let’s get to it!

Affected – The Manor

Affected – The Manor is one of the most iconic horror games to ever surface the Oculus store, and to this day it has packed more than 150 million YouTube hits. It’s not a particular lengthy game, but it certainly does everything it sets out to. During the game, you’re to explore the nooks and crannies of a haunted manor with the help of nothing more than the casual illumination offered by your faithful flashlight. The game packs a whopping four alternate endings based on how you have played the game. What this means is that it won’t be the same experience, and a download of Affected means an app that can be taken out for a re-run every now and then.

WARNING: This experience uses Jump Scares! You have been warned!

Price: $2.99

Genre: Exploration, Horror

Developer: Fallen Planet Studios

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Dreadhalls

Dreadhalls is one of those Samsung GearVR apps which prove that a good horror experience doesn’t always need a compelling story line. The concept of Dreadshalls is quite simple. You wake up, trapped inside a terrifying dungeon far beneath the surface of the earth and you are not alone here. Not by a long shot. Make your way out, by any means necessary – find a way to escape! Dreadhalls has been freaking people out ever since its debut in 2013. That’s right – this VR veteran celebrates a 4-year anniversary this year, and is still as surprisingly terrifying as when we tried it out for the first time.

Price: $9.99

Genre: Exploration, Horror

Developer: White Door Games

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Allison’s Diary – The Hospital

Allison’s Diary is a horror games that takes place in as iconic a location genre-wise as can possibly be conjured up by any of the old horror legends – a haunted, psychiatric hospital. In 1956, a nine year old child lost her life at the reputable psychiatric hospital of Santa Benedetta Matiree. During her days at the hospital, a diary was kept secret, which preserved the true story about what really went on inside the hospital. It would come to pass later on, that the hospital shut down, leaving it standing as a frightening and grotesque mockery of what it once was. Your mission, is to venture into the mysterious corridors of the once pristine halls of the hospital, and uncover the truth about Allison and what happened to her. Equipped with nothing but a single source of light, you will be thoroughly terrified if you have the mental fortitude to keep going, resisting the urge to toss your Samsung GearVR to the floor with a high-pitched shriek!

Price: $2.99

Genre: Exploration, Horror

Developer: StarConsult S.r.L

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The Purge Day

The Purge Day is a horror-based shooter that sets the theme in the middle of an Asian agglomeration. Picture Tokyo, Shanghai or Beijing. The story is simple enough to grasp, and you’re off to a quick start. You wake up one day, and find out that civilization is on the precipice of being wiped out by an Alien invasion, and you are on a mission to survive the mayhem inhabiting the city in a desperate search of your wife. The suspenseful story at play is an intriguing one, and it’s great to see a game with a bit more live action involved. This is a bold move, but it’s quite well made and if you have any place in your heart for franchises like The Walking Dead or FEAR, you might want to pick up a copy of this one too.

Price: $2.99

Genre: Shooter, Horror

Developer: Red Limb Studio

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Corridor of Doom

Corridor of Doom is going to take you on a journey back to the 1930’s, and give you a chance to experience the old giants of traditional horror. Take your first few steps inside an embalming house, and pay close attention to your breathing, which will likely become at least a little bit irregular and exhausted, as you will be on the edge of your nerves from start to finish. There’s suspense here, there’s jump-scares, and narration from the legendary Boris Karloff who gave life to many a horror movie back in the day.

Price: $3.99

Genre: Exploration, Horror

Developer: Pixelwave

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Face Your Fears (Editorial favorite)

Face Your Fears is a game that presents you with several scary scenarios that you can interact with, and try your luck against. It doesn’t really matter what type of horror you’re into because Face Your Fears has a little something for every pallet. Whether you’re horrified by the ideas of birds in a very Hitchcock manner, or you’re more of a paranormal activity kind of person, you’ll find your preference represented. The content you can explore is one of the following applications (visually represented as “doors”):

Door #1 (Heights)

Door #2 (Child’s Nightmares – ghosts etc.)

Hissteria (Snakes)

Fowl Play (Birds)

Creepy Crawlies (Spiders)

We can’t believe this one is free, it’s incredibly well made and meets all of the requirements of a truly premium piece of content. The game is built by Turtle Rock Studios, and published by the very team at Oculus. Go on, pick up your headphones and take it for a spin. What could possibly go wrong?

Price: Free

Genre: Exploration, Horror

Developer: Turtle Rock Studios

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Mummy Hunter

Mummy Hunter takes the basic survival-shooter premise from the Walking Dead and applies it to the ancient awe of the pyramids and mysterious Egyptian mystique. Explore a mighty pyramid and uncover its secrets, as you fight your way through a horde of legendary creatures, out for blood. Pick up arms, defend yourself and survive the swarm of murderous mummies. Also, did you see that massive spider over there? As a matter of visual quality, we’re significantly impressed with its gorgeous textures and cinematic feel.

Price: $2.99

Genre: Shooter, Horror

Developer: VRDreams

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Allison’s Diary – The Cathedral

Allison’s Diary continues as we take the story of Allison to the next chapter. If you’ve already played chapter one, you know what terrible fate befell her parents. In this following chapter, you’re going to be uncovering more questions about the mysterious fate of Allison, and the endless wave of reporters who have turned up missing after investigating her story. Your chase takes you all the way to the sacred cathedral of Saint Andrea, where something terrifying is waiting for you, if you are brave enough to keep your Samsung GearVR up and running without quitting mid-way (as we may, or may not have done!). To those of you who thought you could finally rest easy, knowing that you had conquered Allison’s Diary, think again!

Price: $3.99

Genre: Exploration, Horror

Developer: StarConsult S.r.L

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Play With Me

Play With Me is one of those spine-tingling experiences that manages to pull of something pretty incredible with just a few house rules. Built by developer students, this experience feels nothing like anything even remotely near what you could expect from devs at code school. Play With Me puts you in the shoes of a victim, finding yourself playing a game with a demonic entity that has taken up residence within your home. The premise of the game is quite simple – search your home for a handful of objects, utilizing them as a mechanism and tools for your escape. Don’t worry – the entity in your home won’t harm you… Unless you look it in the eyes.

Price: Free

Genre: Casual, Exploration, Horror

Developer: C6H8O7

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Sammy in VR

Sammy in VR is a very recent VR thriller, that has made a lot of talk over the past few weeks. In the game you get to experience and conduct a real-life seance with the other side, as you try to find out what’s up with the bad history of this house you’re in. Strange rumors of murders and death has started to circulate, and you need to find out what it has been all about. Sammy brings with it several seperate story lines, each with their own intriguing ending. We do not recommend that you take Sammy for a whirl unless you really don’t mind an extra dose of adrenaline. If that’s not a problem though, go fetch that Samsung GearVR and take your place at the spirit board.

Price: Free

Genre: Narrative, Horror

Developer: Alawar Entertainment, Inc.

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Summary: Top 10 Best VR Horror Games for the Samsung GearVR 2020

With that, we reach the end of today’s list of the Top 10 Best VR Horror Games for the Samsung GearVR 2020. Did you spot something, somewhere out there in the dark, just as you were closing your eyes, heading off to bed? or was that glimpse just a figment of your imagination, hyped over that VR horror game you just tried out the other day?

We hope you’ve enjoyed it, and that you have found, at least some inspiration to allocate a small portion of your storage space for a horror folder. If you have any ideas, suggestions or updates as to what we could do to make this post even more informative and exciting than it already is, please let us know in the comments section below.