At the beginning of each new year I like to take a look at the horror games we have to look forward to and thanks to the long awaited arrival of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, 2014 has a lot of horror games that are worth getting excited over. I’ve looked through the games that have been announced — I’m sure there are plenty waiting to be revealed later this year — and found some of the ones that I think need to be on your radar, if they aren’t already.

Read on for my list of the most anticipated horror games of 2014!





While we’re on the subject of upcoming games, here are 10 indie horror games you should have on your radar!



Routine

Routine looks like the type of game that I am only barely willing to play. Thankfully, Outlast thickened my skin a bit, so it may only be because of that that I’m able to endure what looks like a thoroughly frightening game. If finding your way through an abandoned Mars base while some nightmarish creature hunts you down — Routine carries elements of roguelikes, so you have no HUD and only one life — then this may be right up your alley. Me? There’s a good chance you’ll find me huddled in a wall vent somewhere, violently sobbing.

The Forest

If you’re unfamiliar with The Forest, all you really need to know about it is it’s one part Cannibal Holocaust, two parts The Descent. The premise is simple: you’ve been stranded on an unfamiliar island that’s brimming with cannibals that only come out at night. This gives you the day to prepare for their imminent arrival. If you fail, you die in one of the worst ways imaginable. If you succeed, dawn breaks and you get to do it all over again. Here’s a trailer.

The Evil Within

When I think of my most anticipated horror games, an overwhelming majority of them are being developed by indie studios, sometimes consisting of only one or two people. One of the major exceptions to that is The Evil Within, the next (and possibly last) horror game from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. I’ve covered it pretty thoroughly here, because while I’m hesitant to fall for its claims to reinvigorate survival horror — mostly because I think the genre is still very much alive, if only through indie horror — it does look pretty damn good.