I’m looking for examples of games that weren’t made to be scary but still manage to give players the creeps. You know those moments when you’re playing something totally innocent and suddenly feel genuinely unsettled or anxious? For me, it has to be games like Subnautica. Sure, it’s an ocean exploration and survival game, but something about diving deep into those dark waters with unknown creatures lurking below just fills me with dread. The vast emptiness and strange sounds make my heart race even though the developers probably didn’t intend it as a horror experience. What other games have given you unexpected chills when they weren’t supposed to be frightening at all?
Garry’s Mod catches me off guard when I’m just messing with props and the physics suddenly glitches out. Makes you jump even though you’re literally just playing with digital toys.
Sims games are way creepier than they should be. Your Sims will randomly start talking to themselves or just freeze and stare at nothing. It’s genuinely unsettling when they break from their normal routine and do weird stuff you never commanded. Those glitches hit different when it’s your virtual people acting possessed.
The caves in Minecraft can be really unsettling. You’re just trying to gather some resources and then suddenly there are these eerie sounds. It’s wild how a game focused on building can have those jump-scare moments.
No Man’s Sky gets weird when you’re alone on some distant planet and hear those strange ambient noises.
Stardew Valley gets genuinely creepy in the deeper mine levels with those shadow creatures.