Horror games have branched into multiple genres over the years, including survival, fantasy, sci-fi and even multiplayer titles. These games all manage to perfectly marry together their subgenre with layers of horror that will strike fear into the hearts of players, and the cosmic horror genre is no different.

Cosmic horror involves things that go beyond the limits of human imagination, such as the creatures and themes found in H.P. Lovecraft's writing that are described as incomprehensible to the human mind, but that hasn't stopped developers from trying to recreate them, and some to great success.

Updated April 21, 2024, by Mara Cowley: Cosmic horror games are one of the most popular genres, as evidenced by the amount of games that exist old and new, with more sure to come. They bring the maddening horror of Old Gods, eldritch abominations and questions such as what it truly means to be human, and what is their significance in the grand schemes of things. These games thrill and terrorize their players while challenging their views on the universe and humanity, making them unique and remarkable experiences. Many games have already been covered in this article, but many more still dwell in the shadows of anonymity. This article has been updated with a few more eldritch horror video games to bring their terror into the light.

11 Conarium

Transcending Human Consciousness

Lovecraftian horror often delves into what being human is really all about, and how we could possibly expand upon what we are, transcending to something greater and other-worldly. These themes are the core of the cosmic horror Conarium. Players are put in the shoes of Frank Gilman, one member of a small team of scientists working in the Antarctic, who awakens in a room with a strange device, and missing memories of how he got there and what happened to his colleagues.

As players explore Frank's surroundings to piece together the puzzle, strange events will occur that are as cosmic as they are horrifying, such as odd dreams or visions that could be Frank's missing memories. Though this concept for a video game is not unique by any means, it still delivers a scary experience that any Lovecraftian fan is sure to appreciate.

10 The Sinking City

Otherworldly Plagues

War veteran turned PI Charles Reed is tasked with discovering the source of nightmares that have begun plaguing a Professor based in Oakmont, who has met with others who share these horrifying visions. This leads him to enter The Sinking City, where the horrors begin.

The Sinking City is about as Lovecraftian as games get, featuring a Victorian town inhabited by many occult practitioners and infested with a plague that instills madness and hysteria. These are always core consequences of dabbling in dark arts dealing with otherworldly horrors. Featuring eldritch monsters and the famed Lovecraft city of Innsmouth, The Sinking City is a quintessential title for any cosmic horror fan.

9 Moons of Madness

Eldritch Horror Takes Off Into Space

• Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Released: October 22nd, 2019
• Genre(s): Adventure
• Developer(s): Rock Pocket Games, Dreamloop Games

Most cosmic horror games remain grounded on earth, taking players to eerie cities, decrepit buildings and ancient crumbling temples where cultists can raise eldritch deities. But, this is where Moons of Madness separates itself from the rest of the crop, breathing a refreshing new breath of life into the genre by taking it into space.

Space, with all its great vastness and emptiness, makes it ripe for a horror setting, which Moons of Madness takes full advantage of. Set on Mars after a mysterious signal of intelligent origin is discovered, players will explore the planet while being unaware of what they might be sharing the desolate planet with, until their sanity falls apart at the seams. Terrifying monsters and vivid hallucinations will plague their time on the planet, and test the limits of their courage.

8 Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened

Combines the Legendary Detective and Lovecraftian Horror

• Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
• Released: April 11th, 2023
• Genre(s): Adventure
• Developer(s): Frogwares

Originally released in 2007, the 2023 remake of The Awakened retells the story as Sherlock Holmes grapples with cosmic horror and madness as he searches for a young manservant that has gone missing. Holmes's search takes him to some peculiar places such as a mental institute in Switzerland, New Orleans, and a lighthouse in Scotland. With the power of a new engine, more atmosphere and eeriness has graced these locations.

The mash-up between Sir Conan Doyle and Lovecraft is a strange one, and yet it works. The Victorian setting is the perfect fit for both, and who better to uncover and bust the cult of Cthulhu than the best detective ever to grace the pages of novels?

7 Call of Cthulhu

Based on the Pen and Paper RPG

Toted as the official Call of Cthulhu game based on the TTRPG of the same name, this game is about as Lovecraftian as they come. It follows the tale of Edward Pierce, a detective who has turned to sleeping pills and the bottom of bottles to escape from the nightmares plaguing his sleep. He is soon contacted by someone to look into a mysterious death in Darkwater, where there is only a painting left as a clue.

Things take a sinister turn in Darkwater, involving a cult that worships a God not of this world -Cthulhu. The goal of the cult is to bring him into the world, and the player's choices will impact what kind of ending they get. Either way, Call of Cthulhu is filled to the brim with cosmic goodness (or badness) wherever players turn.

6 Amnesia The Dark Descent

The Shadow That Lurks

For a game that is more subtle with its cosmic associations, Frictional Games' breakout hit Amnesia The Dark Descent fits the bill perfectly. Players control the main protagonist, Daniel, who awakens in Castle Brennenburg with self-induced amnesia. He begins to piece the puzzle together as he explores the castle, slowly regaining his memories all the while evading the hostile monsters that roam the halls.

The threat of the Shadow is the cosmic influence at the crux of the game, a mysterious red tissue that is said to break down reality, guarding a mysterious orb that was uncovered on an expedition in the desert. Not much is known about the Shadow, but it is a real, living threat that is not of this world.

5 Dredge

Encounter Strange Creatures at Sea

There's nothing quite as relaxing as fishing in video games. The ability to partake in the calming past-time from the comfort of one's home is truly a rare treat to help decompress after a long day...unless the game in question is Dredge, of course.

This game takes soothing fishing gameplay and places it within a cosmic horror context in which the fisherman the player controls finds more than just salmon during his fishing adventures, encountering increasingly startling creatures that are Lovecraftian in nature. With these horrors at the center of this title, along with the ability to explore the map, trade items, and upgrade the boat, there is a lot more than scares in this indie horror title.

4 Dreams In The Witch House

Based on a Lovecraft Story

Sharing a name with one of H.P. Lovecraft's stories, Dreams in the Witch House is a point-and-click horror title with some RPG elements such as inventory management and character stats, one of the main stats being sanity that players must try to keep unscathed as much as possible.

Beltane is fast approaching and Walter must do his best to prepare for it, and players get to decide on how to do so. Staying in an old boarding house surrounded by rumors, Walter finds himself plagued by nightmares and must find a way to keep his sanity intact lest he lose his life and his soul to the cosmic machinations at work.

3 Darkwood

Mysterious Forces Twist People Into Abominations

Darkwood is one of the best survival horror games of recent years, combining survival gameplay with a horror setting that could be plucked from the pages of a Lovecraft book. A mysterious forest has appeared in the Soviet bloc, overtaking acres of land with no signs of stopping. If that isn't cosmic horror enough, those trapped in the forest don't remain the same, twisting into monstrous abominations.

Players need to make the most of their daylight hours preparing for nightfall, which is when the horrors arrive. It is certainly not a typical cosmic horror game, dabbling in a completely different genre of horror, but this makes it the perfect choice for fans looking for a more unique experience.

2 Bloodborne

Eldritch Monsters Galore

This entry in FromSoftware's library of brutally difficult action RPGs introduced elements of horror, specifically cosmic horror, into its franchise. Playing as a Hunter, players travel through the plague-riddled Yharnam, a gothic, Victorian-style city that definitely fits into any Lovecraftian story. A sickness ravages the city that turns victims into wolf-like creatures, but there are far more horrifying creatures lying in wait.

Tentacled monstrosities and creatures that defy all logic and understanding, Bloodborne is home to many eldritch monstrosities that serve to make this FromSoftware game delightfully horrifying.

1 World of Horror

Dark Rituals and Old Gods

Inspired by works by the likes of Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft, World of Horror is a very intriguing and unique cosmic horror game. It offers roguelike gameplay along with a world of unique and horrifying terror, incorporating puzzles, turn-based combat, and exploration across a pixelated black-and-white world.

World of Horror incorporates not only figures from Japanese mythology such as the Slit-Mouth Woman, as well as elements from cosmic horror such as dark rituals to bring about old gods, creatures that appear to be from another world, and the end of the world of humanity. These ingredients all combine into a recipe of unforgettable Lovecraftian horror that will have layers coming back for more, and since no one playthrough is the same, there is endless replayability.