The horror the genre often confines players to claustrophobic corridors or set linear paths, but there has always been a crossover into more open spaces. Offering a much wider area to play in makes each stage even more intense, as the scares are harder to predict and players have far more options as to where to go.
With bigger environments come bigger visions, and there are many developers working hard to release ambitious horror games that defy convention by sending players into large open world cities, underwater wrecks and even entire galaxies. These larger worlds come with even bigger threats that loom over the player and make them feel even smaller in an already expansive world.
HAUNTED SPACE
Cosmic horrors on a galactic scale
- Release date: Coming soon
- Developer: Italian Games Factory
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, macOS
HAUNTED SPACE takes the concept of space exploration and inundates it with horror and horror on a scale never seen before. Players venture between star systems and planets, encountering mind-bending mysteries and massive creatures that make moons look small by comparison.
The game has a strong focus on creating an authentic flight simulator that players can feel immersed in, while providing enough tools to make it accessible to everyone. Once players have navigated their way to one of the many terrifying horrors that fill the world, they can battle them head-on in intense dogfights, all in a horrific universe with no end in sight.
Project: Mist
A dark mist hides horrors beyond comprehension
- Release date: Q4 2025
- Developer: Chicken Launcher
- Platforms: PC
Project: Mist is a bleak open-world survival game that places players on an eerie island shrouded in fog, with more than a few monsters hiding just out of sight. Players will need to gear up quickly to defend themselves against the many enemies lurking in the mist, as one minute they'll feel safe, and the next they'll be battling flying creatures and giant abominations.
What makes the game so terrifying is how it plays with imagery and perception. The fog obscures much of the island, meaning simple structures in the distance can look like monstrous threats waiting to attack. This constant loop of tension makes every step into the wilderness feel like a constant battle against stress, forcing players to dig deeper just to survive.
After hell freezes over
To survive in a barren, frozen wilderness
- Release date: 2026
- Developer: Deathless games
- Platforms: PC
After hell freezes over is a terrifying nightmare from which there seems to be no escape. The game's frozen wasteland is almost devoid of any life or civilization, but players must find what they can to survive and push on, all while avoiding the terrifying creatures that stalk them from the shadows.
The world itself may seem empty at first, but there are so many interesting landmarks and curious places to discover along the way. Because the environment is so punishing and terrifying, even once players have grasped the basics, they'll never really feel comfortable exploring it, no matter how many times they've died.
Full Fathom
Thalassophobia overload
- Release date: 2025
- Developer: DÆMON House
- Platforms: PC
Full Fathom is the embodiment of every sea-based fear in a single title. Where games like Iron lung trapping players in a small capsule, here they can leave their ship and explore their surroundings, while managing their resources and repairing the ship from damage and decay.
Everything about the mechanics and feel of the game is authentic and immersive, with simple controls such as ship movements attached to physical buttons and screens. The real horror comes from the need to explore, as players can't just sit on the sidelines and sail through the waves. Instead, they must venture into the misty unknown and hopefully make it back alive with the supplies they need.
Subnautica 2
Nightmarish creatures beneath the waves
Subnautica 2 is the sequel to one of the most popular survival games ever made. It's a new world with a new story to discover, and this time players can choose to face the underwater horror alone or with a friend, opening the door for even more mayhem and the potential for some pretty intense moments along the way.
Base building is still central to the experience, but players are still encouraged to explore as much as possible, delving deeper into the darkness in hopes of uncovering valuable resources to help them progress. The lack of clear direction and the openness of the world gives each journey an extra sense of uncertainty, raising the level of fear and ensuring that players never feel safe at any point.
Quite a Ride
Cycle into the unknown
- Release date: To be announced
- Developer: Goodwin Games
- Platforms: PC
Quite a ride is an incredibly unique open-world horror game that swaps on-foot exploration for a faster-paced bike adventure. Players trudge through a barren landscape filled with cryptic messages and dilapidated buildings, all while saving battery and avoiding the various horrors that await them in the fog.
The game has an eerie beauty that makes it feel both alluring and terrifying at the same time. In this case, the scares are much more psychological and focused on disturbing the player over time rather than overwhelming them with jump scares, which fits perfectly with the open world that makes a playthrough feel more like a slow burn than a rush to the finish line.
Nowhere
Mixes mythology with detective work
Nowhere is a mystery game mixed with a horror story about the Nordic gods in the aftermath of Ragnarök. The game leans heavily towards realism, both in its world and its gameplay, with players slowly painting a picture of the world around them as they venture into the misty forest.
Placing players in a detective's shoes frames the story as more of a journey to understand the past than a story about the present. The horror elements also develop more gradually, mainly consisting of a slow build of tension as opposed to jump scares, where the world does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to heightening the player's fear.
Whistle Willie
Classic cartoon meets survival horror
- Release date: Coming soon
- Developer: Go Go Galago Games I/S, KasperDev, CANCAT Games
- Platforms: PC, Linux
Whistle Willie is a game that benefits from public domain status Steamboat Williewith the character as the starting point for a horror-filled adventure across the seas. The game presents itself as a mix of nautical survival and on-foot exploration, as players sail between islands, uncovering secrets and avoiding Willie's self-inflicted attacks.
It has some light survival elements that require players to fish and scavenge for resources to continue progressing, and there are quite a few interesting NPCs to help them in their quest to rid the world of evil. For fans of a more old-school aesthetic, it's the perfect mix of survival horror and open-world exploration that requires constant attention and a lot of courage to succeed.
