Horror is a timeless genre and nearly every platform has some great titles to scare its players. The same applies to Nintendo Switch, and while thishandheld console’s hardware may not be powerful enough to play modern horror titles like Silent Hill 2 and Alan Wake 2 unless it’s through the cloud, there are some great options on the console that players can jump into when they’re looking for a scare.
10 Best Horror Game Remakes, Remasters
From Resident Evil 2 to Alan Wake Remastered, these horror remakes and remasters are the best you will ever find.
While it’s true that most of the games on the Nintendo Switch are ports of older titles, every single one of these games is a must-play.
10Dying Light Platinum Edition
The Rooftops Aren’t Safe Either
Dying Light
A city overrun by the undead is already terrifying, but when the infected evolve into relentless night-stalking predators, survival takes on a new level of desperation. Dying Light: Platinum Edition drops players into the heart of Harran, a quarantined metropolis teeming with zombies, where parkour is the only thing keeping the living from becoming the dead. The game’s dynamic day-night cycle shifts from tense scavenging missions under the sun to pure horror when the Volatiles emerge after dark, forcing players to either run, hide, or fight with limited supplies.
Despite being a massiveopen-worldgame, Dying Light runs impressively well on the Switch, with all major DLCs included in the Platinum Edition. Whether it’s using makeshift weapons to carve through hordes or desperately sprinting across rooftops to escape a pack of hungry monsters, the game’s unpredictability ensures that no two encounters feel the same. And when night falls, even the most confident players will be gripping their Joy-Cons a little tighter.
9Resident Evil Origins Collection
The Mansion That Defined Survival Horror
Resident Evil
Before Resident Evil became synonymous with action-packed horror, it was a slow-burning nightmare filled with limited resources, fixed camera angles, and locked doors hiding unspeakable horrors. The Resident Evil Origins Collection brings the earliest nightmares to the Switch, bundling Resident Evil 0 and the remake of the original Resident Evil, both of which helped define survival horror as a genre.
10 Classic Horror Games from the 2000s
Here are some of the best horror games from the 2000s.
The eerie Spencer Mansion is just as haunting as ever, with its dimly lit hallways, echoing footsteps, and grotesque creatures lurking in the shadows. With the addition of a modern control scheme for movement on top of the legacy tank controls, this collection is the perfect way to experience the roots of the survival horror genre on the go.
8Detention
Ghosts Don’t Need Jumpscares to Terrify
Unlike mosthorror gamesthat rely on monsters or sudden frights, Detention is a slow descent into psychological horror, where the real terror comes from a blend of Taiwanese folklore, political oppression, and a lingering sense of dread. Set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law, the game follows a student trapped in an abandoned school filled with supernatural entities, blending Silent Hill-style otherworldly horror with real historical trauma.
The oppressive atmosphere is enhanced by its haunting 2D art style and unsettling music, while the game’s ghostly enemies, which are reminiscent of traditional East Asian spirits, are more terrifying than they have any right to be. There are no weapons, and no means to fight back; only avoidance, puzzle-solving, and unraveling the tragic story behind the protagonist’s descent into madness. Detention proves that horror isn’t just about things that go bump in the night, it’s also about the things that linger in the mind long after the game is over.
7Layers of Fear: Legacy
A Canvas of Madness
Layers of Fear
A mansion filled with shifting hallways, whispering voices, and paintings that morph into grotesque horrors; Layers of Fear: Legacy turns psychological terror into an art form, quite literally. Playing as a tortured artist losing his grip on reality, the game forces players through a constantly changing house where reality bends and nightmares bleed into every corner.
Every door opened leads to something worse, every turn down a hallway reveals a scene more disturbing than the last. Unlike traditional horror games, Layers of Fear doesn’t rely on enemies or combat but instead makes the environment itself the antagonist. The story, inspired by real-life artistic obsession and mental deterioration, keeps players questioning what’s real and what’s just another brushstroke on a haunted canvas. The Switch version retains the game’s eerie detail while allowing horror on the go.
6Alan Wake Remastered
The Dark Presence Never Left
Alan Wake Remastered
A psychological horror classic with echoes of Stephen King and Twin Peaks, Alan Wake Remastered follows a writer whose own stories are coming to life in the worst way possible. Trapped in the eerie town of Bright Falls, Alan must fight off shadowy figures known as the Taken, using only a flashlight and whatever limited weapons he can scavenge.
The game’s signature light-based combat makes for tense encounters, as players must burn away the darkness shielding enemies before taking them down. The fog-drenched forests, flickering streetlights, and an omnipresent feeling of being watched ensure that Bright Falls is as unnerving as any haunted town in gaming. The Switch version may not be the most visually polished, but the eerie atmosphere and gripping story remain as strong as ever.
Every Choice Feels Like A Death Sentence
The Walking Dead
Few games capture the sheer hopelessness of a zombie apocalypse like Telltale’s The Walking Dead. More than just a horror game, it’sgut-wrenching taleof trust, betrayal, and making impossible decisions in a world where no choice is ever the right one.
With limited resources and constantly looming danger, players control Lee Everett as he tries to protect Clementine, a young girl caught in the middle of a world gone to hell. Every conversation, every action, and every moment of hesitation can mean life or death for those around him. While the game doesn’t rely on traditional horror mechanics, the emotional weight of its story, combined with the ever-present danger of the undead, makes it one of the most unforgettable horror experiences on the Switch.
4Little Nightmares 2
The Horrors of Childhood
Little Nightmares II
A world that feels like it was stitched together from the worst childhood fears, Little Nightmares 2 turns the familiar into the grotesque. Players control Mono, a boy navigating a nightmarish landscape filled with grotesque adults, including a monstrous teacher with an elastic neck and a hunter who stalks through the woods with a shotgun.
The game’s horror isn’t just in its unsettling enemies but in its constant sense of vulnerability. There’s no fighting back, only running, hiding, and hoping that Mono and his companion, Six, can survive the twisted world around them. The oppressive sound design, eerie visuals, and moments of pure panic make it a horror experience that lingers even after the credits roll.
3Amnesia: Collection
A Hallway With No Escape
Amnesia The Dark Descent
Long before Resident Evil 7 and Outlast popularized first-person horror, Amnesia: The Dark Descent was already making players fear the dark like never before. The Amnesia: Collection bundles The Dark Descent, Justine, and A Machine for Pigs, each offering its own brand of psychological terror.
With no weapons, minimal lighting, and an ever-dwindling sanity meter, the game forces players to hide from unseen horrors while solving cryptic puzzles. The game’s horror is at its best when it lets the player’s imagination do most of the work: faint whispers in the distance, shadowy figures that disappear when looked at directly, and a creeping sense of helplessness that makes every moment agonizing.
2Outlast: Bundle of Terror
Found Footage Horror, But You’re Living It
A camcorder with night vision is the only thing separating players from complete darkness in Outlast, a game that throws them into a derelict asylum filled with deranged patients, grotesque experiments, and an overwhelming sense of dread. The Bundle of Terror includes both the original game and its prequel DLC, Whistleblower, which delves even deeper into the horrors lurking within Mount Massive Asylum.
Similar to Amnesia, players have no means to fight back, and survival depends entirely on running, hiding, and praying that whatever is chasing the player loses interest. The game’s intense chases and disturbing imagery make it one of the most terrifying experiences on the Switch, turning every hallway into a gauntlet of potential nightmares.
1Alien: Isolation
In Space, No One Can Hear You Cry
Alien: Isolation
One Xenomorph, a massive space station, and nowhere to hide. If that sounds like a good weekend to you, Alien: Isolation is the perfect pick. This game is survival horror at its most relentless, proving that sometimes, one enemy is all it takes to make a game terrifying. The Xenomorph adapts to the player’s actions, learning from past encounters, making every moment a battle against an enemy that cannot be outsmarted.
With its suffocating atmosphere, authentic 1970s sci-fi aesthetic, and an AI-driven horror experience that keeps players on edge, Alien: Isolation remains the gold standard for horror on the Switch.
10 Best Horror RPGs
When it comes to horror RPGs, they don’t get better than these.
