Summary
While there were certainly horror games in the PS1 era and before, thePS2era is renowned for being the platform where horror games found their footing, developing massive audiences and sowing the seeds for horror franchises that still thrive in the modern day.
Best of all, most ofthese PS2 horror games have aged pretty well.Whether it’s the J-horror infused masterpieces of Team Silent or the shock jockey grit of early 2000s digital horror, there are plenty of brilliant PS2 horror games to play today. This list isn’t ranked by the individual quality of each game, but by how well they’ve aged to the modern day.
Developed and released by Capcom in 2005,Haunting Groundwas the spiritual successor to theClock Towerseries, one of the earliest and best-regarded pioneering horror franchises in all of video games. Unfortunately,Haunting Groundsnever quite found the same mainstream success, and that’s a real shame.
In the game, players take control of Fiona, along with a dog she befriends named Hewie, as they explore and attempt to survive in a horrific castle full of puzzles, monsters, and eerie vibes. One of the main reasons the game is still remembered today is because of its relatively ahead-of-its-time feminist credentials, which use Fiona’s objectification by other characters as a method of evoking fear in the player. It’s pretty novel stuff for video games of this era, and it’s a shame thatit’s become so difficult to get a hold of.
Siren, orForbidden Sirenas it’s known in some areas of the world, is one the most beloved underrated gems of the entire PS2 era, and it defined the punchy-power of J-horror-infused video games in delivering pound-for-pound scares by the moment.
Not only isthe game playable on PS5 these days with a custom port, but it’s genuinely worth playing for anyone who wants an older game that’s still able to deliver some top-quality scares.Sirenwears its age like a fine wine, almost made creepier by some of its early 2000s gritty choices, giving the whole game a cursed atmosphere that’s incredibly hard to pull off organically.
Kuon
WHERE TO PLAY
An EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER - THIS TIMELESS, JAPANESE HORROR STORY CREEPS INTO YOUR SOULThe tune of Japanese Taiko Drums and the Dark Hymns of children are heard throughout the night. Residents wander like ghosts, and hungry demons creep in the darkness. The Heian Period of Ancient Japan where mysticism and magic will require you to reach deep within your soul to uncover the mysteries of the undead.• A dark 3D adventure that comes to life in stunning detail with atmospheric lighting, shadows, and special effects!• Battle Demons in Real-Time combat using magic, summons, and traditional Heian weaponry!• Uncut & Uncensored - See the Directors Original Vision of Horror!• You are prey to some of the most visually stunning and imaginative monsters ever seen!• Dual-language support - Experience the game in English or with the original Japanese voices• Experience the twisted story through the eyes of multiple playable characters!
Before FromSoftware became known for its Soulslike games, they were one of the best-regarded developers in Japan not only for theArmored Coreseries, but also forKuon, a totally underrated PS2 horror gem. The game puts players in a J-horror-infused scenario in Japan’s Heian period, and it’s a franchisethat was killed off way too quickly.
While its controls are a little clunky by modern standards, it is a truly exceptional execution of horror atmosphere, where the game’s three central characters all variously try to combat, escape, or outwit the ghosts of Fujiwara Manor. In terms of pure atmosphere, few games reach the decrepit heights ofKuon.
Enough ink has been spilled aboutSilent Hill 2that it could fill an ocean, but it still belongs on this list regardless.Silent Hill 2is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest horror games ever made, influencing every horror game made after it, and proving the power of video game storytelling as a new and brilliant medium.
While the game is an all-timer, it has also aged pretty well too. It still delivers scares, its story is still impactful, and if anything, age has made the game seem almost prophetic in the horror genre. Its controls are a little stiff, but nothing unreasonable for someone who has played a PS2 game before.
Rockstar have never been shy of controversy. With everyGrand Theft Autogame that arrives, a fresh controversy seems to bubble up and embroil the gaming world in discourse for weeks, sometimes even reaching governments. Rockstar’s other series have faced similar turmoil andManhuntwas no different. In fact, it was in a whole other league.
WhenManhunt wasreleased in 2003, it featured a genuinelyshocking level of violence that wasn’t seen in video games before. It was clearly inspired by the extreme horror films of the late 90s and early 2000s, and might have been too much for audiences then. However, in the modern day,Manhuntreads as a brilliant skewering of reality television and the commodification of everyday life, which has taken on a whole new dimension in the light of social media. Somehow,Manhuntnot only holds up today; it has actually improved with age.
As nostalgia and appreciation for the early 2000s grows in the 2020s, J-horror is reaching a whole new level of fandom and appreciation—particularly among horror fans—for its unique atmospheres, dreadful vibes, and purest evocation of straightforward creepy horror. No PS2 game adopts that J-horror atmosphere better thanFatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly.
Building upon its predecessor,Fatal Frame 2follows twins Mio and Mayu as they attempt to survive a ghost-ridden village with only their trusty camera to fend off their spectral foes. The genius move of forcing the player to stand still to combat the ghosts remains one of the simplest but most ingenious mechanics ever included in horror gaming, and in the modern day, it helps mitigate some of the PS2’s clunky controls while still delivering a stiff shot of J-horror glory.
WhileSilent Hill 2is undoubtedly the most popularSilent Hillgame ever made,Silent Hill 4: The Roomalso deserves its flowers for trying to reinvent the formula. It’s something of a black sheep in the modern day, which is a shame, because it’s the best of both worlds when it comes toSilent Hill, delivering on the old-school creepy vibes while making the gameplay itself smoother than ever.
InThe Room, players are largely confined to an apartment building, where things get… weird, as they’re loathe to do in aSilent Hillgame. Of course, there’s a giant hole in the bathroom that the player can’t help but crawl into. It’s devious,full of underrated characters, and acts as a worthy successor to the greatness ofSilent Hill 2.
It’s hard to describe just how influentialResident Evil 4is the history of video games. First released on the Gamecube, but then ported to PS2 in 2005,Resident Evil 4single-handedly reinvented not just the horror genre, but the action genre too, mastering the over-the-shoulder camera, and demonstrating a whole new method of third-person action that would come to dominate every third-person game to come afterward.
Though the remake is very good, the originalResident Evil 4still holds up to this day, precisely because of its pioneering modern camera and gameplay techniques. With a coat of paint, it would fit right in with modern games, justifying it not just as one of the best horror games ever made, but the one PS2 horror game that has aged the best of all.
