Jump scares are a debated element in horror movies. While some people enjoy them, others consider them a lazy way to create fear. It’s true that they can be an easy trick, and sometimes filmmakers rely on them too much instead of building genuine suspense. However, a really well-done jump scare can be more impactful than anything slowly and carefully crafted.
This applies to movies, TV shows, and especially video games. While most horror games include at least a few jump scares, some avoid them completely. The games below, however, heavily rely on jump scares. Sometimes this works well, and other times it can be overwhelming, but if you’re looking for a frightfully good scare this Halloween, these games will definitely deliver.
Alan Wake 2
Visions Of Faces
The original Alan Wake had horror elements, but it felt more inspired by Stephen King’s suspenseful style than the truly frightening work of Junji Ito. While it was unsettling, it wasn’t often genuinely terrifying. Alan Wake 2, however, is a completely different experience. Remedy fully embraced the survival horror genre, focusing on limited resources, challenging combat that requires strategic risk-taking, and a constant stream of jump scares that, though effective, might be too intense for some players.
Although it’s not the only frightening element, Alan Wake 2 frequently displays sudden, shocking images of screaming faces in grayscale. These are meant to show the Dark Presence trying to stop Alan and Saga from defeating Scratch and saving Alan, but they can be quite unsettling. While some players will find them effective, others might be too disturbed by them. However, these jump scares are just one piece of the horror puzzle in Alan Wake 2. Several sections of the game – including an eerie abandoned amusement park, a realistic hotel murder scene, and a disturbing medical wing in a seniors’ home – are incredibly unsettling, contributing to a truly terrifying gaming experience.
The Mortuary Assistant
Some Of The Best Jump Scares In Any Medium
On the opposite end of the gaming spectrum is The Mortuary Assistant, a 2022 indie title that blends horror with realistic simulation. Players become a mortuary assistant, performing embalming tasks while supervised. However, things take a terrifying turn when the boss locks them inside – players must then figure out which body is possessed by a demon, identify the demon’s name, and perform an exorcism.
A truly menacing demon wouldn’t make things simple for the player, and in The Mortuary Assistant, they don’t. Instead, they actively interfere, altering the environment and launching attacks with the aid of three Lesser Spirits. These spirits are the source of the game’s most startling moments. These aren’t typical jump scares where a creature suddenly appears. More often, a spirit will simply be there when the player turns around, just standing and staring. Sometimes they’ll quickly dash across the room or appear at a window. What makes these scares so effective is how natural they feel – the player doesn’t witness a monster jumping out, they simply see something terrifying. It’s the kind of experience that leaves you glancing nervously over your shoulder, even after you stop playing.
MADiSON
Camera Shakes
According to scientific measurements, MADiSON is the scariest video game ever tested, causing players to have the biggest and most frequent spikes in heart rate. This is largely thanks to its unique Polaroid camera feature, relentlessly intense chases, and genuinely frightening jump scares. (It’s worth noting that not every horror game was included in the testing.)
The game’s use of a camera as a core mechanic is a really effective way to create horror. It keeps players focused on a simple task, but more importantly, it controls where they’re looking. This makes jump scares in MADiSON particularly impactful – players aren’t expecting them because their attention is elsewhere. The game also mixes up when and where these scares happen, so even experienced horror fans can be caught off guard. MADiSON starts strong with a great introduction, and unlike many horror games, it doesn’t lose momentum. It consistently delivers scares, puzzles, and story elements, keeping players fully engaged.
Visage
Calm Before The Storm
Visage isn’t about sudden scares; it’s a slow-paced horror game divided into four chapters. Each chapter unfolds within a single house haunted by a history of trauma. Players must piece together what happened by solving difficult puzzles, all while being tormented by the house’s ghosts.
Visage excels at creating a truly unsettling atmosphere, keeping players constantly tense. However, the game doesn’t bombard you with scares constantly; there are periods of calm. This makes the jump scares particularly effective when they do happen, as they feel unexpected. While Visage is known for being frightening, and its puzzles can be challenging, the jump scares are cleverly designed and don’t feel overly disruptive.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
In Your Face Fiesta
Little Hope is the second game in Supermassive Games’ horror series, The Dark Pictures Anthology. The story centers around four college students and their professor who become stranded in the isolated town of Little Hope after a bus accident. They quickly realize they’re trapped by a dense fog and haunted by terrifying demons that can take the form of people, particularly those who have died in the town.
Okay, if you’re looking for a game packed with jump scares, Little Hope is definitely it! Seriously, they come fast and furious – it feels like that’s how the game mostly tries to scare you. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you love being startled, you’ll get a ton of them here. To be honest, it’s not my favorite in The Dark Pictures Anthology series, but it still has everything I enjoy about those games: quick choices that change the story, a well-written plot, great performances from the actors, and a really twisty narrative that keeps you guessing. It’s a pretty wild ride!
Outlast
This Asylum Isn’t As Abandoned As They Say
Two games are often credited with popularizing the ‘walking simulator horror’ genre: Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Outlast. Amnesia focuses on solving puzzles using the game’s physics, managing your character’s sanity, and uncovering a mystery. Outlast, on the other hand, emphasizes a feeling of intense dread and claustrophobia through near-total darkness – and the implication that something terrifying is hidden within it.
To navigate the darkness, players use a camcorder with night vision, though it displays everything in a creepy green tint. But the camcorder relies on batteries, so players need to manage power carefully or they’ll be left in complete darkness. Adding to the tension is Chris Walker, a powerful enemy who relentlessly hunts players through the asylum, forcing them to hide and hope he doesn’t find them. While much of the fear in Outlast comes from these intense hiding sequences, the game also features classic horror elements like corpses suddenly coming to life, startling noises, and slamming doors – all of which contribute to a truly unsettling atmosphere.
The Glass Staircase
An Homage To Classic Zombie Flicks
Puppet Combo is a small, independent horror game developer known for creating retro-style games. While they’ve received consistent praise for their stories, their most popular title is The Glass Staircase. This game is inspired by classic Italian zombie films and older horror games like Resident Evil. It follows four girls who are stuck maintaining an abandoned mansion, lured by the hope of escape while an unknown creature secretly hunts them down.
What makes the jump scares in The Glass Staircase so effective is that they all feel justified and contribute to the story. They’re genuinely surprising and scary, and none of them feel cheap or unnecessary. The Glass Staircase is a hidden gem among Puppet Combo’s games, and at just $6 on itch.io, it’s a great value and easy to recommend.
Five Nights At Freddy’s
They’re Watching You Watch Them
The security job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza sounds simple enough: monitor the cameras, report any intruders, and keep the office door closed. Just be aware that the animatronic characters tend to wander around at night, and they can be dangerously violent.
The core idea behind Five Nights at Freddy’s is straightforward: monitor security cameras, keep track of moving characters, and quickly shut doors to block them if they get too close. What makes the game truly frightening is that every action you take has a scary consequence. Checking a camera means something is moving, or that something isn’t where you last saw it. Focusing on the cameras leaves the hallways vulnerable, and checking the hallways means the cameras are left unattended. It’s a constant, stressful balancing act, and if an enemy character reaches your office, you’re instantly met with a terrifying jump scare – every single time. That jump scare is the dramatic climax of the entire game.
Poppy Playtime
Are We Having Fun Yet?
While many horror games take place in deserted buildings, a spooky toy factory isn’t a common setting. That’s where the game Poppy Playtime creates its scares. Currently being released in chapters, Poppy Playtime is a puzzle-focused survival horror game where you investigate the abandoned Playtime Co. factory. You’ll try to figure out why the factory closed, what happened to all the workers, and why the toys have become so terrifying.
Each chapter of the game centers around a different, terrifying toy come to life, and players must avoid being killed by it. The first chapter features the massive statue Huggy Wuggy, and the second introduces the beast Mommy. While being caught triggers a startling death animation, the truly effective scares come from the unexpected appearances of these giant, deadly toys. These moments aren’t just jump scares; they launch players into intense chases where they have to abandon puzzles and run for their lives. The incredibly smooth animation and realistic movement of the toys make these chase sequences even more thrilling, creating a genuinely tense and frightening experience.
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2025-10-25 03:07