H.P. Lovecraft is famous for a notorious brand of cosmic horror, in which he mastered is so thorough it ended up named after him: Lovecraftian horror. What made his monsters stand out is that they are beyond human comprehension: anyone who sees them or tries to understand them ends up going mad or dying.
Video games have tried to adapt his stories and show gamers that cosmic dread. Survival horror is an easy genre to pick from, but you can't fight what lies beyond your understanding. The best Lovecraftian horror games rely not just on the gameplay and story, but on their atmospheres too.
Updated August 7, 2023 by Tallis Spalding: The fascination with things beyond human comprehension never ends, and games with Lovecraftian type settings, atmospheres, and lore keep coming out. Some are significantly better than others, but at the heart of it all is the love for cosmic terror. The games on this list all take Lovecraft's stories or the ideas behind them and build on them to create a truly immersive experience. Some of the games on here lean on intense and classic horror elements while others demonstrate more subtle atmospheric horror. You may not enjoy every game on this list, but the terrifyingly beautiful thing about Lovecraftian horror is that there is something for everyone to enjoy.
24 Dredge
Dredge is a seemingly normal fishing simulator at first glance, but the longer you spend on the sea the more it appears that things aren't quite right. In Dredge, you can pull up fish that have been mutated by the eldritch energy that poisons the water, dredge shipwrecks for lost goods, and uncover the secrets of the sea.
This Lovecraftian exploration encourages you to discover and interpret the story for yourself, and fish up all of the secrets that you can get your hands on.
23 Fear & Hunger
Fear & Hunger is survival horror dungeon crawler the plays on every fear in the book. If you're scared of something you will have to confront it in this game, and if you aren't scared of anything Fear & Hunger will make sure you leave with a new fear.
Lovecraftian horror is woven into every bit of Fear & Hunger's atmosphere, and it's intense enough that the game's description specifies that this game is for mature audiences only. If you want to make things even scarier, consider playing in the dark for the extra atmosphere.
22 Darkest Dungeon 2
Darkest Dungeon 2 is the sequel to Darkest Dungeon, and it's ended up proving itself to be fairly polarizing. However, this rougelike will mercilessly pull you through the horrifying darkness throughout the land. It only grows harsher as you progress, with some intense gameplay and Lovecraftian abominations that are waiting in the depths for you to fight or discover them.
Darkest Dungeon 2 provides its own unique experience from the first game, inviting in both old and new players to come and enjoy the lurking horror.
21 Soma
In Soma, science fiction and Lovecraftian horror come together in a horrifyingly wonderful manner. You'll explore the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, trying to survive in an environment that desperately wants you dead in both the ocean and the facilities.
Soma will show you things beyond comprehension and make you question what it even means to exist as a human. You can't fight back against the environment which leaves you two options: outsmart it or run. Unfortunately there's not very far you can run at the bottom of the ocean.
20 Carrion
In Lovecraft stories, you usually find yourself in the shoes of an innocent human stumbling upon ungodly creatures. In Carrion, you are the ungodly creature. Control a fleshy being that aims to consume and destroy all those that want to put you in a cage and stop you.
This is a platformer experience where the creature you control has fleshy, slimy physics to match its outer, horrifying pixel appearance. Carrion is less about story and more about action and completing levels while trying to consume everything around you.
19 The Terrible Old Man
Terrible Old Man is a free-to-play point-and-click experience on Steam. It's a short and sweet adaptation of one of Lovecraft's short stories, the terrible old man. If you've read the story, you can now step inside the shoes of the people in the story by playing this game. Walk around asking locals about the town and what may lie ahead.
This small and free game does an amazing job at suspense and thriller, all in under 20 minutes. Despite the short play time, you'll be left thinking about this game and wanting more.
18 Amnesia: Rebirth
Amnesia has been a cult classic and famously popular horror franchise since 2010. Though what made the original game so fascinating has since been lost, Frictional Games still has that knack for creating horror. And while it may not look like it, this is their most cosmic horror game yet.
Amnesia: Rebirth puts you in the shoes of a woman coming from a plane crash. There is a rich story, intricate puzzles, and scares for days here. There's a game mode called Adventure Mode that will remove the horror aspect of the game so that you can experience the thrilling narrative if that's what you prefer.
17 Call of The Sea
Call of The Sea is what you would call a walking simulator. Though it has beautiful settings and a rich story, you'll spend most of your time walking and experiencing. You play as a curious wife who lost her husband to a dangerous expedition.
While trying to find out what happened to your husband, you'll uncover abnormal and strange things that you should probably put back. The game is set in the 1930s and has various puzzles throughout the narrative. Given that the mechanics are fairly simple, and isn't incredibly terrifying, it's a great game for beginning gamers.
16 Song of Horror
Song of Horror pays tribute to games like Resident Evil. It's a third-person survival horror experience with a camera that stays still at every corner as you walk by. There are various puzzles, and every choice matters, potentially leading to your death.
The evil monster in this game is barely seen, only heard; when it does come, you must hide behind a door, or you'll instantly die. That's how much of a threat the monster in this game is. Song of Horror is about a missing writer and the horrors that lie within his mansion.
15 Darkwood
Lovecraft's work has always been characterized as unique, which is why many horror games with similar dark, claustrophobic, and almost lonely styles tend to remind players of Lovecraft. It's why Darkwood is arguably a Lovecraftian horror game, even though it claims no official connection to the author.
Darkwood is a game played entirely from a top-down perspective, and it puts you into a dark world where you can explore a woodland area by day and hide from strange creatures at night. The art and story are practically dripping with Lovecraftian elements.
14 World Of Horror
The combination of Japanese manga and Lovecraft's work might not immediately sound too logical, but manga artist Junji Ito and Lovecraft created universes too dark for some people to even fathom. This black and white 1-bit horror role-playing game combines these two worlds into one single disturbing game.
If you've dreamed about living through a Junji Ito manga, this is the game for you. World of Horror starts with a typical Lovecraftian premise of the old ones awakening. Through a decision-based system and turn-based combat, the player must navigate a new, twisted reality.
13 Moons Of Madness
Most of Lovecraft's work is based in the 1920s, but who says the old ones and their terrors can't be experienced in a modern-day setting? Moons of Madness is one of the most promising and high-quality Lovecraftian horror games currently out there, with a neat sci-fi twist for players who love a futuristic setting.
When Shane Newehart begins to experience strange things while working at a Mars research facility, and his crew seems to have gone missing, it becomes evident that something sinister is onboard the station. Not only does the game look gorgeous, but it's also guaranteed to give anyone the chills.
12 Call Of Cthulhu
Every Lovecraft fan should absolutely know this highly underappreciated game, Call of Cthulhu, first released in 2018. After Dark Corners of the Earth, it's the truest rendition of Lovecraft's universe in game form, available for both PlayStation 4 and PC. And it certainly doesn't disappoint.
Depressed and troubled private investigator Edward Pierce is tasked with heading out to investigate the case of a dead family on the mysterious and secluded Darkwater Island, where he finds a connection to something supernatural. This game has everything Lovecraftian: a tortured main character at the brink of insanity, RPG skill trees inspired by the original Call of Cthulhu pen-and-paper game, chilling monsters, and references to works like Shadow Over Innsmouth and Pickman's Model.
11 The Land Of Pain
Players familiar with the pen-and-paper Call of Cthulhu RPG will appreciate games like The Land of Pain, which are definitely indie games but absolutely worth the hype. While exploring a gorgeous world, the main character must survive and find out what's going on after strange events transpire in the woods.
The game is heavily puzzled and exploration-based, and there's no combat involved. You must simply survive to defeat whatever evil is chasing after them. There are many references to Lovecraft's universe, namely a reference to the old gods, which would mean the old ones in Lovecraft's works. Although some game mechanics might be a bit wonky, it's a beautiful game with a massive world and compelling story.
10 Dagon: By H.P. Lovecraft
There are plenty of games based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and even more based on the mythos at large. But you won't find a game as accurate to a story as Dagon. This is a 3D interactive rendition of the short story of the same name. More 'experience' than 'game,' you can consider it more of a walk-along audio book of sorts, where you can move around and observe the word as the story is narrated.
For an even more immersive experience, the game supports VR mode, allowing you to fully embrace the eldritch world in front of you. While short, it's graphically impressive. And best of all, it's free! The developers offer bonus side content for a small price if you wish to support them financially.
9 Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth
Dark Corners of the Earth is a relatively faithful retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s Shadow Over Innsmouth and came out in 2006. You play as a detective called Jack Walters who encounters a cult that calls itself the Fellowship of Yith. Walters’ brush with them leads to him spending half a decade in an insane asylum. When he finally comes out, he decides to visit Innsmouth to solve a missing person case.
The game has a number of nightmarish creatures, and the longer you gaze at them or encounter them, the more your sanity drops. Your vision blurs, you grow increasingly insane, and you can even commit suicide, according to GamesRadar.
8 Bloodborne
Bloodborne is a tough Souls-like game with punishing combat and dark themes. The game is not directly based on any Lovecraftian story, but its mythos and themes are clearly influenced by the horror writer. You can see this through creatures like the Kin, which resembles Lovecraft’s vision of the Great Old Ones, plus the dark, oppressive atmosphere and the bleak ending.
In the game, you play a character who travels to a city called Yharnam to find a cure for an unspecified illness. As luck would have it, you arrive on the night of ‘the hunt’: a purge of fantastical beasts that torment the city.
7 Eternal Darkness
Like Bloodborne, this game is inspired by the Cthulhu mythos more than being directly based on it. You play as Alexandra Roivas, a woman who tries to solve her grandfather’s mysterious murder as she stays in his Rhode Island mansion.
The bulk of the game revolves around the Tome of Eternal Darkness and the creatures which made it. This is a book that grants magic, similar to the Necronomicon. Like Dark Corners of the Earth, your character can go insane. But in an interesting addition, the game can also delete your save files: it's attempt at driving you mad.
6 Quake
Quake is popular for its slick multiplayer modes. However, its single-player campaign is basically an homage to the Cthulhu mythos. In the campaign, the government has developed teleportation technology in the form of ‘slipgates,’ but a force identified only as “Quake” hijacks these slipgates. It starts using them to transport demons to our world. Your mission is to blow all these demons to kingdom come.
The game features a ton of Satanic imagery but has numerous nods to Lovecraft. These include a level called The Nameless City, an enemy called the Formless Spawn of Tsathoggua, and a boss called Shub-Niggurath.
5 Eldritch
Eldritch is basically Minecraft meets the Cthulhu mythos. In the game, you control a 1920s-era investigator and explore the deepest, darkest parts of tombs as you seek ancient artifacts: basically, the souls of the Great Old Ones. The enemies are all Lovecraftian, from giant penguins to cultists and fishmen.
In the Nyarlathotep stages, you will encounter ghoulish wanderers you can’t kill; your best chance is to postpone them. According to PC Gamer, these stages also feature an enemy who can blend into his surroundings and suddenly pop up in front of you, delivering tons of jump scares. The game world is procedurally generated, and you lose all your items if you die.