'90s Video Games You Were Too Afraid to Play in the Dark

What are the scariest horror video games from the '90s? The 1990s were a great time for video games, horror games in particular. As PC gaming was picking up steam, new graphical technology made it possible for both PC and console game designers to incorporate more realistic visuals and sophisticated play dynamics into '90s games. Suddenly, scary video games didn't have to be awkward point-and-click adventures or text-based multiple choice stories. The result was the first wave of truly scary, gory, and atmospheric horror video games, a wave that included fan favorite franchises like Silent Hill, Alone In the Dark, and the Resident Evil.

Zombies and survival horror became big during the '90s. There was also an upsurge of weird, scary role-playing games, mostly for PC. These games often relied on real shot-on-video footage of actors and were inspired by the ultra-gory slasher films that had dominated the '80s. Some were surrealistic or sci-fi influenced, like H.R. Giger's Dark Seed and the legendarily bizarre System Shock.

Whether you like your horror games gore-drenched and full of bloodthirsty zombies or low-key eerie and sure to keep you awake until the sun comes up, vote on the most terrifying horror video games of the 1990s.