Horror games have become an important part of the gaming world, expanding into many subgenres, styles, and locations. Horror games can evoke a wide range of emotions, from disgust and panic to existential feelings of fear that last for days. A large number of fictional locations in the game, despite having a hellish scenario, are in fact based on real-world locations to increase the horror of the player. You know, sometimes, the real world can be as terrible as fiction. Here is a list of interesting games that readers may not have known that are inspired by real-life locations and events.
1 Outlast
Outlast – Source: Epic Games
Outlast Full Official Trailer
Outlast is a survival horror game whose main character is a journalist who is investigating an abandoned refugee camp deep in the Colorado mountains. Mount Massive Asylum is named after a real mountain in the Colorado Range, and the building itself is modeled after the "H. H. Richardson Complex" in Buffalo, New York.
The rough actions of the villainous Murkoff Corporation in the game are heavily inspired by Project MK Ultra. In the United States in the mid-50s, MK Ultra involved the creation of biological weapons on humans, mind control through drug use, torture, and information overload. In Outlast, the Murkoff corporation starts from where the government left off and continues its terrifying experiments.
Genre: horror, survival
Platforms: Cross-platform (including Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, OS X Nintendo Switch)
Publisher: Red Barrels
Release year: 4/9/2013
Game Price: $19.99
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/238320/Outlast/
2 Chernobylite
Chernobylite – Source: Flickering Myth
Chernobylite - Official PC Launch Trailer
This game is certainly not the first to be based on the devastating disaster in Pripyat, but the latest. Chernobylite is a sci-fi survival game set in a nuclear power reactor that exploded in the mid-80s and caused a terrible chain of events that claimed many lives and ruined the region. for many decades to come. While not specifically listed as a horror game, those who understand the disaster and its impact will appreciate its scary side.
In Chernobylite, the player takes on the role of Igor, a scientist who must enter this forbidden area to find his long-lost fiancée. Feelings of haunting and melancholy provide a glimpse into the true cruelty of the unfortunate event.
Genre: survival, shooting, action, indie
Platforms: Cross-platform (including PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S...)
Publisher: The Farm 51, All in! Games, Perpetual Europe
Release year: October 16, 2019
Game Price: $20.52
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/21999/Chernobylite_Deluxe_Edition/
3 Silent Hill
Silent Hill – Source: Filmaffinity
Silent Hill Trailer (1999)
Silent Hill mentioned on this list isn't exactly a pleasant affair, and certainly not a place people would like to believe exists. However, it is based on a real location. Silent Hill was inspired by the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania.
Centralia is entrenched in its own tragedy. Once a prosperous mining town, it was unable to withstand a fire that broke out in the mines below the town. The fire could not be controlled, creating sinkholes in the ground. The fire is said to still burn to this day and the town's population has dwindled to almost none. This tragic story fits well with the nightmare scenarios in Silent Hill. Thankfully, the only monster in Centralia is the flame, not anything like a zombie nurse.
Genre: Survival, Role Playing, Action, Horror
Platform: Cross-platform (including PlayStation 2/3, Xbox, Windows)
Publisher: Konami
Release year: January 31, 1999
Game Price: $25.57
Download link: https://oldgamesdownload.com/silent-hill-al3/
4 Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village – Source: Capcom
Resident Evil Village - Announcement Trailer
Some fans may not know that the most recent Resident Evil installment has a location based on a real-world location. Resident Evil Village is about a family of vampires named Dimitrescu who live in Dimitrescu Castle atop a dark village.
The inspiration for this Dimitrescu Castle was Peles Castle, located in Transylvania. Fans in Romania and near Transylvania even came to the castle to take photos to compare the two locations. The castle is really impressive, is a great building to serve as a base for a game location, and it complements the story wonderfully.
Genre: horror, survival, action, adventure
Platform: Cross-platform (including Windows 10, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, XOne ...)
Publisher: Capcom
Release year: 7/5/2021
Game Price: $19.99
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1196590/Resident_Evil_Village/
5 Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Atari 2600
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Atari 2600 – Source: The Game Hoard
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Atari 2600
The 1983 game "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Atari 2600" is based on the movie of the same name, but it still comes from a true event "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
The terrible inspiration for the series was the killer, "Butcher of Plainfield: Ed Gein." Although he is not from Texas, his violent and heinous actions are the basis for the Chainsaw Massacre films. The setting of the houses and the main plot, both based on the life of Gein, who is known for creating furniture from human parts.
Genre: Action
Platform: Atari 2600
Publisher: Wizard Video Game
Release year: 3/14/1983
Game price: because this is a game that has been released for a long time, the price of the game is now "for sale" at a fairly high price compared to when it was first launched. Currently, the highest price I see people bidding is at $392.54
Download link: https://wowroms.com/en/roms/atari-2600/the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-usa-proto/31000.html
6 Five Nights at Freddy's
Five Nights at Freddy's – Source: Spinnaker
Five Nights at Freddy's
The game is based on the story of a fateful night in the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. In 1993, a man who had previously worked at the company hid in a bathroom and waited until closing time, then attacked the remaining 5 employees at the facility. It is said that Foxy, Freddy, Chica, Bonnie and Golden Freddy represent lost lives. This distorted origin adds to the fear and discomfort fans feel while playing the game.
Genre: horror, survival, role-playing
Platforms: Cross-platform (including Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2, Google Stadia)
Publisher: Scott Cawthon, Clickteam, Illumix
Release year: 8/18/2014
Game Price: $4.99
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/319510/Five_Nights_at_Freddys/
7 Sherlock Holmes Vs. Jack The Ripper
Sherlock Holmes Vs. Jack The Ripper – Source: Steam
Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper - Trailer
As the title suggests, this game features fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in the case of infamous assassin Jack the Butcher. The story is based on the tragedies of the famous case and takes place in Victorian London - namely the Whitechapel area, where Jack the Butcher operates.
The game tells the true story of this unknown killer, and puts the character in the investigative position of Holmes and Watson to try to unravel the case. It's also not the only game with old-time killers.
Genre: adventure, detective, role-playing
Platforms: Cross-platform (including Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360)
Publisher: Frogwares
Release year: 12/24/2009
Game Price: $9.99
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/11190/Sherlock_Holmes_versus_Jack_the_Ripper/
8 Fatal Frame
Fatal Frame – Source: IMDb
Fatal Frame Official Trailer (2014)
The first part of the survival horror game that takes place in the Himuro Mansion (reimagining the real-life mansion), has shown a dark side of Japanese history. The main character, Miku Hanasaki, ventures into the Mansion to find her brother, who has disappeared after visiting locations believed to be haunted.
Himuro Mansion was the site of one of the largest mass murders in Japanese history. Seven people are said to have died in the Mansion, killed in strange and mystical rituals. These gruesome rituals involved torture methods to "shoo away evil spirits." Fatal Frame drew inspiration from that very story, making it a classic.
Genre: Horror, Action, Role Playing
Platforms: Cross-platform (including Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 5)
Publisher: Tecmo Koei, Koei Tecmo Games
Release year: July 29, 2014
Game Price: $39.99
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1732190/FATAL_FRAME__PROJECT_ZERO_Maiden_of_Black_Water/
9 The Town Of Light
The Town Of Light – Source: Steam
The Town of Light - Trailer
The Town Of Light is an adventure game with heavy psychological and horror aspects. Released in 2017, it takes place in an abandoned 20th century mental institution. Players must explore decaying buildings, looking for hints to uncover the mysteries of the past.
The real-life location of this game is accurately recreated based on the Volterra Asylum in Tuscany. The camp, which was used in the 50s and 60s, held more than 5000 patients at once, all of whom were mentally ill. Psychiatric camps are known for their poor treatment of patients, using "cures" that include electroconvulsive therapy and uncontrolled drugs. The patient was even poisoned. The Town Of Light follows this gritty setting and tells the tragic story of the fictional character Renee.
Genre: Horror, Discovery, Psychological
Platforms: Cross-platform (including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac operating systems, Xbox One)
Publisher: LKA, Wired Productions
Release year: February 27, 2016
Game Price: 18.99$
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/433100/The_Town_of_Light/
10 Kholat
Kholat – Source: Epic Games
Kholat - Release Trailer
This strange game is set in the cold, creepy environment of the Ural Mountains, Russia, in the game renamed Kholat Syakhi. According to the game, in 1959, nine students suddenly disappeared here. Legendary actor Sean Bean narrates the story, while adding to the mystery and fear that follows the player while investigating the strange disappearance.
The real-life inspiration for this game was the Dyatlov Pass Incident that occurred the same year. This tragic incident involved the disappearance of nine Ural Polytechnic Institute ski students who had mysteriously disappeared for several months. After receiving no messages from the group, an investigation began, which eventually found the students' belongings and strangely mutilated bodies. The mystery remains to this day.
Genre: Horror, Survival, Discovery
Platforms: Cross-platform (including Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Publisher: IMGN.PRO
Release year: 10/6/2015
Game Price: $19.99
Download link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/343710/Kholat/
