Games Like Layers of Fear (2016)

The era-defining first-person psychological horror in all its terrifying glory. All of the game’s chapters collected into one convenient package that allows you to plumb the depths of madness in pursuit of artistic revelation.

Why similar: Horror 50.7%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Psychedelic 7.4%, Walking Simulator 6.9%, First-Person 4.1%

Why You'll Like It: This expanded reimagining revisits the original's shifting mansion and tortured-artist premise with updated visuals, additional stories, and similarly surreal psychological horror.

Visage is a first-person psychological horror game. Explore a mysterious ever-changing house in a slow-paced, atmospheric world that combines both uncannily comforting and horrifyingly realistic environments, and enjoy a genuinely terrifying experience.

Why similar: Horror 69.9%, Psychological Horror 14%, Walking Simulator 3.3%, First-Person 2.2%, Dark 2.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its slow, room-by-room exploration of a domestic haunted house and oppressive supernatural atmosphere make it an especially close match for Layers of Fear's dread.

MADiSON is a first person psychological horror game that delivers an immersive and terrifying experience. With the help of an instant camera, connect the human world with the beyond, take pictures and develop them by yourself. Solve puzzles, explore your surroundings and most importantly, survive.

Why similar: Horror 66.3%, Psychological Horror 15.4%, First-Person 3.7%, Dark 3.3%, Atmospheric 3.2%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person haunted-house mystery built around disturbing visions, environmental puzzles, and a protagonist whose sanity is increasingly uncertain.

From the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Dear Esther comes a new first-person horrorgame that will drag you to the depths of greed, power and madness. It will bury its snout into your ribs and it will eat your heart.

Why similar: Horror 66.6%, Walking Simulator 16%, Psychological Horror 5.4%, Atmospheric 2%, First-Person 1.9%

Why You'll Like It: It is a story-focused first-person horror journey through a decaying industrial nightmare, emphasizing atmosphere, symbolism, and disturbing revelations over combat.

A first-person, story-driven psychological horror game based on the cinematic lore of the Blair Witch. Explore the haunted grounds of the Black Hills Forest in a harrowing investigation that forces you to confront the evil that resides deep in the woods.

Why similar: Horror 62.5%, Psychological Horror 14.3%, Walking Simulator 7.1%, First-Person 3.3%, Atmospheric 2.5%

Why You'll Like It: From the same developer, it combines first-person exploration, shifting environments, unreliable perception, and a protagonist haunted by past guilt.

Wander through an interactive nightmare set within the confines of a once-happy household. Piece together the mystery behind a harrowing series of events while struggling to survive encounters with an entity that relentlessly stands in the way of finding absolution.

Why similar: Horror 59.6%, Psychological Horror 14.4%, Walking Simulator 8.7%, Atmospheric 3.6%, First-Person 3.2%

Why You'll Like It: This intimate suburban ghost story uses a looping, memory-filled home and fragmented family trauma to create Layers of Fear-like psychological unease.

From the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent comes SOMA, a sci-fi horror game set below the waves of the Atlantic ocean. Struggle to survive a hostile world that will make you question your very existence.

Why similar: Horror 52.2%, Psychological Horror 12.1%, Walking Simulator 8.9%, Atmospheric 4.1%, Lovecraftian 4%

Why You'll Like It: SOMA pairs tense first-person exploration with an exceptional existential horror narrative that steadily destabilizes the player's understanding of identity and reality.

A third‑person psychological horror game where you explore both the real world and the spirit realm. As a medium drawn to a deserted resort, you’ll uncover dark secrets, confront echoes of trauma, and face the consequences of seeing more than one truth.

Why similar: Horror 62.7%, Psychological Horror 13.3%, Walking Simulator 5.9%, Atmospheric 4.4%, Great Soundtrack 3.2%

Why You'll Like It: Another Bloober Team psychological horror story, centered on trauma and supernatural exploration across two overlapping, visually striking realities.

The Beast Inside is a unique, gripping twist on thriller and survival horror. Immerse in the story of long-buried secrets, personal tragedies, and madness. Play as two protagonists bounded by dark heritage. Combat the enemies, solve riddles and experience real terror in the 3D-scanned environment.

Why similar: Horror 71.9%, Psychological Horror 7.7%, Walking Simulator 4.6%, First-Person 3.1%, Multiplayer 2.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its dual-period haunted-house narrative mixes first-person investigation with a mounting sense that the protagonist's perceptions and family history cannot be trusted.

Set in a creepy amusement park hiding a dark and sinister secret, The Park is a first-person psychological horror experience focused on exploration and storytelling.

Why similar: Horror 60.3%, Psychological Horror 13.2%, Walking Simulator 11.7%, First-Person 4.1%, Atmospheric 3.1%

Why You'll Like It: A compact first-person psychological horror centered on a mother's trauma, with an abandoned amusement park serving as an increasingly surreal reflection of her mind.

In Sound Mind is an imaginative first-person psychological horror with frenetic puzzles, unique boss fights, and original music by The Living Tombstone. Journey within the inner workings of the one place you can’t seem to escape—your own mind.

Why similar: Horror 63.6%, Psychological Horror 15.1%, Psychedelic 5.1%, Atmospheric 4.2%, Story Rich 3.8%

Why You'll Like It: Its surreal first-person levels literalize the protagonist's mental-health struggles through inventive environments, puzzles, and psychologically themed monsters.

The most terrifying journey of your life set in the beautiful winter scenery of the Ural Mountains. Uncover the horrific mystery behind the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Narrated by the famous Sean Bean.

Why similar: Horror 94.7%, Psychological Horror 1.4%, Walking Simulator 1.3%, Atmospheric 0.6%, First-Person 0.4%

Why You'll Like It: A lonely, atmospheric first-person investigation in a frozen wilderness that relies on ominous sound design, mystery, and a steadily growing sense of unreality.

A first‑person cyberpunk horror detective story set in a decaying, neon‑scarred future. As an Observer who invades minds to hunt for clues, you will sift through corrupted memories to track down a mysterious killer and confront your own dark past.

Why similar: Horror 62.2%, Walking Simulator 13.7%, Psychological Horror 12.9%, First-Person 4.9%, Story Rich 3.6%

Why You'll Like It: This cyberpunk psychological horror game features invasive mind exploration, fractured memories, and highly atmospheric first-person detective storytelling.

Silver Chains is a first-person horror game with a strong emphasis on story and exploration. Search for clues within an old abandoned manor to unravel the truth about the terrible events which have happened.

Why similar: Horror 69.7%, Psychological Horror 12.4%, First-Person 2.6%, Walking Simulator 2.6%, Multiplayer 2.2%

Why You'll Like It: This first-person mansion horror game channels Victorian aesthetics, environmental puzzles, and a confused protagonist uncovering traumatic supernatural secrets.

Hell is an experiment you can't survive in Outlast, a first-person survival horror game developed by veterans of some of the biggest game franchises in history. As investigative journalist Miles Upshur, explore Mount Massive Asylum and try to survive long enough to discover its terrible secret... if you dare.

Why similar: Horror 79.6%, Psychological Horror 7.6%, First-Person 3%, Atmospheric 2.8%, Survival Horror 1.6%

Why You'll Like It: While more chase-driven, it shares the first-person vulnerability, oppressive asylum setting, and escalating psychological terror of Layers of Fear.

Penumbra: Overture is a first person survival horror game, emphasizing on survival and problem solving instead of mindless violence and gore.

Why similar: Horror 74%, Psychological Horror 8.6%, First-Person 3.5%, Atmospheric 3.1%, Lovecraftian 2.1%

Why You'll Like It: This foundational first-person horror adventure combines environmental puzzles, isolation, and unsettling discovery in an abandoned underground complex.

Set in 1944 Italy, Martha Is Dead is an award-winning dark psychological thriller where the lines between truth, superstition, and tragedy blur. Explore a haunting countryside, uncover disturbing memories, and peel back layers of mystery. Every choice shapes the nightmare…are you ready to face it?

Why similar: Horror 59%, Psychological Horror 17.4%, Atmospheric 5%, Story Rich 4.2%, Dark 3.5%

Why You'll Like It: This dark historical mystery emphasizes grief, unreliable memories, unsettling imagery, and immersive first-person exploration in a richly realized period setting.

When reality is a nightmare, nightmares become real. In this psychological horror game, you fight the terrifying creatures invading your mind. Can you save your sanity?

Why similar: Horror 61.6%, Psychological Horror 14.3%, First-Person 4.8%, Atmospheric 4.6%, Dark 3.4%

Why You'll Like It: It explores war trauma through a first-person nightmare of shifting trenches, family memories, and symbolic monsters rather than straightforward action.

This story-driven adventure follows a mystery of death and despair from reality into the surreal realms of objective memories and subjective experiences. Search the mind, solve puzzles, and unravel the dark truth in this psychological thriller.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29.2%, Walking Simulator 22.4%, Atmospheric 8.4%, Dark 7.4%, First-Person 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its cerebral investigation of consciousness uses layered virtual realities and dreamlike spaces to deliver a more contemplative form of psychological horror.

Coming back to the family hotel after years, a young woman finds herself trapped with the ghosts from her past and an old cellular telephone as the only way to unveil a terrible truth.

Why similar: Horror 37.6%, Walking Simulator 20.6%, Atmospheric 7.7%, First-Person 6%, Dark 5.4%

Why You'll Like It: Its isolated mountain hotel, first-person wandering, and gradually revealed personal tragedy offer a quieter but similarly oppressive narrative-horror experience.

A 3rd person, fixed-camera survival horror adventure. Fear the Presence, a mysterious entity you cannot fight: stay alert, hide, breathe slowly... Explore cursed places where unseen spirits and lost souls linger in a true horror story for the ages.

Why similar: Horror 58.1%, Psychological Horror 15.1%, Lovecraftian 5.8%, Atmospheric 4.4%, Dark 4.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its investigation-heavy haunted-location stories emphasize cursed objects, paranormal clues, and sustained atmospheric dread rather than action.

Home Sweet Home is a first-person horror adventure game based on Thai myths and beliefs. The core gameplay focuses on storytelling and stealth to avoid perilous spirits hunting you. Moreover, few puzzles are added into the game, making gameplay more various.

Why similar: Horror 75.5%, Psychological Horror 7.7%, Walking Simulator 3.6%, First-Person 2.4%, Multiplayer 2.1%

Why You'll Like It: Thai folklore, a vulnerable first-person perspective, and a maze-like haunted home give this a similarly intense supernatural exploration feel.

DISTRAINT is a 2D psychological horror adventure game for PC. In order to secure a partnership in a famous company, Price seizes the property of an elderly woman. In that very moment, he finds out the price of his humanity.

Why similar: Horror 51%, Indie 26.1%, Psychological Horror 13.8%, Atmospheric 2.5%, Story Rich 2%

Why You'll Like It: Though presented as a 2D adventure, it delivers a concise and emotionally bleak psychological-horror story about guilt, greed, and mental deterioration.

Mundaun is a lovingly hand-penciled horror tale set in a dark, secluded valley of The Alps. Explore various areas full of secrets to discover, survive hostile encounters, drive vehicles, fill your inventory, and solve a variety of handcrafted puzzles.

Why similar: Horror 47.9%, Walking Simulator 14.3%, Psychological Horror 13.1%, First-Person 4%, Atmospheric 3.9%

Why You'll Like It: Its hand-drawn visual style and Alpine folk-horror setting create a distinctive, dreamlike exploration experience rooted in grief, guilt, and strange visions.

Alone with the dead... Embalm corpses, banish demons, save your soul.

Why similar: Horror 83.2%, Atmospheric 3.3%, First-Person 2.6%, Mystery 2.3%, Multiplayer 2.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its ritualized first-person tasks and randomized hauntings create a deeply unsettling experience of being trapped in a small, increasingly impossible space.

Experience true psychological horror as you explore nightmares inspired by the creator's struggles with depression and OCD. The defenseless protagonist must avoid monstrous manifestations of what haunts his subconscious in his quest to wake up into reality.

Why similar: Horror 68.6%, Psychological Horror 15.7%, Walking Simulator 8.1%, Atmospheric 3.6%, Indie 1%

Why You'll Like It: This personal psychological horror story uses repeating nightmare spaces and disturbing symbolism to portray anxiety, depression, and uncertain reality.

Conarium is a chilling Lovecraftian game, which follows a gripping story involving four scientists and their endeavor to challenge what we normally consider to be the ‘absolute’ limits of nature. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s novella "At the Mountains of Madness", but largely set after the original story.

Why similar: Horror 56.4%, Walking Simulator 11.1%, Psychological Horror 10.1%, Lovecraftian 7.8%, First-Person 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: A Lovecraft-inspired first-person mystery focused on eerie exploration, altered consciousness, and slowly uncovering the fate of a doomed expedition.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a first person survival horror. A game about immersion, discovery and living through a nightmare. An experience that will chill you to the core.

Why similar: Horror 73.9%, Psychological Horror 7.9%, Walking Simulator 2.8%, Atmospheric 2.7%, First-Person 2.6%

12 March 1938, Renée, 16, was ripped out of her world, her only fault was that of not knowing her place in the world.

Why similar: Horror 58.1%, Psychological Horror 14.5%, Walking Simulator 8.6%, Atmospheric 4.5%, Great Soundtrack 2.7%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative exploration game set in a decaying psychiatric hospital, focusing on memory, trauma, and the disturbing ambiguity of its protagonist's perspective.

A first‑person psychological horror game set on a haunted ocean liner. As an actor summoned by an unorthodox director, you’ll confront twisted memories from your past and learn the price of achieving the perfect performance.

Why similar: Horror 47.3%, Psychological Horror 15.1%, Walking Simulator 9.9%, Psychedelic 4.1%, Atmospheric 4%

Outlast 2 introduces you to Sullivan Knoth and his followers, who left our wicked world behind to give birth to Temple Gate, a town, deep in the wilderness and hidden from civilization. Knoth and his flock are preparing for the tribulations of the end of times and you’re right in the thick of it.

Why similar: Horror 71%, Psychological Horror 13.2%, First-Person 3.6%, Atmospheric 2.9%, Dark 2.5%

Enter a tangibly horrifying Virtual Reality and explore a mansion of horror as an artist falling into the depths of insanity. Will you find the muse for your masterpiece... or madness?

Why similar: Horror 61.8%, Psychological Horror 11.8%, Adventure 11.4%, Indie 8.2%, Atmospheric 3.9%

RESTORER is a classic walking simulator set in an old, atmospheric mansion. Something roams the halls… It wants to share its secret—with the price being your sanity.

Why similar: Horror 43.1%, Psychological Horror 16.5%, Walking Simulator 14.5%, Psychedelic 9.6%, Atmospheric 5.3%

In Rise of Insanity, as a doctor of psychology you will explore the darkest recesses of the human mind. Overcome your fear to find the truth behind the tragedy that has befallen your family.

Why similar: Horror 51.6%, Psychological Horror 11.7%, Walking Simulator 9.4%, Psychedelic 5.2%, Great Soundtrack 3.3%

Chorus of Carcosa is a first-person psychological horror game about an anxious sculptor who is trapped in a dark and ever-changing building. Stay silent, survive its twisted labyrinths and escape the monsters. Just don’t lose your way in the shadows or within your own mind.

Why similar: Horror 47%, Psychological Horror 13.2%, Walking Simulator 11.7%, Atmospheric 4.4%, First-Person 3.6%

A rogue-like river journey through the backwaters of a forgotten post-societal America. Forage, craft, evade predators.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 42.2%, Atmospheric 20.1%, Adventure 15.6%, Exploration 9.5%, Indie 8.7%

The Guest is a first-person psychological horror game that focuses on creating fear and tension for the player.

Why similar: Horror 56.2%, Psychological Horror 14.2%, Walking Simulator 10.7%, First-Person 4.4%, Dark 3.8%

Mists of Aiden is a first-person story driven horror game. You play as a thief trapped in an eerie mansion. Each choice can open a new mystery of the house and lead to a unique walkthrough and ending. Uncover final secret of the house. Uncover your own secrets.

Why similar: Horror 68.5%, Psychological Horror 10.2%, Walking Simulator 6.3%, First-Person 2.8%, Atmospheric 2.6%

Among the Sleep: Enhanced Edition is a new and improved version of the award winning first person horror adventure. In the game you play as a small child trapped in a weird nightmare where you go looking for your mom.

Why similar: Horror 80.8%, Walking Simulator 3.9%, Psychological Horror 3.6%, Atmospheric 3.1%, First-Person 2.7%

2280 A.D. The last few survivors of a ruined Earth seek a new home: Mars, a planet whose inhabitants didn't take too kindly to outsiders. The Red Solstice is a tense, tactical, squad-based action game. Fight to survive with up to 8 players in co-op, or lead your own squad in single-player mode.

Why similar: Atmospheric 47.3%, Multiplayer 40.4%, Singleplayer 12.4%

Hacknet is an immersive, terminal-based hacking simulator for PC. Dive down a rabbit hoIe as you follow the instructions of a recently deceased hacker, whose death may not have been the accident the media reports.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 34.7%, Atmospheric 25.7%, Story Rich 19.9%, Adventure 7.9%, Singleplayer 6.2%

Big Brother has arrived - and it’s you. Investigate the lives of citizens to find those responsible for a series of terror attacks. Information from the internet, personal communications and private files are all accessible to you. But, be warned, the information you supply will have consequences.

Why similar: Story Rich 25.3%, Mystery 19.8%, Atmospheric 18.1%, Great Soundtrack 16.5%, Indie 7.5%

DreadOut is a third person supernatural horror game where you play as Linda, a high school student trapped in an old abandoned town. Equipped with her trusty smart-phone, she will battle against terrifying encounters and solve mysterious puzzles which will ultimately determine her fate.

Why similar: Horror 89.8%, Psychological Horror 3.1%, Atmospheric 1.3%, Adventure 1.3%, Survival Horror 1.2%

Kingdom is a 2D sidescrolling strategy/resource management hybrid with a minimalist feel wrapped in a beautiful, modern pixel art aesthetic.

Why similar: Atmospheric 44.6%, Singleplayer 23.7%, Adventure 20.1%, Indie 11.6%

Surrounded by enemies and assaulted by terror from all sides, Philip must collect clues and solve vexing puzzles while combating the gnawing psychological terrors that assail his mind and threaten to strip him of his sanity.

Why similar: Horror 69.2%, Psychological Horror 11.3%, First-Person 3.9%, Atmospheric 3.1%, Lovecraftian 2.4%

Luto is a psychological horror experience where you take on the role of someone unable to leave their home. Every attempt to escape will lead you deeper into the unknown, where nothing is as it seems and everything will test your senses.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 24.2%, Walking Simulator 20.3%, Horror 18.8%, Atmospheric 6.4%, Dark 5.9%

What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state. As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she's the last one in her family left alive.

Why similar: Horror 22.8%, Walking Simulator 22.7%, Story Rich 9.4%, Atmospheric 9.2%, Psychological Horror 9.2%

Get ready for some seriously stylish action from renowned designer SUDA51. In this exclusive version for PC, players will be slicing, dicing, and shooting as the suave executioner Mondo Zappa. Prepare for the thrill of love and kill in KILLER IS DEAD!

Why similar: Surreal 29.7%, Great Soundtrack 25.4%, Atmospheric 19.5%, Singleplayer 11%, Story Rich 7.4%

A first-person horror adventure. Uncover your past and survive the Algerian desert. Fear is your enemy; stay calm to not succumb to an illness threatening you and your loved one. Avoid darkness, hide from monsters and solve puzzles. Adventure Mode available for a less scary experience.

Why similar: Horror 56.8%, Psychological Horror 9.1%, Lovecraftian 5.7%, First-Person 5.4%, Atmospheric 5%

Satellite Reign is a real-time, class-based strategy game, set in an open-world cyberpunk city. You command a group of 4 agents through rain-soaked, neon-lit streets, where the law is the will of mega-corporations.

Why similar: Atmospheric 25%, Multiplayer 23.2%, Great Soundtrack 21.7%, Indie 20.2%, Singleplayer 9.9%

A Story About My Uncle is a first person platforming adventure game about a boy who searches for his lost uncle, and ends up in a world he couldn’t imagine existed. The movement is a crucial part of the games core gameplay – focusing on swinging through the world with a grappling hook that gives the player a wonderful sense of speed and...

Why similar: Adventure 65.7%, First-Person 11.9%, Atmospheric 7.8%, Story Rich 4.7%, Great Soundtrack 3%

Fortified is an explosive strategy shooter where players will defend the Earth against a menacing Martian invasion in the 1950s. Play as one-of-four pulp inspired heroes as they fight swarms of terrifying robots with an arsenal of Cold War era weapons and experimental technology.

Why similar: Multiplayer 65.1%, Indie 34.9%

Take on the role of Six, a lone child lost in a massive metal vessel known as the Maw, surrounded by dangerous, distorted versions of adults. You’ll need to do your best to escape in one piece or your fate will be worse than you ever dared dream.

Why similar: Horror 71%, Psychological Horror 7.7%, Atmospheric 5.4%, Dark 3.4%, Great Soundtrack 2.8%

Stories: The Path of Destinies is an Action RPG, an enchanted storybook filled with madcap fantasy tales, each told by a zippy narrator attuned to the player’s choices and actions.

Why similar: Adventure 79.7%, Great Soundtrack 9.7%, Story Rich 4.4%, Indie 4.1%, Singleplayer 2.1%

Jotun is a hand-drawn action-exploration game set in Norse mythology. In Jotun, you play Thora, a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla. Impress the Gods!

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 27.4%, Atmospheric 25.2%, Adventure 20.6%, Exploration 9.4%, Indie 7.8%

The year is 1962 and the Cold War has the nation gripped by fear. A top-secret government unit called The Bureau begins investigating a series of mysterious attacks by an enemy more powerful than communism.

Why similar: Atmospheric 33.1%, Singleplayer 23.6%, Story Rich 17.5%, Multiplayer 14.8%, Adventure 10.9%

Slender Man returns more terrifying than ever. You're on your own. No one to help you. No one to hear you scream. Relive the horror all over again with cutting edge visuals for the 10th Anniversary Update and experience survival horror at its finest.

Why similar: Horror 76.8%, Psychological Horror 6.3%, Walking Simulator 5%, First-Person 2.8%, Atmospheric 2%

Shadow Warrior is a bold reimagining of the classic 3D Realms’ shooter from independent developer Flying Wild Hog (Hard Reset) starring the legendary and quick-witted warrior Lo Wang.

Why similar: First-Person 43.5%, Great Soundtrack 28.8%, Adventure 10.7%, Atmospheric 9.7%, Singleplayer 7.4%

Brütal Legend is an action-adventure that marries visceral action combat with open-world freedom. Set in a universe somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Spinal Tap, it’s a fresh take on the action/driving genre, which in this case is full of imitation cover bands, demons intent on enslaving humanity and Heavy metal tunes.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 62.1%, Adventure 16.8%, Atmospheric 9.8%, Multiplayer 7.5%, Singleplayer 3.8%