Horror has been one of the most popular genres in literature for centuries, and made the move to film & TV almost effortlessly. However, its adoption into gaming was not so smooth, with developers trying and failing to introduce horror to games for decades.

It wasn’t until 25 years ago, when Resident Evil was first released to the market, that horror became an accepted genre within gaming. Since then, a whole host of horror games have been released, with many gaining acclaim from critics and fans alike.

But what is it that differentiates a great horror game like Resident Evil from a badly criticized one like Parasite Eve or The Final Days: I’m Still Alive? Read on to find out, as we look through some of the best examples of horror games in the last 25 years and analyze what they got right.

Nightmare on Elm Street Slot

What it got right: Not every horror game produced has to come up with a unique plotline to terrify players. Sometimes, the best way to get players on the edges of their seats is to mimic the feel of an already terrifying story, which is exactly what this online slot does.

Summary: You might be surprised to see an entry from an online slot in this list, but A Nightmare On Elm Street Slot has been chosen for a very specific reason.

People often fall into the trap of thinking that a good horror game needs the best graphics to be truly panic-inducing and immersive. However, this game shows that fear can be built up with even the most basic of graphics.

The slot features all the characters from the movie franchise, but where it excels is in its soundtrack. Movie producers have recognized for some time the power of a soundtrack in building up tension in an audience.

The producers behind this slot have also recognized that and as such, players playing this slot will notice their blood pumping just a little bit faster every time they spin the reels.

A Nightmare On Elm Street Slot isn’t the only great horror slot out there, but it’s a good one to get started with, especially if you’re interested in the minimalistic ways in which games can create fear and anxiety.

One place you can do just that is 888casino. With more than hundreds of exclusive games and more added every year, this prominent online casino is a great steppingstone into large selection of multiple themes of slots, including horror ones. Go and try out the popular “A Nightmare On Elm Street” classic game and many other thrilling online slots on their vibrant website.

Until Dawn

What it got right: Horror, just like any other genre, tends to operate in cycles. When one particular type of film is a hit with audiences, it inspires a whole raft of copycat efforts from producers and directors.

What this game manages to do so well is resurrect the teen slasher sub-genre of horror two decades after its heyday, without seeming like a cliché.

Summary: Such was the prevalence of teen slasher films in the late 1990s and the early 2000s that films like Scary Movie – which satirized the sub-genre – became a hit with cinema-goers.

The creators of Until Dawn didn’t let that get in their way when they released this game in 2015. They instead brought back the sub-genre and put their own spin on it, in the process creating a video game that was not only eminently playable, but terrifying and engaging in equal measure.

This game follows eight teenagers who make a trip up to a remote cabin in the mountains, where things quickly start to go awry. You must make decisions as the player on whether or not they survive and who, if anyone, is picked off first.

Dead Space

What it got right: Resident Evil (which we will cover later) found new ways to put the fear of God into players when it was released 25 years ago. The creators of Dead Space took particular note of that and expanded upon it with this game.

Summary: Isolation and the fear of the unknown are the two stand-out features of this game, in which players control Isaac Clarke, an engineer who is trapped on a derelict spacecraft.

It will come as no surprise to learn that Isaac soon finds out he isn’t alone on the spacecraft and has to fight to survive. Dead Space excels in thrusting players into a world of the unknown, with an everchanging plotline that makes it hard for players to keep up and catch their breath.

Resident Evil

What it got right: Horror isn’t just about crazy creatures jumping out of the shadows and terrifying moments of kill or be killed action. Rather horror is about building suspense in players to the point that even the sound of a creaky door will have them sweating.

Resident Evil aims to build fear at every corner and never gives players a moment respite to gather their thoughts and regroup.

Summary: This 1996 video game follows the travails of two members of an elite task force who are investigating the disappearance of their former team members in the outskirts of a creepy city.

The pair soon become trapped in a mansion crawling with zombies and other terrifying monsters. To build the horror and separate Resident Evil from a standard shoot ‘em up game, the developers limit the number of resources that players have.

This helps to place real importance on the player’s every choice, as one wrong move could be the difference between life and death for their characters. In terms of building horror and provoking anxiety, no game since has come close to the terror of Resident Evil.