Skip to content
FiltersEvery game, every platform 69 gamesChoose
Where you play
Kind of horror
19 more
Price
Players
Time to finish
Released
Content

Your choice stays on as you move around the site, until you clear it. One place to play opens that part of the site; within a group any option will do, except Content, where every one you pick holds. Content goes by each game's content notes.

Curse horror games

In these games a curse sets the story moving: a camera, a music box or a chair that should never have been touched, a mark that kills whoever carries it, or a hex laid on a whole town or island. You investigate where it came from, follow the rules it sets and try to break it or pass it on before it runs its course, and the fear is in knowing the deadline is real.

The top 30 of 69 curse horror games, ranked by player and critic scores

The 30 best, 2026

  1. The Children of Clay key art: the title in pink letters above the pale carved face of the clay figure on a black, worn cover Puzzle horrorThe Children of ClayWikipedia describes the object you study as a cursed ancient artifact that changes as you learn about it 99% on Steam (4,090 reviews)about 15 minFreePC, Linux
  2. Matsuro Palette key art: the winking white-haired girl from the painting, with one red eye and a blue flower, raising a hand to a pale paint stroke on dark blue PsychologicalMatsuro PaletteThe store calls her a cursed painting; everyone who tried to complete her before you was killed. 98% on Google Play (277,000 ratings)about 2 hPaidPC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, iPhone, Android
  3. Rena calls out a good morning to Keiichi on a tree-lined village road, with the English text over the scene PsychologicalHigurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 OnikakushiThe store page asks whether the yearly deaths are a conspiracy, a coincidence or a curse. 96% on Steam (6,917 reviews)10 h or moreFreePC, Mac, Linux
  4. Sorry We're Closed key art: a blue-skinned horned demon woman with a long tongue, tooth earrings and a pink Baby choker, under the game's title SurvivalSorry We're ClosedThe Duchess curses Michelle: she must return the archdemon's love within three days or die. 98% on Steam (1,676 reviews)about 7 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  5. Forbidden Solitaire key art: a screaming bearded man and a tower with glowing windows in purple light, with a red gem in an eye shape under the title Multiple endingsForbidden SolitaireThe disc was pulled from sale amid rumours that it cursed the people who played it, and the store says to uninstall it before it is too late 96% on Steam (2,258 reviews)about 5 hPaidPC
  6. Gloomwood key art: a cloaked figure in a top hat, seen from behind, walks a foggy Victorian street toward a glowing archway with a red lantern and a blade SurvivalGloomwoodThe city of Gloomwood is consumed by an ancient curse that you set out to uncover 95% on Steam (8,511 reviews)about 5 hPaidPC
  7. The House in Fata Morgana key art: the black-haired Maid in purple leans close to a white-haired, red-eyed girl while a ghostly red hand hovers above them PsychologicalThe House in Fata MorganaA gothic suspense tale set in a cursed mansion, where the same tragedies seem to repeat across nearly a thousand years. 95% on Steam (2,165 reviews)30 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch, iPhone, Android
  8. Misao key art: a purple-haired girl in a red top and pink skirt curled up on her side with her arms over her head among dark red splashes 2D horrorMisao - 2024 HD RemasterSince Misao went missing, rumour blames the strange events on campus on Misao's curse, and the rumour proves true. 95% on Steam (2,588 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC
  9. Key art of the cast posed over the sea, half underwater beside a mermaid's tail, with the PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse logo PsychologicalPARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's CurseThe store says you solve the mysteries of seven curses that befall the island. 95% on Steam (2,760 reviews)12 h or morePaidPC, Switch, iPhone, Android
  10. Stillwater key art: a pale, tired man in a dark coat and tie, lit green in the dark, with the wavy title across his face AnimeStillwaterHugo and his assistants must solve the case before an old family's curse befalls them all 94% on itch.io (1,037 ratings)about 1 hFreePC, Mac, Linux, Android
  11. Mama's Sleeping Angels art: four players in Y2K outfits pose in a dark graffiti alley, with red fleshy monsters behind a fence Co-opMama's Sleeping AngelsYou gather cursed objects and analyse their curses, which can help or hinder you, then feed them to Mama. 94% on Steam (1,323 reviews)about 8 hPaidPC
  12. Retail Hell key art: a grinning pale monster reaches out from behind the shop window toward a soda can and cash on the counter, beside the title PsychologicalRetail HellGetting a customer wrong risks reality-warping curses and eldritch side effects on you and the store 95% on Steam (593 reviews)about 3 hPaidPC
  13. Dinner with an Owl key art: the owl-headed host in a suit and a woman raising a glass of red wine at a candlelit table, before blue and gold damask wallpaper PsychologicalDinner with an OwlThe host holds his involuntary guests under a puzzling spell that you must break to escape. 94% on Steam (882 reviews)about 30 minFreePC
  14. Play Things key art: a doll in a red dress sits on a wooden chair under a dim spotlight on a checkerboard floor, the title in white letters below PsychologicalPlay ThingsThe store page says some dolls are ordinary and others hide a dark curse that your tests must uncover. 99% on Steam (150 reviews)about 1.5 hFreePC
  15. Ann key art: Security in his blue uniform and Ann in glasses and a pink hoodie stand back to back before the dark school building at night 2D horrorAnnA curse on the building turns the school into a nightmare at midnight and traps whoever stays inside. 93% on Steam (1,696 reviews)about 3 hFreePC, Browser
  16. Trash Horror Collection key art: a sketchy skull holding a camera at the edge of a dark banner with a faint grid floor Multiple endingsTrash Horror CollectionIn MOLD, a mystery box left at a farm holds an ancient amulet that carries the curse of mold. 95% on Steam (490 reviews)about 5 hPaidPC
  17. The Scourge key art: a red-lit kitchen strung with red thread and hanging photographs, a dark figure on the left and a glowing glass-block window PsychologicalThe Scourge | Tai ƯơngHis bloodline is cursed by a malevolent supernatural force for the sins of his ancestors. 93% on Steam (1,216 reviews)about 4.5 hPaidPC
  18. Bunker16 key art: a dark concrete corridor leading to a dimly lit room with a pillar and steps, with the title in white letters below EscapeBunker16Its IndieDB page asks whether you will make it out of the bunker or fall victim to its curse. 94% on Game Jolt (585 ratings)about 45 minFreePC
  19. Rental key art: a small worried grey bunny with big dark eyes holds a lit candle against a black background of scratched lines EscapeRentalThe Rental Man reveals that the house is cursed and its guests are trapped 92% on Steam (3,542 reviews)about 25 minFreePC
  20. Disturbed key art: a foggy grey pencil drawing of a stone stairway, with a small pale figure hiding its face in a wall niche Visual novelsDisturbedA sword lies in a cairn of stones, and a ghostly figure warns that the blade is cursed. 92% on Steam (1,874 reviews)about 1 hFreePC, Mac, Linux
  21. A Plague Tale: Requiem key art: Amicia with blood on her face and her little brother Hugo resting his head on her shoulder StealthA Plague Tale: RequiemHugo's curse reawakens, bringing death and destruction in a flood of rats 91% on the PlayStation Store (29,000 ratings)17 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  22. The Horror Of Salazar House art: four painted portraits of a hanged corpse, a grinning woman, an old woman and a screaming blue ghoul EscapeThe Horror Of Salazar HouseA note in the house reads This house is cursed, once inside you can't leave 93% on Steam (322 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC, Linux
  23. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II key art: a man in glasses and a loose tie between two uniformed schoolgirls before a dark school gate and brick building at night PsychologicalSpirit Hunter: Death Mark IIRumour says that every 10 years the dead creep into the academy and spread a curse 97% on Steam (178 reviews)17 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch
  24. Urban Myth Dissolution Center key art: a blue-skinned, dark-haired man in pixel art points at the viewer in front of yellow clouds and rays 2D horrorUrban Myth Dissolution CenterAzami is pushed into the job after breaking a cursed chair, and cases involve cursed relics. 88% on Steam (6,444 reviews)13 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch, iPhone, Android
  25. Porcelain Heart key art: the title in white gothic script beside a tearful pink-haired girl in a pink cape, framed by black heart-patterned lace PsychologicalPorcelain HeartA curse hangs over the story, and Mary waves it away with "Don't be silly, dear. Curses aren't real." 96% on itch.io (199 ratings)about 1 hPay what you wantBrowser, PC, Mac
  26. Mr. Hopp's Playhouse 2 key art: Esther, a girl with a lavender headband, glances anxiously aside in a dim wallpapered hallway that ends in darkness SurvivalMr. Hopp's Playhouse 2The store sends a young girl to escape the clutches of her cursed toys and unravel the dark history of Blacklands 90% on Google Play (48,700 ratings)about 2 hPaidPC, iPhone, Android
  27. I'm on Observation Duty 2 key art: a very dark living room with a stone fireplace, an armchair and a chessboard on a low table PsychologicalI'm on Observation Duty 2Its main map is called The Cursed House, and finishing it earns the achievement Curse of the house. 92% on Steam (557 reviews)PaidPC, Mac, Linux
  28. Shadow Corridor key art: a huge pale mask-like face beside a dark wooden house, with red spider lilies behind the cracked white title SurvivalShadow CorridorDrawn into the corridors by childhood memories, you are hunted by the apparitions of a cursed Noh mask 90% on Steam (2,210 reviews)PaidPC, Switch, PlayStation
  29. WORLD OF HORROR key art: a lighthouse shining under a spiral sky above a Japanese seaside town, in 1-bit pixel art Multiple endingsWORLD OF HORROREvents can curse you, as when a spiral face in a mirror draws an Old God closer. 90% on Steam (9,883 reviews)about 1.5 hPaidPC, Mac, PlayStation, Switch
  30. Blood West key art: a cowboy with a rifle hides by a wooden shack as a fanged undead creature with an open ribcage stalks a night-time frontier town Action horrorBlood WestA curse has fallen on the Barren Lands and binds the Undead Gunslinger's soul until it is purged. 90% on Steam (6,789 reviews)20 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox

To play with friends

7 games

Short enough for one evening

Done in an hour or so

Free to play

18 games

Every game of the kind

More picks

Scores are those players and critics give on the stores and sites named; each game's page says where.

More kinds of horror

  1. Short horror games621
  2. Psychological horror games530
  3. Horror games with multiple endings417
  4. Horror puzzle games341
  5. Survival horror games259
  6. 2D horror games254
  7. PS1 horror games233
  8. Stealth horror games180
  9. Horror escape games164
  10. Surreal horror games145
  11. Horror visual novels137
  12. Anime horror games132
  13. Haunted house games131
  14. Mystery and detective horror games127
Every genre

Where you play

  1. Steam horror games1009
  2. Epic horror games97
  3. GOG horror games270
  4. itch.io horror games592
  5. PC horror games1337
  6. Mac horror games391
  7. Linux horror games261
  8. PlayStation horror games404
  9. Xbox horror games367
  10. Switch horror games317
  11. Mobile horror games188
  12. VR horror games69
  13. Browser horror games236
  1. Scary games1456
  2. Free horror games561
Every game, A to Z