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Japanese horror games

These games are set in Japan: mountain villages of shrines and stone lanterns, small 1980s towns, Tokyo districts and a station underpass. Their fear comes from Japanese ghost stories and urban legends, from vengeful spirits and curses tied to old rites, and from walking quiet streets and old wooden houses where something follows the rules of a local legend.

The top 30 of 68 Japanese horror games, ranked by player and critic scores

The 30 best, 2026

  1. Raging Loop key art: Haruaki, a frightened girl in a green jacket reaching out and a white-haired woman, with a black wolf's head with a red eye behind them PsychologicalRaging LoopA remote Japanese mountain village and its strange local customs 96% on Steam (11,565 reviews)26 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  2. 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 OnikakushiRural Japan in June of Showa 58, that is 1983. 96% on Steam (6,917 reviews)10 h or moreFreePC, Mac, Linux
  3. Saihate Station key art: Haru asleep on Shion's shoulder on a red train seat PsychologicalSaihate StationA Japanese commuter's last train, a station sign and a ticket printed in Japanese 95% on Steam (10,659 reviews)about 3 hFreePC, Mac, iPhone, Android
  4. 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 CurseIts 360-degree backgrounds are based on real places in Mie prefecture, Japan. 95% on Steam (2,760 reviews)12 h or morePaidPC, Switch, iPhone, Android
  5. The Forest of Drizzling Rain key art: Suga in black holding a glowing blue sword beside Shiori cupping glowing blue drops, on a dark teal leafy background PsychologicalThe Forest of Drizzling RainSet in a Japanese village with a torii shrine gate, a local museum and its curator, Kotaro Suga. 97% on Steam (521 reviews)about 8 hPaidPC, Mac
  6. Tales of the Black Forest key art: three anime girls, one white-haired in a kimono, one in school uniform, one with fox ears, before a dark pixel-art station 2D horrorTales of the Black ForestSet in Kuromori-cho, a Japanese town, with a story drawn from Japanese urban legends and social issues of the 1990s. 96% on Steam (1,080 reviews)about 3.5 hPaidPC
  7. Sucker for Love: Date to Die For key art: Rhok'zan, a goat-headed woman with curling purple hair and a gold collar, among dark leaves AnimeSucker for Love: Date to Die ForThe town of Sacramen-Cho and the shifting house you explore are drawn in a Japanese style, with paper screens and sliding doors. 95% on Steam (1,363 reviews)about 5 hPaidPC
  8. Parasocial key art: a streamer in headphones and a hoodie sits at her glowing monitor by a window over a night city Psychological[Chilla's Art] ParasocialIt is set in a Japanese city and the store page says it was inspired by Japanese horror films. 94% on Steam (1,728 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC
  9. EMPTY SHELL: PROLOGUE key art: glitchy title lettering beside an ink-splatter figure in a gas mask, in black and white SurvivalEMPTY SHELL: PROLOGUESet on a Japanese island, with 1950s emails between staff such as n.nakata and d.kadowai 94% on Steam (1,412 reviews)about 3 hFreePC
  10. CHAOS;CHILD key art: a boy in glasses and school uniform among seven schoolgirls, their figures eaten away by rust-red splatter on white PsychologicalCHAOS;CHILDSet in Shibuya, Tokyo, in October 2015, among Japanese high school students and their newspaper club 93% on Steam (4,166 reviews)20 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch
  11. The Exit 8 key art: a yellow 'Exit 8' sign hanging from the ceiling of a white-tiled subway passage PsychologicalThe Exit 8Set in a Japanese station passageway, with signs and posters in Japanese and English. 93% on Steam (11,760 reviews)about 30 minPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, iPhone, Android
  12. Tales of Fear - Episode Zero key art: the red title beside a dark A-frame station building at the top of concrete steps under a starry night sky Walking simulatorsTales of Fear - Episode ZeroDoai Station is set near Mount Tanigawa in Japan, with Japanese station signs and posters 95% on Steam (587 reviews)about 1.5 hFreePC
  13. Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary key art: a wide-eyed blue-haired schoolgirl ghost in a sailor uniform reaches toward the viewer under a dark night sky, beside the Japanese title AnimeKugayama Shiori's Death DiarySet in a Japanese town of parks, shrines, apartment blocks and supermarkets, with Japanese voice acting. 94% on Steam (1,099 reviews)about 8 hPaidPC, Switch
  14. Late Homework key art: cat-eared Haneko in green stands eyes closed against a grey brick wall in a dark checkered hallway, a red EXIT sign glowing to the left SurvivalLate HomeworkA Japanese school with a Japanese title, where a 50 yen coin from a drain buys a key from a vending machine. 95% on Steam (428 reviews)about 1 hPaidPC
  15. Labyrinth Of The Demon King key art: a hulking grey painted demon against a red-brown cloudy sky, under the Japanese and English title in red and white SurvivalLabyrinth Of The Demon KingSet in a mythical feudal Japan where war, disease and famine have spread and demons walk the earth 92% on Steam (1,557 reviews)about 7 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  16. Hollow Cocoon key art: a pale long-haired figure with dark markings on her bare back stands among red ropes and paper talismans in a green-lit room Multiple endingsHollow CocoonSet in a remote mountain village in 1980s Japan, with wooden shops and old vending machines. 92% on Steam (945 reviews)about 3.5 hPaidPC, Switch
  17. Banned Memories: Yamanashi key art: a mock PlayStation cover with the glowing white Yamanashi title on a dark red and black background of ripple circles SurvivalBanned Memories: YamanashiA Japanese academy with paper lanterns, shoji screens and wooden walkways, and a hero named Hideo Ueda. 94% on Game Jolt (364 ratings)about 20 minPay what you wantPC
  18. 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 IIA Japanese ghost story set in Tokyo's H City, made by the Japanese studio EXPERIENCE 97% on Steam (178 reviews)17 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch
  19. Yomawari: Midnight Shadows key art: two small girls with red and blue hair bows hold flashlights on a dark Japanese town street at night SurvivalYomawari: Midnight ShadowsSet in a rural Japanese town at night, with shrines, torii gates, railway crossings and wooden houses 89% on the PlayStation Store (1,151 ratings)about 6 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Switch
  20. 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 CorridorIts randomized levels are dark corridors in traditional Japanese venues, shrine paths with torii gates and stone lanterns 90% on Steam (2,210 reviews)PaidPC, Switch, PlayStation
  21. 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 HORRORSet in a 1980s Japanese fishing town, with creatures drawn from manga and urban legends such as Kuchisake-onna. 90% on Steam (9,883 reviews)about 1.5 hPaidPC, Mac, PlayStation, Switch
  22. Mask of the Lunar Eclipse key art: a girl in moonlight looks back beside pale masks hanging on a cracked wall SurvivalFATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Mask of the Lunar EclipseA Japanese ghost story set during the Rogetsu Kagura festival, through traditional Japanese houses. 89% on Steam (1,993 reviews)13 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  23. Corpse Party (2021) key art: a crying, bruised student in front of a broken window, with a bloodied blade in the foreground 2D horrorCorpse Party (2021)The students are from Kisaragi Academy, a Japanese high school, and the game is fully voiced in Japanese. 90% on Steam (1,554 reviews)10 h or morePaidPC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  24. Ginkgo key art: a skeletal woman with a pale face and dark hair crawls through a red-lit Japanese room of painted screens, framed by ginkgo leaves Puzzle horrorGinkgoIts halls of paper screens, shrines and Noh masks are modelled on Japanese architecture and yokai lore. 91% on Steam (343 reviews)about 30 minFreePC
  25. Spirit Hunter: NG key art: Akira, a young man in a dark jacket and choker, beside a girl in a black dress and bow on a deserted night street by Kissouji station PsychologicalSpirit Hunter: NGSet in Kissouji, a Tokyo suburb, with a story tied to Shinto traditions and Japanese urban legends 91% on the PlayStation Store (366 ratings)15 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch
  26. Japanese House Exploration key art: a red-lit veranda corridor with shoji screens beside a sunset courtyard with a stone lantern and red parasol, a faint figure at its far end Multiple endings家屋探索 -Japanese House Exploration-Set in a Japanese home of tatami rooms, shoji doors, a Buddhist altar cabinet and a courtyard with a stone lantern. 96% on Steam (134 reviews)about 1.5 hPaidPC
  27. The Closing Shift key art: Chilla's Coffee at night with its glowing sign and patio umbrella, and a barista in a green apron looking back over her shoulder Psychological[Chilla's Art] The Closing Shift | 閉店事件Set in a Japanese city, with environment art the makers say is inspired by Japanese horror films. 88% on Steam (3,235 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC
  28. The Bathhouse key art: a pale smiling face with black eyes rises from a tub of blood-red water, long black hair floating across it Multiple endingsThe Bathhouse | 地獄銭湯 Restored EditionSet in a small rural Japanese town on the outskirts of the mountains, with shops, a temple and Japanese signs on its streets. 90% on Steam (1,246 reviews)about 3.5 hPaidPC
  29. Shadow Corridor 2 key art: a carved wooden mask of a laughing old man floating in dark blue haze SurvivalShadow Corridor 2 雨ノ四葩Old wooden Japanese halls, tatami rooms with shoji screens and back streets lined with hydrangeas 88% on Steam (952 reviews)PaidPC, Switch, PlayStation
  30. Aka Manto key art: a pale-masked figure in a red hooded cloak holds a knife in a pixelated red classroom, beside the title 赤マント Survival[Chilla's Art] Aka Manto | 赤マントA Japanese school with switches labelled by floor in Japanese and puzzles with a touch of Japanese culture 88% on Steam (1,223 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC

Short enough for one evening

Done in an hour or so

Free to play

9 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