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VHS tape horror games

In these games the videotape is the thing you hunt for, the thing that pulls you in, or the frame you see everything through. You dig old cassettes out of drawers and factories, push them into a VCR and watch what the screen shows, or play a whole game as recovered footage. The fear sits in the grain, the hiss and the gap between what was recorded and what is there now.

The top 30 of 32 VHS tape horror games, ranked by player and critic scores

The 30 best, 2026

  1. Record of Greypine key art: a dark-haired figure with pink streaks raises a hand to their face under glitchy scanlines, title at lower left PsychologicalRecord of GreypineTraining tapes from Greypine County, watched in the game, explain the Derivative animals 98% on itch.io (328 ratings)about 2 hPay what you wantPC, Mac, Linux
  2. Butcher's Creek key art: the white splatter-style title over a sepia-orange mass of writhing, eye-studded flesh Action horrorButcher's CreekSnuff videotapes draw him there, and the tapes you find are used on TVs to save and raise your maximum health 94% on Steam (1,709 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC
  3. Amanda the Adventurer key art: Wooly the Sheep, wide-eyed and frightened, his hands raised, behind purple VHS scanlines Multiple endingsAmanda the AdventurerThe whole story is told through a stack of VHS tapes you find in the attic and play on an old TV and VCR. 94% on Steam (7,337 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  4. Blood Typers key art: a young woman with a bloody club stands in a dark junkyard alley before a giant keyboard and a skull-faced monster with glowing eyes SurvivalBlood TypersEvery mission asks you to find red video tapes before you can move on to the next set 94% on Steam (919 reviews)about 5 hPaidPC
  5. 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 CollectionThe first Poop Killer game has you on the night shift at a VHS tape rental store. 95% on Steam (490 reviews)about 5 hPaidPC
  6. Sagebrush key art: a lone wooden chapel with a cross on a red hillside above dark trees, under a teal sky PsychologicalSagebrushAmong the belongings you find tapes, and one room has an old TV and VCR with a Use VCR prompt 94% on itch.io (415 ratings)about 2 hPaidPC, Mac, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
  7. Dread X Collection 2 key art: a skeleton in sunglasses and bow tie plays a brass horn while a tentacle-faced giant looms over a dark forest under stars CosmicDread X Collection 2Each of the twelve games is a VHS tape you unlock from a steel case and play in the VCR of a locked room 94% on Steam (696 reviews)about 8.5 hPaidPC
  8. The Butterfly key art: a dark creature with white eyes inside a teal glass case, with the title in red blocky letters PsychologicalThe ButterflyVHS home movies turn up in the house and hint that the story is set in the 1980s. 94% on itch.io (444 ratings)about 25 minFreePC, Mac
  9. Lost in Vivo key art: a red, decaying wall with a staring eye beside fleshy shapes dripping behind a chain-link fence PsychologicalLost in VivoOptional VHS lost tapes play as separate levels beyond the main game 91% on Steam (4,021 reviews)about 2.5 hPaidPC
  10. POOLS key art: a long rectangular pool of dark water with a metal rail and stairs at the back, in a hall of pale tiles stretching into the distance Walking simulatorsPOOLSThe game is presented as VHS found footage, and falling into a deep pit rewinds the tape. 95% on Steam (6,780 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC, Mac, Linux, iPhone, PlayStation, Switch, VR
  11. TELEFORUM key art: a barefoot woman in a robe sits in an armchair in a dim lamp-lit room with damask wallpaper, a bookshelf and a small side table PsychologicalTELEFORUMIt is all about the tape: a COMUNITV VHS cassette that should be returned to the station, and what was recorded on it 91% on Steam (995 reviews)about 35 minFreePC, Mac
  12. BLOOD MALL: RETAPED key art: a snarling reptilian monster with open jaws and claws under a full moon, beside the dripping red title Action horrorBLOOD MALL: RETAPEDA video rental store lined with horror tapes is one of the shops, and the whole game looks like a worn tape. 94% on Steam (309 reviews)about 30 minPaidPC
  13. The Building 71 Incident key art: a VHS PLAY screen with the title over a dark corridor lined with candles, in a red frame Walking simulatorsThe Building 71 IncidentThe game is presented as a recovered tape, released in portions after the man who filmed it vanished. 92% on itch.io (474 ratings)about 30 minPay what you wantPC
  14. Cannibal Abduction key art: a worn VHS-style cover with a blood-spattered green face, a staring yellow eye and the dripping red title under a Selewi presents banner SurvivalCannibal AbductionProgress is saved by recording to scarce tapes at a TV and VCR, under a VHS glitch filter that thickens as the killer nears. 95% on Steam (348 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  15. Rewind Or Die key art: a purple-gloved hand holds a bloody curved blade beside the lit Video2Go rental store at night under a purple sky Multiple endingsRewind Or DieThe store is a VHS rental shop you must keep clean, and the game itself is seen through a grainy VHS filter. 88% on the PlayStation Store (570 ratings)about 2 hPaidPC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  16. Two players in yellow hazmat suits face a tall, thin black entity in the yellow halls of Level 0, with a grinning face glowing in a dark doorway SurvivalBackrooms: Escape TogetherAn objective in the character menu asks you to find VHS tapes, one of six 89% on Steam (50,476 reviews)about 3 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox
  17. The Classrooms key art: a white wolf-like creature with glowing eyes and a toothy grin peers around a cinder block wall into the dark SurvivalThe ClassroomsWhat you play is the tape he left behind, split into tapes such as the Library Rooms, Bathrooms and Poolrooms. 89% on Steam (3,277 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC
  18. Creepy Shift: House For Sale key art: a dark farmhouse with a FOR SALE sign on a black field under a starry green sky Puzzle horrorCreepy Shift: House For SalePresented as dusty VHS horror, with an old video among the puzzles and horror films in the break room 92% on Steam (300 reviews)about 2 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox
  19. Poppy Playtime art: Huggy Wuggy, a blue furry mascot with red lips and rows of sharp teeth, grins in a red-lit factory Puzzle horrorPoppy PlaytimeA package with a VHS tape draws you back to the factory, and more tapes are hidden inside 88% on Steam (143,305 reviews)about 45 minFreePC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, iPhone, Android
  20. The Skin Stapler key art: a grinning killer in sunglasses holds up a bloody skin mask over a moonlit city, while two detectives stand back to back, one aiming a revolver MysteryThe Skin StaplerInspired by VHS horror; one victim rewinds tapes at a video store and a bloody case holds a VHS tape at a scene. 90% on Steam (533 reviews)about 3 hPaidPC
  21. V.H.S: Video.Horror.Story key art: pixel title over a dark green-lit office, a desk with a keyboard and an old CRT monitor glowing with static PS1V.H.S: Video.Horror.StoryThe screen is a tape playing back, PLAY in the corner and a Dec. 31 1989 date stamp below. 91% on Game Jolt (277 ratings)about 10 minFreePC, Mac
  22. Amanda the Adventurer 3 key art: a glowing old TV between a screaming opossum, a grumpy Wooly the sheep and a smiling Amanda, with a clawed hand reaching over it in the dark Puzzle horrorAmanda the Adventurer 3You play new tapes of the 90s-style CGI children's show on old TVs and answer the characters in them. 87% on Steam (761 reviews)about 2.5 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  23. Maple County cover: the title card, Maple County in white over Police Training Tape in red, in glitchy VHS lettering on a black screen ShortMaple CountyThe game is framed as a Maple County police training VHS tape that prepares you for what you're about to face. 90% on itch.io (241 ratings)about 10 minPay what you wantPC
  24. Below, Rusted Gods key art: a red-lit, screaming fleshy monster looming out of black behind the white title Multiple endingsBelow, Rusted GodsEverything is seen through a camcorder REC overlay, and one achievement asks you to find all the VHS tapes. 88% on Steam (423 reviews)about 2.5 hPaidPC
  25. THE PROTOTYPE cover: the puppet with an INFLATE HERE chest plate and outstretched hands in grainy, scan-lined footage above the title Visual novelsTHE PROTOTYPEIt opens on a videotape marked as the property of Pandaemonium Technologies, for its personnel only, with a Play prompt 90% on itch.io (191 ratings)about 15 minFreePC, Mac, Linux
  26. Duck Season key art: a boy with a light gun faces a giant glowing TV showing a duck hunt in a dim 1980s living room, a dog lurking in the doorway Multiple endingsDuck SeasonThe living room is full of VHS tapes, and short films found on them fill in the story 85% on Steam (1,499 reviews)about 1.5 hPaidVR, PC
  27. Amanda the Adventurer 2 key art: a thin, clawed figure with round ears reaches out beside a toppled, red-lit bookshelf behind purple TV scanlines Puzzle horrorAmanda the Adventurer 2You find tapes of the Amanda cartoon and play them on a TV and VCR in the library. 83% on Steam (1,582 reviews)about 4 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  28. Happy's Humble Burger Cult key art: a cartoon cow woman in a paper hat and four box-headed staff in striped uniforms beside the burger-bun logo Co-opHappy's Humble Burger CultCollectible tapes found between shifts play short, strange cartoons and audio logs about the world. 85% on Steam (566 reviews)about 1 hPaidPC
  29. Almost plastic, Not Even Real cover: a dithered black-and-white face with a black bar over its eyes, on a deep blue background PsychologicalAlmost plastic, Not Even RealPlayers have to get hold of a VHS tape and turn it with the mouse, and the maker points stuck players to the tape. 96% on itch.io (33 ratings)about 18 minFreeBrowser
  30. Incident at Grove Lake key art: a small figure floats in a huge white light over pine trees on a grassy hill, with the title at lower left Walking simulatorsIncident at Grove LakeAn Area 51 worker leaks top-secret files and a tape to a private investigator, and a tape lies on the diner table 84% on itch.io (265 ratings)about 22 minPay what you wantPC

Short enough for one evening

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10 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