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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 3 of 3 VHS tape horror games, ranked by player and critic scores

The 3 best, 2026

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

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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. Psychological horror games121
  2. Horror puzzle games109
  3. Survival horror games82
  4. Horror games with multiple endings71
  5. 2D horror games58
  6. PS1 horror games45
  7. Stealth horror games45
  8. Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror games42
  9. Mystery and detective horror games38
  10. Surreal horror games31
  11. Short horror games27
  12. Horror shooters and action horror games23
  13. Sci-fi and space horror games23
  14. Haunted house games22
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 games270
  2. Free horror games6
Every game, A to Z