๐Ÿ‘ป 5 Indie Horror Games That Will Ruin Your Sleep (In the Best Way)

From psychological terrors to pixelated nightmares, these indie horror games prove you donโ€™t need a AAA budget to scare someone senseless. Here are five of the best horror indies that deserve a permanent spot in your dark gaming rotation.

๐ŸŽฎ 1. Darkwood

โ€œYouโ€™re not playing a game. Youโ€™re surviving a waking nightmare.โ€

Darkwood throws you into a surreal Eastern European forest filled with shifting horrors and twisted creatures. This top-down survival horror game ditches cheap jump scares for a creeping sense of dread that builds over time. You scavenge by day and barricade by night โ€” every choice feels permanent, and death is never far.

๐Ÿ•น๏ธ Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch

๐Ÿ’ธ Estimated Budget: ~$150,000

๐Ÿ’ฐ Revenue: Over 500,000 copies sold

๐Ÿ“… Release: May 17, 2019

๐Ÿ”— Steam

๐Ÿ”— Xbox Store

๐Ÿ”— PlayStation Store

๐Ÿ”— Nintendo eShop

๐ŸŽฎ 2. Faith: The Unholy Trinity

โ€œMinimalist pixel art. Maximum demonic terror.โ€

Faith uses Apple II-style graphics and audio, but donโ€™t let the retro look fool you โ€” this is one of the most disturbing games youโ€™ll ever play. Inspired by 80s Satanic Panic, you play as a priest trying to survive and uncover a demonic conspiracy. The lo-fi presentation only adds to its chilling atmosphere.

๐Ÿ•น๏ธ Platforms: PC

๐Ÿ’ธ Estimated Budget: < $100,000

๐Ÿ’ฐ Revenue: 100k+ units sold

๐Ÿ“… Release: October 21, 2022

๐Ÿ”— Steam

๐ŸŽฎ 3. Mundaun

โ€œA hand-penciled horror tale set in the eerie Alps.โ€

Every frame of Mundaun is drawn by hand โ€” yes, literally sketched on paper. That gives the game a uniquely disturbing aesthetic. You play a man returning to his grandfatherโ€™s mysterious village in the Swiss Alps, only to encounter ancient forces and haunting folklore. A slow-burn story meets puzzle-solving and survival horror.

๐Ÿ•น๏ธ Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch

๐Ÿ’ธ Estimated Budget: ~$200,000

๐Ÿ’ฐ Revenue: N/A, but received critical acclaim

๐Ÿ“… Release: March 16, 2021

๐Ÿ”— Steam

๐Ÿ”— PlayStation Store

๐Ÿ”— Nintendo eShop

๐ŸŽฎ 4. Iron Lung

โ€œYouโ€™re in a one-man submarine. You canโ€™t leave. You canโ€™t see. And somethingโ€™s out there.โ€

In Iron Lung, you’re trapped inside a tiny submarine exploring a blood ocean on a desolate moon. Thereโ€™s no window. You must navigate using coordinates and sonar โ€” the only clues to the horror stalking you. Short but bone-chilling, this game proves atmosphere > graphics any day.

๐Ÿ•น๏ธ Platforms: PC, Switch

๐Ÿ’ธ Estimated Budget: Under $10,000

๐Ÿ’ฐ Revenue: Massive success โ€” now being made into a film

๐Ÿ“… Release: March 10, 2022

๐Ÿ”— Steam

๐Ÿ”— Nintendo eShop

๐ŸŽฎ 5. Madison

โ€œEvery photograph tells a terrifying story.โ€

Madison is a first-person psychological horror game in the vein of PT and Visage. You wake up in a blood-stained room and must use a possessed camera to connect the world of the living and the dead. Solving puzzles by developing photos is a unique mechanic, and the scares are intense and unrelenting.

๐Ÿ•น๏ธ Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch

๐Ÿ’ธ Estimated Budget: ~$300,000

๐Ÿ’ฐ Revenue: Estimated 250,000+ copies sold

๐Ÿ“… Release: July 8, 2022

๐Ÿ”— Steam

๐Ÿ”— Xbox Store

๐Ÿ”— PlayStation Store

๐Ÿ”— Nintendo eShop