COSMIC DREAD, baby. That’s what this whole list has for you.
Apart from that, there are the Eldritch terrors, slow burn horrors, cultists, occult rituals, sanity meters, and total madness. When it comes to horror icons such as H.P. Lovecraft, those are almost guaranteed. And we don’t need to hand out the cult pamphlets, but games? Games we can suggest.
Don’t worry, there will be no mention of any specific thing each game has that connects it to Lovecraftian lore to prevent spoilers.
Shall we descend into madness now? Here are 10 Lovecraftian horror games for your consideration:
Signalis
Aside from quoting Lovecraft in the intro, you’d think this pixel-art game was about space zombies. But this whole game spells out cosmic horror.
You play as the Replika android, Elster, in a mining colony of a frozen planet in search of a familiar face.
Look for clues from cryptic logs and visions with a crackling radio implant, limited ammo, and inventory space. And be sure to ration those resources!
It’s a chilling sci-fi survival ode to identity, obsession, and the terror of knowing.
Dredge
A relaxing fishing sim game… with some dread and monsters!
You play as a lone fisher and the captain of your own vessel across remote islands.
During the day, catch fish, sell them, and upgrade your boat while unraveling the dark mysteries plaguing the town and its waters. But come back to the port before night falls and heed the townsfolk when they warn you about the creatures lurking beneath the depths.
You know what they say: There’s always a bigger fish.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox
Solving mysteries with a partner? Normal. Solving mysteries with a demon from another realm, latched onto you, with the power to dive into the dead’s memories and go in and out of limbo? Just another Tuesday for Benedict Fox.
Look through warped memories, solve puzzles, and uncover a family’s dark secrets. Its Definitive Edition also features demon-enhanced combat and abilities, revamped traversal, and faster, fiercer foes.
A noir murder mystery is essential to Lovecraftian lore. And with every unlocked memory bleeding dread, the truth is far from clean.
Worshippers of Cthulhu
If you’ve played SimCity before and were definitely the type to play god and launch disasters, then have at Worshippers of Cthulhu.
As the chosen leader, you build this city for you and your cult to inevitably summon eldritch creatures and The Great Dreamer himself.
Guide your followers in daily labor, sacrifices, conquest, and rituals.
Play unfolds across a narrative campaign– there’s also Sandbox Mode, where you can carve your own path. Each choice shapes your cult’s fate and sanity threshold.
The Horror at Highrook
Enter Highrook, a gothic nightmare where a vanished noble family, the Ackerons, hides dark secrets.
In this occult card crafting narrative, control a team of four flawed occult investigators as they balance survival, sanity, and hidden agendas. Craft tools and rites in a nonlinear system to banish ancient horrors.
It has rich lore and mysteries inspired by Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, another gothic horror icon.
Has some similarities to Mansions of Madness (board game), but it’s more like Clue with cosmic terror. Definitely for those craving haunting stories and puzzle-solving.
Do No Harm
You get to play doctor… in the 19th century!
As the only village physician, you’re to diagnose and treat afflicted villagers with your Book of Medicine and arcane tools. Seems easy enough… that is, until you’re starting to be plagued with nightmarish visions and eventually are on the brink of insanity and a war between ancient cosmic deities.
In just 30 in-game days, would you be able to save the villagers, or will the horrors consume your mind and soul? Your choices shape your fate in this medical sim.
Forgive Me Father 2
The Priest returns, guns ablazing, and he’s back into the madness and fuelled by it, once more. This comic book-style boomer shooter is bound to get uglier with every fight. You can’t help but sin.
Navigate war-torn trenches and haunted villages, and find out the origins of your past, your faith, and the cult you once battled.
So let those mad riffs and drumbeats, by one Tim Fialka (music director of the first Forgive Me Father), play as you annihilate those ancient horrors in your descent to chaos.
Sucker for Love: First Date
You’ve finally summoned the cosmic horror of your dreams… and she’s tentaculously adorable.
In this dating sim Lovecraftian parody, you play as “Darling” with a hot-pink Necronomicon and a dangerously flirty Cthulhu-girl named Ln’eta. And you’ll meet her friends too.
You’ll romance, chant love spells, perform occult rituals, and maybe… just maybe, get that kiss.
This is a fully voiced visual novel (manga or manhwa-esque) that interprets the “love” in Lovecraftian horror almost quite literally.
It’s decision-based with a variety of endings that are more heart-fluttering than horrifying.
Scarlet Hollow
In this visual novel, you arrive in a quiet mountain town for your aunt’s funeral… and walk straight into a nightmare.
Every day brings new horrors: strange woods, stranger townfolk, haunted houses, missing pets, and things lurking in the mines.
Talk to animals, flirt with cryptids, or spiral into madness. Your choices matter especially when it comes to secrets and survival, so choose wisely.
No jumpscares, just existential dread, mystery, and a week you’ll never forget (if you survive it).
Tesla vs Lovecraft
When eldritch beasts steal your blueprints and torch your lab, there’s only one response: vengeance at 10,000 volts. Tesla vs Lovecraft is a twin-stick shooter, Lovecraftian parody that’s very loosely based on historical events.
Step into Nikola Tesla’s boots, fire up your mech, and fry a possessed Lovecraft and his nightmarish horde of creatures/cryptids with pure, uncut science.
Teleport through hordes, unleash death rays, and show cosmic terror what human ingenuity really means. Because when madness rises, lightning strikes back.
Remember, “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn”. Here’s hoping you’ll keep your sanity meter up as you go through the list.
