While horror games are designed to frighten, the fear often fades as you become accustomed to the game’s scares. After all, you’ve signed up for a terrifying experience from the moment you hit “play,” so it’s easy to anticipate what’s coming next.
However, this isn’t the case in regular, non-horror games. They can easily catch you off guard with a sudden, unexpected scare. These moments feel far more unsettling because you’re not bracing for them. Whether you’re exploring a city skyline or planting flowers in a garden, here are some of the scariest scenes in games that were never meant to scare you.
The videos in this article contain jump scares, unsettling scenes, and spoilers
15
Cow Plant from The Sims 4
Let’s kick the list off with a light-hearted entry before diving into the more nightmarish ones. The Cow Plant from The Sims 4 and earlier games is a giant plant with a cow’s head that lures Sims in with a piece of cake and devours them if they get too close. Like the real-life Venus Flytrap, it’s a carnivorous plant, but instead of flies, the Cow Plant feasts on humans (if Sims can be called human).
While The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff add-on arguably features more frightening scenes, it’s intended to be creepy. In contrast, the Cow Plant is part of the base game, and it disrupts the game’s lighthearted vibe by introducing a death scenario during something as simple as gathering. I imagine young kids playing The Sims 4 wouldn’t expect to see something this terrifying, which is what makes it so scary.
14
Vaas’ Death Scene from Far Cry 3
Vaas Montenegro is the secondary antagonist in Far Cry 3. Portrayed by the phenomenal actor Michael Mando (who also plays Nacho Varga in Better Call Saul), Vaas is a formidable foe who constantly challenges the protagonist Jason throughout the game. When you finally get close to killing him, Vaas stabs you with a ceremonial dagger.
You wake up moments later in a horrifying hallucination where Vaas taunts you, charging at you with the ceremonial dagger before you overpower and stab him multiple times. As you fall to the ground next to him, his eyes suddenly open, staring directly at you.
I played this game as a teenager and found this sequence terrifying. The final scene certainly belongs on a list like this. Interestingly, you can also experience Vaas’ death scene from his perspective in Far Cry 6, which perfectly captures how insane the protagonist Jason had become throughout the course of Far Cry 3.
13
Man-Bat from Batman: Arkham Knight
The Batman: Arkham games have a dark setting, but they’re not scary, partly because you play as Batman. If you’re a fan of these games, you’ve probably spent dozens of hours grappling from skyscraper to skyscraper in Arkham City and Origins. By the time you get to Arkham Knight, this exploration mechanic has become a core part of the gameplay loop.
However, this mechanic is completely shattered when a terrifying rendition of Man-Bat lunges and screeches at you when you grapple onto one of the buildings in Batman: Arkham Knight. What makes this jump scare so effective is how unexpected it is. It breaks the power fantasy of being a superhero, leaving you feeling vulnerable.
Later, a Joker hallucination appears in a similar fashion to mock you. The good news is that you can eventually take revenge by attacking and capturing Man-Bat.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman: Arkham Knight is the third mainline installment in the Arkham series from Rocksteady. This time, players control Batman as he tangles with a new, powerful, enigmatic villain called The Arkham Knight. Players will explore an open world and tangle with some of Batman’s Rogues Gallery on a quest to stop the villain from taking over Gotham.
Gray Fox from Metal Gear Solid is Solid Snake’s ex-comrade, and the corridor cutscene is where he fully reveals himself for the first time. Accompanied by a claustrophobic atmosphere and eerie audio filled with unintelligible whispers, Gray Fox slashes, dices, and throws enemies against the wall. You witness all of this before the eventual fight against him, serving as one of the scariest and most iconic boss entries in any game.
Before you can fight him, though, you must make your way through the blood-smeared hallway and witness Fox in action. Interestingly, a fan recreated a high-resolution version of the cutscene in Unreal Engine 5, offering a glimpse of what a Metal Gear Solid remake would look like if it were released today.
11
The Descendants from Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
While the Uncharted franchise features larger-than-life action and storytelling, it’s usually fairly realistic. My only contact with the franchise was with the grounded Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, so I was surprised to learn that the first game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, introduced supernatural elements in the form of the Descendants.
These zombie-like creatures are actually the mutated descendants of Spanish colonists who frequently ambush Drake and his crew in the dark, claustrophobic ruins of the Amazon rainforest.
When the Descendants appear, the game’s tone abruptly shifts from a lighthearted adventure to a full-blown zombie survival game. It’s a polarizing addition—some gamers loved it, while others didn’t. Still, no one can deny that the Descendants are terrifying.
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10
The Museum of Witchcraft from Fallout 4
Fallout games are set in a grimy, post-apocalyptic version of the US, so encountering mutated monsters is par of the course. However, nothing can prepare you for the “Museum of Witchcraft” in Fallout 4. You enter the eerie museum through the basement and soon discover that you’re not alone—there’s a large monster lurking on the upper floor, shaking the entire building with its movements.
The monster turns out to be a high-level Deathclaw, one of the most powerful and fearsome enemies in Fallout. Facing it in such close quarters makes for a very intense and difficult battle. Before this terrifying encounter, you’ll come across several dead bodies, unsettling mannequins, and Sergeant Lee’s holotapes, which reveal the grim story of what happened in this menacing building.
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Much like Fallout, Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls games also include occasional creepy and horror elements. Skyrim has its fair share of unsettling moments, but I find “The House of Horrors” side quest to be the scariest. It begins when Vigilant Tyranus approaches you in Markarth, asking you for help in investigating an abandoned house.
Once inside, objects begin moving on their own, and a terrifying voice starts speaking, urging you to kill Tyranus. The voice belongs to Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of domination and enslavement, one of the most malevolent Daedric Princes. Despite the lack of a visual jump scare, the scene is deeply unsettling thanks to the chilling voice acting and tense atmosphere.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skyrim is the fifth major game in the Elder Scrolls series. Considered one of the greatest games ever made, it has been released on several generations of consoles. Since its initial release over a decade ago, Skyrim has become one of the bestselling video games of all time.
8
Cave Exploration from Minecraft
If you think Minecraft is just a kid’s game, I’m here to convince you otherwise. While many parents let their children play Minecraft because it encourages exploration, learning, and creativity, Minecraft is secretly one of the scariest horror games.
Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox game where you can build, explore, and create at your own pace. Whether you’re crafting masterpieces, battling creatures, or simply exploring, the world is yours to shape and enjoy, with endless possibilities for solo or community play.
Sure, the surface is home to some creepy monsters like creepers and skeletons, but aside from the screeching phantoms, they quickly lose their edge. The real terror lies deep in the mines, where more powerful and menacing monsters lurk.
Things only got creepier with the addition of the deep, dark cave biome in the Wild Update. Its pitch-black, eerie atmosphere freaks me out, even though I’m an adult. Strangely enough, turning on peaceful mode makes it even more unsettling, even though I know monsters won’t spawn.
7
The Boys of Silence from BioShock Infinite
While the earlier BioShock games are undeniably unsettling and scary, BioShock Infinite subverts that atmosphere by introducing a stunning floating steampunk city-state called Columbia. The game isn’t scary, but it happens to have some of the most disturbing enemies in the game—the Boys of Silence.
The Boys of Silence wear large helmets that completely cover their faces, rendering them blind. Instead, they use their large ear trumpets to emit a piercing alarm that alerts other enemies to attack you. Their uncanny appearance alone is enough to frighten, but it becomes especially terrifying when used as a jump scare.
6
The Dark Bramble from Outer Wilds
The Outer Wilds is an outstanding game set in space. While it can feel slightly unsettling at times, due to its unique art style and ambiance, it doesn’t lean heavily on fear (unless you happen to have a fear of space itself).
However, the major exception is the Dark Bramble, a foggy maze of vines filled with terrifying, massive anglerfish that can instantly devour your spaceship. Additionally, you have to rely on sound signals through your ship’s frequency scanner to navigate the area, which further amplifies the tension and unease of the Dark Bramble.
5
The Night Folk from Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar Games loves to throw in the occasional scary scenario, so it’s no surprise that Red Dead Redemption 2 has a few such moments. Unlike the original, which featured a full-fledged zombie expansion titled Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, RDR 2 doesn’t contain any supernatural horror elements.
Instead, it introduces something even more unsettling—the Night Folk.
The encounter begins when you come across a sobbing woman in the swamps at night. The scene itself is unnerving, but as you approach, she suddenly lashes out with a knife and runs off. Before you can even react, a horde of deranged killers appears behind you, rushing at you with terrifying speed.
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4
The Shalebridge Cradle from Thief: Deadly Shadows
Thief: Deadly Shadows isn’t a scary game, but the level “Robbing the Cradle” is pure nightmare fuel. In fact, it’s so terrifying that it has its own Wikipedia page, which explains how the level came into existence. The developers studied interactive horror, as they wanted to make this the scariest level ever, and they certainly succeeded.
The mission is set in an abandoned orphanage brimming with paranormal activity, from ghosts of deceased children to flickering lights and jump scares. On top of that, the game’s age adds to the unsettling atmosphere as the dated graphics look uncanny compared to today’s polished, realistic game design.
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3
The Von Everec Estate from The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone
The Witcher 3 is a medieval fantasy RPG, and your job is to hunt down monsters, so there are bound to be a few scary scenarios, though it’s far from a horror game. Initially, I considered including the “A Towerful of Mice” side quest, as it terrified me on my first playthrough.
However, after giving it some thought, I realized that the Von Everc’s Estate from the Hearts of Stone expansion is way scarier. This creepy location features two particularly chilling boss encounters—the horrifying, faceless Caretaker in the garden, and the Wraith from the Painting inside the haunted manor.
The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world RPG. You control Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter searching for his adopted daughter Ciri in a war-torn world filled with magic and intrigue.
2
The Egyptian Guardian Giant from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an adventure game that gets many things right, one of which is incorporating a few horror scenarios to keep players on edge.
For those with a fear of snakes, this scenario is going to be the giant snake in Sukhothai, but it’s nothing compared to the terror of facing the guardian giant in Egypt.
After the lights go out in the underground room, the blindfolded giant emerges behind Indy and throws him to the ground. From there, you have to defeat the powerful giant by sneaking around, striking him with blunt objects, and hiding in plain sight. Fortunately, you can light the room at least. Despite multiple attempts, the sense of helplessness I felt during this sequence never fully went away.
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1
The Blood Trail Maze from Max Payne
While some scenarios on this list are quite scary, none compare to the nightmare sequences in the original Max Payne, and the blood trail maze from the second nightmare is particularly chilling.
In this sequence, you must navigate a narrow blood trail through a dark void, all while the eerie sound of a baby crying echoes in the background. The disorienting and unsettling sequence terrified players back in 2001, and it’s even more haunting if you revisit it today.
As scary as horror games can be, they don’t hold a candle to some of the moments on this list. These scenarios catch us off guard because we’re not bracing for horror, which makes them all the more impactful. Even if you’re not a fan of horror games, you have to admit there’s something compelling about these moments. They demand your undivided attention and leave your adrenaline pumping long after the experience ends, which is why I kind of like them!
