Summary
Nighttime seems like the perfect setting for a horror game. There’s nothing quite like sneaking through the forest, not knowing what shadows are lurking between the trees, or investigating a haunted house without the light of the sun shining through the windows. With these scenarios in mind, the potential for horrifying experiences to happen during the day is often overlooked.
Oftentimes, when something terrifying happens in the daytime, it can be more impactful, both because it’s unexpected and because players witness every detail without them being obscured by darkness. From zombie outbreaks to disturbing military operations, these are some of thebest horror games set during the day.
This list does not include horror games with a continuous and timed day/night cycle, such asThe Forest, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.orDying Light.
10Moving Houses
A Mundane Task Turns Sinister
Some of the best horror games are thosedisguised under seemingly innocent premises.Moving Houses,it won’t come as a surprise, is about moving house. The player takes on the role of the homeowner, packing up their belongings and transferring them into the moving van.
Amid the basic gameplay of carrying boxes and filling them with items, players experience the gradually unfolding story about what happened in the house, told via the fourth wall breaking of the instructions and the changing environment. While the scares are subtle inMoving Houses,it will leave players feeling uneasy throughout.
Hello Neighboris ahome invasion horror gamewith a twist. The player, after witnessing the neighbor locking something in his basement, must find a way to get into his house, uncover his secrets, and escape.
Minus a few short segments of the game that take place at night,Hello Neighbortakes place during the day. This setting makes the gameplay all the more tense, leaving players feeling exposed and at risk of being caught at any moment. With puzzles, stealth sections, and a need for strategy, this game will definitely keep players on their toes.
As a well-known survival horror franchise with numerous major titles,Resident Evilhas produced a diverse range of storylines and environments. With a surge of remakes, includingResident Evil 2andResident Evil 4,one of the now lesser-talked-about entries isResident Evil 5.
Although still a survival horror,Resident Evil 5has a wildly different vibe to the majority of the other games, largely owing to the fact that most of it takes place outside during the day. The player must prevent the sale of a bioweapon, uncovering something much larger in the process.
Resident Evil 4also has a large portion of daylight gameplay, butResident Evil 5has comparably more.
If the post-party hangover wasn’t bad enough, imagine waking up to discover that there has been an outbreak of a contagious zombie plague.Dead Islandfollows four immune survivors attempting to escape the island of Banoi while being pursued for their blood to make a vaccine.
WhileDead Island 2introduced a day/night cycle,Dead Island’s story takes place over the course of a day, meaning that the majority of the game is set under the sun. But players shouldn’t let thetropical paradisefool them, as there is plenty of satisfying close-quarters combat with the flesh-eaters.
Left 4 Deadwas characterized by its gloomy evening gameplay, with the characters traveling by night to avoid the more aggressive zombies. InLeft 4 Dead 2,however, the survivors are attempting to reach New Orleans, the only safe city left, as quickly as possible, no matter the risks of traveling during the day.
Although some missions take place in the evening, such as Dark Carnival and Hard Rain, a significant number of them occur in broad daylight. With plenty of weapon types and a disturbing roster of zombie types, this is a must-play for action horror game fans.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderlandwill be a familiar title to bookworms, film enthusiasts, and gamers alike. Lewis Caroll’s children’s story has been subject to a number of adaptations, both live-action and animated, and has even made its way into the realm of horror games.
Alice: Madness Returnsis notable for twisting the quirkiness of the original tale into a much darker story that follows Alice after her release from Rutledge Asylum. Complete with fantastical environments, odd characters, and gore,Alice: Madness Returnsis a great interpretation of hack-and-slash horror.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carterfollows paranormal detective, Paul Prospero, who has traveled to investigate Red Creek Valley after receiving a distressing letter from the titular young boy. Finding Ethan missing, the player must embark on a manhunt while uncovering the darker secrets of the town, piecing together clues and communing with the dead using their supernatural abilities.
The main shtick ofThe Vanishing of Ethan Carteris that there are no big scary jumps or combat. Instead, the gamefocuses on the mysteryand exploration elements. That being said, there are still a fair share of unnerving moments which the sunlight does little to prevent.
A defining title for psychological survival horror,Silent Hill 2was praised for its exploration of dark themes and its impeccable atmosphere. Thankfully, to the relief of fans, the remake lived up to the original with new and improved puzzles, combat, and collectibles.
TheSilent Hill 2remakeis a great example of how a horror game set during the day can still be terrifying. For all the dingy indoor exploration, players would expect reaching the outside areas to be a breath of fresh air, yet the surroundings are constantly characterized by the iconic oppressive fog. This is not a game for the easily disturbed.
The Last of Us Part 1is a post-apocalyptic horror adventure set in an America overrun by a mutant fungus. The game follows the infected but immune Ellie and a smuggler, Joel, as they attempt to reach the cure-seeking Fireflies faction amid political tensions and dangerous Infected.
The Last of Ushas had both a remaster and a remake (Part 1). The storytelling was so good, in fact, that a TV show based on the game was released in 2023 with a second season on the way in 2025. The game’s exploration of the realities of an outbreak makes it one of thebest narrative-driven games, with plenty of daytime action.
Bramble: The Mountain Kingfollows a boy, Olle, in search of his missing sister. Venturing across stunning landscapes, the player will encounter monsters andcreatures derived from Swedish Folklore. While first and foremost a platforming game,Bramblealso has puzzles and a fair share of exploration.
As the story progresses, so does the time of day, meaning players get to experience the world in the bright morning, the orange afternoon, and the blue twilight. During the night, every shadow seems dark and ominous, but when dawn cracks, the player is washed with relief, the sun shedding light on the game’s beautiful environments. Overall,Brambleis both visually and audibly cinematic, combining horror and magic with artistic finesse.
