Being a horror game fanatic, I wanted to highlight ten indie horror games that are set to come out this year, some of which you probably haven’t heard of. Of course, any entry on this list needs to be at least marked for a 2024 release on Steam and also have a gameplay trailer of sorts. So, in no particular order, here are ten indie horror games releasing this year.
10 Dead Doves
Set in 2004, Duonix Studios’ 10 Dead Doves immediately stands out with its creepy, well-made trailer, which fully utilises a mixture of eerie noises, strange visuals and impressive voice acting despite how little has been shown so far.
This fixed-perspective narrative psychological horror game uses early 2000s-style graphics to tell the story of Marcus Stetson who is backpacking on the Appalachian Trail with his friend, Sean, in what is set to be their “final adventure”. The two are looking for a place only known in urban legend: the Ant Farm. Things are obviously going to go wrong on their journey, with Marcus being haunted by a bird in his dreams, while in the waking world birds are dropping dead around them.
As a walking sim, the gameplay will mostly consist of experiencing the narrative with some bouts of puzzles as well as multiple endings to uncover, which the game’s marketing material mysteriously says will affect both Marcus’ future and his past.
If you want to try this one out, a demo for 10 Dead Doves is currently available to play on Steam.
Among Ashes
Remember folks, don’t open suspicious links – even when they appear to be sent by a friend! Unfortunately the player character of Among Ashes did not listen to this advice, so when their friend sends them a link to an online game, they quickly realise there’s something seriously wrong with it.
Among Ashes is developed by Rat Cliff Games, which also developed the action-adventure 3D platformer, One True Hero, back in 2022. It’s safe to say that Among Ashes takes on an entirely different vibe to One True Hero as a first-person horror game set in the early 2000s and is about a haunted video game called Night Call and the mystery behind its creation. This game is unique in that you’re not just playing Among Ashes, but Night Call too, another first-person horror game where you solve puzzles while fighting off monsters in a mansion. Meanwhile, in the real world – or er, Among Ashes – we are being haunted by whatever has possessed this game.
A demo for Among Ashes is also available to play on Steam.
Echoes of Living
MoonGlint’s Echoes of Living looks like it embodies every bit of Capcom’s Resident Evil (1996), from the fixed camera to the puzzles and inventory management – only with modern graphics.
Set in 1996, another likely homage to Resident Evil, we play as Laurel or Liam, each has their own point of view and branching paths, much like Resident Evil 2. When a mysterious fog takes over a small town in Europe, the locals suddenly become ill and the dead come back to life. Laurel, a deputy who was investigating the disappearance of her father, must escape the town alive whereas Liam, an ex Spec Ops member who was visiting the town with plans to move there, is looking for his missing fiance so they can leave together.
For those missing the days of retro Capcom, this survival horror game might be one to look out for.
Full Fathom
If you played Pacific Drive earlier this year and thought “I really wish there was more water in this game”, then DÆMON House’s survival horror game, Full Fathom, might just be for you.
While drifting through the ocean, we come across an abandoned submarine and decide to use it to find our way home while keeping it maintained and functional. As someone with a fear of the depths of the ocean, Full Fathom has really brought this fear to life, especially with the eerie fogginess of the ocean in the gameplay. We must use the various systems onboard the submarine to navigate the ocean, find resources to survive, and stay alive against the creatures we’ll encounter.
Pneumata
Residents are going missing at the Clover Hill apartment complex while others are found in pieces. We play as a detective with a fractured mind, piecing together the clues behind this mystery as well as our own mind.
Deadbolt Interactive’s Pneumata is a survival horror first person shooter which taps into both psychological and cosmic horror. The gameplay looks to be intense and exciting with fast-paced first person shooting, environmental distractions and hiding in order to survive against the deadly beings infesting Clover Hill. On top of that, a premise behind a troubled detective is always one I’m on board for.
Pneumata is currently set to release in Q3.
Pinnacle Point
Ready2Run’s Pinnacle Point promises to be a short narrative adventure-horror game where we play as Aron, who is searching for his brother who became involved with a shady corporation that is experimenting with extending human life on an isolated island.
As a narrative-driven game, Pinnacle Point’s premise needs to be attention-grabbing from the get go, which it is. We’ll explore this 1980s setting to gather notes and memories as part of our investigation, solve puzzles and engage in combat in survival horror fashion with limited resources.
Pinnacle Point is currently set to release in Q4.
BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW
Serafini Productions‘ BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW does something special where even its trailer is terrifying. This first-person surreal horror game puts you in the shoes of Anne, a victim of bullying who finds herself in an alternative world which she must escape. During this nightmare, Anne will also go through a journey of self reflection, coming to terms with her past and some choices she’s had to make.
This psychological horror game will feature multiple endings based on your choices and will cover themes around the effects of social media on mental health and Anne coming face-to-face with her trauma. With such heavy-hitting topics being covered, we can only hope that BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW does them justice, but from the trailer alone we can at least see that this will be a terrifying ride.
Dark and Deep
In Dark and Deep, we play as Samuel Judge, a fan of a conspiracy podcast called ‘Dark and Deep’ who finds himself living the stories he listens to when he is thrown into an illustrated world. After a stranger in this world hands Samuel a mysterious frame, he can then use this frame to see creatures and important objects that are otherwise invisible without it.
As a puzzle game, the illustrated world in Dark and Deep will feature various mechanical machines which we will need to apply physics to in order to solve. The world will also have several obstacles, and we will need to manipulate gravity and use embers of light to create a path and get around. But the embers of light are a precious resource, and the creatures of the illustrated world want it.
Dark and Deep’s developer, Walter Woods, is a fan of conspiracy podcasts himself and developed Dark and Deep because of this interest. He has given the game a unique design, inspired by the detailed black and white illustrations of 19th Century Artist, Gustave Doré, who often drew mythological and historical scenes. The premise of blending these two very different inspirations together is an interesting one, and I look forward to see how they come into play.
Dark and Deep is currently set to release in August, and has a demo available on Steam.
Hollowbody
Hollowbody immediately caught my interest not only because it’s a survival horror, but also because it’s a tech-noir short story set in an abandoned British city. Developed by Headware Games who also made Chasing Static back in 2021, Hollowbody follows this developer’s trend of taking inspiration from retro horror games of the past, most notably those on the PlayStation 2, while Chasing Static was made to look like a PlayStation 1 horror game.
In Hollowbody, we play as Mica, a black market delivery driver who travels to the exclusion zone in search for her missing partner, Sasha. Sasha went to the exclusion zone 12 days prior, against all warnings not to, to find answers for something that matters a lot to her. With a two hour window to spare, Mica crash lands in this death zone, and must solve puzzles, manage her limited resources and fight enemies to find Sasha and escape over the walls of this deserted city.
Although Hollowbody doesn’t currently have a specified release window on Steam, the developer has confirmed that it will be releasing this year. A demo is also currently available to play on Steam.
The Axis Unseen
What if Doom had a bow and arrow and we were fighting ancient folklore monsters rather than demons? That question could be potentially answered in The Axis Unseen, where we play as a hunter who takes down nightmarish monsters from folklore while also discovering what happened to the hunters that came before them and the secrets behind this world and its creatures. This open world action-adventure archery game is developed by Nate Purkeypile (Just Purkey Games), a game developing veteran who has also worked on Bethesda Game Studios’ three big IPs: The Elder Scrolls, Starfield and Fallout.
In The Axis Unseen, we’ll track down these creatures by following their tracks and blood trails, taking care not to have our scent picked up and carried to them by the wind. We’ll collect their enhanced sense powers to upgrade our own abilities and also discover different elemental arrows to use at our disposal.
Personally, the thing that makes The Axis Unseen stand out the most to me is the soundtrack, which is an original score composed by Clifford Meyer from post-metal bands such Red Sparowes. The music’s tone will shift depending on the events in the game, varying from atmospheric pieces to metal.
The Axis Unseen is currently set to release in October.
What indie horror games are you most looking forward to this year? Are there any that you want to add to this list? Let us know in the comments!
