Summary
Almost everything in life is cyclical - literature, fashion, music - and video games are no exception. While there are many 8-bit and 16-bit video games that successfully achieve the aesthetic and feel of the era they’re paying homage to, there aren’t as many games that call back to that golden age of blockyPlayStation 1 graphics.
It’s been said before that the defects and mistakes of any medium will eventually become the aspects of it that trigger audiences' nostalgia (Brain Eno). While the tracking lines, bad textures, and low-poly character models were once the PS1’s weak points, in the modern age, they are some of the most endearing parts of the retro gaming experience. For any horror gamers who reminisce about the old-schoolResident EvilorSilent Hilldays, here are a few great modern titles that mimic that iconicPS1 aesthetic.
Updated on July 07, 2025, by Rachael Phillips:Most gamers, new and old, will have some connection to the PS1. Many will look back at the console with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, others will at least be familiar with the low poly graphics. While the console itself has largely fallen victim to the rapidly developing gaming industry, PS1-style games are still being developed, published, and enjoyed, particularly by indie horror enthusiasts. The distinct low-resolution and stylized environments continue to contribute to some genuinely uncanny and scary experiences. This article offers a comprehensive list ofmodern horror games with PS1 graphicsfor nostalgia-seekers and newcomers alike.
35The Shopping List
Not Everything Is As It Seems In This Sleepy Town
The Shopping Listfollows the protagonist, who has just moved from their hometown to the city, on a mission to complete their shopping before heading to the new apartment. The catch is, there has been a string of disappearances, and the paranoid locals are acting strangely.
Not only does this game have a mix of interesting locations and characters to interact with, but it also maintains an unnervingly quiet atmosphere that will leave players on edge as they walk around the dark, dimly lit streets.
34Night Stop
Uncover The History Of A Suspicious Gas Station
A gas station appearing in the middle of nowhere can and has been a saving grace for many a hungry driver.Night Stopfollows the protagonist as they commute through America’s rural landscape when they come across one such building. It does not, however, offer the expected respite.
Amid the strange graffiti, suspicious pentagrams, and missing person posters a mystery is waiting to be uncovered. The developer ofNight Shiftuses shifting time and body horror with VHS effects to create a compelling game that is well worth every second of the short playtime.
33Employee Of The Month
A Bizarre Comedy Horror With A Lot Of Unexpected Moments
The plot ofEmployee of the Monthis complex, to say the least. Taking on the role of a new employee, the player must repeatedly attempt to complete the manager’s instructions for their first shift. But it is easier said than done; a deformed monster-slash-ex-employee hunts them down every step of the way.
Employee of the Month’s combination of trippy locations and self-referential meta-humor complements the angular, retro design of the game to make fora truly surreal experience.
32Fears To Fathom: Norwood Hitchhike
A Disturbing Plot Based On A True Story
Norwood Hitchhikeis the second game in the episodic seriesFears to Fathom.All the games in the series are based on true stories submitted by fans, and this entry sticks out as particularly distressing. The game follows Holly, a young lady who hitchhikes to the Rodeway Inn motel when her car breaks down on her drive home. From here, things take an awful turn.
Norwood Hitchhikestrongly emphasizes the dangers of solo traveling, especially regarding the trustworthiness of strangers. It is definitely worth replaying this game, as there are lots of warning signs to spot that will likely go unnoticed in the first run.
Arctic Eggsis a surreal sci-fi/horror cooking simulator that sees the player wielding a frying pan to feed the inhabitants of a cyberpunk-inspired Arctic city. There is not necessarily a strict plot, but by cooking for each character, they can learn the backstories of some unusual personalities.
The dystopian landscape is cold and unforgiving, and the meals get increasingly disturbing. Learning how to maneuver the pan is fun, and feels weighted depending on what’s inside. Overall,Arctic Eggsis weird, unsettling, and oddly compelling - well worth playing for sci-fi horror fans.
30Cannibal Abduction
Uncover Disturbing Family Secrets And Escape
InCannibal Abduction,the player takes control of Henry as his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Luckily for him, a kind older man happens to be driving by and offers to tow Henry and his car to his family farm just down the road. The man then offers to fix Henry’s car in exchange for fixing an old wardrobe for his wife.
As night falls, Henry finds himself locked inside the house, seemingly alone. He slowly finds diary entries about thefamily’s strange and disturbing behaviorand realizes that he is in danger and must escape.
29The Night of The Scissors
A Cautionary Tale About Urban Exploring
The game begins with Kevin and Adam, ready to break into and rob a seemingly abandoned post office, ready to find some valuables to sell for pocket money later. However, as Adam (the player) makes his way inside, the shutter to leave the building suddenly shuts, with Kevin nowhere in sight.
As Adam makes his way through the dilapidated building, he finds red markings in theshape of scissorson the walls along with newspaper clippings about a mysterious individual called “the Snipper” who is still on the loose. The player must find their way out of the building, avoiding the Snipper by listening for the sounds of snipping scissors.
28Happy’s Humble Burger Farm
A Restaurant Harbors Unimaginable Horrors
While it may seem like just another wholesome foodprep/cooking simulator,Happy’s Humble Burger Farmis much more sinister than it first appears. Strange happenings begin to occur throughout the night as the player is still expected to manage the restaurant and serve customers.
However, the game begins to mix mediums and art styles, suddenly taking a terrifying turn. For any horror lovers who are in for a strange and terrifying ride filled with tons of unpredictable twists, theHappy’s Humble Burger Farmseries may just be the perfect answer.
27Feed Me Billy
Can You Satisfy Its Hunger?
Feed Me Billyis an interesting take on the PS1 horror genre, as it flips the script and gives the player the chance to be the one doing the terrorizing, instead of the other way around. While typical horror titles force the player to hide, run, or fight a terrifying killer,Feed Me Billyputs theplayer in the role of the killerthat others must flee from.
Billy is a young man who one day wakes up to a horrific flesh-eating monster in his closet. It is his job to find and hunt down victims to feed the massive monster to satiate its hunger.
26Broken Through
A Psychological Horror With Integrated FMV
Broken Throughbegins with the player finding out that their best friend, Leo Williams, has been legally declared dead after going missing for seven years. The player visits Ava, Leo’s mother, as she hands off some of Leo’s most treasured belongings, stating he would have wanted his best friend to have them, rather than go to waste.
However, after trying out a game found in Leo’s old possessions, it seems as if Leo didn’t die after all. The game blends the PS1 era graphicswith FMV footageto create an eerie dream-like world to give a new twist to a classic genre.
