Horror games that take place in forest towns

Key recommendations

  • Creepy forest settings in horror games are full of hidden secrets and supernatural activities.
  • Games like
    Gleaner Heights
    and
    Silver Falls
    explore strange forested locations with mysterious happenings.
  • Horror classics like
    Deadly premonition
    and
    Resident Evil 4
    features dark forces and sinister creatures in rural settings.



Horror video games are full of creepy locations. These can range from urban to rural, from alien ships to supernatural realms. One such realm is the forest, which can be both enchanting and elusive. Among these trees there are many creatures and mysteries.

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Horror games often visit locations shrouded in this wilderness. They seem innocent enough on the surface, but like the foliage that surrounds them, they hide their secrets. These can range from criminals to alien activity and maybe a car or two. Here are some great horror titles that take players into the woods.


8 Gleaner Heights

Digging more than crops


platform

Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Linux

ISSUED

February 21, 2018

Developer

Emilios Manolidis

Gender

Farming Sim, surreal horror

Gleaner Heights is what would happen if Stardew Valley took place in Twin Peaks. The small town is set in a pristine forest with places to mine and feed. It seems pretty quiet, with a restaurant, a general store, a nice hotel, and residents going about their daily routines.

However, things are not as innocent as they seem. Everyone in Gleaner Heights has something to hide. Something supernatural is also happening in town, including bright lights appearing in the water and what could be a sinister cult. Also across from the farm is a dilapidated house that holds its own secrets.


7 Silver Falls: Prelude to the episode

Strange things are happening in Silver Falls

platform

Nintendo Switch

ISSUED

May 6, 2021

Developer

Sungrand Studios

Gender

Horror, Action-Adventure

The Silver Falls The franchise may be a bit more underground, but its games can be nearly as scary as any triple-A horror offering. It has a long line of titles that have appeared on Switch, 3DS and Wii U (yes, that Wii U), and even on retro handhelds.


Every game in the franchise takes place in the city of Silver Falls in Washington state. He's seen his fair share of strange lights and Eldritch monsters. Silver Falls: Prelude to the episode features a brief skirmish with some of these creepy creatures, when delivering a meal to a remote house turns into a bizarre mystery. In Silver Falls, it's best not to go out alone.

6 Pacific Drive

Lost in the woods

Sistema

PC-1 PlayStation-1

ISSUED
February 22, 2024

Developer(s)
Ironwood Studios

OpenCritic rating
Strong

The entertainment is populated with its share of sentient machines, from Herbie the Love Bug to Optimus Prime. One such vehicle is the sentient car that a lone driver takes through the government-quarantined Olympic Anomaly Zone in Pacific Drive.


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The area's forests are constantly shifting due to a physics-altering anomaly. The strange vehicle must be continuously maintained through a deep crafting system, using materials gathered in random locations as players explore the area and unravel the mystery of the ARDA Corporation. The area sounds like something straight out of a The X-Files episode and it's not an inaccurate comparison to make here.

5 The evil within

River? EEEEEEVIIIIIILLLL!!!!!

Third person shooter

Survival Horror

ISSUED
October 14, 2014

OpenCritic rating
Correct

The evil within he is his brother Resident Evil 4. It was directed by Shinji Mikami, who co-directed Resident Evil 4and has an over-the-shoulder perspective with similar gameplay to its sibling. The story sees Detective Sebastian Castellanos investigating a mass murder in a mental hospital, only to be attacked by the teleporting killer, as well as pursued by a chainsaw-wielding maniac.


Eventually they stumble into a forest and eventually make their way to the village of Elk River. Zombies (or “Haunted”) scramble around, looking for their next meal, and Sebastian finds mirrors that distort him in a hospital room, making him wonder where reality ends and nightmares begin.

4 Deadly premonition

Dark forces and damn good coffee

ISSUED
February 23, 2010

Developer(s)
Access games

Any fan of David Lynch's cult classic series Twin Peaks they owe it to themselves to check Deadly premonition. Following the exploits of FBI psychic detective Francis York Morgan and his imaginary friend Zach, aspiring detectives encounter the paranormal and question the suspects of the case. He also gets visions from looking into the coffee.


Players first find Detective York in the Pacific Northwest town of Greenvale, Washington, surrounded on all sides by pine trees. Here, in the nearby forest, a ritual murder took place. This is linked to sinister forces as red vines trap York in buildings and zombies appear to attack him. He is also being stalked by the Raincoat Killer, an urban legend who seems to know about York.

3 Silent Hill 2

The city that gets into the heads of visitors

Survival Horror

Horror

Venture

Action

Sistema

PlayStation-1 PC-1

ISSUED
October 8, 2024

OpenCritic rating
Strong

Nestled along Maine's Toluca Lake is the town of Silent Hill. The weather is foggy most of the year, with little sunshine in sight, and much of the settlement has become rundown and neglected. This city has attracted many visitors throughout silent hill the vast history of the franchise.


One such visitor is James Sunderland, who receives a letter from his wife, who has been dead for three years. On his journey through the city in Silent Hill 2he will fight through dangerous monsters, including those in his head.

2 Alan Wake

Quiet city by day, supernatural terrors by night

Third person shooter

Survival Horror

ISSUED
February 16, 2012

OpenCritic rating
Strong

The Alan Wake games are part of Remedy Entertainment's interconnected gaming universe, full of supernatural activity and alluring worlds. while Alan Wake wasn't Remedy's most financially successful title, fans were left in the dark for over a decade until finally Alan Wake 2 it came out last year to massive acclaim.


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Much of the franchise centers around the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls, home to the annual Deer Fest, which kicks off the local deer hunting season. This quiet town is populated by many strange characters, including the number one fan of writer Alan Wake at the Oh Deer Diner, Viking metal band Old Gods of Asgard, and a submissive psychologist. In this city, Cauldron Lake is home to a malevolent force that seeks to use Wake to break free from its watery prison. He also has hordes of local people to stop Alan from foiling his plans.

1 Resident Evil 4

¡Gloria Las Plagas!

platform
PS4 , PS3 , PS2 , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , Switch , Wii , Nintendo GameCube , PC , Android , iOS

ISSUED
January 11, 2005

OpenCritic rating
Strong

from Capcom resident evil It may not have invented the survival horror formula, but it launched a beloved franchise full of zombies, mutants, and cheesy voice acting. The series has reinvented itself several times and still delivers the scares, along with a few laughs for good measure.


The first big reboot for the original franchise was Resident Evil 4which switched from a fixed camera perspective to an over-the-shoulder angle and blended both action and horror beautifully. AR4 take Resident Evil 2 protagonist Leon S. Kennedy to a remote wooded area in Spain to find the president's daughter. There, he stumbles upon a rural village whose inhabitants have been controlled by the murderous Las Plagas parasites, making them smarter than the average zombie.

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