While there were very few “good” FMV games released during the ‘90s, most of the titles in that bizarre genre are memorable for reasons other than their quality. Phantasmagoria is one such title.

Finally, I tried to avoid major spoilers when possible. However, I would warn anyone who may be bothered by generally disturbing material to please look into some of these games a little bit before diving into them. Many of these games feature some incredibly troubling themes and content. While pretty much any of the Silent Hill games could have made this list (it’s kind of a messed-up franchise, in case you didn’t know), I think Silent Hill 4 is most deserving of this spot. It’s not the best Silent Hill (or even my favorite Silent Hill), but it is the most deeply disturbing entry in the franchise. There are actually very few horror games that utilize an isometric perspective, and I think Sanitarium shows us why. It’s incredibly hard to scare players in that “jump” kind of way when you allow them to see so much of the areas around them. Truth be told, this game isn’t even that scary. As noted above, though, the difference between “scary” and “disturbing” is sometimes an important distinction to make. The very concept of a survival horror title starring such a young playable protagonist is troubling enough. What really puts this one over-the-top, though is its commitment to making young Jennifer endure some of the most indescribable horrors you’ve ever seen in such a title. Rule of Rose falls somewhere between a Silent Hill game and one of those old gothic fairy tales where the kids are most certainly not alright. If you’ve ever wanted to watch a child battle the manifestations of their elaborate nightmares while their only companion (a loveable dog) is constantly in danger, this is the game for you. 13. Growing My Grandpa!We all know what makes a video game scary. Some games may scare us more than others, but the canon of the absolute scariest games ever made is gradually becoming more established. However, what makes a title one of the most disturbing horror games ever made? Despite riding a pretty sizeable wave of hype for such a small game, Agony turned out to be a pretty disappointing overall experience. However, I’ve yet to meet a person who has played this 2018 title and doesn’t consider it one of the most disturbing games ever made. Agony is all about a lost soul trying to survive a journey through Hell. While a trip through Hell is never a good time (and this title’s atrocious gameplay doesn’t help the experience), this game’s vision of Hell is one of the most disturbing that I’ve seen in any medium. Even if you brush aside this game’s stunning amount of unbelievably gory scenes (which is not an easy task), you’re left with its almost Hellraiser 2-like vision of a labyrinthian version of the underworld. This one is really quite the endurance test. 1. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream This is a list of disturbing horror games rather than disturbing games. The line between those types of games can be fine, but the basic idea is that this list doesn’t include otherwise non-scary games with disturbing moments.

I know I just used that “snuff film” comparison an entry ago, but it’s kind of hard to talk about Manhunt and not bring that idea up again. After all, the premise of this game revolves around the idea of entertaining a twisted “director” who isn’t satisfied with the murders you commit unless they’re as violent as possible. While many games play with the idea of making you question your sanity by forcing you to separate the real from the unreal, Sanitarium arguably gets the most mileage out of that concept. There are points in this game when you’ll really start to question which (if any) of the game’s worlds you’re really in. This game is just a masterpiece of surrealist storytelling that grabs you with its incredible premise and striking style before making you question how far down the rabbit hole you’ve fallen. 2. AgonyThe Suffering is perhaps best thought of as Crime and Punishment meets The Shining. While any game set in the most nightmarish prison imaginable is obviously not going to be a good time, The Suffering goes a step further by forcing you to deal with the possibility that you may be the worst monster in that suddenly supernatural structure. There are images in this game you’ll never be able to forget, but it’s the slightly more subtle elements of the story that really burrow into your brain. 11. The Cat Lady Some Starfield players — including me — are experiencing a strange audio bug that causes missing dialogue and sound effects alongside echoed sound distortion. The issues appear to be impacting Starfield on Xbox Series X. The name of this game (a title it shares with the Harlan Ellison story it’s based on) should give you an idea of what kind of experience it offers. Then again, nothing can really prepare you for what this 1996 adventure game expects you to suffer through.