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Nothing matches the building anticipation of watching your favorite streamers scream and panic while playing a horror game. It’s the thrill of seeing others enjoy such perilous excitement that keeps viewers returning for more. This is part of the reason why numerous horror games blew up seemingly overnight. Some arguably may have made their success without the streaming slant, but the massive online viewership didn’t hurt. In no particular order, here are 15 horror games streamers helped go viral in the past and recently.
15. Don’t Scream
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| October 2023 (Early Access) | PC |
Don’t Scream is the latest game on the list, and it’s still in Early Access. There’s no denying the ever-growing popularity of a game that insta-kills you the moment you make noise. Streamers are easily averaging thousands (or in Markplier’s case, over 4 million) of views playing the found footage-styled horror game, turning it viral before its full release.
Arguably, the attention mainly stems from the great reactions streamers can get from playing the game. Part of the fun with horror games is witnessing streamers nearly have heart attacks with every jumpscare:
14. Resident Evil: Village
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| May 2021 | PC | macOS | PlayStation 4 & 5 | |
The Resident Evil franchise doesn’t need much help to garner attention. Even so, there’s no question that streamers propelled Resident Evil: Village to the forefront thanks to the focus of one tall vampire lady. Of course, other areas of the game are largely talked about, but Lady Dimitrescu and all the memes that followed played a vital role in its adoration.
According to Forbes, Resident Evil: Village witnessed viewership numbers averaging 200,000 on Twitch alone. It easily set a new record for the franchise, even becoming one of the top-selling Capcom games.
13. Bigfoot
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| January 2017 (Early Access) | PC |
Bigfoot is a delightful indie horror game that streamers turned viral back in 2017. It still sees above-average views across sites like YouTube. The main draw isn’t that your goal is to hunt down the mythical creature, but it’s to do so with a group of friends having your back or abandoning you. Best of all: you can even jump into the game as bigfoot. The various roles you can play in this horror game make it an easy and fun target for streamers.
12. The Forest
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| April 2018 | PC | PlayStation 4 |
The Forest is another indie horror game that saw undisputed viral success. Prominent streamers hopped on during the beta and Early Access with many playing the survival horror game that effortlessly blended an eerie open-world style with base building.
There are plenty of jumpscares to go around too that make for prime streaming content. You know a horror game continues to hold strong within the community when a successful YouTuber like SMii77Y can return to the game years after its release and still average millions of views.
11. Bendy and the Ink Machine
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| February 2017 | PC | macOS | PlayStation 4 | |
Bendy and the Ink Machine takes survival horror to exciting levels with its episodic style and 1920s cartoon artwork vibe. Although it received praise from critics upon its release, the game’s success expanded mere months after thanks to streamers like Jacksepticeye and CoryXKenshin.
Viewers flocked by the millions to watch others play the game. The monumental surge in attention urged its release from Game Jolt to Steam Greenlight. Bendy and the Ink Machine would later grow beyond itself through merchandise and a spin-off.
10. Baldi’s Basics in Education and Learning
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| March 2018 | PC | macOS | iOS | Android |
Often shortened to Baldi’s Basics, the horror game stands out with streamers. It’s a parody horror game with puzzle elements with poor-quality graphics that make it look so bad it’s good. The game boasts humble beginnings as an entry to the Itch.io contest Meta-Game Jam. However, YouTubers like DanTDM and PewDiePie brought more attention to the funny horror game, excelling it to viral stardom.
9. Slender: The Eight Pages
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| June 2012 | PC | macOS |
Slender Man is an infamous figure in the horror world thanks to one creepypasta. So, it’s not shocking someone created a video game around the folktale. It’s in first-person, which allows players and viewers to immerse themselves fully in all the frightening goodies.
With streamer PewDiePie leading the pack, Slender: The Eight Pages went from a simple freeware to a massive success. So much so that players crashed the official website scrambling to download the game.
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| August 2023 | PC | PlayStation 4 & 5 | |
With a title like that, it’s not a surprise horror fans flocked to the latest entry in asymmetrical survival games. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre centers itself on nostalgia for the 1974 film and the success of similar titles like Dead by Daylight.
The beta saw dozens of streamers participate, highlighting the fun aspect of playing the horror game with friends and strangers alike. Both big and small streamers pulled in thousands of views on a regular basis, easily making the game a fan favorite upon its full release.
7. Outlast
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| September 2013 | PC | macOS | PlayStation 4 | |
Outlast is a first-person survival horror that seems simple on paper. It’s this simplicity of being a journalist investigating a psych hospital that makes it so effectively scary. A game filled with dozens of jumpscares is ideal for streamers, and they did not disappoint. Streamers like Markplier and theRadBrad lured in millions of viewers thanks to their reactions on and off camera. To this day, newly popular streamers like Kai Cenat reap the benefits of its fame.
6. Lethal Company
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| October 2023 (Early Access) | PC |
It’s hard not to mention yet another new horror game streamers flocked to right away. Lethal Company is still in its infancy stage, yet it averages thousands to millions of views thanks to popular streamers like Sykkuno, VanossGaming, and SMii7Y.
Although it can be played solo, the game is more fun with friends whether you’re good at it or not. It’s perhaps one of the reasons behind its popularity among famous gamers who can join in with other streamers as they run, scream, and battle their way to victory (or death).
5. Poppy Playtime
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| October 2021 | PC | iOS | Android |
At this point, it’s rare to find gamers who haven’t heard of Poppy Playtime. What started as a Kickstarter campaign turned into a tremendous franchise. The episodic horror game is straightforward in terms of playstyle, allowing gamers of all ages to enjoy it. It scaled well over 10 million views on YouTube (Markplier alone holds 20 million), and it continues to send shockwaves in pop culture with merchandise, toys, a future film adaptation, and Roblox imitators.
4. Friday the 13th: The Game
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| May 2017 | PC | PlayStation 4 | |
Friday the 13th: The Game is another cult classic horror franchise that received the video game treatment. Large groups jump into the game to survive (or kill) in Camp Crystal Lake. It’s yet another survival horror game with roots as a Kickstarter campaign. Streamers across various platforms rejoiced in playing the game as a group, reveling in the callbacks and easter eggs from the franchise as well as the gory kills and last-minute escapes.
3. Phasmophobia
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| September 2020 (Early Access) | PC |
When a game is titled after a real phobia, you know you’re in for a treat. Phasmophobia is a 4-person co-op horror game that streamers ran to, their videos claiming millions of views. The numbers are no surprise. Watching streamers like Markplier, FGTeeV, EddieVR, and more scream their lives away will always be entertaining for fans. They pulled the fans in, but the continued updates and added content are what keep players returning for more.
2. Dead by Daylight
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| June 2016 | PC | PlayStation 4 & 5 | |
The asymmetrical horror game that is Dead by Daylight paved the way for the likes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Whether you play as a survivor or a killer, there’s heart-pounding excitement at every turn, which helped the game become a streamer paradise. The game sold thousands within its first week, but it wasn’t until months later that it exploded with millions of copies sold.
The impact from streamers like Jacksepticeye averaging millions of views is noticeable. Also, the devs understand and embrace their audience with numerous updates containing beloved horror characters like Ghostface, Pinhead, the Xenomorph, and more.
1. Five Nights at Freddy’s
| Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|
| August 2014 | PC | PlayStation 4 | |
Who knew an indie game with a solo developer would spawn a behemoth media franchise? Just look at Five Nights at Freddy’s, a point-and-click horror game that grew its popularity thanks to “Let’s Play” videos on YouTube. Due to mega-streamers like PewDiePie, it led the pack of viral horror games that witnessed a cult-like following that continues to grow to this day. Even YouTuber FGTeeV brought the whole family along for the ride with millions of viewers sitting back and enjoying the thrills.
