5 Best Slasher Games of All Time

When we word slasher comes to mind, we can't help but take a trip down memory lane, back through the eighties era of horrifying movie flicks and drive-in theatres. We think of cliché teenage cliques and hopeless circumstances, a derelict cabin buried deep within a labyrinth of dead trees and crow carcasses. That's usually what sprouts up when thinking of such a word. But then, it's rare we ever associate slasher flicks with video games. Or at least not often, anyway.

There's definitely a gap in the market when it comes to slasher video games, that's for sure. And while there's already an abundance of action and survival horror games on the market, the slasher ingredients have only really been mixed into a select few. Of course, that makes my job slightly easier, and picking out the best five from recent years shouldn't be a major problem. But let's see where you stand. Here are five of the best slasher video games of all time, based on local opinion.

5. Deceit

A slasher game that might've slipped your radar and dropped into the back end of the Steam library in 2017 is the online multiplayer game, Deceit. As a free-to-play world that revolves around slasher influences, it is perhaps one of the go-to games for anyone with a bleeding love for the genre and its brutal counterparts. And hey, if betraying your closest friends is something that doesn't even flick your moral compass — then this one is a definite must-have.

Deceit puts you and five other players in one of several unsettling locations, where the only goal for the group is to survive the night. However, with a third of your team being infected and out for blood, survival can only come to those who either work together, or betray anyone who dares interfere with natural selection. Through a series of obstacles, players will have to use the environment to find an escape route before the infected players slash their way to a bloody victory. Think Dead by Daylight — but with more betrayal than comradery.

4. Until Dawn

On the surface, you wouldn't necessarily associate Until Dawn with the slasher genre. But then, look a little closer at its characters (remember that cliché group of teens I was talking about?) as well as its mountaintop cabin setting, and you've basically got all the right parts to put two and two together.

Until Dawn could quite easily be Supermassive Games' magnum opus in their portfolio of survival horror works. Even with The Dark Pictures Anthology creeping up and daring to overshadow it — Until Dawn still keeps a foothold in today's market. It's choice-based gameplay, familiar teen cast and slasher-style environment and villains all bind together to form a timeless classic that will forever be seen as one of the all-time horror greats.

3. Outlast

Outlast, or more specifically, Outlast: Whistleblower, has been one to keep cemented to the heart for years now. Even with Outlast 2 and the upcoming The Outlast Trials in view, the standalone journey that launched shortly after the base game was perhaps one of the greatest, and definitely most riveting experiences we've ever had to endure.

Outlast does such a fine job at building around that feeling of being isolated and doomed from the get-go, that it actually makes every encounter feel that much more terrifying. Whether it's a patient on the prowl or a psychotic husband-to-be chasing you with a pair of scissors — every little moment becomes booted with paranoia and heart-wrenching fear. And yet, we can't help but enjoy every second of it. It's a love-hate relationship we can't really explain, to be honest.

2. Dead by Daylight

An online multiplayer game that has been making quite the splash since 2016 is Dead by Daylight. Although suffering from a loss in players over the last year or so, its ongoing expansions and horror movie crossovers are still continuing to bulk out the platform, effectively keeping its bloody ship afloat.

Dead by Daylight, like Deceit, has a group of players dropped in to one of many locations, where survival is based on teamwork, stealth and strategy. But with one player assuming the role of a slasher icon, survivors are left to creep, crawl and cower as death lingers around almost every corner. So, the choices are simple: work together to find an escape, or hide behind a tree until the night has drawn to a close and the escape route is littered with unlucky teammates. What's it going to be?

1. Friday the 13th: The Game — Ultimate Slasher Edition

Of course, no slasher list would truly be complete without Friday the 13th. It's a horror phenomenon that has spanned decades and multiple sequels, spin-offs and crossovers — and has yet to let up on its milky udder. Having a video game based around its brutal world, thankfully, was just the next phase towards building an everlasting legacy for the masked legend, Jason Vorhees.

Friday the 13th: The Game — Ultimate Slasher Edition is the perfect combination of thrill and fright, with each match bringing a new wave of unhinged horror and gore. As either one of seven doomed counselors or Jason Vorhees himself, players can immerse in a setting unlike any other. Whether the goal is to escape or slaughter, outsmart the enemy or hide from it — Friday the 13th aims to deliver a unique experience every single time. And while the servers have been through a rollercoaster of a journey lately, you can still play via peer-to-peer matchmaking.

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