5 Best Horror Games on Xbox Game Pass (April 2024)

Xbox Game Pass shares a litter of quality survival and horror titles, that much is evident. The question is, which of them are actually worth getting your hands on, and which of them are worth renewing your subscription for? In our eyes, these are the best horror games that Xbox Game Pass has to offer in April. Let’s jump right in.

5. The Quarry

Supermassive Games' spiritual successor to The Dark Pictures Anthology, The Quarry, trickles on a similar line as Until Dawn, in the case that, gameplay-wise, objectives are comprised of molding relationships and guiding teens through an evening of deadly trials and harrowing tribulations. At its core, it's still the same QTE-hogging survival-horror blueprint that fleshed out its earlier iterations, only with Brenda Song and David Arquette spearheading the front of the roster, and not to mention a slightly cleaner art style that's reminiscent of a trope-embued slasher flick from the 1980s.

The Quarry transports you to the root of an underlying issue that's reportedly plaguing the outskirts of a summer camp. As several councilors—young members who've been left at the camp as a result of the only escape being cut off—you must embrace one final night beneath the stars — even if it means confronting the creatures and vicious hunters who stalk the borders through twilight. The question is, who will survive until dawn, and who, among you, will unravel the truth about Hackett's Quarry?

4. Bramble: The Mountain King

If you're on the hunt for something that incorporates a touch of Norse mythology and a gameplay schematic that's on par with Little Nightmares, then there's a good chance that Bramble: The Mountain King will suit your needs. Granted, it doesn't tout a massive story, nor does it cough up handfuls of collectibles or alternate endings to seek out, but it does provide a genuinely compelling backstory and a band of memorable characters, as well as some pretty intensifying moments.

Bramble: The Mountain King thrusts you into the petite shoes of Olle, a curious boy who, in the aftermath of his sister's disappearance from their childhood home, sets out to traverse a storybook setting that's rife with Scandinavian folklore and ancient mysteries. The only issue is, not all folktales in Bramble: The Mountain King revolve around gnomes and friendly giants; this world, in particular, is also home to some rather sinister entities, and they'll do anything to swallow you whole before allowing you to locate your sibling.

3. Amnesia: The Bunker

If it's tiptoeing through the crags and crevices of a dimly lit cesspit that you're hunkering for, then you honestly needn't look any further than Amnesia: The Bunker. Similar in style to its genre-defining cousins, The Bunker tasks you with venturing deep into the unknown and, with the mere power of a lantern or flashlight, solving a slew of intricate puzzles. As this is, of course, an Amnesia game, though, completing even one of these objectives won't be easy; the towering beast that stalks you from the shadows might have something to do with that.

Amnesia: The Bunker presents you with the monumental task of escaping from a war bunker amid an ongoing feud between the opposing armies above. But there's an issue: the exit has been blown to smithereens, and the only thing that has been left behind in the wake of its downfall is a letter informing you that there's a monster nesting somewhere in the shadows. Sure enough, it's merely the case of ignoring said letters, and delving deep into the corridors of the bunker for the sake of securing the tools needed to fashion a new escape route. Easier said than done, mind you.

2. Scorn

Fleshy gateways? Check. Pulsating orifices? Check. Mechanical doohickeys that have literally nothing to do with anything whatsoever? Check, check, and check. This is Scorn, in a nutshell, and it's arguably one of the strangest, albeit most disturbingly curious horror-centric art installations on Xbox Game Pass, period. Granted, it isn't a traditional combat-focused horror game, in the fact that it doesn't rely on mindless violence to flesh out its narrative, but it is, however, a game that relies on an unsettling ambiance and shock value to further illustrate its blueprint.

The goal of Scorn is all rather straightforward: explore the seemingly desolate plains of an ancient civilization—a place that’s in no short supply of grotesque imagery and barbaric contraptions, of all things. There isn’t a huge amount of combat to chew through, though the mere aesthetic of the planet alone is enough to send you fleeing for the hills, nonetheless.

1. Resident Evil 2

If you happened to miss out on the universally acclaimed series back in the nineties, then now’s your chance to right a few wrongs and experience the award-winning horror that is Resident Evil 2. Unlike the original, the remake offers a brand-new perspective on the Raccoon City outbreak, as well as a treasure trove of fresh puzzles, locations, enemies, and secrets, to list just a few of its enhanced components. In other words, it’s the definitive version of the original, and thus, a perfect starting point for those who are new to the anthology.

Resident Evil 2 boasts two campaigns to work through, both of which take place during the Raccoon City zombie outbreak. As either Leon or Claire, you must embrace the apocalypse and shovel through a series of nail-biting encounters with the undead, and not to mention an entire host of intricate puzzles, bosses, and other environmental challenges. It’s survival-horror 101, and arguably one of the best horror games not only on Xbox Game Pass, but in the category, in general.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up any of the above five horror titles on Xbox Game Pass this month? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.