2022 was a great year for gaming, all things considered. From seeing Supermassive finally break away from their Dark Pictures Anthology with The Quarry, to Resident Evil: Village finally delivering on its DLC promise, to the long-awaited Dead Space successor The Callisto Protocol finally being released, horror in particular had a pretty eventful year.

2023 is shaping up to be another landmark year in the world of video gaming. To help cut through the noise, here’s a list of the horror games we’re looking most forward to in 2023!

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse – March 9th, 2023 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Fatal Frame is one of the most undersung franchises in all of horror gaming. The second installment, Crimson Butterfly, is a game I consider to be an absolute masterpiece in the execution of horrific storytelling and gameplay. One entry always eluded western audiences, though. Back in 2008, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was released for the Wii and was a collaborative effort between series creator Makoto Shibata and Suda51 of No More Heroes and Lollipop Chainsaw fame. The title never saw release outside of Japan after Nintendo refused to publish it in international territories but that all changes with the newly announced remaster that will bring it to the states for the very first time in 2023. As fans of both Fatal Frame and Suda51, we can’t wait to see what the result of this collaboration was.

Dead Space – January 27th, 2023 (PS5, Series X/S, PC)

So The Callisto Protocol wasn’t quite the Dead Space successor we hoped it would be. Sometimes you have to go back to that original well to get the experience you’re looking for. Remade entirely from the ground up by EA Motive, Dead Space looks to be a total revitalization of the survival-horror masterpiece. Featuring a fully voiced Isaac Clarke (with returning Dead Space 2 and 3 voice actor Gunner Wright) and a fully explorable USG Ishimura, the remake of Dead Space looks to bring the franchise into the modern era while being true to the series’ origins. Plus who isn’t excited for next-generation plasma cutter mayhem?

Killer Klowns From Outer Space – Early 2023 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S, PC)

Killer Klowns From Outer Space is one of the most bonkers and unique horror films of the 1980s. It has always had a cult classic appeal and aside from appearances at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, hasn’t quite broken into the mainstream. So imagine our surprise when we all collectively learned that it was the next horror film to enter the asymmetrical multiplayer arena. The game sees a team of human survivors go up against a team of the titular Klowns as all hell breaks loose in intense multiplayer matches. With the unique art style of the film, and the promise of unique gameplay on both sides, this is a game to keep an eye out for. And they even got the rights to the infectious theme song, plus new tracks from the film’s composer!

Alan Wake II – TBA 2023 (PS5, Series X/S, PC)

The long awaited sequel to the Twin Peaks/Stephen King inspired video game from 2010, Alan Wake II promises to fling players back into the unnerving world of its title character. Not much is known about this sequel other than the fact that it’s going to take a survival horror approach to its storytelling and world and that it’s set in the same world as the fantastic 2019 game Control. But with the returning team who crafted the first one, it’s kind of hard not to be excited to see what the final result will be. Especially after 13 long years.

Sons of the Forest – February 23rd, 2023 (PC)

The Forest came out at a time when the gaming market was flooded with survival games. Games where crafting and building were a huge focus, in particular. What made The Forest stand out from the pack was the inspiration from such films as The Descent and Cannibal Holocaust that it wore on its sleeve as a badge of honor. In turn it became one of the few survival games that has stood the test of time, and Sons of the Forest looks to up the ante on every single level with bigger environments, more focus on story, and hopefully even more cannibalistic mutants.

Resident Evil 4 – March 24th, 2023 (PS4, PS5, Series X/S, PC)

You don’t need me to tell you that the original Resident Evil 4 is not only one of the best horror games of all time but also one of the best video games of all time period. So it seems like it would be a huge gamble for Capcom to give it the Resident Evil 2 & 3 treatment, but from everything we’ve seen so far there is little reason for us to worry. The remake looks to honor everything that made the original great while providing a bigger focus on the horrific elements that fell to the wayside in the action-focused original. With the majority of the team being made up of the developers of the seminal Resident Evil 2 remake, the bar is set very high for this one.

Silent Hill 2 – TBA 2023 (PS5, PC)

Fans have been asking for a new Silent Hill game for what feels like 10 years. Better yet, fans have been asking for a modern way to play Silent Hill 2 that isn’t the god-awful HD Collection. Konami finally answered the pleas of fans earlier this year when they announced that Silent Hill 2 is being remade from the ground up for the Playstation 5 by the developer of such games as The Medium and Layers of Fear. Fans might be worried about a western studio taking the lead on this one (the western-made Silent Hill games aren’t the greatest), but Konami has confirmed the involvement of original artist Masahiro Ito and music composer Akira Yamaoka. Maybe this will be Silent Hill’s return to glory?

Dead Island 2 – April 28th, 2023 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S, PC)

Were you aware that Dead Island 2 was announced all the way back in 2014? After a decade in development, the series that hasn’t had a proper entry since 2013 is finally making a return. Promising players a post-apocalyptic take on the City of Angels while incorporating the weapon customization of the original games. With a far lighter tone than its contemporaries, a unique setting, and the disappointment that was Dying Light 2, we can’t help but feel some level of curiosity in seeing how this long-awaited project turns out.

Redfall – Early 2023 (Series X/S, PC)

Arkane Studios are some of the best level and game designers in the industry. From the Thief-inspired Dishonored, and the System Shock-inspired Prey, to the gaming melting pot that was Deathloop, they have proven themselves time and time again to be expertly capable of achieving what they set out to do. Redfall sees players teaming up in the titular town that became overrun with vampires and they’ll have to put all their vampire slaying skills to the test if they hope to survive. Great art style combined with the pedigree for gameplay designs that Arkane is known for makes this a game we can’t wait to sink our teeth into.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – TBA 2023 (PS5, PS4, Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)

From the masterminds behind the ever popular Friday the 13th video game, comes Gun Media’s take on another legendary horror film. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre sees Gun Media return to the asymmetrical genre that they helped popularize in the horror genre. Featuring an ambitious 3 vs 7 format that will see players play as both members of the Sawyer family and a group of original survivors, everything we’ve seen from this game so far promises to be a love letter to the original installment of the franchise with a staggering attention to detail. If it’s anything like the Friday the 13th game, players are in for a gory treat when this one finally revs up.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – TBA 2023 (Series X/S, PC)

The first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game in 13 years, Heart of Chornobyl has faced a bevy of development issues. From a cancellation in 2012, to a revival of development in 2014, to development being paused in 2022 because of the Russian invasion of developers GSC Game World’s home country of Ukraine. Heart of Chornobyl will transport players back to the survival horror world of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series in which they’ll fight for survival in a non-linear world where their choices have an impact on the environment around them. After the amount of development issues this game has faced, it’s exciting to see the final product be released later this year.

Slitterhead – TBA 2023

Sure, Silent Hill is set to make a proper return with the remake of Silent Hill 2, but Slitterhead from series creator Keiichiro Toyama is set to carve a path of its own. Details have been light on this one aside from a highly impressive trailer, but Toyama promises that Slitterhead will be a wholly unique horror experience featuring mechanics not seen in other games in the genre. Silent Hill fans will want to keep their eyes on this one, especially as development nears it end and platforms are announced.

Lollipop Chainsaw – TBA 2023

In 2012 the original Lollipop Chainsaw released and quickly built up a cult following. A collaboration between legendary game director Suda51 (No More Heroes) and screenwriter James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad), Lollipop Chainsaw followed the exploits of high school cheerleader Juliet Startling as she fights off a zombie outbreak in her town using none other than a glorious chainsaw. Featuring a unique artstyle, trademark Gunn humor, and an infectious soundtrack, the game has been stuck on PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms possibly due to music licensing issues. That all changes this year as Dragami Games has promised a full remake for modern platforms. Although creators Suda51 and James Gunn have both confirmed their lack of involvement, consider us cautiously optimistic as Lollipop Chainsaw has the potential to win over the hearts of modern gamers everywhere.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – May 26th, 2023 (PS5, Series X/S, PC)

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is developer Rocksteady’s long-awaited return to the Batman: Arkham franchise that put them on the map. It’s also their first non-VR game since 2015. After nearly a decade, players will take on the role of the Arkham universe’s version of the titular team on a mission to kill the Justice League, after they’ve been brainwashed by invading Superman villain Brainiac, turning them into horrific killing machines. The gameplay shown so far has the promise of absolute mayhem in shooter based gameplay while still retaining the story based gameplay that makes the Arkham games still worth playing after all these years as well as providing a new brutal and terrifying perspective on the DC heroes we love. The game will also feature the final voice performance of late Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy in a posthumous release.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has a lot riding on it, but after the bits I’ve seen, its personally my most anticipated release of 2023.