15 Games Like Resident Evil in 2026: Puzzles, Monsters, & Dread
Finding games like Resident Evil, titles that capture the special kind of terror that makes you want to hide under the bed, can be a challenge. Luckily for you, I’m something of a horror fanatic myself, and I’ve found a bunch of them that might just be your style.
Horror games have a special place in my heart, and I, like many other fans, came to love that “I’m not safe” feeling that the Resident Evil games in particular just seem to excel at, even with all the action hero shenanigans in some of them.
The games I’ve listed here will definitely give you that special kind of terror, brought to you not just by zombies, but all manner of freaky monsters from different subgenres of horror.
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Our Top Picks for Games Like Resident Evil
For all you true connoisseurs out there, here are our team’s top picks for games that take several elements we love about the iconic franchise and elevate them to new heights, with some rivaling even the top Resident Evil games with their own brand of horror:
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Buy nowThe Outlast Trials 2024Survive Murkoff’s twisted experiments alone or with friends, scavenging supplies, avoiding deadly enemies, and trying to keep a carefully planned Trial from turning into complete chaos.
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Buy nowThe Last of Us Part II Remastered 2024Sneak, scavenge, and fight through brutal encounters where ammo and crafting materials matter, infected are only part of the danger, and almost every confrontation can go badly fast.
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Buy nowDays Gone 2019Ride through a ruined open world, scavenge scarce supplies, and face Freaker hordes that can turn one bad decision into total chaos.
Scroll down further so you can see twelve more top-tier horror games I’ve prepared that capture the same atmosphere, puzzle-solving, and action that make the Resident Evil franchise so special!
15 Games Like Resident Evil For When You Need a Real Scare
Below are 15 alternatives to Resident Evil, ranked by their overall quality and how closely their gameplay, atmosphere, and horror design overlap with the series.
Each entry breaks down its standout features, why it belongs on the list, and what kind of horror fan will get the most from it.
1. The Outlast Trials [Best for Co-Op Survival Horror]
| Our Score | 10
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| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Release Year | 2024 |
| Developer | Red Barrels |
| Publisher | Red Barrels |
| Average Playtime | ~13 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Resource scavenging, hostile environments, dangerous enemies, and constant survival pressure. |
The Outlast Trials feels like Red Barrels looked at the usual Outlast formula and asked, “What if your friends were here to make everything worse?” Instead of one long campaign, you’re thrown into Murkoff’s sadistic Trials, where even simple objectives can turn into total chaos once a patrol spots you or somebody mistimes a hiding spot.
What makes The Outlast Trials such a good pick for Resident Evil fans is that same constant survival pressure. You’re searching rooms for medicine, batteries, antidotes, and anything else that might buy you another minute, all while trying to stay out of reach of enemies that can wreck a run fast.
The co-op is where things get especially fun. Your group can be sneaking through a corridor perfectly one second, then someone triggers an enemy and everybody scatters. Rigs give you useful tricks for healing, stunning threats, or getting out of trouble, but they never make you feel completely safe.
It also brings a different kind of tension to the formula. Instead of relying on heavy gunplay, The Outlast Trials makes teamwork, stealth, resource scavenging, and knowing when to run just as important as knowing the map.
My Verdict: The Outlast Trials turns survival horror into a chaotic team sport. It’s tense, replayable, and at its best when a perfectly coordinated plan falls apart in seconds.
GAMES LIKE THE OUTLAST TRIALS
2. The Last of Us Part II Remastered [Best for Cinematic Storytelling]
| Our Score | 9.8
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| Platforms | PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows |
| Release Year | 2024 |
| Developers | Naughty Dog, Nixxes Software, Iron Galaxy |
| Publishers | PlayStation Publishing LLC, PlayStation Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Average Playtime | ~26 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Scarce ammo, crafting, infected enemies, stealth, and brutal third-person combat. |
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is another recent next-gen graphics rehaul of an older game, and trust me, it’s an emotional gut punch all over again, but prettier.
This game and its predecessor are, undoubtedly, among the most powerful adventures to ever grace a PlayStation console.
True to its roots, this sequel also features a powerful, well-written story that’s just a cut above the rest in the zombie survival genre. It’s exactly why, for me, it’s just hard to find good games like The Last of Us that give you the same feels.
The combat is a brutal slugfest. Every single encounter feels desperate and raw, enhanced by a narrative undertone that’s a step darker than the first game.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered belongs here for its tense resource management, stealth, and desperate combat. Like Resident Evil, it makes every encounter costly, but its stronger character focus and grounded violence push the experience in a different direction.
The intense action is perfectly balanced with quiet, unsettling exploration, as well as a few powerful, sometimes heartfelt moments with compelling characters, new and old.
The story really is just a whirlwind of emotions, owing mostly to its very controversial first act. It’s an emotional tale that will challenge your ideas about empathy and vengeance.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a newcomer or a returning fan; this remaster, along with the first one, will give you a remarkably touching gaming experience, complemented by outstanding, latest-gen visuals.
My Verdict: The Last of Us Part II Remastered is brutal, heartbreaking, and unforgettable—it’s survival horror with a soul.
GAMES LIKE THE LAST OF US
3. Days Gone [Best Open World Single-Player Zombie Game]
| Our Score | 9.8
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 |
| Release Year | 2019 |
| Developer | Bend Studio |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Average Playtime | ~51 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Infected enemies, limited supplies, weapon upgrades, and tense survival against overwhelming hordes. |
Days Gone lets you experience a post-apocalyptic world that is equal parts gorgeous and absolutely terrifying, with nothing but your trusty motorbike and guns. And there are a lot of guns.
If you’re into zombie-themed survival horrors, this underrated gem is, hands down, one of the best open-world games you can get your hands on. You’re riding around on a motorcycle, just trying to survive in a world gone completely mad, all while searching for a special someone who you once thought dead.
The most notable enemies here aren’t huge, hulking “boss-type” creatures, unlike in most games like Resident Evil, but the horrifyingly spooky Freaker hordes.
Days Gone earns its place because it mixes scarce supplies, hostile exploration, and desperate combat with huge Freaker hordes. It connects to Resident Evil through survival pressure, resource management, and the constant risk of being overwhelmed.
These are not just your average, shambling zombies. Oh no. They are a literal sea of bodies that swarm you, and the sheer scale of it is heart-pounding. You’re constantly on the edge, struggling to find ammo, gas, and a way to stay alive.
This game gives you a genuine sense of being alone against the world. You’re always looking for the next camp to do missions for, the next safe zone.
It does exceedingly well in making you feel that constant fight for survival, a desperate attempt to find a new dawn after the world fell apart.
My Verdict: Days Gone offers a gritty open-world apocalypse where the Freaker hordes will make you sweat bullets.
GAMES LIKE DAYS GONE
4. Dying Light [Best for Open-World Zombie Survival]
| Our Score | 9.7
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| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Release Year | 2015 |
| Developer | Techland |
| Publisher | Techland |
| Average Playtime | ~35 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Zombie survival, resource scavenging, weapon management, and dangerous exploration where getting cornered can turn deadly fast. |
Dying Light drops you into Harran with a basic weapon, a lot of infected, and one very useful skill: running away properly. It’s also one of the best action RPG games if you like progression tied to exploration, combat, and movement. The parkour is what really gives the game its identity, letting you vault over rooftops, scramble up walls, and cut through alleys while trying to stay one step ahead of whatever is chasing you.
For Resident Evil fans, the big draw is the constant survival pressure. Weapons break, supplies matter, safe zones feel genuinely valuable, and wandering too far without a plan can go wrong fast. There’s always that familiar tension of deciding whether an area is worth exploring or whether you should save your resources and get out.
The day-night cycle is where Dying Light really earns its horror credentials. Daytime lets you explore with some confidence, but once night falls, the Volatiles turn the city into a completely different place. Suddenly, every rooftop route and shortcut matters, because getting spotted can turn into a desperate chase within seconds.
Combat is much more melee-focused than Resident Evil, but it has the same satisfying progression from vulnerable survivor to someone who can finally handle bigger threats. You still never feel completely comfortable, though, especially after dark.
My Verdict: Dying Light is a great pick if you want Resident Evil-style survival tension in a much bigger playground. The parkour gives you freedom, but nighttime makes sure you never get too comfortable.
GAMES LIKE DYING LIGHT
5. Alien: Isolation [Best for Unscripted Jumpscares]
| Our Score | 9.6
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3/4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Linux, OS X, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS |
| Release Year | 2014 |
| Developer | Creative Assembly |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Average Playtime | ~21 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Limited resources, locked-down environments, exploration, and a relentless enemy that keeps every encounter tense. |
Walking into the world of Alien: Isolation is a special kind of unpleasant. It’s a relentlessly suspenseful experience and, without a doubt, one of the most incredible sci-fi games you could ask for if you also love a good scare.
Every single moment you spend here is filled with palpable dread as you try to stay one step ahead of a creature that simply cannot be stopped through conventional means. Sure, you have access to all sorts of cool weapons, but what good are they against a monster you just can’t kill?
Alien: Isolation belongs here because it turns exploration into a survival test. Like Resident Evil, it makes limited resources, locked-down spaces, and dangerous enemies matter, but the Xenomorph pushes that tension toward stealth and avoidance.
This game is not about being a badass. It is about a constant, desperate survival. You’re not there to fight. You are there to protect yourself by any means necessary. The emphasis here is on outsmarting a very intelligent alien, not overpowering it.
In my opinion, the eerie atmosphere is this game’s pièce de résistance. The sound of the alien moving in the vents just above you, the flickering lights, and the constant beeping of your motion tracker all mesh together to create an environment where you are never truly at ease.
This one’s a must-play experience for fans of the Alien franchise (yes, it’s directly connected to those movies) and a real test of courage for anyone who dares to play.
My Verdict: Alien: Isolation unleashes the smartest alien in gaming history that will stalk you until you’re begging for mercy.
GAMES LIKE ALIEN: ISOLATION
6. Silent Hill 2 Remake [Best for Psychological Horror Fans]
| Our Score | 9.4
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| Platforms | PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows |
| Release Year | 2024 |
| Developer | Bloober Team |
| Publisher | Konami Digital Entertainment |
| Average Playtime | ~17 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Third-person survival horror, puzzles, exploration, limited supplies, and disturbing monsters in oppressive environments. |
News of remakes rarely ever got my heart racing, but I myself was surprised by my anticipation for what many would call the best Silent Hill game ever.
Silent Hill 2 Remake isn’t just a simple revamp; it’s a terrifying remake, graphics and all, of the game that has haunted many gamers’ dreams for decades.
The game’s intricate story follows a seriously tormented protagonist, James Sunderland. He finds himself pulled to the foggy, dilapidated town of Silent Hill after getting a mysterious note from his wife, who just happens to be dead (?).
As he plunges deeper into the fog, he confronts the literal physical manifestations of his deep-seated guilt.
The psychological horror in Silent Hill 2 Remake is genuinely next-level. This town consumes you, and the ever-present feeling of dread is amplified by an oppressive darkness that swallows everything. It’s a game that makes you question your own sanity more often than it makes you jump with conventional scares.
For all the die-hard fans who have been waiting, this is a chance to revisit an absolute masterpiece with whole brand-spanking new, impressive visuals.
And if you’ve never dared to step inside the fog before, this is the perfect time to find out what all the buzz is about. It’s an unforgettable trip, that’s for sure.
My Verdict: Silent Hill 2 Remake is a masterclass in psychological horror that grips your soul harder than any zombie ever could.
GAMES LIKE SILENT HILL
7. Signalis [Best for Fixed Camera Puzzles and Classic Retro Art Style]
| Our Score | 9.2
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Release Year | 2022 |
| Developers | rose-engine, Rose-engine games |
| Publishers | Humble Bundle, Playism, Humble Games |
| Average Playtime | ~10 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Tight inventory limits, scarce ammunition, key-based puzzles, backtracking, and classic survival-horror exploration. |
I’ve played a lot of horror games including top Resident Evil games, but Signalis has a vibe all its own. This game feels like a lost classic from the golden age of survival horror, and it’s a real treat for anyone who loves the genre.
Right from the get-go, you’ll feel that unnerving tension thanks to the old-school fixed camera angles.
Signalis is a fantastic take on the classic horror genre, and if you’re a fan of retro horror, you owe it to yourself to experience this one. It perfectly captures the essence of what made those old games so terrifying and fun, and is a stellar modern entry that feels authentically vintage.
This design choice makes every trip down a hallway a thrilling experience, because you never know what’s waiting around the next corner. Your job as the protagonist is to unravel a chilling sci-fi mystery, and you’ll do so by solving a ton of clever puzzles.
You’ll need to pay close attention to your surroundings and be smart about your every move, as the game’s strong focus on resource management means every bullet counts.
My Verdict: Signalis is a haunting retro gem that proves pixelated graphics can still scare the life out of you.
GAMES LIKE SIGNALIS
8. Dead Space Remake [Best for Action and Sci-Fi Horror]
| Our Score | 9.0
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Amazon Luna |
| Release Year | 2023 |
| Developer | Motive Studio |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Average Playtime | ~15 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Over-the-shoulder combat, weapon upgrades, resource management, backtracking, and grotesque body-horror enemies. |
It’s been a long time coming, but the Dead Space Remake has finally arrived in 2023, and I can tell you right now, it’s magnificent.
For your money, it’s easily, pound-for-pound, one of the most buy-worthy TPS games to come out in a very, very long time, more so if you’re also heavy into space and body horror. It’s an exhilarating return to the classic sci-fi horror series, and the attention to quality is just breathtaking.
Dead Space Remake is a joy to play, a terrifying, unforgettable trip that proves a great remake can be so much more than a simple update or cash-grab-y “remaster”. It’s an incredible showing for how these classic games should be redone.
They took everything that was already perfect about the OG Dead Space and somehow made it even better. The visuals on PC and Xbox are absolutely stunning, and the sound design alone will have you jumping out of your seat more than once. It’s a purely spooky experience that just never lets up.
The atmosphere in this game, I think, is one of its strongest selling points and is an absolute masterclass in dread. You’ll just feel the protagonist Isaac Clarke’s desperation with every footstep he takes on the desolate USG Ishimura, which is really just a hallmark for iconic horror titles.
My Verdict: Dead Space Remake is an immaculate redo that makes space just as terrifying as any haunted mansion.
GAMES LIKE DEAD SPACE
9. Tormented Souls [Best for Light-Based Puzzles and Fixed-Camera Combat]
| Our Score | 8.9
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Release Year | 2021 |
| Developers | Dual Effect, Abstract Digital |
| Publisher | PQube |
| Average Playtime | ~10 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Fixed cameras, tank-style movement, limited resources, elaborate puzzles, and old-school survival-horror exploration. |
If you want a game that feels just like Resident Evil, you absolutely have to experience Tormented Souls. It’s a chilling experience that understands what made the classic survival genre so effective.
Right from the start, you can tell it was heavily influenced by the games that shaped an entire generation of horror.
Tormented Souls is a brilliant modern homage to an unforgettable era of gaming. It’s an experience that truly captures the magic and pure terror of those old-school horror titles. A must-play for anyone who craves true terror.
Seriously, this game makes you feel like you’ve been transported back in time. The tank controls are there, and they’re not just some gimmick – they actually make every step you take feel more deliberate and terrifying. You’re almost always running desperately, and every dark corridor could be your last.
It’s a horror adventure that respects its players, offering brain-bending puzzles and an eerie atmosphere that truly gets under your skin. You feel Caroline Walker’s terror as she explores, and every discovery will send a genuine shiver down your spine.
My Verdict: Tormented Souls is the closest thing to playing a lost Resident Evil classic, tank controls and all.
10. The Evil Within 1 & 2 [Best for Classic Survival Horror Enthusiasts]
| Our Score | 8.7
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| Platforms | The Evil Within 1: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3/4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox Cloud Gaming The Evil Within 2: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 4, GeForce Now |
| Release Year | The Evil Within 1: 2014 The Evil Within 2: 2017 |
| Developer | Tango Gameworks |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks |
| Average Playtime | The Evil Within 1: ~17 hoursThe Evil Within 2: ~17 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Third-person gunplay, scarce resources, grotesque monsters, traps, exploration, and tense boss encounters. |
If you ever wanted to play a survival horror game that feels like it was specifically designed just to mess with your head, then look no further than The Evil Within 1 and 2.
These games are a brutal, terrifying ride that will take you on a third-person trip into a world of pure chaos, and just like the later installments of Resident Evil, many fans of the genre consider them to be some of the most terrifying horror games on the market.
The Evil Within 1 & 2 are a deeply unnerving look into a very broken mind, and the monsters that lurk in them are truly the definition of evil and creepy. I’ve had an absolute blast getting scared out of my mind by both games. They’re a match made in heaven for fans of titles with psychological scares, complemented with tense action and a ton of style.
The first game, from the mind of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, is a masterclass in terror. It has everything a horror fanatic could ever want – creepy atmosphere, very unsettling sense of dread, and constant lack of resources, forcing you to run from your fears more often than fighting them.
The sequel takes a different approach, giving you more freedom to explore, but it never loses that feeling of unease. The core gameplay is still classic third-person survival horror, but with a more personal and emotional story.
My Verdict: The Evil Within 1 & 2 feel like a fever dream straight from Resident Evil’s DNA and will keep you unnerved from start to finish.
GAMES LIKE THE EVIL WITHIN
11. Alan Wake II [Best for Horror Mystery Narratives]
| Our Score | 8.6
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, GeForce Now |
| Release Year | 2023 |
| Developer | Remedy Entertainment |
| Publisher | Epic Games |
| Average Playtime | ~26 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Limited ammunition, inventory management, puzzles, third-person combat, and carefully paced survival-horror exploration. |
Alan Wake 2 is just one of those horror games that sinks its teeth into you from the very first playthrough, then refuses to let go. Here, you get to step into the shoes of two incredible characters: the writer Alan Wake and the new FBI agent, Saga Anderson.
I replayed the first Alan Wake before playing this one (you technically don’t have to; Alan Wake 2 can be played as a standalone experience), and I can confidently say that despite an over a decade-old gap, this sequel has done its predecessor great justice, and then some.
Alan Wake II makes the list through its mix of survival horror combat, puzzles, and unsettling exploration. Its limited resources and tense encounters feel familiar to Resident Evil fans, while the reality-bending mystery gives it a stranger edge.
True to the franchise’s core mechanic, you’re once again constantly pushing back the shadows with nothing more than your flashlight, where every flicker of illumination might just be your last, desperate gamble. Simple, yes, but still very satisfying and effective, just as it was over ten years ago.
Another standout feature of this game is its visuals, which are simply astonishing. You’ll want the best gaming monitor you can find just to appreciate every terrifying detail, from the grotesque designs of the monsters to the meticulously crafted, eerie environments.
My Verdict: Alan Wake II delivers a chilling narrative-driven nightmare that makes every shadow your worst enemy.
GAMES LIKE ALAN WAKE 2
12. FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water [Best Camera-Based Survival Horror]
| Our Score | 8.4
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| Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Release Year | 2021 |
| Developers | KOEI TECMO GAMES |
| Publishers | KOEI TECMO GAMES |
| Average Playtime | ~15 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Puzzle-heavy exploration, vulnerable combat, limited resources, and supernatural threats in claustrophobic locations. |
Most games like Resident Evil give you a gun when something horrible comes crawling out of the dark. FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water hands you a camera. Exploring Mt. Hikami means creeping through abandoned buildings, flooded paths, and ritual sites while ghosts appear exactly where you hoped they wouldn’t.
FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water belongs here because exploration, puzzles, and vulnerable combat all create familiar survival horror pressure. The Camera Obscura replaces firearms, so every ghost encounter feels like a stranger spin on Resident Evil tension.
The Camera Obscura is what makes the whole thing work. You damage spirits by lining them up in the frame, and stronger shots often require letting them get dangerously close. Exploration and supernatural mystery carry plenty of the same tension that makes games like Resident Evil click, but the threat feels very different when bullets are replaced by perfect photo opportunities.
The pacing can feel repetitive when the game sends you back through familiar parts of Mt. Hikami, yet the atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting. Few horror games make raising a camera feel this much like drawing a weapon.
My Verdict: Maiden of Black Water is a strong pick when you want Resident Evil-style exploration and survival tension with a supernatural Japanese horror spin. Just remember that the ghost getting closer is technically good for your damage output. Comforting, right?
13. Visage [Best Haunted House Horror]
| Our Score | 8.3
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| Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One |
| Release Year | 2020 |
| Developer | SadSquare Studio |
| Publisher | SadSquare Studio |
| Average Playtime | ~9 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Mansion-like exploration, environmental puzzles, backtracking, locked areas, and constant vulnerability inside a hostile space. |
Visage takes one of the simplest horror setups imaginable, puts you inside a normal-looking house, then spends the next several hours convincing you that opening any door is a terrible idea. Among games like Resident Evil, it leans hard into exploration, environmental puzzles, and the nervous habit of checking a hallway twice before walking through it.
Visage earns its place through puzzle-heavy exploration, oppressive interiors, and the constant feeling that nowhere is safe. It connects to Resident Evil through mansion-like navigation and environmental problem-solving, but strips away most of the power fantasy.
There’s barely any traditional combat here. The challenge comes from managing light, exploring rooms carefully, and figuring out what the house expects from you before your sanity takes a hit. That makes it closer to the puzzle-heavy, vulnerable side of games like Resident Evil than the shotgun-and-roundhouse-kick era of the series.
Its puzzles can be deliberately vague, so getting stuck is part of the experience for better or worse. Still, the house is wonderfully cruel. Familiar rooms change, objects move, and suddenly that boring staircase you crossed five times feels like somewhere you absolutely should not be.
My Verdict: Visage is for Resident Evil fans who care more about dread, puzzles, and dangerous exploration than fighting back. It proves a quiet suburban house can be just as hostile as any zombie-infested mansion.
GAMES LIKE VISAGE
14. Condemned: Criminal Origins [Best for High-Stakes Melee Combat]
| Our Score | 8.1
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 |
| Release Year | 2005 |
| Developers | Monolith Productions, Monolith |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Average Playtime | ~7 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Scarce ammunition, brutal close-range combat, dark environments, investigation, and dangerous encounters around every corner. |
As a forensics agent in Condemned: Criminal Origins, you’ll have to use your wits to solve a mystery while dealing with psychotic vagrants. The game’s chaotic atmosphere, full of psychological horror, will feel familiar to those of you who prefer the more cerebral side of scares.
The combat in this game is what truly sets it apart. It’s a brutal, up-close and personal experience that makes you feel every single swing and crunch of your makeshift weapon.
You’re barely a one-man army, though, and encounters mostly just consist of you trying to survive violent brawls with whatever you can find. By that I mean stainless steel pipes just conveniently lying around, shovels, crowbars, or the ever-trusty 2×4.
Condemned: Criminal Origins fits because it makes every encounter feel risky. Scarce ammo, brutal close-range combat, dark environments, and investigative puzzles echo Resident Evil’s survival pressure while giving the horror a grim urban feel.
It can be a little clunky at first, which is slightly off-putting, but the weight and impact of each blow become strangely satisfying after a while.
The forensic investigation elements also add a unique layer of gameplay, forcing you to slow down and meticulously examine a crime scene before you get back to bashing heads in.
My Verdict: Condemned: Criminal Origins delivers a raw, violent descent into madness where every melee fight feels like life or death.
GAMES LIKE CONDEMNED
15. Amnesia: The Dark Descent [Best for Puzzles and Unsettling Atmosphere]
| Our Score | 7.9
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| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Release Year | 2010 |
| Developer | Frictional Games |
| Publisher | Frictional Games |
| Average Playtime | ~8 hours |
| Why It Feels Like Resident Evil | Puzzle-driven exploration, resource management, oppressive interiors, and monsters that make avoiding danger more important than fighting. |
Waking up in a cold, dark castle with no memory sounds like a really bad day, right? Well, that’s your starting point in Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
This title is a psychological horror masterpiece that messes with your mind in ways you won’t see coming, and it’s a truly well-done stealth game with eerie suspense in spades. Once again, there’s no running and gunning or fighting back in this game. Just a whole lot of hiding and surviving.
It’s one of those games where you have to be careful with your sanity. You’ll see your character’s mind start to slip the longer you exist in the dark, and see things you can’t explain. Having played it myself quite a lot back then, what I really liked about it is how it finds new and inventive ways to mess with your head.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent makes the list because it shares Resident Evil’s love of puzzles, oppressive spaces, and vulnerable exploration. The big difference is combat, since you survive by hiding, managing sanity, and avoiding monsters rather than fighting them.
This psychological element is what separates it from so many other horror titles at the time, where physical threats were the norm.
The various unsettling locations in the castle are beautiful yet full of secrets and dangers. It feels like an ever-present, claustrophobic maze. The game does not deliver on cheap jump scares. Instead, it gets under your skin with a subtle, yet powerful, feeling of dread that’s just always there.
My Verdict: Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a sanity-shredding experience that proves the scariest monsters are the ones you can’t fight.
GAMES LIKE AMNESIA
My Overall Verdict on Games Like Resident Evil
The best games like Resident Evil don’t all copy the same formula. Some lean into limited resources and desperate escapes, while others go bigger with infected-filled cities, brutal combat, or co-op survival.
- For co-op survival horror → The Outlast Trials. Murkoff’s experiments turn scavenging, stealth, and staying alive into a chaotic team effort where one mistake can wreck the whole plan.
- For story-driven survival → The Last of Us Part II Remastered. It combines scarce ammo, crafting, stealth, infected, and punishing combat with a much heavier focus on character and narrative.
- For open-world zombie survival → Days Gone. Freaker hordes, limited supplies, and long stretches away from safety make its huge world feel genuinely dangerous.
- For fast-paced infected survival → Dying Light. Parkour gives you freedom during the day, but nighttime Volatiles quickly remind you that Harran is never really safe.
- For pure survival tension → Alien: Isolation. Limited resources, tight corridors, and an unpredictable Xenomorph make every trip across Sevastopol feel risky.
If I had to start with one, I’d go with The Outlast Trials for its replayable co-op chaos. The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the stronger pick if you want a cinematic single-player experience, while Days Gone and Dying Light give you much more freedom to explore. And if you want something slower, meaner, and built almost entirely around tension, Alien: Isolation is still hard to beat.
FAQs
Tormented Souls is the closest match to classic Resident Evil on this list. It uses fixed cameras, tank-style controls, limited resources, puzzles, and tense exploration to recreate that old-school survival horror feel.
Games like Resident Evil with heavier action include Days Gone, Dying Light 2, Dead Space Remake, and The Evil Within 2. They keep survival pressure but give you more mobility, combat options, or larger battles.
Yes. Outlast 2 and Amnesia: The Dark Descent make you survive through hiding, running, and careful exploration. Visage also limits direct combat and leans harder into puzzles, atmosphere, and psychological horror.
Games like Resident Evil with strong puzzle design include Tormented Souls, Signalis, Visage, and FATAL FRAME: Maiden of Black Water. Each makes exploration and environmental clues a major part of progression.
The Evil Within 1 & 2 are strong picks if you liked Resident Evil 4. They combine third-person combat, grotesque enemies, scarce resources, and tense set pieces while keeping a heavier survival horror edge.
Days Gone and Dying Light 2 are the clearest open-world picks. Both add large explorable maps, resource scavenging, dangerous infected, and more freedom than the tighter environments found in most Resident Evil games.
Yes. Silent Hill 2 Remake shares survival horror combat, exploration, puzzles, and dangerous environments with Resident Evil. Its biggest difference is tone, since it focuses far more on psychological horror and symbolism.
