8 Best FPS Games With The Scariest Enemies

Key Takeaways

Some retro-style FPS games have unique enemies that offer moments of horror.
HROT immerses players with surreal imagery and unsettling enemy designs.
DUSK introduces the terrifying Wendigo creature, creating palpable horror moments.

There are a variety of first-person horror games with terrifying enemies, be it one of the more recent Resident Evil games, or perhaps Alien: Isolation. However, when it comes to action-oriented shooters, enemies tend to fulfill a different role.

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There are, however, a variety of first-person shooters, predominantly those with a retro style, that offer moments of horror via unique enemy types. These games share more with shooters than they do horror games, but each of them cast an enemy or two that are sure to frightened the most hardened horror fans.

8 HROT

An Old-School FPS Replete With Surreal Enemies

Platform(s): PC
Released: May 16, 2023
Developer(s): Spytihnev
Genre: FPS

This old-school-inspired first-person shooter features a suppressive, brown-heavy color palette and a moody, downtrodden atmosphere that carries the game along with an immersive sense of place. HROT doesn’t have the best gunplay around, but its atmosphere, as well as its surreal imagery and unhinged enemy design, makes it a shooter that’s much more than the sum of its parts.

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The surreal elements of HROT are also, at times, the most unsettling, providing genuine moments of horror that come out of the blue. Arachnophobic players may be especially frightened by the eventual appearance of HROT’s skull spiders, a truly creepy foe.

7 DUSK

A Nostalgic FPS With A Palpable Atmosphere And Unsettling Creatures

Systems

Released: December 10, 2018
Developer: David Szymanski

DUSK holds the title of being the best modern boomer shooter out there, modeled in the style of classics like Quake and DOOM with the atmosphere of titles like STALKER, offering up a unique experience that blends first-person action and immersive horror. Like many old-school FPS games, DUSK’s focus on action somewhat detracts from its horror, but there’s one enemy in particular — and its introduction — that proves terrifying.

There are a variety of monsters in DUSK that may unsettle players. However, the Wendigo, first appearing in one of DUSK’s more subtle and slow-burning missions, arguably provides the most palpable moments of horror in the game. This is mostly due to the creature’s invisibility, which is only broken once it’s taken damage. The bloody footprints it leaves in its wake don’t help, either.

6 Half-Life

A Classic FPS With A Handful Of Creepy Creatures

Systems

Released: November 19, 1998

It’s no secret that Half-Life was a truly innovative release in the world of first-person shooters, having a tremendous influence on story-driven games as a whole with its unique, natural method of storytelling. As a shooter, Half-Life is still an immersive experience, despite its age, blending narrative and action with a subtle hand.

While not the most terrifying experience, one of Half-Life’s scariest enemies is arguably the barnacle. Some may find its simplistic 3D model and relatively harmless nature somewhat less scary, but there’s something about the way they pull players in with their tongue, the animation involved, and their tendency to hide on ceilings, that makes them an unsettling adversary.

5 CULTIC

A Frenetic FPS That Leans On Its Horror Influences

Cultic

Systems

Released: October 13, 2022
Developer: Jasozz Games

CULTIC is a unique blend of old-school boomer shooters such as Blood and survival horror games like Resident Evil 4. The crunchy pixel-art, distinctive color palette, atmospheric music, and excellent sound design result in an experience that’s as immersive as it is action-packed.

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CULTIC does, however, offer up a few moments of horror. One moment in particular is the introduction of the Harvested, sacrificed individuals trapped in burlap sacks. These creatures can be unsettling themselves, but their counterpart, the Harvester, with its blood-covered appearance, high speed, and raging chainsaw, is one of CULTIC’s most terrifying offerings.

4 Gloomwood

A Dark, Creepy, Gothic Immersive-Sim

Gloomwood

Systems

Released: September 6, 2022
Developer: Dillon Rogers, David Szymanski

Gloomwood is a unique combination of immersive-sims, stealth games, and the survival horror genre, channeling the energy of Thief and Resident Evil 4 in near-equal measure. The nostalgic old-school visuals, environmental storytelling, and well-tuned mechanics result in an immersive, atmospheric experience.

The dark, Gothic setting of Gloomwood and the Lovecraftian elements within it drench the atmosphere with a creepy, unsettling undertone. While its old-school visuals detract somewhat from the horror, and not all of its enemies are the most terrifying, some — such as the Crowmen and the deadly goatman — are especially thrilling adversaries.

3 Left 4 Dead 2

A Chaotic Horror FPS That Frequently Induces Panic

Systems

Released: November 17, 2009

Left 4 Dead 2 isn’t the most terrifying shooter around, and the chaos of co-operative play combined with the game’s tongue-in-cheek tone somewhat detracts from the horror, but its enemies can provide decent scares. The common infected can provide thrills in large enough numbers, but it’s Left 4 Dead 2’s special infected that stand out.

The Tank can be especially thrilling, with its hulking body and high-speed charge, not to mention its high health. These enemies are extremely dangerous, and they often show up out of nowhere, making them particularly panic-inducing. The iconic Witches, with their distinctive sobbing, can be particularly spooky in the right environment, and the panic they induce once aggravated is palpable.

2 DOOM 3

An Ensemble Cast Of Demonic Creatures

Taking the series in an entirely different direction and drenching it in a dark, twisted atmosphere that focuses on the vulnerability of the survival horror genre, DOOM 3 is a unique FPS with an acquired taste. DOOM’s demonic enemies make a perfect fit for a horror game, however, and their designs translate well to DOOM 3’s unique direction.

Much of DOOM 3 feels like a corridor shooter, but it’s made more distinctive by its cinematic lighting and ensemble of unsettling enemies. The Mancubus, the Cherub, the Bruiser, and even the regular mobs that players must face are violent, often disgusting foes.

1 Condemned: Criminal Origins

A Survival Horror FPS With A Truly Unsettling Enemy

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Systems

Released: November 22, 2005
Developer(s): Monolith Productions

Condemned: Criminal Origins is a first-person horror game with a palpable atmosphere and a unique combat system that forces players to adapt quickly in order to survive. The enemies that the player must contend with throughout the game are relatively vanilla, but the erratic way in which they act and the aggressive attitude that they carry makes them all the more terrifying in Condemned’s dark, creepy, rundown environments.

While the regular mobs can provide plenty of thrills, Condemned: Criminal Origins features a particularly unsettling enemy in one of its most memorable levels: Bart’s Department Store. The statue-still mannequins dotted throughout the store don’t remain that way forever, providing their own unique set of scares and making the level much more memorable.