10 horrifying horror games based on true stories

Some horror games are already scary because of their cover, now imagine venturing into a game whose plot was inspired by a real story? Well, although it may seem rare, there are several titles that have used tales, legends, and even true facts, to create an even more frightening atmosphere.

And among them there are famous franchises, such as Outlast, Fatal Frame e Five Nights at Freddy’seven others that are less well-known, but that don’t stop being scary. And today Voxel brings a list of 10 horror games that were based on real stories. Check it out!

1. Five Nights at Freddy’s – murder in pizzeria

Many don’t know, but the popular horror franchise, which recently received a film adaptation, was “based” on a series of real events. But don’t worry, there wasn’t an electronic doll rebellion or anything like that, but rather a murder in one of the store chains that inspired the game.

Five Nights at Freddy’s was created inspired by true storiesSource: Steam

In 1993, a former employee, Nathan Dunlap, shot five employees at a Chuck E. Cheese location after being fired. Four of them died, and one survived by pretending to be dead. The murderer was sentenced to death, but due to changes in local legislation, his conviction ended up being overturned and he is now serving a life sentence.

And where do animated dolls come into the story? Well, the unit where the crime occurred, which also became known as ‘Aurora Massacre’, was known for having musical puppet shows. However, they were not automated, but people in costumes. The photo below shows one of the presentations, which inspired the game’s characters.

Dolls served to inspire the game’s charactersFonte:  Eater

2. Fatal Frame – Himuro Mansion case

The first Fatal Frame it featured a plot that took place in the Himuro Mansion. Very popular in Japan, the place is known for having been used for rituals in the past, where young people were sacrificed through cruel means. Outside of Japan, the game even received a note in its promotional material claiming that the story was based on real events.

Fatal Frame uses the premise of capturing spirits through camerasSource: Steam

Furthermore, all chapters of the franchise follow the premise of using cameras to “capture” spirits that cannot be seen with the naked eye. This “practice” is quite common around the world, where all it takes is a Google search to find thousands of supposed photos that, when revealed, featured people who weren’t there at the time. Or worse, that they are already dead, and that the presence of their spirit was registered in the image.

3. Outlast – royal madhouse

In the first game of the franchise Outlastyou control a journalist who goes to a mental hospital to investigate a report of mistreatment. But when he arrives at the place, he realizes that there is much more than that. And much of the plot that shocks throughout the game was inspired by reports and documents from the real version of the institution: the Richardson Olmsted Complex, which is located in New York, in the United States.

Outlast was inspired by a real asylumSource: Steam

To this end, Red Barrels, the game’s developer, set up a team dedicated to combing through documents and real reports about the patients of the asylum, which in turn received the city’s worst criminals. With this, she can create a plot, where most of the atrocities committed by them were carried out not outside, but inside the institution.

4. Outlast 2 – Jim Jones sect

On November 18, 1978, 918 people were killed by a collective poisoning. The person responsible for this was Jim Jones, a leader of a sect of which all the victims were part. Called the Popular Temple, it became known for the way his followers idolized Jones, to the point of moving to Guyana, to live within what he called the reconstruction of the world.

Outlast 2 also features a sect of religious fanaticsSource: Steam

And it is precisely this blind acclaim for their leader that inspired the plot of Outlast 2. However, in the game there is an additional dose of cruelty on the part of Sullivan Knoth, leader of the religious group Testament of the New Ezekiel, who encourages his followers to commit a series of crimes, such as the murder of babies among other violent acts.

5. Silent Hill – City of Centralia

One of the most striking elements of the franchise Silent Hill it’s their empty, fog-filled cities. And as incredible as it may seem, there is a real city that has the same aspects as those presented in the game.

Silent Hill was inspired by a city that burned for 40 yearsFont: Reddit

Called Centralia, it is located in the state of Pennsylvania, in the United States, and is popularly known for being a city that burns in flames. The reason was an underground fire, which occurred in the 1960s, and to this day continues to burn and emanate smoke from gaps in the floor. Because of this, the city that had around 5 thousand inhabitants at the time, today has around 5 people, very much in the style Silent Hill.

6. Chernobylite – Chernobyl disaster

On April 26, 1986, the world watched in bewilderment one of the biggest nuclear disasters in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a city that currently belongs to Ukraine. The accident caused the region to be evacuated due to the high level of radiation, which remains there to this day.

Chernobylite faithfully reproduces the devastated areas in ChernobylSource: Steam

On top of that, Chernobylite brought a game that mixes the challenges of venturing into the contaminated area, along with supernatural elements. However, what draws the most attention in the game is the possibility of walking around the location, which was built in a faithful way, as its producer used drones, and even visits from its team, in the affected areas, to reproduce everything in one way. never before seen in relation to realism.

7. Kholat – one of Russia’s greatest mysteries

In 1959, nine students were found dead in Russia in what was called the Dyatlov Pass Incident. At the time, the bodies of the young people were found in the snow, and at the same time full of marks of physical violence, mainly in the abdominal region. Years passed and the case was closed without a solution, leading to dozens of speculations about what really happened.

Kholat is a game entirely based on a true storySource: Steam

Em Kholat, you are placed at the same location as the accident a few years later to try and find out what really happened. To do this, it is necessary to retrace the students’ steps, and find clues that could lead to the solution of the crime. However, in the midst of this it is also necessary to fight to survive, as the same “reason” that led to the death of young people can lead to yours.

8. Fears to Fathom – real stories submitted by players

Fears to Fathom is a horror franchise, which was launched in 2021, where each of the chapters places players in survival situations, needing to resist threats from invaders. However, with each game the locations and situations change, whether in control of a teenager preventing a man from entering his home, or even a young woman in a hotel, escaping from a religious sect.

Fears to Fathom is a game based on real accounts of attempted invasionsSource: Steam

What all games have in common is that the stories were sent by the players themselves, through the game’s community. According to the creator of the franchise, Mukul Negi, many of these reports were sent as a series of evidence, from police reports to photos and videos that prove some facts.

9. The Town Of Light – hospice and real stories

Another game inspired by a real asylum is The Town Of Light. However, unlike the first Outlastit brings not only the place, but the real reports of patients who passed through the Psychiatric Hospital of Volterra, in Italy.

The Town Of Light is inspired by events that took place at the Volterra Psychiatric HospitalSource: Steam

The place became known for cruel and inhumane practices that were committed with patients. So much so that, after many complaints, it was finally closed in 1970, after decades of atrocities committed there. Furthermore, the history of the place has also inspired films and series that use a similar theme.

10. The Dark Pictures: Little Hope – Witches of Salem

The Salem Witch Trial is considered one of the greatest atrocities committed in the United States in the 1960s. At the time, dozens of people were convicted and executed for allegedly being associated with witchcraft. However, in reality the victims suffered religious persecution by the rulers of the time.

The Dark Pictures: Little HopeSource: Steam

The Dark Pictures: Little Hope not only addresses the topic, but also presents a kind of reproduction of what happened at the time. This is because, at certain times, you are taken to the 60s, precisely to the city of Massachusetts, where the witchcraft trials and murders were carried out.

And in your opinion, what is the scariest horror game on the list? Tell us on Voxel’s social media!