From June 6-8, Summer Game Fest ran for the sixth year in a row in Los Angeles, inviting a slew of new video game announcements and trailers. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, this spectacular event spotlights what could be a revolutionary era for the horror genre.
In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed immense success from horror with “Obsession” and “Backrooms” dominating the cinema box-office. Several sources are declaring that horror is “saving the film industry” and according to renowned horror director and producer James Wan, is spiking in-person attendance to theaters.
The absolutely remarkable excitement felt at Game Fest this month assures that it is not only cinema favoring horror, but also the gaming world.
Better than Before: The Era of Game Remakes
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis gives classic heroine Lara Croft a fresh face while maintaining the same iconic look and charismatic personality we’ve come to adore. As expected for the franchise, there is tomb-raiding along with references to Atlantean mythos and thrilling combat. This is also the debut of Croft’s new actress, Alix Wilton Regan, whose voice will accompany us through the gorgeous reimagining of the original game’s landscape.
Lara ventures through lush mountainsides with scenic views of a waterfall, ancient cobblestone architecture and a handful of dinosaurs. If the promise of an action-packed adventure following one of gaming’s most beloved female characters doesn’t entail you, then the T-rex absolutely should.
This game also shifts the timeline of the franchise, positioning it after the Survivor trilogy, after Tomb Raider: Underworld. The timeline of this franchise is a little muddy, but you don’t have to be well-versed to dive in now. The upcoming Legacy of Atlantis remake’s stunning graphics make it an attractive option for anyone looking for a new game. Also, there’s a shiny new grappling hook for Lara to use.
While not generally considered horror, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis fits a similar adrenaline-inducing category that makes it worthy of mentioning. Horror doesn’t lie exclusively in monsters and gore, after all. Horror, when you holding the controller, can exist entirely in a good, thrilling chase.
Look out in early 2027 for its release!
After 8 Years, a Hero Returns
With a trailer met with celebration and thundering applause at Summer Game Fest, Capcom is not one to be bested. After releasing Resident Evil 9: Requiem in February, they’re following up with what is perhaps one of the most anticipated remakes in the history of their franchise. By the time the remake now named Resident Evil: Veronica drops, it’ll be 27 years since the original Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which was released in 2000.
Claire Redfield, whose presence has been sorely missed in recent Resident Evil releases, is returning as one of the main faces like she was in the original Code Veronica. The reveal of her face toward the end of the trailer immediately sparked an onslaught of excitement across social media. Redfield has not been seen since her appearance in the Resident Evil 2 remake, which became available to players in 2019.
In this game, players will get the chance to follow Claire Redfield and her brother, a similarly well-loved regular in the world of Resident Evil — last seen in Resident Evil Village, though he was also mentioned in Requiem — as they fight their way through eccentric villains on Rockfort Island, a heavily fortified Antarctic research facility.
Another notable feature Resident Evil: Veronica is launching: the ability for zombies to move together in hordes. This new aspect ramps up the horror for long-time fans and presents a tantalizing prospect for new fans.
Welcome Back Survival Horror’s Ultimate Stalker
The first Alien: Isolation was released in 2014, set 15 years after the original film. It is widely known as the game with the best utilization of artificial intelligence in creating the Xenomorph. Its unnerving ability to stalk players has yet to meet its match in modern gaming. The atmosphere evokes the same fear and tension as the movies. It even stretches it further as you can’t kill the Xenomorph, you just have to outsmart it. Audiences have been looking forward to another Alien: Isolation installment for years, so this announcement was given an astoundingly warm welcome at Summer Game Fest.
While Alien: Isolation 2 maintains the same horror aspects as the original, it follows a new protagonist, Blake. Also new is a larger, more improved landscape that oscillates between expansive and claustrophobic. The mechanics are mightily enhanced as well, allowing the usage of tools to distract the Xenomorph. But because of the developers’ incredible work, it’s doubtful this will make the experience any less petrifying.
Keep an eye out for this one if you’re eager to experience what makes the Xenomorph’s portrayal so iconic. Though its release is not set in stone yet, updates are sure to come.
Introducing Stardew Valley’s Scarier Cousin
If the prospect of cozy farming games bores you, look no further than the game that will change that. Grave Seasons includes the familiar mechanics of planting crops, ultimately turning into a murder mystery game when the death of the town mayor becomes your character’s next conquest. This creative debut game from Perfect Garbage Studios fills an exciting niche when it comes to combining horror with more relaxing farming simulators. If it succeeds, two massive audiences in the gaming industry are fusing together for the first time.
As the plot thickens, each murder is more gruesome than the next. The game maintains its comfortable demeanor but balances it with a diet of grim storytelling and a ticking timer amidst more deaths. What makes it so deeply interesting is the possibility of different endings.
However, Grave Seasons doesn’t have just one culprit. The developers devised several different written campaigns wherein the murderer is revealed to be a different town resident. The result varies depending on your gameplay.
Similar to Stardew Valley, you’re able to romance residents too. Beware though, as romancing someone does not stop them from being the murderer.
Take your chances when Grave Seasons comes out later this year!
Silent Hill Game Franchise Goes to Scotland
St. Amelia, Scotland is not a real town. However, the slow dread and sudden fear that the monsters lurking there inflict is. Silent Hill: Townfall expands the universe of the Silent Hill franchise and delves into innovative angles for the series. Players will explore this gloomy town with architecture, aesthetics and atmosphere inspired by images of real Scottish towns in the ’90s.
Firstly, you play Townfall in first person, which isn’t new for Silent Hill, but has generated some discussion amongst fans. In a similar case to fans of Resident Evil, fans are divided amongst play styles. While third person appeals to storytelling with a greater accessibility to the game’s atmosphere, first person ultimately makes for more visceral terror. Both carry their respective strong suits. Time will tell whether or not first person is the correct vehicle for Townfall.
This installment of Silent Hill is also making an attempt to strengthen overall immersion in the game. So rather than making observations out loud through dialogue, the protagonist, Simon Ordell instead etches notes over his map.
In the demo shown at Summer Game Fest, we learn Simon Ordell wears a hospital ID band and a cannula. Progressing reveals that Ordell doesn’t know why he’s found himself in St. Amelia, and must go through the events of the game to discover his connection to the town. Knowing Silent Hill, it’s inevitable that confrontation of trauma and some inventive monsters will be a sizable part of Simon’s journey.
Silent Hill: Townfall hits stores Sept. 24, 2026.
Jigsaw Takes Us Back in Time
With a similar structure to Dead by Daylight (DBD), Saw: Genesis throws players into roles: three Accused and one Judge. The Judge is the stand-in for the killer, a Jigsaw equivalent. It is equivalent because rather than being set in the 2000s, as the “Saw” films are, Saw: Genesis takes place post-WW1. Furthermore, it is canon to the movie universe. This complicates things for the John Kramer we’ve been familiar with for so long.
Bits of horror gameplay broadcasted at Summer Game Fest confirm that, yes, Saw: Genesis may be a different medium for “Saw,” but it can keep up with the gore and body horror of its predecessors.
Judges in the game possess prior knowledge of the maps (including access to secret corridors), the ability to set traps and even come equipped with their own accomplice. This is a distinct nod to John Kramer’s apprentices, as seen in the movies — Amanda Young, Mark Hoffman, Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Logan Nelson. The Accomplice is not another player in Genesis, but should still be avoided as it is able to abduct downed players.
The Accused have the advantage of numbers in this 3v1 horror game, but between the Judge, the Accomplice and a series of bloody challenges for players to complete while they flee the Judge, Saw: Genesis is not going to be easy to beat. Regardless of which role you play, exciting scares lurk around every corner of the map’s mazes and traps waiting on you to find them.
Will you wind up another grotesque sacrifice, or will you escape?
Early access for Saw: Genesis should roll out this autumn.
Happy Birthday, DBD!
Speaking of DBD, this game faces its 10 year anniversary this year. Developers celebrated this at Summer Game Fest by excitedly presenting an eerie birthday trailer. The release of this video spearheaded a number of announcements from Behavior, the studio behind the popular game.
For those unfamiliar, DBD’s 4v1 gameplay that inspired Saw: Genesis has been a cornerstone of the horror gaming community for as long as it’s been out. Highly addictive, tense and unexpectedly funny, the DBD community is both sizeable and teeming with character.
You may recognize this game as the one containing your favorite horror characters for you to play as. “Alien”‘s Xenomorph features in DBD, alongside Chucky, Vecna, the Demogorgon, Freddy Krueger, Ghostface, Resident Evil’s Albert Wesker & Nemesis, Springtrap from Five Nights at Freddy’s, Bubba from “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” Amanda Young from “Saw,” Pyramid Head from Silent Hill and Sadako Yamamura from “The Ring.” Formerly included in the game as well were “Halloween'”s very own Michael Myers and “Hellraiser”‘s Pinhead.
Alongside their bloodthirsty counterparts are memorable survivors Leon Kennedy, Cheryl Manson and Ellen Ripley among others.
Most recently added to DBD was addition of Jason Voorhees from “Friday the 13th.” His debut has been long-awaited for years, thrilling the avid DBD community.
Behavior also announced collabs incoming from “Terrifier,” “Scooby Doo” and more from their withstanding collaborations with “The Walking Dead” and Silent Hill. These will all come with updated graphics, dynamic weather and a variety of new original survivor-killer duos.
The Future Haunts
Whether you consider yourself immersed in the world of gaming, horror, both, or neither, there is surely fun (and fright) worthwhile coming to your gaming platform in the future. Between long beloved franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, and promising new original Grave Seasons, horror is having its heyday this year. There is no better way to prepare for the oncoming Halloween season by taking a chance on any of these games.
