New Unreal Engine 5 Horror Games coming in 2023 and beyond

Paranormal Tales

Digital Cybercherries' upcoming horror title, Paranormal Tales, tells the story of multiple missing characters through the lens of bodycams, phones, and VHS cameras, complete with realistic audio and visual effects.

The developers intend to create a highly unsettling experience with an emphasis on exploration, with "vastly different" stories developed with a "sense of hyper-realism" that fully utilizes the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. Fans of Hideo Kojima may notice a strong influence from his canceled P.T. project, with the game's title Paranormal Tales bearing the same initials and many gameplay similarities visible in the trailer.

There is no release date just yet, but you can wishlist the game on its Steam Store page.

Layers of Fear (2023)

Layers of Fear is a remake and sequel to the 2016 game of the same name, as well as its follow-up, Layers of Fear 2. Bloober Team's horror title, which was heavily influenced by Kojima's P.T. teaser, follows an unnamed artist in the 1920s whose mental state and artistic abilities began to deteriorate, resulting in hallucinations and dark twists and turns throughout the story.

The game heavily emphasizes the psychological aspect of the story, with players tasked with solving puzzles and finding objects within the artist's home, which changes as it is explored, and there are plenty of jumpscares to catch you off guard.

The original games were built in Unity, but their developer decided to remake both of them in Unreal Engine 5 to enable more impressive and immersive visuals, as well as to allow for the addition of a framing story to connect both parts of the story.

Layers of Fear’s remake is available now on PC, Mac, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Stray Souls

Junkai Studios' upcoming third-person survival horror title follows Daniel, a young man who inherits a seemingly normal house after his grandmother passes away. Everything takes a more sinister turn when he meets another character named Martha, where it is revealed that Daniel's grandmother was a high-ranking member of a secret organization.

From the few clips that have been released, it appears that the gameplay will be heavily influenced by Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with the player interacting with objects in the environment, chatting with Martha, and fighting off unsightly creatures with a pistol.

Stray Souls is set to be released on October 31 for PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and PC.

Lost Fragment

Lost Fragment is an upcoming survival horror game from Japanese developer NIHIL INANE STUDIO that captures the tense atmosphere of classics like Silent Hill and Resident Evil through a hyper-realistic bodycam perspective.

Little is known about the game as of yet, but based on the trailer, it appears that it will take place in an abandoned psychiatric hospital, with strange, disturbing noises heard throughout as the player attempts to locate the source.

According to the project's equally mysterious developer, photogrammetry was not used at all in the game, with everything, including the small objects scattered throughout the trailer, being created by hand. Sound design also appears to be an important aspect of the game, with footsteps echoing throughout the corridors and glass crunching beneath the character's feet.

NIHIL INANE STUDIO has yet to provide any release information, such as a target date or potential platforms, but given that everything has been handcrafted thus far, we may have to wait a while before seeing more of the title.

Fort Solis

Fallen Leaf Studios' Fort Solis is a sci-fi horror game that follows the story of engineer Jack Leary after he arrives at a Mars base due to an alarm call. When he arrives, he discovers that the base is under lockdown, with blood and corpses of former residents indicating that someone else is still within Fort Solis.

In comparison to the other games on the list, Fort Solis' gameplay is rather simple, with no actual fighting. Instead, the game focuses on narrative storytelling, with audio logs, notes, and other items aiding in the explanation of events leading up to the alarm call, and the eerie setting keeping players on edge.

Fort Solis is available on PlayStation 5, Mac, and PC, with an Xbox version possibly on the way due to the game's timed exclusivity on PlayStation.

Silent Hill 2 (Remake)

The second title on this list by Bloober Team is a remake of a survival horror classic. Silent Hill 2 tells the story of James Sunderland, who returns to the foggy town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter supposedly from his late wife Mary.

The remake will include a more modern combat system as well as an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to Capcom's highly successful Resident Evil remakes. While some story set pieces and gameplay elements have been redesigned, the atmosphere of the original has been preserved, with creature designer Masahiro Ito and original composer Akira Yamaoka both contributing to the title.

It's unclear when Konami will release Silent Hill 2, after an apparent "leak" of a September 2023 release date proved to be false. The game is confirmed to be a limited-time PlayStation 5 exclusive, but a PC version will also be available.