On Saturday, December 14, The Horror Game Awards returned for its third installment. The awards ceremony was streamed live at 3 p.m. EST on The Horror Game Awards’ official YouTube channel. Following previous years’ success, this year’s event aimed to celebrate the horror genre in video games. While honoring the developers who brought these experiences to life, the 2024 Horror Game Awards also announced upcoming horror games alongside thrilling trailers.
Agni: Village of Calamity
One of the highly anticipated games announced was the survival horror game Agni: Village of Calamity. Drawing inspiration from various horror video classics, the cinematic game follows a determined investigator from a covert Indonesian police unit named Agni. Despite ominous warnings, the player-character will venture into a remote village where their unauthorized investigation spirals into a horrifying reality. Exploring the eerie village, Agni must uncover its dark secrets while facing terrifying horrors every step of the way. Consequently, the player must navigate through a bleak atmosphere, solve numerous puzzles, and fight against relentless threats. Ultimately, Agni’s investigation will lead her to the root of the mystery, where she’ll discover the truth behind the terror.
ANIMAL USE PROTOCOL
Additionally, the creators of STASIS and BONE TOTEM are releasing another game, revealing the official trailer at The Horror Game Awards. They introduced the upcoming horror game, ANIMAL USE PROTOCOL, which takes place on a terrifying journey. This game is a 3D first-person, narrative-focused survival horror game and follows a hyper-intelligent chimpanzee named Penn. Leading a desperate escape, Penn must save himself and his fellow lab animals from a nightmarish facility where terror is around every corner. Furthermore, the planned release date of ANIMAL USE PROTOCOL is set in 2026 and promises an immersive experience as players must explore and survive this dark world.
Asylum
The Horror Game Awards also dropped the trailer for Senscrape’s upcoming horror game, Asylum. The game takes place in a fictional insane asylum known as Hanwell Mental Institute, which is partially based on elements of real asylums. By exploring the institute, players immerse themselves in the game’s eerie atmosphere. Furthermore, the horror game promises to provide “twisty storytelling” and “horrifying revelations.”
Before the trailer’s release, Asylum underwent a lengthy developmental process, with its first official announcement occurring on July 9th, 2010. Furthermore, this announcement was followed by a viral marketing campaign involving a series of online videos and a fake Hanwell Mental Institute website. After years of steady progress and setbacks, Asylum was finally announced with a March 6, 2025, release date.
Bad Cheese
In another announcement, the 2024 Horror Game Awards show introduced the first-person psychological horror game, Bad Cheese. Scheduled for release in 2025 for PC, this horror game is rendered with hand-drawn art in a century-old 16mm film cartoon style. Although developer Simon Lukasik and publisher Feardemic created Bad Cheese, the game’s story follows a mouse spending the weekend alone at home with a dysfunctional father while the mother is away.
Consequently, players take the role of the mouse and must complete various tasks throughout the game. Specifically, players will eat snacks, find toys, and navigate a complicated family dynamic. As the game progresses, players further immerse themselves in the child mouse’s traumatic reality as he tries to find normalcy in a chaotic household. Not only is the plot dark but so is the atmosphere, as its unsettling tone hints at the horrors hidden in the household.
Becrowned
Reminiscent of old-school Silent Hill, the upcoming horror game, Becrowned, evokes a sense of nostalgia and dread. Notably, the game is overwhelmed with freaky monsters, keeping players in a state of pure dread throughout the gameplay. Additionally, players must solve complex puzzles and fight monsters as they explore their surroundings. Woven from the nightmares of a distant past, the game’s world consists of imprisoned sinners, heretics, and even gods. As a result, the world’s inhabitants would become hunted by their deepest fears and nightmares. Due to these elements, its gameplay embodies basic survival horror principles. Ultimately, players aim to defy this unforgiving world and survive the onslaught of deadly monsters lurking around every corner.
Beneath
Beneath is an action-horror adventure game in the ocean’s mysterious depths. This heart-pounding first-person survivor game follows a deep-sea diving veteran named Noah Quinn, who somehow becomes trapped in a treacherous underwater world. Navigating this environment, Quinn encounters horrific entities beyond his imagination, relying on his wits and whatever weapons he finds to survive. While playing, Quinn’s mental state will steadily deteriorate, pushing him to a mental breakdown. Due to this feature, players must protect Quinn from his deepest fears while keeping his mental state in check to avoid madness. Despite its trailer release at the Horror Game Awards, no official release date was announced.
Birchwood
Debuting at The 2024 Horror Game Awards, Birchwood is an upcoming psychological horror game. Delving into the dark side of 1980s Britain, this narrative-driven game begins a decade following an ecological and personal tragedy that impacted the protagonist’s household. Due to external reasons, the protagonist must return home and uncover the secrets of the once-idyllic farmhouse. Interestingly, Birchwood was developed by a new gaming studio comprising industry professionals and veterans. Notably, they used Unity Engine to create the game, which promises to be a horrifying experience for players. While no official release date has been announced, the game is set to release on Steam, with the PlayStation and Xbox ports releasing afterward.
Cold Abyss
Deviating from the horror genre, a new game was revealed at the 2024 Horror Game Awards. The upcoming horror game Cold Abyss is an atmospheric and relaxing explorer set on the ocean floor. The game’s objective is straightforward, with players tasked to fix broken network cables. Interestingly, the Director’s Cut version features additional updates, including new levels, story expansion, and improved visuals and gameplay.
CONFINED: Leaving OKB-13
The upcoming first-person survival horror game, CONFINED: Leaving OKB-13, is set in an underground Soviet bunker. Moreover, it’ll be available on PC, StreamDeck, and VR, and its objective is to escape from the bunker, as players won’t be alone. Safely reactivating the bunker’s power, lights, and machinery, players must solve riddles to unravel the bunker’s mysteries and uncover the history of its long-gone personnel. While a trailer was released at the 2024 Horror Game Awards, a 30-minute demo was released, which offers insight into the game’s story, gameplay, and atmosphere.
Dark Atlas: Infernum
Dark Atlas: Infernum is another upcoming horror game announced at the 2024 Horror Game Awards. In the game, players take the role of the ancient esoteric order’s Grand Master, Natalia Asensio. Supernatural forces were unleashed into the world following a societal collapse and shattered dimensional barriers. As a result, Natalia finds herself drugged in a dark, dust-filled basement with only fragmented memories of her identity. Scheduled to launch in 2025, players can wishlish the game on Steam. Additionally, a free Steam demo was also made available.
Dark Lessons
The first-person psychological horror game Dark Lessons thrusts players into a terrifying scenario. In the game, a manipulative teacher, harboring sinister intentions, had lured the protagonist into her house. Consequently, the player’s primary objective is to escape before it’s too late. Notably, Tall Tide Games developed and published Dark Lessons. Although the game isn’t available on Steam, it’s scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2025.
Dead of Darkness
The 2D survival-horror action-adventure game Dead of Darkness challenges players to investigate a mysterious island to unravel its disturbing secrets. Set in England in 1980, the game’s story follows a private investigator, Miles Windham. Specifically, the tragic passing of Wildham’s daughter is the prime motivation, leading to his travel to the mysterious Velvet Island to follow a lead on her death. On January 23, 2025, the game is scheduled to be released on PC.
DEADCAM
Inspired by the ’80s and ’90s, the analog-survival-horror game DEADCAM was built in Unreal Engine 5. Presented in a found-footage style, the game’s narrative comprises various short stories that players must uncover and survive. Although the game doesn’t have an official release date, the unique blend of survivor horror and found footage elements has generated significant interest among horror fans.
BrokenLore: Don’t Watch
The 2024 Horror Game Awards dropped a chilling new trailer for the upcoming horror game BrokenLore: Don’t Watch. The unsettling trailer reveals creepy hallways, monstrous creatures, and an abundance of unnerving eyeballs. Set to be released on PC, the game follows a young hikikomori named Shinji, who finds himself trapped in his Tokyo apartment. Confronting malevolent entities throughout the game, players guide Shinji through this dark world.
Final Thoughts
Due to its thrilling announcements and trailers, the 2024 Horror Game Awards generated widespread excitement among horror fans. Consequently, the horror gaming community is excited about these upcoming releases. Additionally, these announcements consisted of diverse horror sub-genres, from survival horror to psychological horror. Ultimately, the Horror Game Awards were fantastic for horror gaming fans.
