While December is usually all about Christmas trees, festive sweaters, and family gatherings, horror game fans still have lots to look forward to next month. From unique Anomaly-Spotting games to licensed VR horror games, there are a bunch of new horror releases in December, with a hotbed of launches on Friday the 13th. If you’re tired of the typical holiday cheer, let these games provide you with the perfect escape from reality.
December 2024 Horror Game Releases
Go Home Annie – December 3rd
Developers: Misfit Village
Platforms: PC
Go Home Annie is an original psychological thriller set within the expansive SCP universe. As players explore the mysterious facilities of the SCP Foundation – a covert organization dedicated to studying and containing anomalous entities – you’ll uncover a narrative that delves deep into the organization’s secretive world. While rooted in the rich SCP lore, the game promises a unique storyline that will intrigue both longtime fans and newcomers to the universe.
Stranger Things VR – December 5th
Developers: Tender Claws
Platforms: Meta Quest, PSVR 2
If you’re a huge Stranger Things fan, you’ll likely love Stranger Things VR. Available on the Meta Quest and PSVR 2, you experience the story from the perspective of Vecna, as he forms the hive mind and enacts his revenge plan against Hawkins. You’ll be able to invade the dreams and manipulate fan-favorite characters including Will Byers and Billy Hargrove from the hit Netflix show.
Among Ashes – December 9th
Developers: Rat Cliffe Games
Platforms: PC, PS5
Among Ashes is a metafictional horror game about a haunted video game called Night Call, and the unsettling story behind its creation. In “real life”, you can explore around your apartment, and sit down at your computer to dive into Night Call, a survival horror game within the game itself. Pretty soon, the line between the game and reality blurs, and entities from the fictional game will leak into the real world.
We actually covered Among Ashes in our article about our favorite demos from the Steam Next Fest, so it’s definitely worth giving the full release some love later this month.
KLETKA – December 12th
Developers: Callback and In404
Platforms: PC (Early Access)
KLETKA is a 4 player co-op Lethal Company-style horror game. You and your friends have been sentenced to a massive prison that can only be navigated through an insatiably hungry – yes, hungry – elevator named Kletka. Try to satiate it by finding food for the elevator before it ends up eating you!
Each floor is full of traps, anomalies, and threats, including the “Samosbor”, an anomaly that triggers a floor-wide siren, which is your cue to run to the elevator before it kills anything and everything in its path. If you can’t wait until December 12th to play, there is a demo currently available on Steam for you to try out.
The Cabin Factory – December 13th
Developers: International Cat Studios
Platforms: PC
The Cabin Factory is a short anomaly-hunting experience where you take on the role of a newly hired Cabin Inspector. You must explore each cabin to determine whether it’s haunted, and any strange movements or phenomena inside should be a clear sign that the cabin is unsafe. The Cabin Factory has a fairly similar premise and liminal atmosphere to The Exit 8 but with a bigger emphasis on horror.
10 Dead Doves – December 13th
Developers: Duonix Studios
Platforms: PC
10 Dead Doves is an ambitious cinematic horror game set in the heart of the Appalachian Trail, where crows are falling dead from the sky. Embark on a trek to uncover the truth behind a mysterious urban legend known as the Ant Farm. Solve puzzles, uncover multiple endings, and enjoy the unfolding and quirky relationship between the main characters Marcus and Sean.10 Dead Doves captures a unique charm with its early 2000s visual style, which really differentiates it from other cinematic horror titles that aim for realism.
OutRUN – December 13th
Developers: DeanTheDev
Platforms: PC
OutRUN is a gripping psychological horror game set in a motel, where you experience a nightmarish story through interconnected perspectives. Playing Allison and Emma, you’ll carry out your duties as a cleaner at the motel, with realistic cleaning mechanics and an interactive environment. What begins as a seemingly mundane cleaning shift gradually unravels into a mind-bending narrative where each character’s experience reveals shocking truths about the motel’s dark secrets.
UNHEIM – December 17th
Developers: Lovely Bytes
Platforms: PC (Early Access)
UNHEIM is a challenging horror surveillance game that elevates the genre first established by the Welcome to the Game series. Set in Bavaria, Germany, you play as a paranormal investigator using a mix of modern and outdated surveillance tools to track mysterious entities. Unlike typical camera surveillance horror games, UNHEIM features direct confrontations where entities can enter your room and attack you.
Each monster has unique patterns and behaviors, challenging you to outwit them or face a swift end. Prepare for an extremely difficult gameplay experience that demands strategic thinking, nerves of steel, and many, many retries.
Alien: Rogue Incursion – December 19th
Developers: Survios
Platforms: PC, PSVR 2
Aside from Stranger Things VR, there’s also another licensed VR game coming out in December – Alien: Rogue Incursion. This game is an original story in the Alien universe. Where you control colonial marine Zula Hendricks as she tries to rescue her squadmate from a research facility infested with Xenomorphs. Stealth is essential, as any rash movements may attract a swarm of Xenomorphs to your location, and while you are equipped with a Pulse Rifle and other weaponry, it might not be enough to fend them all off.
On Air – December 27th
Developers: RainStyle games
Platforms: PC
The final notable horror game releasing in December is On Air, a sci-fi-inspired survival horror with a stylish, America-in-the-1960s aesthetic. After falling asleep in your room, you discover that the hotel is infested with deadly inhabitants hiding in the dark and hunting you down. Enemies have unique abilities and characteristics, meaning that you’ll have to change your approach depending on which creature you’re fighting. Figure out the secrets of the hotel and solve puzzles to try and find a way to escape.
These have been the biggest horror game releases for December 2024 – if we’ve missed anything, let us know down below. Personally, I’ve been looking forward to The Cabin Factory ever since I saw its first trailer on TikTok, so it’ll be awesome to experience when it finally comes out. I’m also very excited for UNHEIM, as I’ve recently replayed (and beat) Welcome to the Game and am ready for another challenge.
