It’s been a pretty good summer for horror game fans. Just over a month ago, there were some huge announcements at the Summer Games Fest. These included my personal favourite Still Wakes The Deep – a narrative horror set on an oil rig – and a peculiar cameo from Nicolas Cage in Dead by Daylight.
And now, gamescon has arrived just as the summer is ending, with a bunch of fantastic horror game trailers. So, without further ado, let’s dive into every horror game announcement from gamescon 2023.
Little Nightmares 3 – Reveal Trailer
Let’s start off with my favourite announcement from the entire event: Little Nightmares 3. The first two games are absolute classics in the genre, from their tension and atmosphere to character design and plot twists.
The developers of the first two entries of the series – Tarsier Studios – have now handed the reigns over to Supermassive Games. Supermassive are veterans of the horror genre, having produced hits such as Until Dawn, The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology. Plus, Supermassive Games assisted on the production of Little Nightmares 2, so they know what they’re doing.
And to get you even more excited, the trailer for Little Nightmares 3 did come alongside a huge surprise – the addition of co-op! Check out the fantastic reveal trailer below.
Retrieval – Reveal Trailer
In my opinion, the award for the spookiest Gamescon trailer goes to Retrieval. It’s a PlayStation 5 exclusive made by 333Studios, a brand-new studio from Los Angeles.
Retrieval is a cinematic horror set in space. The player follows the commander of a research team aboard a ship named Hana Loshe. In typical horror fashion – everything begins to go wrong, and Hana must defend herself from monstrous alien entities.
That’s pretty much all we know so far, so keep your eyes peeled on 333Studios’ social media and website.
Fort Solis – Launch Trailer
Keeping with the space theme, we also saw the launch trailer for Fort Solis. Which means that it’s out now! Fort Solis is an immersive story-based cinematic experience.
We play as Jack as he adventures through a remote mining camp. A storm is brewing and soon enough, everything in the base spirals out of control.
The game includes voice acting from industry legends Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Uncharted), Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2) and Julia Brown (The Alienist).
Killing Floor 3 – Reveal Trailer
7 years after the release of Killing Floor 2, developers Tripwire Interactive have announced the third game in the series. Set in 2091, you might fight against hordes of zeds – bioengineered zombie monsters.
The newest game will stick with the co-op formula, letting you play with up to 5 teammates. Whilst the developers haven’t shared too many details yet, it’s safe to say you can expect the chaotic action-horror elements of the franchise bumped up to 10.
Alan Wake 2 – Gameplay Trailer
At the Summer Games Fest, we saw an extended look at Alan Wake 2’s gameplay, featuring the newest playable character: FBI agent Saga. The Gamescon trailer mixes in-game footage with live-action, showcasing more of Alan’s side of the story and gameplay.
Alan Wake 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the cult-classic 2010 horror game. And luckily for fans, the game releases in just over a month, on October 27th.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Gameplay Trailer
And finally, we got a special Gamescon trailer for the survival horror game STALKER 2. The trailer showcases tense combat and some of the mutant enemies we get to encounter throughout the game.
STALKER 2 was originally set to release in April 2022, but this trailer confirms that the game will come out at the beginning of 2024.
So, what was your favourite game announcement from gamescon? I’m looking forward to hearing more about Little Nightmares 3 and Retrieval.