The 15 Best Horror games for Mac in 2023

Although spooky season is quite literally over, the long winter nights still live on and nothing beats a warm cup of cocoa and some cozy horror gaming. That sounds a bit weird, to say the least, but horror gaming has become a cozy niche these days.

But many Mac gamers might feel left out thinking their MacBooks don’t have the native support for horror games like Windows users or console gamers get, but they’d be wrong. There are tons of cozy horror games on Mac that players can enjoy on cold winter nights with the lights turned down.

Our favorite Mac Horror games

BioShock Remastered

BioShock Infinite was the top BioShock experience on Mac, but that changed with the BioShock Remastered release.

Infinite was, in many ways, a superior game, but when it comes to scary experiences, BioShock Remastered is the way to go. BioShock is not about jump scares; it’s about immersing you in one of the most desperate places ever. The game takes place in Rapture, a city full of psychopaths ready to do the most gruesome and terrible things.

The gameplay mechanics are great, too, making this an extremely fun game to play. And with the Remastered version, you can enjoy improved graphics, textures, and resolutions up to 5K. What’s even better, this game is so well-optimized, it runs great on macOS, including older MacBooks.

System requirements: macOS 10.12.5, 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 2 GB NVIDIA 680MX, 2 GB AMD R9 M290, 1.5 GB Intel Iris Pro 5200, 27 GB storage.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	BioShock Remastered	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta	Good

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PACIFY

As a strange combination of DEVOUR and Phasmophobia, Pacify is another exorcist-styled 1 to 4-player co-op game.

But this time, instead of exorcising the monster, you are trying to capture it for money. The plan for doing so is to pacify the monster until it can be kidnapped and put into our white van, which is as ridiculous as it sounds. Unlike DEVOUR, Pacify is both hilarious and scary at the same time. Especially with the ability to control how the monster behaves based on different circumstances. Either save your friends or screw them over in the worst ways possible.

However, be careful not to mess around too much, because once the Evil takes over, there’s no going back for you or the monster.

System requirements: macOS 10.14.x Mojave, Intel i5 or equivalent, 4 GB RAM, 2GB VRAM, 5 GB available space.

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Resident Evil 4 Remake

Resident Evil Village shattered our brains a few years ago, thanks to its amazing storyline and great visual fidelity on Macs. But now, we’re greeted with the absolutely legendary Resident Evil 4. With an expanded storyline from the original GameCube / PS2 release accompanied by Ashley’s annoying screams and a chainsaw man haunting your worst nightmares. The game’s back, and it runs better than ever.

Featuring a port so native and optimized that you can play the game on an iPhone, Resident Evil 4 Remake is an absolute must-play for anyone who considers themselves an actual fan of the horror genre, which is why it is currently the best horror game on the Mac. And we don’t think that title is going to go away anytime soon. 

System requirements: Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with an Apple M1 chip or later.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Resident Evil 4	Action	Yes		Metal	Native	Excellent

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💡 Looking for something different? We also have a list of the 100 Best games for Mac in all the best categories.

Darkwood

Darkwood gets horror right without relying on jump scares unless you count in bear traps. This game is bound to get you hooked, owing to its impeccable sound design, ambiance, atmosphere, and zero utilization of cheesy screaming jump scares.

The numerous creatures in this title are memorable and charming–in a terrifying way. It’s hard to pull off a game with scary monsters without jump scares, but Darkwood gets those eerie feels in without any cheap gimmicks.

But to get the most out of this game, you’d need to play it at least twice, owing to the multiple outcomes and keeping things spoiler-free–the endings can get pretty crazy. If you’re looking for a horror game–let alone an immersive experience, Darkwood literally takes the cake.

System requirements: OSX 10.8, Intel i3, 6 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 660, 6 GB space

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CARRION

From Devolver Digital, the publisher for other great Mac games such as Cult of The Lamb and Inscryption comes CARRION. A reverse-horror game where you get to be the monster hunting down the scientists instead.

Playing as a mass of monstrous flesh, your goal is to tear down this prison-like facility as revenge for your imprisonment. Along the way, you will consume countless humans to use as material for evolution. Gain new abilities and customize them to your playstyle as you continue to spread fear and panic amongst your captors. Claw your way to freedom, because, in CARRION, you are the hunter and definitely not the prey.

Additionally, the steam version of CARRION runs superbly using Rosetta on M1 Macs, which is fantastic news.

System requirements: macOS 10.12, 2-core processor, 1 GB RAM, compatible with OpenGL 3.0, 500 MB storage.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	CARRION	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta	Good

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Alien: Isolation

Set fifteen years after Ridley Scott’s original film, Alien: Isolation sends you on a journey to an abandoned space station. This probably sounds like a standard Alien-scenario, but Isolation is unlike any other Alien game you’ve ever played.

Isolation is the first game that finally captures the essence of the original film. This is a game about survival. The monster is to be feared and respected. It can’t be killed. All you can do is run and hide. Luckily, the space station is full of places to hide, including vents, lockers, and cabinets. This means stealth will be your best weapon against the monster.

Even after all these years, Isolation still looks great and plays smoothly, thanks to Feral Interactive‘s fine job with the macOS version. That’s great, but good looks usually mean demanding games… If you have an older Mac with integrated graphics, stay away from this one.

System requirements: macOS 10.10.4, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M, ATI Radeon HD 5670, or Intel Iris Pro with 1GB of Video Memory, 35 GB storage.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Alien: Isolation	Horror	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta	Average

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Oxenfree

While the game falls flat when it comes to the pacing aspect, Oxenfree throws players into a supernatural coming-of-age story that is quite immersive in the grand scheme of things. The story proceeds and branches out as you develop relations with characters that have their interesting charm. The radio attunes things to the supernatural side of things.

But time loops warp the environment, and you end up resetting conversations, discovering the darker nature and aspects of the various characters and their unsettling world. The time travel mechanic of Oxenfree is pretty intuitive and interesting.

It adds tons of depth and urgency to conversations, the various characters in the game, and the development of relationships. All-in-all, Oxenfree is a pretty interesting Mac horror game that needs to be tried out at least once.

System requirements: Requires macOSX 10.8 or higher, Intel i5 2.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 / Radeon HD 6750 or higher, 3 GB space

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Oxenfree	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta

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Fort Solis

If you’re in the mood for some outer space Sci-Fi horror, then your best bet on a Mac game set in outer space is Fort Solis. The game features some excellent voice acting from actors like Juia Brown, Roger Clark, and Troy Baker.

When it comes to the gameplay, the atmosphere does give you some chills down your spine, with short-pacing and slow burns similar to a horror-thriller. It’s similar to older games that were linear and heavily narrative, with some tank controls.

Fort Solis can easily be played in under 4 hours, but keep in mind, that this was made by a small indie developer, consisting of 10 developers in a span of 2 years. So keep expectations low for this Sci-Fi indie horror game for Mac.

System requirements: Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with an Apple M1 chip or later.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Fort Solis	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Native	Poor

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Layers of Fear

Layers of Fear is a unique take on the horror genre. There may be no monsters here, but this is still one of the scariest games you can play on your Mac.

In Layers of Fear, you are a painter who has gone mad in his attempt to finish his masterpiece. The entire game takes place in what seems to be an ordinary house. Except it isn’t. You enter a room and turn around, only to see that the door disappeared. Paintings seem to follow you with their eyes. At some points, you begin to understand what it must feel to go mad.

The more you play, the more disturbing this game becomes. You’ll find clues to the horrible things you’ve done and eventually hear and see terrifying specters of the things you used to love. 

System requirements: macOS 10.12, 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5, 4 GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB VRAM, Nvidia GeForce 750M or Intel HD 6100, 5 GB storage.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Layers of Fear	Horror	Yes		Metal	Native	Good

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Inscryption

Inscryption is a very strange game. A peculiar combination of an escape room puzzle and a deck-building game, it truly is one of a kind.

The gameplay loop goes along these lines: You start by playing a card game against a strange opponent. After winning the game, you leave the table to explore the room. After solving some escape room puzzles, you return to the table to fight another mysterious opponent with your deck. It may sound simple enough, but the game has plenty more weirdness to offer.

If that isn’t enough to put this game on the list, Inscryption also has native M1 support.

System requirements: macOS 10.13 or above, Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 6000 or Radeon HD 6750M (512 VRAM), 3 GB storage.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Inscryption	CCD	Yes		TBC	Rosetta	Good

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Metro Exodus

Where horror games rely on decrepit corridors and claustrophobic settings, Metro Exodus steps away from its predecessors, being Metro 2033 and Last Light–giving users the ability to explore an open world.

You’re given a limited amount of resources to traverse the open-world stages. Killing enemies requires strategic planning, and the limited ammo always keeps you on your toes. Even when you’re in this open world, the game doesn’t fail to fill you with anxiety with sandstorms, or a pack of demonic dogs spawning in a forest valley.

The day-night cycle gives you some neat jump scares, with mutants hurling themselves at you out of nowhere. Even in an open world, Metro Exodus doesn’t give you too much room to breathe.

System requirements: MacOS Big SUr, Intel Core i7-7820, 16 GB RAM, Radeon RX 5700 XT or Apple M1

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SOMA

This first-person game takes place in an underwater research facility. This is Rapture meets the Nostromo, and that’s the best part of the game. The tension comes from the environment, not the monsters.

But it gets worse: You can’t fight back. You’ll have to hide from the monstrosities that roam the corridors as you explore and discover what happened to all the missing employees. Like in past Amnesia games, you can interact with everything around you. You can grab door handles, yank cables, move items, and more. This creates an incredibly immersive, yet demanding experience.

Similar to Alien: Isolation, this is one good-looking game that will require some chops to run properly. But with the right hardware, this game can look amazing.

System requirements: 2.4 GHz Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, AMD Radeon HD 5750, or better with 512 MB of Video Memory, 25 GB storage.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	SOMA	Horror	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta	Good

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DEVOUR

Have you ever thought you could do a better job in the Exorcist? If you have, then consider playing Devour.

Devour is a 1 to 4-person co-op horror survival game. The entire objective is to survive long enough to collect items used to eventually banish the evil demon from your area. This is made increasingly difficult by the fact that the demon gets angrier the closer you are to succeeding. What seems to be a simple spooky task, in the beginning, turns into a complete tactical nightmare as you rush to finish the ritual before being eaten alive.

With genuinely terrifying jumpscares and adrenaline-inducing sound design, Devour is the perfect game for you to scream at with your friends.

System requirements: macOS 10.15, Intel i5 or equivalent, 8 GB RAM, 3 GB Video RAM, 8 GB available space.

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Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village is a game so famous it became a widespread meme for months before the game’s full release. But vampire lady Alcina Dimitrescu is not the only reason you should play this game.

RE Village is a fresh take on the Resident Evil franchise. Breaking away from its usual modern-world settings, Village has an almost medieval take on the theme. However, they still retain the classic Resident Evil-styled mansion house with its traps, puzzles, and guns. This combination of franchise formula and refreshing setting perfectly caters to both new and old players of the RE series.

And just in time for Halloween, RE Village is now available on the Mac App store for M1 Macs. Featuring both solid M1 gameplay and the Winters Expansion DLC around the corner, there’s no better time to try it out. You can see the macOS port in action here.

Note: The only reason we’ve dropped Resident Evil Village is ranking is because of the release of the Resident Evil 4 Remake. Sorry Lady Dimitrescu!

System requirements: Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with an Apple M1 chip or later.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Resident Evil Village	Action	Yes		Metal	Native	Excellent

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Outlast

Outlast puts you in the shoes of a freelance journalist who decides to investigate a psychiatric hospital lost in the mountains. That was obviously a bad idea, as hell breaks loose, and you find yourself surrounded by homicidal patients. Plus, most of the corridors, rooms, and sewers you’ll navigate are pitch black. The only way to see is by using the low-battery video camera you have on you.

But it gets worse: You are completely incapable of combat. With no weapons at your disposal, you will have to be quick on your feet to stay alive. Needless to say, Outlast is a must if you enjoy horror games.

This is a good-looking game, too, even after all these years. But unlike others on this list, Outlast is anything but demanding and runs fine on most Macs.

System requirements: macOS 10.9, 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM, GeForce GT 750M, Intel Iris Pro 5200, or Radeon HD 3xxx, 5 GB storage.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Outlast	Horror	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta	Average

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Our Criteria

Games have a largely subjective aspect to them. You may love some games, while I might prefer completely different ones. This is why we identified a set of criteria that every single one of our picks has to meet:

Native support: This should go without saying, but each and every one of the games mentioned here has to be officially supported on macOS and does not require Bootcamp, CrossOver, or Parallels. We’ve seen too many “top games for macOS lists” that feature Windows-only games…

MacOS performance: There are many reliable Windows-PC reviews, guides, and videos on the internet. However, they never acknowledge MacOS gaming. This is why our focus is always on the Mac performance of the games listed here.

Critical acclaim: Video games can be subjective, but to keep this guide as relevant as possible, we only consider proven games with positive reviews from professional reviewers and average gamers.

Pricing: We all want quality, but pricing also plays an important role. We always keep in mind price tags and production value to give indies and AAA games equal chances. After all, we’re after games that are fun to play. Looks are important, but fun gameplay is even more so.

Your Turn

With first-person shooters, action games, and more, this list has something for everyone. I’m confident that no matter your particular preferences, at least one of these games will be a good fit for you. And most importantly, they all have what it takes to put a chill on your spine. What better way to celebrate Halloween than that?

Do you have a favorite Horror Mac game for Halloween that wasn’t listed here? If so, let us know in the comments section.