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Dark hidden gems on Steam
Every game here is tagged Dark on Steam, sits between 1,000 and 5,000 reviews, is rated at least 80% positive, and carries a catch drawn from its own negative reviews. All 29 of them. How these pages are made.
Psychological survival horror game. Players manage resources and make difficult choices in a plague-ridden town.
What players likedIt's a unique, difficult, and atmospheric Russian literature-like misery simulator with amazing music and lore.
The catchMost of the game is slowly walking across town between short, cryptic conversations.
Games like Pathologic Classic HD →
Psychological horror puzzle game where you manipulate physics to navigate a lucid dream. Stealth and environmental puzzles are key to survival.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique horror atmosphere and interesting puzzle design, reminiscent of a puzzle game with horror elements.
The catchThe whole game plus both DLCs is over in about two hours.
Games like DARQ: Complete Edition →
Perfect Vermin93% positive from 3,842 reviews202055% finish itDeck Playable
This is a short, first-person narrative exploration game with timed puzzles. Players use a sledgehammer to destroy office items and exterminate vermin under pressure.
What players likedPlayers praise its short, gruesome horror and intriguing story that tackles real-world struggles like illness and addiction.
The catchCrashes roughly every minute for many players, often before a level is finished.
Games like Perfect Vermin →
Happy Game90% positive from 3,538 reviews202156% finish itDeck Verified
Psychedelic horror adventure game. Solve disturbing puzzles in nightmares to make a boy happy.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique surreal horror, art style, and intuitive, varied puzzles, akin to "Amanita after dark."
The catchBeautiful art wraps puzzles that are mind-numbingly easy or just aimless clicking.
Games like Happy Game →
First-person horror exploration game. Survive by confronting a dark entity in an abandoned apartment.
What players likedPlayers praise its short, intense horror with subtle scares and claustrophobic environments, delivering genuine frights.
The catchNothing can actually kill you, so the scares stop landing once that becomes obvious.
Games like From The Darkness →
MADiSON87% positive from 3,354 reviews20225% finish itDeck Verified
MADiSON is a first-person psychological horror game where players use an instant camera to solve puzzles and survive. It features a dark narrative and unsettling atmosphere with randomly generated events.
What players likedPlayers praise MADiSON as a terrifying horror game with smooth controls and puzzles, comparable to Visage, Silent Hill, and Hereditary.
The catchObscure puzzles and no direction mean constant backtracking and looking up guides.
Games like MADiSON →
ELDERBORN86% positive from 3,023 reviews202015% finish itDeck Verified
First-person fantasy slasher with souls-like progression. Master brutal melee combat and explore a dangerous world.
What players likedPlayers praise ELDERBORN as a fun, metal-themed sword-and-sorcery game with great combat and design, reminiscent of DOOM.
The catchCombat is clunky and unresponsive, with parries and hits that fail at random.
Games like ELDERBORN →
Creepy Tale86% positive from 2,946 reviews202054% finish itDeck Verified
A minimalist puzzle-platformer where you solve environmental puzzles, hide from enemies, and use inventory items to save your brother. It has a dark, fairy tale feel with a focus on atmosphere and exploration.
What players likedPlayers praise the atmosphere and art style of this puzzle game, which is like a disturbing love story.
The catchPuzzles defy logic, pushing you into trial and error or a walkthrough.
Games like Creepy Tale →
A stop-motion claymation dark fantasy adventure with VR support. Players guide a character and a lantern creature to evade monsters and explore a handcrafted world.
What players likedPlayers praise its beautiful, handcrafted art style and emotional storytelling, often comparing it to a walking simulator or a Tim Burton film.
The catchStealth and puzzle sections feel shallow and repetitive
Games like The Midnight Walk →
Lorn's Lure86% positive from 2,710 reviews202427% finish itDeck Verified
First-person narrative platformer with climb-anything mechanics. It features retro 3D graphics and a dark, foreboding atmosphere.
What players likedPlayers praise its atmospheric, precision platforming and exploration, reminiscent of Mirror's Edge, NaissanceE, and classic platformers.
The catchThe calm exploration collapses into a punishing timed final chapter that ruins the game.
Games like Lorn's Lure →
Tormentum is a dark point-and-click adventure game with hand-painted art and logical puzzles. It features a surreal, nightmarish atmosphere inspired by artists like Giger and Beksinski.
What players likedPlayers praise its gorgeous art, logical puzzles, and thoughtful story with branching decisions.
The catchGreat art props up trivially easy puzzles, a thin story and a letdown ending.
Games like Tormentum - Dark Sorrow →
Boo Men87% positive from 2,648 reviews202247% finish itDeck Unsupported
Co-op stealth heist game with a light/dark mechanic and asymmetrical PvP. Players steal items while avoiding Boo Men, managing power, and can play solo or with friends.
The catchThe developer stopped updating it years ago and the thin content gets repetitive fast.
Games like Boo Men →
Pinstripe89% positive from 2,619 reviews201717% finish itDeck Verified
This is a narrative-driven adventure game with puzzle and combat elements. Players explore Hell, solve puzzles, and fight enemies to find a kidnapped daughter.
What players likedPlayers praise its stunning art, music, and intriguing world, with puzzles driving a short, captivating story.
The catchConstant fart and toilet humour clashes badly with the dark atmospheric tone.
Games like Pinstripe →
Tactical turn-based RPG with open-world exploration and a dark fantasy feel. Recruit followers, loot enemies for skills, and survive harsh combat.
What players likedPlayers praise Urtuk: The Desolation as an RPG chess-like game with unique art, diverse characters, and challenging, unforgiving AI.
The catchCombat turns repetitive fast, with randomised battles that all blur together.
Games like Urtuk: The Desolation →
A deck-building roguelike with card-based combat and a grim, story-driven exploration loop. Players collect cards and relics to upgrade heroes and overcome events.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique take on Slay the Spire-like deck-building, with engaging story, atmosphere, and character variety.
The catchRuns hinge on RNG and lopsided balance, with a long grind for meta upgrades.
Games like Menace from the Deep →
This is a point-and-click adventure game with a comedic cosmic horror feel. Players solve puzzles and interact with characters to progress a story involving a talking cat.
What players likedPlayers praise its blend of classic point-and-click adventure (like Monkey Island) with Cthulhu horror, featuring great characters, voice acting, and art.
The catchLong stretches of dialogue drag on and the jokes rarely land.
Games like Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure →
This is a multiplayer, competitive pool game where players eliminate each other by clearing balls. The core loop involves strategic shot-making and a roulette-style elimination mechanic, creating a tense and exciting feel.
What players likedPlayers praise its unpredictable, high-stakes fun, where luck can turn the tide quickly, similar to other games of chance.
The catchThe game is buggy and janky, with grey screen crashes and unreliable physics.
Games like Nine-Ball Roulette →
Amenti80% positive from 2,237 reviews202531% finish itDeck Unsupported
Horror exploration game. Investigate artifacts and use photography to reveal real-time scares in an ancient Egyptian tomb.
What players likedPlayers praise "Amenti" as a short, atmospheric haunted house or walking simulator with effective jump scares and an interesting Egyptian setting.
The catchHorror leans on cheap, ineffective jumpscares
Games like Amenti →
Bulb Boy86% positive from 2,184 reviews201510% finish itDeck Verified
This is a 2D point-and-click horror adventure game where players solve puzzles and defeat monsters using a boy with a lightbulb head. The game features playable flashbacks and bubble speech for storytelling.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique, grotesque art style, comparing it to Fran Bow, Adventure Time, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.
The catchLong standing softlock bugs strand you, and with one autosave you restart from scratch.
Games like Bulb Boy →
Story-driven FPS horror prologue. Explore a town, uncover a mystery, and survive.
The catchIt crawls, with slow walking, slow mouse look and long waits during dialogue.
Games like Lurk in the Dark : Prologue →
Sea of Solitude83% positive from 2,091 reviews202023% finish itDeck Playable
This is a narrative-driven action-adventure game where players explore a metaphorical world and confront inner struggles through puzzle-solving and interacting with monsters. It's an emotional journey about loneliness and self-discovery.
What players likedPlayers praise its beautiful story and unique representation of mental struggles, reminiscent of an interactive narrative experience.
The catchThe writing spells out every emotion instead of letting the scenes carry it.
Games like Sea of Solitude →
Finding Frankie90% positive from 1,982 reviews202449% finish itDeck Playable
This is a survival horror parkour game where players compete in a deadly obstacle course against terrifying characters. The core loop involves navigating challenging parkour levels while avoiding enemies and other contestants.
What players likedPlayers praise this mascot horror game for its parkour gameplay, often compared to "Fall Guys," offering a fresh take on the genre.
The catchOnly about two hours long, which is thin at the full asking price.
Games like Finding Frankie →
This is a multi-ending horror adventure game where players explore, interact with characters, and vote on who dies to escape. The core loop involves discussions and life-or-death games influenced by player decisions.
What players likedPlayers praise its compelling story, well-written characters, and psychological horror, often comparing it favorably to Danganronpa.
The catchThe story stops unfinished, with the final chapter years late and almost no dev updates.
Games like Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority- →
This is a turn-based RPG with survival mechanics. Players experience realistic medieval combat and consequence-driven interactions.
What players likedPlayers praise its roguelite progression and branching stories, comparing it to a puzzle game.
The catchProgression is slow and repetitive; camp and fights feel tedious
Games like Heads Will Roll: Reforged →
Anodyne85% positive from 1,589 reviews201310% finish itDeck Verified
A 2D action-adventure game where players explore surreal dreamscapes, solve puzzles, and fight enemies to help the protagonist wake up. The core loop involves navigating diverse environments and using a broom to overcome challenges.
What players likedPlayers praise Anodyne as a surreal, emotional take on classic top-down Zelda, offering varied puzzles and beautiful, odd world design.
The catchCombat is bland and janky, with short attack range and enemies that barely threaten.
Games like Anodyne →
A 2D puzzle-platformer where you rescue enslaved aliens using stealth and environmental puzzles. The game features a dark, satirical tone and resource management.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a classic Oddworld game, evoking strong nostalgic memories from childhood.
The catchIt is a poor port with no working controller support and a locked low resolution.
Games like Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus →
This is a first-person horror puzzle game where in-game actions affect reality. It features a cabin setting and a meta-game loop with deadly consequences.
What players likedPlayers describe it as a fun puzzle/escape room game with helpful in-game hints.
The catchIt is over in two to three hours, which feels thin at the full asking price.
Games like Is this Game Trying to Kill Me? →
This is a horror adventure game with point-and-click and RPG elements. Players explore a haunted school, make choices that affect the story, and uncover a dark mystery.
What players likedPlayers praise this classic RPG horror game for its thrilling, suspenseful, and wonderfully narrated story, with some appreciating its complementary extra chapters.
The catchConstant fanservice and sexualization of the minor cast undercuts the horror.
Games like Corpse Party (2021) →
This is a photorealistic walking simulator with a mystery narrative, featuring exploration of liminal spaces and puzzle-solving. Players uncover story through collectible tapes while avoiding entities.
What players likedPlayers praise its strong "Level 0" and balanced mix of unsettling liminal spaces, chases, and jumpscares, offering a smooth experience even on lower-end PCs.
The catchA recent engine update wrecked performance, dropping players to single digit frame rates.
Games like Backrooms: Lost Tape →
