Asymmetrical Horror 101: Gameplay & Recommendations

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Horror expert Sydney Bermudez explains this unique video game genre

Co-authored by Sydney Bermudez and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: August 21, 2026 Fact Checked

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• What is an asymmetrical horror game?
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• Typical Gameplay
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• Game Recommendations
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• Video

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If you’re a gamer, you may have heard the term “asymmetrical horror game” and wondered what it meant. Odds are, you probably know what these games are, even if you haven’t heard the term before. For this article, we partnered with a horror expert to help us explain what asymmetrical horror games are and how they’re played. We also partnered with a gamer and a horror expert to compile a list of some of the most popular asymmetrical horror games (both currently active games and influential titles that are no longer available) of all time.

Asymmetrical Horror Games: An Overview

Horror expert Sydney Bermudez says in asymmetrical horror games, players are split into teams that have different goals and abilities. The “survivor” team must work together to escape the villain, while the villain (or team of villains) tries to stop them. Dead by Daylight is the most popular asymmetrical horror game.

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Section 1 of 3:

What is an asymmetrical horror game?

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1. In asymmetrical horror games, players are divided into two unbalanced teams. According to Bermudez, the teams have different goals and abilities depending on their role in the game. Typically, one team will play as monsters or killers, while the other team must survive, escape, and complete objectives. The “survivor” team often has to rely on teamwork and stealth to complete certain objectives to win.

   • They’re called “asymmetrical” games because one team often has more players or stronger abilities. “That imbalance creates a lot of tension since every match feels unpredictable,” says Bermudez. For example, usually, the human team has little combat power and few abilities compared to the monster team, but they may have more players to make up for it.
   • While each game is different, the human team often plays from a third-person perspective so they can be more aware of their surroundings. The monster team typically plays from a first-person perspective.
   • Asymmetrical horror games are often adapted from or inspired by classic slasher movies, like Friday the 13th or Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
   • Bermudez says the most well-known asymmetrical horror game is Dead by Daylight. We’ll share more popular games below.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Sydney Bermudez is a horror expert and content creator who explores paranormal cases, internet mysteries, and psychological horror. She shares content on TikTok and Instagram to over 400k followers.

   Inferno Jae is a gamer and pop culture content creator based in Los Angeles, CA. He has over 2M followers across platforms and has partnered with Sony, Gamer Supps, and more.

   Robert Cook is a horror expert based in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. He is especially interested in the SCP Foundation, including its lore and fan-made games.
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Section 2 of 3:

Typical Asymmetrical Horror Gameplay

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   Human characters are focused on surviving. In survival horror, players aren’t trying to kill the villain; they’re just trying to make it out alive. While some asymmetrical horror games may give human players weapons to defend themselves, their goal is to escape. They often have to complete puzzles, hide from threats, and work together to strategize and gather resources.
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   Villains attempt to sabotage the survivors. In asymmetrical horror games, the villain’s goal is to either kill the survivors or prevent them from escaping. Typically, they have stronger powers and abilities than human characters, like summoning AI characters to assist them or using their sensitive hearing to find other players. When there’s only one villain, however, it can be difficult to monitor all the players and escape routes at once, which levels the playing field.
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Section 3 of 3:

Popular Asymmetrical Horror Games

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   Dead by Daylight Dead by Daylight is the most popular asymmetrical horror game of all time, says Bermudez. In this cat-and-mouse game, 4 players attempt to survive a single player who wants to kill them all. What makes this game so interesting is that you don’t necessarily have to work with your team. You can abandon them or use them as bait if you think it’ll increase your chances of survival.

   • Is it still available? Yes, the game is still available on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
   • Platform: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
   • Release year: 2016
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   The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is widely considered to be one of the scariest asymmetrical horror games. Bermudez says this game is unique because of the family vs. victim gameplay. Players choose to be survivors who sneak around the Sawyer family home trying to escape, or they play as Bubba (Leatherface) and other Sawyer family members trying to hunt them down. The game is filled with tense moments that make your heart race.

   • Is it still available? Yes, the game is still available, though developers have stopped releasing new content.
   • Platform: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
   • Release year: 2023
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   Friday the 13th: The Game Gamer Inferno Jae says Friday the 13th is a great co-op horror game because “they do a really good job at nailing the suspense.” He explains that the team of survivors must collect different objects and complete certain tasks to escape Jason Voorhees. “He’s super quiet, it’s dark, you’re in a camp with just a few other people… And then whenever he’s hot on your tail, it plays his theme song, and as he gets closer, it gets louder and more intense… Jason is really just super overpowered compared to your character, which makes it even more intense.”

   • Is it still available? No, the servers have been shut down, and Bermudez says it no longer receives updates. However, you can still play offline if you already own the game. There are also some community-run servers for online play.
   • Platform: Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
   • Release year: 2018
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   Evil Dead: The Game Bermudez says this is one of the best asymmetrical horror games out there. The game is inspired by the Evil Dead films as well as the Ash vs Evil Dead TV show. Players can team up as Ash Williams and his friends to gather the pages of the Necronomicon and banish the Kandarian Demon. Or, they can play as the demon to hunt down Ash and possess Deadlites.

   • Is it still available? No, the game has been removed from digital stores, but the online servers remain active for those who already own it.
   • Platform: Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
   • Release year: 2022
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   Left 4 Dead 2 Left 4 Dead 2 is an upgraded version of Left 4 Dead with better mechanics and new types of Infected. Teams of 4 play as either zombies or survivors. The survivors are traveling cross-country in an attempt to outrun the Green Flu, while the Infected try to hunt them down.

   • Is it still available? Yes, the servers are still active.
   • Platform: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
   • Release year: 2009
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   Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game Bermudez says this is another popular asymmetrical horror game. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is inspired by the 1988 cult classic horror film. Players can either control the Klowns or the humans trying to escape them. The Klowns attempt to wrap the survivors in cotton candy cocoons, while the survivors search for objects to escape, as well as weapons to use against the Klowns.

   • Is it still available? Yes, the servers are still active, but there aren’t a ton of active players.
   • Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
   • Release year: 2024
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   SCP: Secret Laboratory According to horror expert Robert Cook, in SCP: Secret Laboratory, one team of players acts as the Mobile Task Force called in to contain a containment breach in a laboratory. There are many different factions, like scientists and security guards, each with its own objectives. The other team consists of SCP entities that are attempting to escape the laboratory and kill the other players.

   • Is it still available? Yes, the game is available for free on Steam.
   • Platform: PC
   • Release year: 2017
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   Secret Neighbor Secret Neighbor is a multiplayer spinoff of the stealth-horror game Hello Neighbor. In it, a group of players attempts to sneak into a house to save their friend from a locked basement, while avoiding the Neighbor. One player will be randomly selected to play as the Neighbor and attempt to capture the other players.

   • Is it still available? Yes, the servers are still active.
   • Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS
   • Release year: 2019
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   Resident Evil: Resistance Resident Evil: Resistance puts an asymmetrical spin on the classic horror game. 4 players play as survivors attempting to solve puzzles to escape maze-like areas. Meanwhile, another player acts as the Mastermind, placing traps and enemies to try to stop the survivors.

   • Is it still available? Yes, the servers are still active.
   • Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
   • Release year: 2020
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    White Noise 2 In White Noise 2, 4 players team up as Investigators to explore haunted locations and find clues to reveal the truth behind a series of kidnappings and disappearances. Meanwhile, another player acts as the Creature and attempts to devour the Investigators. Each player has a set of unique stats that affect their gameplay.

    • Is it still available? Yes, the game is available on Steam.
    • Platform: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
    • Release year: 2013
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    Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed The Ghostbusters movies may be more comedy than horror, but we thought this game still deserved a spot on this list. 4 players team up as Ghostbusters, while a fifth player acts as a ghost and tries to finish haunting the location. This game is ideal if you want the action of an asymmetrical horror game, but you don’t want anything too scary.

    • Is it still available? Yes, the servers are still active.
    • Platform: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
    • Release year: 2022
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    Last Year Originally titled Last Year: The Nightmare, this game was repackaged in 2023 so it could be played for free. It features 5v1 gameplay, in which 5 players act as a group of teens attempting to survive a supernatural killer known as the Fiend (controlled by a sixth player). The classmates choose different roles (Assault, Medic, Technician, and Scout) to work together, while the Fiend can swap between different killer types.

    • Is it still available? Yes, Last Year is available for free through Steam.
    • Platform: PC
    • Release year: 2020
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    Propnight Propnight is a scary take on Prop Hunt, a game in which players disguise themselves as objects while hunters try to shoot them. In this version, survivors attempt to repair machines to escape the killer. If they spot the killer, they disguise themselves to avoid getting caught. Unfortunately, the servers shut down in 2024, but maybe someday it will be repacked and become available again, like Last Year.

    • Is it still available? No, servers shut down in 2024. If you already owned the game, though, you can still play.
    • Platform: PC
    • Release year: 2021
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    V/H/S V/H/S, or  Video Horror Society, perfectly encapsulates the 80s slasher vibe. Players team up as a group of teams fighting to survive against monsters that literally escaped from VHS tapes in a video store. The team of survivors must craft unique weapons to hunt down the monsters.

    • Is it still available? Technically no, as servers shut down in September 2023. There are still some community-run servers up, however.
    • Platform: PC
    • Release year: 2022
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    Deceit Deceit is like a scarier version of  Among Us. Players wake up in an eerie, unfamiliar location and discover they’ve been kidnapped by the Game Master, who intends to use them for gruesome experiments. The players must then work together to escape, but there’s a catch—two players have been infected with a virus and are attempting to kill everyone else.

    • Is it still available? No, the game has been removed from stores and public matchmaking has been disabled. However, servers remain online for private matches if you already own the game. A sequel, Deceit 2, is available.
    • Platform: PC
    • Release year: 2017
    • Looking for more scary co-op games? Find recs or share your own in our “What are some co-op horror games that are actually scary?” forum!
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