If there was one thing that Microsoft did not do the best job at doing, it was jumping on the survival horror craze that swept many of the other gaming companies after the creation of Resident Evil. The Xbox wasn't created until nearly the end of that survival horror bubble. This leads a lot of the most terrifying Microsoft exclusive horror games to not be the best of the survival horror genre or games in general.
Though many aren't the best some gold nuggets sneak through the small river that is Microsoft's exclusive horror game collection. Most of the games are fully meant to be in the horror genre though some implemented the horror theme so well that they were able to produce some of the scariest Microsoft-exclusive content.
10 Dino Crisis 3
Dino Crisis 3 isn't really a horror game in the most normal way. The game is supposed to be a survival horror game on the Xbox. The horror aspect of it is completely shattered by the fact that alien dinosaurs being the primary threat is not the most horrifying thing to have ever existed. The game also has a lot of platforming options and quick combat moments which take away from its survival horror aspects.
Dino Crisis 3 only keeps the artistic fixed angles that appeared a lot in older survival horror games. Other than that, it feels more like a sci-fi third-person shooter adventure game that isn't really all too good, but some designs do come off as a little eerie like the fleshy mutated T-Rex from the start of the game.
9 Rise Of Nightmares
Rise of Nightmares is full of terrifying zombie creatures with some of them missing large chunks of flesh or having large holes in them that reveal their internal organs. The game uses the Kinect on Xbox 360 and revolved around slashing enemies that come near the player.
The story is a little generic as it follows the damsel in distress trope, but the villains are presented in a petrifying manner. The game isn't anything special in its controls or presentation, but it has some creepy-looking zombie designs and gameplay that can provide a couple of hours of fun.
8 Shade: Wrath Of Angels
Shade: Wrath of Angels on Xbox and PC is by no stretch of the imagination recognized as a good game. It is however recognized as one of the few mediocre Microsoft exclusives with horror themes surrounding it The game focuses on angels and gods being in a giant war with one another because of an evil force.
Each of the levels introduces a new set of dark enemies like shadow creatures in the game's Shadowland and mummies in the Pyramid of the Egyptian God Seth.
7 Monster Madness: Battle For Suburbia
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia feels like a 80s horror movie that was turned into a video game. Right from the start a lot of high school stereotypes are introduced along with the zombie threat that the game is designed around. This game also makes sure that it introduces a variety of enemies.
Each of the enemies has a different design and a lot of them like the fat zombie appear to have large welt-like mutations on their bodies. These aren't designs that will be engrained into the minds of players' darkest thoughts, but rather fun spooky-looking enemies.
6 Alan Wake
Alan Wake started off as an Xbox 360 exclusive when it was originally released. The game has a story that feels a little convoluted at times, but fans of stories that take some thought to fully comprehend will enjoy that aspect of the game. Alan wake manages to be a game that edges more on the thriller side than the scary side.
The game usually has some intense moments where players will be put up against multiple enemies and need to take them out in an intelligent manner. Having players use their flashlight as a weapon adds to the creepy factor that the game puts forth, but it's never anything a player will lose sleep over.
5 Halo: Combat Evolved
The Flood turns Halo: Combat Evolved which is mainly an action-adventure game into a mysterious experience that will make any player question whether there will be a jump scare around every corner. The mission, "343 Guilty Spark," is the level where the Flood first appears, and its setting looks like a giant swamp with dense fog floating around the entirety of the map until the player enters a building full of mutilated alien and human bodies.
The build-up leading to The Flood first appearing is long but perfectly manufactures the tempo of suspense with every hallway and space the player enters. Once introduced, the player is overrun by what seems like hundreds of the little parasites and then handfuls of larger infected aliens. It's a nice switch to the tight but not terrifying combat that the rest of the game has.
4 Land Of The Dead: Road To Fiddler's Green
Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green is based on the Land of the Dead movie by George A. Romero. This game was meant to accompany the fourth film in Romero's Of The Dead series. The story is a prequel to the movie. At first, the game does a good job of playing into its survival horror mechanics as trying to face the zombies will lead players to become brain-eating monsters themselves.
The mechanics can be a little clunky with headshots hitting to the left at times, but this doesn't take away too much from the game since enemies are zombies which gives some leeway in getting used to the mechanics.
3 Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned: Criminal Origins has a thick plot that's full of tense moments. The entirety of the game has a special unit on the unit that is on the search for serial killers and the main character gets blamed for the murder of two other people in his unit. The psychological horror aspects of the game come alive throughout as the game first appears as a first-person shooter and evolves into a main melee combat game.
The game builds fear in every confrontation as every enemy that the player encounters will have to be taken on in melee combat with enemies having the ability to access the same weapons as the player. As the game continues the enemies also become more grotesque. It's an experience that feels like traveling through a layer of hell hidden in condemned areas.
2 BioShock
BioShock was initially an Xbox 360 exclusive before it was released on the PlayStation 3 a year after its initial release. BioShock created a horror environment that had never been seen before in gaming and because of this was able to tell an intense story that dealt with drug abuse and the loss of sanity.
The different enemies that the player came across were both enrapturing and fearsome as they struck the hearts of players with frightful admiration. The same can be said about the dark wet settings that give off a sense of decrepit magnificence.
1 Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 brought back the zombie-killing fun but upgraded the different settings where the players fought against the seemingly never-ending zombie hoards. Players will need to learn how to navigate around different zombie types so that they do not accidentally end up getting their entire team wiped.
Players will need to work together to make sure that there are no holes in their defense. The scariest part about this game is how tense the combat can get when a player's friend ends up going down in combat.