Horror has always had a home in the way we tell stories. From the aswang tales passed around during brownouts to the ghost stories that make you think twice about walking alone at night, it has long been part of our everyday language. A growing wave of Filipino developers is taking that same instinct for scares and shaping it into Filipino horror games that reach both local players and audiences abroad.
These games go beyond jump scares and eerie backdrops. They carry pieces of our culture, our humor, and our fears, reshaped into something that feels both familiar and new. Seeing them appear on platforms like Steam or get talked about by gamers overseas feels like watching the neighborhood kid grow up to play in the big leagues. There is pride in that, and also the excitement of knowing more is on the way.
Here’s a look at some Filipino-made horror games that highlight how far local talent has come and why they’re worth adding to your list.
Filipino Horror Games on Steam You Should Try
Casa Caballero (Pananong Games, 2025)
Old houses carry their own kind of tension, and Casa Caballero leans fully into that weight. The game takes place inside a sprawling bahay-na-bato, with hallways that feel too long and silence that lingers a little too long. Every step across its wooden floors is slow, not because of mechanics, but because you feel like rushing would wake something hidden inside. The horror here works because it is rooted in a place many Filipinos recognize, turning a familiar home into a stage for fear. Instead of jump scares, it relies on atmosphere, and that atmosphere sticks with you long after the doors close.
Left Behind (Solitary Studios, 2024)
In Left Behind, you enter a property that should be empty, though it never feels that way. The rooms look real enough to make you pause at each doorway, studying the details before stepping through. Solitary Studios uses voice detection to make the space feel aware of you, which adds to the unease of walking around in silence. The game builds tension slowly, making you second-guess what you are hearing and what might be listening back. It’s not a story about surviving monsters, but about the way a house can swallow you whole when you stay too long inside.
The Letter: Horror Visual Novel (Yangyang Mobile, 2017)
The Letter plays like a ghost story that refuses to end. Manila’s Yangyang Mobile released it in 2017, but its reputation has only grown because of how it handles choice. You guide a group of characters through a branching narrative, each decision pulling you closer to either salvation or ruin. The scares land not because of sudden shocks, but because you feel responsible for what happens. Every ending feels like it could have been avoided, which is why players keep returning to see how many lives they can save the next time. It remains one of the most talked-about Filipino horror games, and for good reason.
Saint Maker (Yangyang Mobile, 2023)
Where The Letter explores the sprawl of a ghost story, Saint Maker is a tighter, more intimate nightmare. The game takes place inside a convent, where silence is heavy and every prayer echoes in ways that feel unsettling. The story follows a girl who moves deeper into that stillness, and the further she goes, the more the dread grows. Yangyang Mobile crafts horror through atmosphere rather than spectacle, proving again that they know how to turn quiet moments into lasting fear. Short as it is, the impact lingers, and many players leave feeling like the walls of the convent followed them home.
Nightfall: Escape (Zeenoh, 2016)
Nightfall: Escape stands as one of the earlier Filipino horror games to leave a mark. Zeenoh released it in 2016, putting players in the role of journalist Ara Cruz, who investigates a mansion filled with folklore made flesh. Encountering a manananggal is powerful enough in stories, but seeing it in motion inside a game is something else entirely. The mansion is heavy with atmosphere, and though the game shows its age, it still captures that childhood fear of creatures whispered about after dark. For many players, it was the first time they saw familiar myths take shape on screen, and that alone keeps it memorable.
Ahon (KenkoMa, Upcoming)
There is not much known about Ahon yet, but the idea behind it is enough to stir interest. Solo developer KenkoMa describes it as a survival horror game inspired by both history and present-day struggles in the Philippines. The Steam page offers only a glimpse, and that glimpse is enough to spark curiosity. It’s a project still in development, without a release date, but the ambition makes it stand out. Many are watching to see how it grows, and it may become one of the titles that pushes Filipino horror forward in the years to come.
Popular Filipino Horror Games from itch.io
Hapunan (Yikon, 2025)
At first glance, Hapunan feels almost too ordinary to be a horror game. You follow a balut vendor through streets that look familiar, the kind of setting that could belong to any small town at night. Then the routine starts to slip, and the weight of the story presses in. The fear builds slowly, not through sudden shocks, but through the way normal life begins to feel unsafe. It’s an unsettling reminder of how thin the line can be between the comfort of everyday rhythms and the dread of something waiting to break them.
Don’t Sleep (Huwag Matulog) (Murushii, 2025)
Don’t Sleep feels more like a whispered warning than a title. This interactive fiction pulls you into a shifting story that keeps changing shape the further you go. Written in both Tagalog and English, it carries the voice of something close and familiar, which makes it even harder to ignore. The game doesn’t overwhelm with spectacle, but the unease grows with every passage until you start to wonder if you should have followed the advice on the cover. Its simplicity makes it effective, and the experience stays with you longer than you expect.
Looking Ahead
Filipino horror games hit differently because they feel close to home. The stories, the humor, and the little details remind us of things we have seen or heard growing up. Whether it is a familiar superstition or a sound that makes us stop for a moment, there is always that feeling of “alam ko ’yan.”
It feels good to see local games gaining attention, not only for their scares but for the way they capture something we all recognize. The Letter, Hapunan, and Casa Caballero each show how much the community has grown and how much more we can create when we keep telling stories in our own way.
There is pride in that, along with the excitement of knowing more is on the way. These games remind the world how rich our stories are and how deeply they stay with those who experience them.
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