For many players, SOMA is the best-written horror video game ever. Read on if you require a similar experience!
According to fans, SOMA is one of the most underrated, complex, and memorable video games in the horror genre.
By forsaking standard solutions, it has the power to terrify as a result of player actions instead of crude jumpscares. Many gamers experience post-completion depression after finishing a game – but our similar recommendations may prove just the cure for that sensation.
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Amnesia The Dark Descent | 2010-09-08 | Adventure | Frictional Games |
 | Amnesia Rebirth | 2020-10-20 | Horror | Frictional Games |
 | Amnesia A Machine For Pigs | 2013-09-10 | Adventure | The Chinese Room |
 | Scorn | 2022-10-14 | Horror | Ebb Software |
 | Doorways Holy Mountains Of Flesh | 2016-08-10 | Adventure | Saibot Studios |
 | Layers Of Fear | 2023-06-15 | Adventure | Bloober Team |
 | Observation | 2020-05-21 | Adventure | No Code |
 | The Shore | 2021-02-19 | Adventure | Ares Dragonis |
 | Still Wakes The Deep | 2024-06-18 | Adventure | The Chinese Room |
 | The Outlast Trials Deluxe Edition | 2023-05-03 | Adventure | Red Barrels |
 | Penumbra Overture | 2007-03-30 | Adventure | Frictional Games |
 | Alien Isolation | 2014-10-06 | Action & Shooter | Creative Assembly |
Amnesia: Rebirth
| Release date: | 2020-10-20 |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Developer: | Frictional Games |
Known as the second-best video game by Frictional after SOMA, A: R delivers a similarly terrifying experience set in a different setting.
Play as Tasi Trianon, a woman in the middle of the Algerian desert. Deprived of memory and knowledge of what happened, the heroine sets off on a dangerous journey to discover pieces of a mysterious story. Little does she know that unimaginable horrors await her at the end of this journey, both real and created by her tortured mind.
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The Shore
| Release date: | 2021-02-19 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Ares Dragonis |
If nautical themes give you creeps, The Shore may be the perfect recipe for your longing for a Soma-like experience.
Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s works, The Shore puts you in the shoes of Andrew – a man frantically searching for his missing daughter on a mysterious island. The place is inhabited by terrifying creatures waiting for his slightest mistake, so it isn’t easy to keep the hero in a decent mental state. Only thorough exploration and focus on survival can help Andrew solve this dark mystery.
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The Outlast Trials
| Release date: | 2023-05-03 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Red Barrels |
You’ll love this game if themes of self-identity, guilt, and questioning your choices are your favorite features in Soma!
Create a hero and play as one of the many prisoners of the Murkoff corporation conducting mind control experiments. The only way out is to complete therapy, which involves a series of horrifying trials. Try to survive these incredibly challenging stages and gather all the information about the corporation’s criminal activities – solo or in cooperation.
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Amnesia: The Dark Descent
| Release date: | 2010-09-08 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Frictional Games |
If you’re here for the scariest adventure possible, this absolute horror classic gets the job done.
Amnesia: TDD is a much scarier game than Soma, so it might be ideal if pure horror is your thing. You will play as Daniel – a man who consciously decided to lose his memory. While exploring a grim castle, the hero faces unimaginable horrors inhabiting this cursed place and his mind. Moreover, his mental condition is gradually deteriorating, and even darkness can thwart the man’s plans to discover the harsh truth about his past.
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Layers of Fear
| Release date: | 2023-06-15 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Bloober Team |
Since Layers of Fear is a slightly more psychedelic and scarier experience than Soma, you may find it perfect if you crave an alternative featuring this type of vibe.
Play as a 19th-century painter completing his last grand work. You are alone in a massive house, and only careful exploration can reveal details about the artist’s past. What’s worse, the interiors are constantly changing, which seriously contributes to the deterioration of your hero’s mental state. Can you reach each of the three alternative endings to this incredibly creepy adventure?
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Penumbra: Overture
| Release date: | 2007-03-30 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Frictional Games |
Do you miss that delightful sense of complete isolation and helplessness in the face of an unexplainable threat? Here you go!
When Philip receives a mysterious letter from his deceased father, the clues left behind lead him to northern Greenland. While exploring the location, the man finds himself in a mysterious underground complex and investigates it to learn more about his father’s past. The place is inhabited by terrifying creatures, but you can choose whether to confront them or run away.
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Alien: Isolation
| Release date: | 2014-10-06 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Creative Assembly |
It is probably the most Soma-like alternative on our list, providing a similar atmosphere and gameplay mechanics.
It is fifteen years after the events of the legendary Alien movie, and Ellen Ripley’s daughter – Amanda – goes to Sevastopol Station to examine the Nostromo’s flight recorder. With the crew’s help, the woman soon discovers something is wrong, and everything indicates she will have to confront the most terrifying threat. Will she be able to survive in this isolated location?
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Conclusion
Why do people enjoy the feeling of fear and uncertainty in games like Soma? The answer is simple – we love overcoming any odds presented to us by monsters, ghosts, serial killers, or the twisted minds of our characters, especially when all that revolves in such an exquisitely crafted story. Victory rewards us with a sweet sense of satisfaction, a rush of dopamine because no matter the horror, we can stay in control.