Best Horror Games That Began As Mods

Summary

• DayZ started as an Arma 2 mod, spawning the Battle Royale genre.
• Cry of Fear showcases Source Engine’s horror prowess.
• The Forgotten City, a Skyrim mod, offers a dark time-loop tale.

It’s great to see something as small as a simple turn into something huge — even when it’s terrifying — because it is bound to be a work of love and passion. Most mods are fine as they are, and aren’t meant to grow into anything else, but some others have the potential to become even more

Every once in a while, gamers are treated to some fantastic games that started out as simple mods. The horror gaming scene is lucky to have been a fertile breeding ground for a lot of awesome horror games conceived in this way, so here’s a look at some of the most memorable out there.

10

DayZ

Grew Like A True Zombie Outbreak

DayZ, is one of the most influential multiplayer gaming phenomena, and likely the game most likely to have paved the way for the creation of the Battle Royale genre and the likes of PUBG and Fortnite. And it all began as an Arma 2 mod. Unlike the original tactical shooter, DayZ spawns players in a random area of a map, then warns them that a zombie outbreak is what they have to worry about the most. That’s wrong.

Though the zombies can chew anyone up, the true enemies here are other players, whose malice or proneness to pre-emptively get rid of possible threats will ruin a lot of games for decent players. And that is what makes it all the more interesting.

9

Cry Of Fear

A Great Half-Life-Inspired Slice Of Horror

Remember Ravenholm from Half-Life 2? The way that game steered into full-on horror territory for one single area proved one of the most memorable moments of the game, and left many wanting more. Cry of Fear doesn’t take place in Ravenholm, but it is modded from Half-Life 2. It offers a great showcase of Valve’s Source Engine’s prowess when it comes to horror, and creates a surprisingly terrifying campaign capable of going toe to toe with some of the heavyweights of its time. Cry of Fear is no joke, and players should give it a chance even a decade after its release.

8

The Forgotten City

Philosophical Horror In An Amazing Setting

The Forgotten City began life as a Skyrim mod, and likely remains the best game to spawn out of The Elder Scrolls series. It’s a mesmerizing, well-written time-loop tale that will not look horrifying at first, but will get darker and darker as players go.

The Forgotten City can be beaten in just a few hours, but it’ll take a little longer for players interested in peeling off all the layers of this fascinating adventure. Anyone who thinks games are no longer original and lack storytelling prowess should not forget to give this one a try.

7

Killing Floor

A Bit Darker Than Its Originator

The Killing Floor FPS series, where players are sent into a dungeon to either complete objectives or just survive hordes upon hordes of enemies, actually began a long time ago. It had its start as a mod for the oldie but goldie Unreal Tournament 2004, so it’s a title from even before the times of Gears of War. Though the original mod is a bit dated by today’s standards — and likely even hard to get running nowadays — the series is still going strong and will likely stay that way.

6

Total Chaos

Doom 2 With Amazing Graphics

• Release Date: currently in Early Access
• Developer: Trigger Happy Interactive
• Platform: Microsoft Windows

When people think of Doom 2, the first thing that comes to their mind will likely be the immense amount of fun they had with the game. The second, however, is the memories of dated graphics. Total Chaos is an absolutely gorgeous horror experience in first-person that began as a Doom 2 mod. The most interesting part, however, is that it is still running on the same engine as Doom 2. Now that is stretching technology to a beautifully horrific extent.

5

No More Room In Hell 2

When There’s No More Room For Mods, They Will Become Full Games

“When There’s No More Room In Hell, The Dead Will Walk The Earth” is an expression from a classic movie by George H. Romero, the father of the zombie genre. It’s also the name of an FPS mod for Half-Life 2, using the source engine that turned into an unofficial game adaptation of Romero’s universe. As far as mod-originated zombie action goes, it’s far more chaotic than DayZ, so it might prove an interesting title to pick up for fans of games such as the Left 4 Dead or Dead Rising series.

4

Natural Selection 2

Get Ready To Fight A Bunch Of Unnatural Monsters

Natural Selection began as a mod for the original Half-Life. Though it exudes Xan vibes (the least popular area in the original Half-Life), it deserves a chance. First off, Xan isn’t that bad. Secondly, this is a versatile Alien Versus Predator-like title where players not only get to enjoy the carnage and gunplay allowed by Half-Life’s original engine, but also to put their gray matter to use.

Natural Selection doubles as a strategy game, and thus naturally pays tribute to the more cerebral gameplay seen in the original Half-Life in an original manner. Players get to pick a side in the action too.

3

The Dark Mod

Doom 3: The Dark Ages

Doom 3 might not be the best game in the Doom series (it definitely isn’t the most well-liked one) but it’s a great horror game in its own right. To make it even better, Team Dark Mod came up with a mod of the same name, which went on to become its own game. The Dark Mod brought doom to the medieval setting long before The Dark Ages, and it imbued it with horror vibes and some gameplay elements reminiscent of the good old days of the Thief series, making this one a must-play title.

2

Red Solstice 2: Survivors

Warcraft In Space, But Not Like Starcraft

The Red Solstice series began as a mod for Warcraft 3, an excellent game responsible for a bunch of equally awesome spinoffs such as Dota. The Red Solstice series follows the remnants of a doomed humanity who left Earth to find refuge on Mars, right before learning that Mars is actually populated by alien monstrosities who don’t really want people there.

Unlike most games on this list, Red Solstice is not an FPS, but rather a fun tactical strategy shooter title where players will control the human troops as they fight off hordes of spooky alien critters.

1

Black Mesa

New (Half)-Life

This one isn’t likely to come as a surprise, as Black Mesa is one of the few mods to ever be recognized by the developers of the game it began as a mod for. Valve likes it so much that players will often see it being sold alongside the Half-Life series on Valve’s own store.

The most modern version of the beloved classic helps highlight the original’s horror elements. Black Mesa is a much better remake of the original Half-Life than Half-Life: Source, and remains one of the best — and spookiest — ways to enjoy the classic’s darkest and most gruesome moments.