There are plenty of scary things in gaming. From jump scares that make you leap off the couch, all the way to character designs that will haunt your nightmares.
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Not to be overlooked, sound design can make a game a lot scarier than it would be without it. Whether it’s a horror game or not, the right noise at the right time can instill a lot of fear in mere moments. Which of these sounds makes goosebumps rise with just their soundbite? Which of them still keeps gamers awake at night even now? Here are the scariest sound effects in gaming.
10Demonic Laughing (Call Of Duty Nazi Zombies)
TheCall Of Dutyseries has had a lot going for it over the years. While it is a big name in the FPS genre, it has also done some work in the horror genre as well.
The Nazi Zombies sections of the game have been a fan favorite. The sound designers made it easy to get into the mood to fight off waves of zombies. One of the biggest sounds in the game that not only most players will remember instantly, but will also send chills up their spine is the evil cackling that happens at the start of some rounds.
It was more than enough to send a jolt of adrenaline rushing through you as you buckled down and tried to survive one more wave with your friends.
9Alma Giggling (F.E.A.R.)
One of the first modern games to balance horror and FPS genres, Fear had one major antagonist, and she was enough to give you nightmares. Alma appears as a little girl when you first meet her in the first game. Throughout your escapades, as you fight off paramilitary commandos, you’ll also have plenty of run-ins with her.
As time slows down, you hear the giggling of a little girl along with the sound of bare feet running behind you, you can’t help but get a little scared. Although, she is a little girl that could kill you with her mind, so that doesn’t make it much better.
8Headcrab Zombie Pleas (Half-Life Series)
TheHalf-Lifeseries hasblurred genre linesfor some time now. This sci-fi shooter has some surprisingly creepy moments, but maybe that’s to be expected when aliens take over the Earth.
One of the scariest enemies in the series full of alien horrors is the Headcrab Zombies. Everyone remembers the Ravenholm level in HL2 - those dark corners filled with moaning zombies. Those moans though are plenty creepy, not aggressive, they almost sound like the person is in pain.
An easter egg found some years ago: when played backwards, these sounds actually are the poor people begging for help, still conscious but being controlled by the Headcrab.
7Sonic Drowning Music (Sonic The Hedgehog)
You wouldn’t thinkSonic The Hedgehogwould have made this list, but this seemingly simple game has a dark side.
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It’s incredibly stressful and altogether kind of dark for a game that was marketed towards kids. Talk to someone who played it when it first came out in the early ’90s, and they’re sure to recall how that music made them feel when facing the water levels of Sonic. Who knew a game about a fast hedgehog could be so scary?
6Auditory Hallucinations (Amnesia)
Amnesiahas been high on the list of horror games in the past few years, and for good reason. The plot, character design, and audio - all come together to an impressive albeit horrifying package.
One of the facets of this game that makes it stand out from others is the sanity meter. Seeing horrors and causing your character stress will fill it up. Once it’s full, you will experience auditory hallucinations. People talking, creepy noises, and monster sounds, all await you as your character loses their mind. It makes for a harrowing and incredibly memorable experience.
5Fog Horn (Silent Hill)
Silent Hillhas been a huge name in the horror genre, so of course it has won its place on this list. The sound design in this game has paved the way for horror audio design since.
One of the most recognizable sounds from the series is the fog horn. It has found its way into many of the games and even movies as well. It not only warns you that something horrific is about to happen, making you quickly reassess what you’re doing, but it also perfectly embodies the setting as the fog rolls in and the world quickly grows darker.
Another big name in the video game horror genre,Dead Spacemixed horror and sci-fi with amazing results.
One of the less intimidating enemies of the series also had some of the best and creepiest sound effects, this being the Wheezer. Tasked with expelling poisonous gasses from their body, they don’t outright attack, but are still deadly. The most horrific part of them is the wheezing sound that gives them their name. Although no longer human, the strain you hear in each breath as you see their lungs expand is enough to make you queasy.
3The Witch’s Sobbing (Left 4 Dead)
A game that remade the zombie genre,Left 4 Deadhad plenty of moments that made you and your friends tense up.
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While not the most visually intimidating enemies, the Witch has killed many a survivor who didn’t tread lightly. How to know when the Witch is near is the synonymous weeping audio that plays when you are nearby. For those who hadn’t met her, you almost feel bad for the poor girl. But, those who have faced her claws know just how fast the tone can change when she attacks.
2Little Sisters' Voice Lines (BioShock)
BioShockdid a lot throughout its campaign to show you the horrors that occurred in the city under the sea.
Perhaps nothing was as horrific as the creation of the Little Sisters. These children now survive in a sort of symbiotic relationship with their Big Daddy protectors. While the Bid Daddy is scary, there’s something about the childlike wonder of the voice lines of the Little Sisters as they refer to corpses as angels.
Both emotional and creepy, you’ll always remember your first time seeing them and how you treated them for the rest of the game.
1Clickers (The Last Of Us)
Zombies are terrifyingenough on their own. However,The Last Of Uszombies are something else entirely.
The clickers, the more advanced form of those who have been infected with cordyceps, have lost their sight. Now they seek you out with sound alone. One of the ways they do so is their titular clicking sound - a sort of echolocation, it also instantly gets your attention when you’re in a ruined building and hear one in the next room.
Seeing something that was once a human turned into something that is almost unrecognizable is so creepy, and the sound that accompanies them reminds you of that at every step.
