Fear in horror games often begins when you first step into a world the developers created. Before anything moves, a single shadow can create a setting that tightens your stomach. That slow, quiet unease is the kind of fear that can linger long after you finish a game.
What causes these reactions? One aspect is visual design.
Horror visuals affect the human psyche because of how a scene looks. Designers may use dimly lit spaces or narrow hallways. These atmospheres keep the player from gaining a full view of what is ahead, which builds tension and unease because the space feels immediate and real.
That effect works because the brain despises uncertainty. When a shadow or an odd angle hides part of the scene, your mind fills in the missing pieces — usually with something scarier. This tactic allows you to process your fear to prepare for what’s next.
The upcoming Little Nightmares 3 uses warped, storybook-style sets and strange proportions so familiar objects feel uncanny. It follows the structure of previous games, following two small children in an overwhelmingly large world with delusions and darker, lurking threats. Tight staging and moody, stylized lighting push your eye toward unsettling details, turning childish shapes into emotional triggers.
Designers also use small sensory details to amplify that worry. For instance, Blumhouse Games developer Crista says, “Some of the most tense moments in horror come from the silence before something happens. Silence plays with people’s expectations; it heightens your senses and makes you question everything.”
Together, these visual tricks slow players down, forcing them to pay attention to the tiny details. Ordinary spaces start to feel threatening, and this is all due to various elements that play a key role in the setting, including:
- Lighting and shadows: Light decides what you can and can’t see. Dim corners, harsh backlight and sudden pools of shadow hide details and make you guess what’s there. By restricting your vision, that is where you start to guess all the scary possibilities, filling yourself with anxiety.
- Color and saturation: Color sets the mood fast. Muted, cool tones can feel empty and cold, while a sudden flash of red can pull your eye and signal danger. Colors can shape your feelings about a scene, making things feel wrong and influencing your behavior.
- Camera angle and perspective: Where the camera sits changes how safe you feel. A low angle or a tiled frame can make a space feel weird or threatening. Meanwhile, tight, first-person views increase closeness and worry. On the other hand, distance can make you feel helpless.
- Composition and negative space: What’s left empty matters as much as what’s filled in. Placing objects off to the side or leaving large blank areas makes your eyes search and your imagination work harder.
Last year’s Silent Hill 2 Remake used thick fog, narrow streets, and cramped interiors to limit what you can see and force the mind to fill in the rest. That heavy atmosphere makes townscapes feel oppressive and full of hidden meaning, and modern updates aim to preserve that mood while sharpening the visuals.
A lesser-known example is Holstin, an upcoming indie horror game that presents a deliberate camera-and-light system. The game transitions between multiple perspectives and uses real-time lighting within a dark, pixelated environment. Those two factors let the team shape tension by changing how much you see and from which angle.
Visual design has a psychological effect that guides how you feel in a horror game. Whether it’s a sliver of light or objects that feel out of place, it can immerse you to make you feel unsafe. The next time you play horror games, pay attention to how a scene is made — the unease you feel is rarely an accident.
