I’ve played a lot of horror games that really didn’t need to be long. You can usually tell about halfway through when something is padding itself out, repeating ideas, or stretching tension that already worked the first time.
Some of the best indie horror games on Steam avoid that problem entirely. They’re short on purpose. Built to be played in one sitting. You start them late, tell yourself “one more section,” and suddenly it’s way later than you planned.
These are the kinds of games that understand pacing. They don’t rush, but they don’t stall either. They do what they want to do, then get out.
From the Darkness
Platforms: PC
Release Year: 2022
Developer: N4bA
Scare Factor: 8 / 10
From the Darkness takes place in a small apartment, and that’s basically it. No sprawling locations. No complicated systems. You walk, you observe, and things slowly start feeling… off.
What makes it work is how subtle it is. Rooms change just enough that you’re never fully sure when it happened. Sounds come from places you don’t expect. You keep telling yourself you’re imagining things, even when you clearly aren’t.
It’s short, but it’s tight. Nothing feels wasted here.
September 7
Platforms: PC
Release Year: 2019
Developer: EMIKA_GAMES
Scare Factor: 7 / 10
September 7 is one of those games where very little actually “happens,” at least on the surface. You move through familiar spaces. Hallways. Rooms. Normal places.
And that’s exactly why it works.
The tension comes from waiting. From sound design. From the sense that something is nearby, even if you never really see it. It doesn’t try to overwhelm you. It just lets the discomfort sit there.
It’s a quiet kind of horror, and it knows that.
Suite 776
Platforms: PC
Release Year: 2021
Developer: Stanislaw Truchowski
Scare Factor: 7.5 / 10
Suite 776 is another apartment-based horror game, but it leans harder into repetition. You revisit the same space multiple times, and each time something feels slightly worse than before.
Lights behave differently. Sounds linger longer. The environment stops feeling passive.
What I like about Suite 776 is that it doesn’t explain itself much. It trusts the player to notice changes, and it doesn’t interrupt the experience to point things out. You’re paying attention, or you’re not.
Locked Up
Platforms: PC
Release Year: 2021
Developer: EMIKA_GAMES
Scare Factor: 6.5 / 10
Locked Up is straightforward, and that’s not a bad thing. You’re confined. You don’t know why. The space around you feels hostile in a quiet, restrained way.
There’s nothing fancy here. No overdesigned mechanics. No long backstory dumps. It just drops you into a situation and lets the tension build naturally.
It’s the kind of horror game you finish and think, “Yeah, that worked.”
The Convenience Store
Platforms: PC
Release Year: 2020
Developer: Chilla’s Art
Scare Factor: 7 / 10
The Convenience Store does something a lot of horror games forget to do: it makes routine uncomfortable.
You stock shelves. You work late. Customers come in. Everything feels normal at first. Then it doesn’t.
Chilla’s Art is good at this kind of grounded horror. Nothing supernatural jumps out immediately. Instead, the environment slowly turns against you, and you’re left wondering when things crossed the line.
It’s short, but it sticks.
Night Delivery
Platforms: PC
Release Year: 2021
Developer: Chilla’s Art
Scare Factor: 7.5 / 10
Night Delivery is built around repetition. Same hallways. Same routine. Same deliveries.
And each time, something changes.
The game doesn’t rely on big moments. It relies on your brain filling in the gaps. You start anticipating things before they happen, which is usually a sign the horror is doing its job.
By the end, you’re relieved it’s over . not because it’s bad, but because it’s tense the entire way through.
Quick Access: Short Indie Horror Games on Steam
| Title | Steam Page Link |
| From the Darkness | See At Steam |
| September 7 | See At Steam |
| Suite 776 | See At Steam |
| Locked Up | See At Steam |
| The Convenience Store | See At Steam |
| Night Delivery | See At Steam |
Why One-Night Horror Games Work So Well
Short horror games don’t have time to waste. They can’t afford filler. Every sound, every space, every pause has to matter.
For indie developers, that limitation is often a strength. It forces focus. As a player, you feel that. You remember the mood more than the mechanics. The feeling more than the plot.
And honestly? Sometimes that’s all horror really needs.
Leave a Reply