The 13 Most Haunting Ghost Stories In Video Game History

Tales of the supernatural can be a fantastic addition to a game's main storyline. Hauntings are very personal, so there's bound to be an interesting narrative to uncover, and everybody loves a good, blood-chilling ghost story regardless of whether players came to a game looking for cowboy antics or the chance to collect a bevy of battle-ready pocket monsters. 

While plenty of great horror games bring non-stop jump scares and genuinely terrifying moments, the smaller, self-contained ghost stories tend to stick with players longer, as they often stand out against commonplace settings and narratives. While much of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is about slaying dragons, exploring dungeons, and hoping you don't run into a game-breaking glitch, the mission where you're asked to investigate a haunted house in a bustling city stands out for its off-kilter pacing and departure from the typical high fantasy mood. 

The best video game ghost stories give players a more nuanced look at the characters they're interacting with and manage to reach a satisfying resolution within a couple play sessions. While many such tales are just well-designed sidequests, a few have ties to real-life occult incidents, making them all the more unsettling.