What is the marked difference between Survival Horror Games and Psychological Horror Games?

[Kross]

There are sub genres in the horror gaming sphere. Two of them are Psychological Horror and Survival Horror. These two genre seem to be similar somehow. What is the so then between the two sub-genres of horror gaming?

 

[Noah]

In my experience, the main difference is gameplay. If a game is advertised as psychological horror, I'm going in expecting minimal or no inventory management. Perhaps more limited controls, a tighter narrative, scares that don't just rely on your environment but also the "what ifs?", so on. Extraneous gameplay is taken out in favor of keeping your eyes/brain peeled to the story. If a game is advertised solely as survival horror, I expect there to be some degree of inventory management, possibly a more open-ended narrative, and a lot of environmental scares.

 

[Zani]

Psychological horror differs form survival horror when it comes to gameplay, it builds tension and puzzle solving as escape route, also features on eerie environments and unsettling narratives while survival horror gameplay focuses on combat, instincts for survival and actions.

 

[uptrendfinancialsignal]

There is a clear cut difference between survival horror games and psychological horror games. Survival horror game focus more on action and why psychological or games focus more on storytelling.

 

[Nomad]

In survival horror games, you will have to survive in the game environment through resource management, combat, etc. and in psychological horror, game elements play with your psychology such as isolation, paranoia, breakdown, etc.

 

[lens]

The survival horror games are exactly the ones that are about survival whereas the psychological horror games are all about the stories and psychological tension. The thing is, the two types of genre are capable of thrilling the players.

 

[Milla]

The main difference is what they’re trying to make you afraid of. Survival horror focuses on external threats, monsters, and staying alive under pressure. Psychological horror targets the mind. It creates fear through tension, uncertainty, distorted reality, and emotional discomfort.