Make your own horror game

What makes a short horror game scary

Fear comes from rules, not gore. The player knows something is coming and has one way to stay safe: watch the cameras, stay quiet, spot what changed. Give them a resource that runs out, like battery or matches, and every second costs something.

Keep the threat half-seen. A shape at the end of the hall is worse than a monster in full light. And give short safe moments, so the next scare lands.

Five horror formats that work

• Night shift. Five Nights at Freddy's-like: cameras, doors, a battery, survive until 6 AM. Play Night Watch or Brainrot Pizzeria in Roam.
• Anomaly loop. The Exit 8-like: walk the same hallway, turn back if anything is different. EXIT 8 in Roam does this.
• Hide from the house. Granny-like: escape a house while someone hunts you. TALLOW: night one, she keeps a tidy house.
• Stay quiet. Baldi's Basics-like: every step makes noise. Hush Hour sets it in a school, Mind Your Peas at the dinner table.
• The bad job. Turn the power on and see what is there. Hazmat Hallways is a facility shift that goes wrong.

Build it in four lines, then tune it

Then tune it by talking: "darker," "she walks faster after 3 AM," "add a hiding spot in the closet," "less jump scares, more sounds."

• Place. "An empty mall after closing."
• Threat. "The mannequins move when the lights flicker."
• Rule. "You can only run when the music plays."
• Who is with you. "My two friends, one flashlight between us."

Questions people ask

How do I make a horror game without coding?

Describe it in Roam: place, threat, rule, who is with you. It comes back playable on iPhone and you change it by asking.

What makes a horror game scary?

A clear rule for staying safe, a resource that runs out, and a threat you only half see. Sound does more than gore.

Can I make a horror game with my friends in it?

Yes. In Roam your friends can be the other survivors, or the monster. Use a photo if you like.