From the dawn of online gaming, additional downloadable content (DLC) has been a useful tool for game developers. Often used to continue the main story, DLCs can be powerful additions to any game if done correctly.
Some companies have taken advantage of DLC to get more money off of their player base unfairly. That, however, doesn't take away from the spectacular examples of DLCs that exist, especially in horror. Horror games have utilized DLCs to help flesh out their terrifying experiences, and these games highlight how well they can be done.
10 The Signal & The Writer Confirm Its Connection To Control
Alan Wake
The DLCs available in the 2010 game Alan Wake are somewhat controversial among fans due to the intense change in feel from the original game. That said, the DLCs are terrifying experiences. Special 1: The Signal is so integral that many critics claim it should have been part of the main game. More importantly, they helped draw solid connections to the extremely popular 2019 game Control.
Featuring writer and brave hero Alan Wake, these DLCs offered unique mechanics that sought to correct some of the complaints about the original game. The Signal accomplished this by implementing the mechanic of Alan's writing appearing, interacting with, and directing the player. Despite some of the arguments against this game, the DLCs still hold up today.
9 Awakened Added A More Enjoyable Content
Dead Space 3
Dead Space 3 was a letdown when it was released in 2013. Due to the popularity of the first two installments of Dead Space, fans were hyped for the third game, but it was met with massive criticism for not living up to the games that came before it. Sadly, the critics weren't wrong because the third game failed to capture the magic of the original.
That said, its Awakened DLC gave players hope for the franchise and the integrity of the game. This game picked up at the end of the main game, but before its release, the developers promised that it would have some of the most disturbing content ever seen in a Dead Space game. The DLC delivered on being much darker and more frightening than the main game.
8 Dead By Daylight Constantly Puts Out Riveting New Chapters
Dead By Daylight
Dead By Daylight is a unique horror experience that pits four survivors working together against a killer attempting to kill them. As a PVP game, Dead By Daylight stands out among other games in the genre, and it has inspired many copycat games since its release in 2016.
It features its own original content, and it's garnered licenses from massive titles like Michael Myers and Laurie Strode from Halloween, Pyramid Head from Silent Hill, Ghostface, and Nemesis, Albert Wesker, and a plethora of good guys from Resident Evil. Although the game struggles with bugs and glitches, it's endured years of content with a consistent player base for a reason.
7 The Following Expands On The World
Dying Light
Dying Light's DLC The Following plays similarly to the main game. With a few changes to the gameplay to make traversing the world easier, the DLC keeps the charm of the game that inspired it while taking players on a quest to find a cure for the zombie outbreak.
The player's prompted to follow a lead to a potential cure. This is a relatively common quest in most zombie media, and, like in most other stories, this turns out to be a fruitless endeavor. Eventually, the player will come across a cult known as the Children of the Sun that believes they're immune to the zombie virus for worshiping the cult's leader.
6 The Old Hunters Transport Players Into A Nightmare
Bloodborne
The Old Hunters is a DLC for the infamous Bloodborne, known for its difficult gameplay and unique monster designs. The DLC is no exception, as it takes players to a literal nightmare hunting ground where hunters have become so consumed by their desire to hunt that they're trapped in it for all eternity.
As the player moves through the DLC, they will find that they are turning into a monster themselves, like the hunters trapped in the nightmare. Mixing this horrifying premise with terrifying boss battles and disturbing monsters, Bloodborne managed to make one of the best horror DLCs of all time.
5 Crew Expendable Is An Unnerving Love Letter To The Film
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation's Crew Expendable DLC is a unique experience that offers an alternate ending to the 1979 horror classic, Alien. This DLC follows the original movie from the viewpoint of the crew working together to attempt to get rid of the Xenomorph stalking the halls of the Nostromo rather than all of them dying early on to leave Ellen Ripley alone.
The DLC was praised for giving players an authentic experience of exploring the Nostromo in an accurate recreation of the spacecraft. Crew Expendable was designed to be a love letter to the film that started the franchise and the fans who still look fondly back on the 1979 masterpiece.
4 Left Behind Made Players Sob
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is regarded as one of the best horror games ever made. Its impactful DLC, Left Behind, was no exception. Playing as Ellie as she searches for supplies to save Joel's life during the portion of the main game where he's injured and almost killed, players get to explore how Ellie was bitten and how she discovered she was immune to the virus.
With her friend and teenage crush, Riley, Ellie explores an abandoned mall while the pair attempt to sort out what they want for the future. The DLC moved players due to the tragic reality that they were both bitten and Ellie watched her best friend turn, but it was also praised for its LGBTQ+ representation. Riley wasn't just Ellie's friend — she was her love interest. Ellie's sexuality was confirmed in The Last of Us Part II.
3 Resident Evil 7 Offered Several Impactful DLCS
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil 7 rejuvenized the game franchise. While the main game was a much-needed breath of fresh air, the adjoining DLCs were just as important. The Banned Footage volumes, Not a Hero, and End of Zoe additions explored what happened to the Baker family and how it fits into Resident Evil.
Each DLC offered unique gameplay, more context on the main story, and a terrifying experience that had players gripping the edge of their seats. End of Zoe, in particular, was thrilling because players had no weapons to defend themselves.
2 The Assignment & The Consequence Offered Context
The Evil Within
The Evil Within is a great survival horror game with compelling characters and a complex story. That said, the game did rely too heavily on finding collectible documents to explain what was happening throughout the game. Without these collectibles, players were in a nightmare that didn't make much sense.
Fortunately, The Assignment and The Consequence DLCs changed that. Playing as Juli Kidman, a Mobius agent turning against the agency, players are injected into STEM from the viewpoint of a person who actually understands what it is and what's going on. These DLCs gave players new monsters and new ways to survive and made the story from the main game come around full circle.
1 Whistleblower Was So Disturbing That People Are Still Afraid of Eddie
Outlast
Outlast is remembered by fans for being an authentically horrific experience. As one of the first mainstream horror games that gave the player no way to fight back, it's hard to argue with the value of the main game. That said, Whistleblower is a rare example of a time when the DLC might surpass the original game.
Featuring an uncomfortable villain obsessed with taking male hostages and turning them into a pure wife, Eddie terrorizes the player as they attempt to survive extreme environments. One cutscene is so gruesome that many players couldn't actually stomach what was being shown to them. In the history of horror DLCs, none really seem to stand the tests of time the way that Whistleblower does.