It’s the best time of the year: the nominees for the 2026 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards have been announced, celebrating the best of the best in horror. Just as stacked as the movie selections were this year, it's also been an incredible year for horror gamers, with the return of huge franchises and scrappy indie titles alike gracing our consoles and delivering on nightmare fuel.
Last year's Best Video Game award went to Konami and Bloober Team's incredible Silent Hill 2 remake. Will Konami continue to hold on to the crown this year, or will something more indie take the win? Before you vote, check out all the nominees for Best Video Game here.
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Fatal Frame II Crimson Butterfly Remake
Fans of classic survival horror franchises ate incredibly well this past year, and while we had the big contenders from the Silent Hill and Resident Evil franchises, the hugely underrated Fatal Frame games got a fresh coat of paint with the Crimson Butterfly remake.
Following the harrowing tale of twin sisters Mio and Mayu who find themselves lost in a village of never-ending night, Crimson Butterfly Remake updated the series’ signature Camera Obscura mechanic for modern consoles making the ghost photography more terrifying than ever. In a year with such a stacked set of nominees in the Best Video Game category, a Chainsaw Award win for Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly remake would be a win for the adorable underdog.
Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition
The adorable puzzle-platform game Little Nightmares has had a fantastic year, garnering critical acclaim with its upgraded version that hit consoles in October 2025, introducing a whole new set of gamers to the world of adorable protagonist Six and her frightening odyssey to escape a nightmare realm full of monsters.
A perfect gateway horror for those looking to cut their teeth before diving into the more terrifying titles the genre has to offer, a Chainsaw Award for Little Nightmares would also be a win for the cozy horror gamers who appreciate a little dread-inducing anxiety alongside their adorable visuals.
No, I'm Not a Human
First person horror game No, I'm Not a Human nailed a very specific type of scenario that strikes fear into the heart of many of us – having to open the door and talk to people. The post-apocalyptic surreal nightmare forces players to decide whether the beings asking for shelter in their home are real people in need of help, or something far more sinister.
Uncanny, anxiety-inducing and incredibly original, No, I'm Not a Human has been one of the biggest indie gaming hits of the year. If you agree, you know where to have your say.
Resident Evil Requiem
Another year, another huge win for Resident Evil, which has been on a continued hot streak since the franchise reinvented itself with Biohazard back in 2017, and is only set to continue with Zach Cregger's film adaptation on the horizon.
Switching between two protagonists, the ninth entry in Capcom’s legendary gaming series saw the return of fan favorite hero/Internet's Daddy Leon S. Kennedy, whose action chops contrasted perfectly with the pure survival horror that came with playing as anxiety attack in human form, FBI agent Grace Ashcroft. While we wait for the highly anticipated DLC that will almost certainly expand on the new lore introduced within the main game, a Chainsaw Award for Best Video Game, would top off Requiem’s record-breaking run in style.
Silent Hill f
After a long dormant few years, new life was breathed into Konami’s Silent Hill with the release of the beautifully terrifying Silent Hill f from Taiwanese developer team NeoBards Entertainment.
In a bold move that initially divided fans, Silent Hill f moved the horror outside of the titular Midwest American town and over to 1960s Japan, making full use of traditional Japanese folklore and mythology to weave a terrifying tale unlike anything before seen in the iconic survival horror series. With Silent Hill: Townfall right around the corner, the survival horror juggernaut is finally back on the up and up, and Chainsaw Award for Silent Hill f would surely be the cherry (blossom) on top.
