Unnerving/frightening/horror experiences

This is a list with the video games that has scared the most shit out of me. Most of these are not classic horror games with monsters, bur rather disconcerting experiences which through questions, atmosphere, and play make for the most interesting scares I've gotten. My favored type of horror puts the player in the dawning realization of being the evil or going someplace bad with no choice except to comply. It plays with dissolution of identity, of losing sense of self in a world where there is barely any certainty as it is. It makes you ponder your place in the universe, or tries to psyche you out with confused realities. But it also makes you fear the next door, the next hallway, and the next apparition. The games are arranged by category, and the top positions in each category are not necessarily the best games of those mentioned, but the ones that uses what the category implies in interesting ways to frighten.

Perhaps the best horror series ever, in par with silent hill, which only gets
better with every game and deserves special attention: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chzo_Mythos

Subdued angst:
http://www.increpare.com/2009/02/opera-omnia/
http://mikeinel.deviantart.com/art/Which-Short-Game-152503626
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/09/browser_game_pick_the_day_greg.html
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1228 (The Marionette)
http://distractionware.com/blog/?p=759 (Judith)
http://www.increpare.com/2010/11/activate-the-three-artefacts-and-then-leave/
http://www.increpare.com/2010/04/the-terrible-whiteness-of-appalachian-nights/
http://xiigames.com/anna/


Existential displacement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_2:_Sons_of_Liberty
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_pathologic_pc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape:_Torment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braid_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic_II_The_Sith_Lords
http://www.increpare.com/2010/11/treatise/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_of_Memories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_of_Kain:_Soul_Reaver_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Goo
http://playthisthing.com/pazzon

Twisted, uncanny, disgusting and freudian:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_%28video_game%29
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/puzzle/sutef/4195/
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=5395.0 (All Our Friends Are Dead/Au Sable)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_Frame
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer7

Psychological:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitarium_%28video_game%29
http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games6/gameindex/gateway_2.htm
http://snakes.hardydev.com/
http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,993 (Mental Repair Inc)

Mind games
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29
http://www.kongregate.com/games/AlexanderOcias/loved
http://globalgamejam.org/2010/depict1

POEtic/Lovecraftian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Eye_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Esther
http://www.moddb.com/mods/nestlings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penumbra:_Overture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Darkness:_Sanity%27s_Requiem

Cyberpunk/identity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Shock_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_Fusion
http://www.moddb.com/mods/korsakovia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioShock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_Ex
http://www.joltcountry.com/trottingkrips/shrapnel.html
http://armorgames.com/play/4918/the-company-of-myself
http://www.kongregate.com/games/increpare/the-black-yeti?referrer=increpare
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/08/howard_glitch_the_youtube_indi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneath_a_Steel_Sky

Nightmarish confusion
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/542658 (Time Fcuk)
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/511754 (Covetus)
http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=archive&submit=1&searchtype=creator_name&search=TheAnemic (La La Land Series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD_%28video_game%29
http://www.jonas-kyratzes.net/games/the-museum-of-broken-memories/
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/26339 (7 Minutes)

Atmospheric otherworldliness
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/07/browser_game_pick_looming_greg.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Majora%27s_Mask
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Castlevania_IV
http://www.thedreammachine.se/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_%28video_game%29
http://rpgmaker.net/games/2068/ (Beautiful Dungeoneer)
http://www.devilstuningfork.com/
http://ludusnovus.net/2010/07/14/narthex-released/
http://www.asecondface.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Path_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_McGee%27s_Alice

Disconcerting/surreal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Payne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Payne_2:_The_Fall_of_Max_Payne
http://indygamer.blogspot.com/2007/12/mondo-agency.html
http://cactusquid.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=games&action=display&thread=13 (Mondo Medical)
http://www.gamemakergames.com/archive/the-arm
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/06/trailer_norrland_cactus.html
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=7086.0 (Edmund)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_rose
http://aaronoldenburg.net/e_repent.html
http://www.moddb.com/mods/radiator/news/hl2-mod-release-radiator-1-2-handle-with-care
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade_%E2%80%93_Bloodlines
http://www.secrettechnology.com/explode/evidence.html (Evidence of Everything Exploding)
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/09/browser_game_pick_feign_ian_sn.html

Exploration based fear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Enemy_Unknown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Metroid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_Prime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park_%28SNES_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Master_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania:_Circle_of_the_Moon

Twitchers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condemned:_Criminal_Origins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_%28video_game%29

I do recommend you trying some of these out, most of them are short
indie games which do not take more than half an hour to complete.