Top 10 Creepiest Video Game Mysteries of All Time

Script written by Alex Slade

Top 10 Creepiest Video Game Mysteries

It’s time to put our detective hats on, guys and gals! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Creepiest Video Game Mysteries.

For this list, we’ll be looking at moments in video games that had us questioning whether or not they were intentional, or if they were bugs, easter-eggs, or had a hidden meaning that hasn’t been discovered yet. Whether they’re solved or not, if it’s got your brow furrowed and sends shivers down your spine, it’s eligible for this list.

#10: Hell Valley Shadow People

“Super Mario Galaxy 2” (2010)

While the Shiverburn Galaxy is the official name of the location where you can find these terrifying figures, game files dictate that Hell Valley was its original name, and it’s not hard to see why. Extremes of heat and cold are said to be contained in different circles of Hell in certain scriptures, as are demons, which might be why these sky trees, or shadow people, observe Mario from the skybox. These terrifying figures have elongated limbs, open mouths, and empty sockets where their eyes should be. Why they’re placed there, no one truly knows.

#9: The Fetus from Hell

“Earthbound” (1995)

There’s no denying that Earthbound is a weird game. Sure, it’s got cute graphics and fun characters, but its visuals and some of its concepts are just bizarre. It’s also strangely mature for a kid’s game, subtly exploring themes of violence, abuse and depression, and for a lot of parts, it leaves a lot to the imagination. Many of these themes have been brought forth as a manner of controversy. Still, they pale compared to the theory that Giygas is a fetus when you encounter him, which left a lot of players wondering if it had a significant meaning. While this has been disproven by Shigesato Itoi, the boss’s appearance is still something that can’t be ignored.

#8: Herobrine

“Minecraft” (2011)

A mysterious creature in the woods that many have sighted, but none have been able to prove? Step away, Bigfoot, we’re talking about Herobrine here. Herobrine is thought to look like your default character, only with white glowing eyes, and is the cause for many mysterious happenings in your world. Items going missing, land structure changing, craters, tunnels, and mysterious pyramids are some of the things Herobrine is thought to be the cause of. While there has been a lot of fake footage of the myth, some still believe him to be real.

#7: The Numbers Station

“Fallout 3” (2008)

This freaky mystery originated as a Creepypasta and found that sweet spot of being just believable enough that it brought on many believers as they tried to replicate the events. After Three Dog is murdered and the player meets a few other prerequisites, the GNR station supposedly becomes a numbers station, which spouts numbers and morse code. Players who have supposedly cracked the code, found a few of the messages to be trivial, or even comical, with others having a more sinister undertone, as some even predicted - falsely - the deaths of prominent people.

#6: 1987

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” (2014)

While the series may have overstayed its welcome according to some, the first game was a cultural phenomenon, and to this day is still a terrifying experience. After you beat night 6, you’re able to jump back in and set specific difficulty levels for each animatronic. If you set the difficulty of each animatronic to one, nine, eight, and seven, Golden Freddy pops up and crashes the game. The lore of these animatronic monstrosities has become quite expansive, and while we think we know who the jump-scaring Golden Freddy really is, there are no clear-cut answers at this stage.

#5: Who is the G-Man?

“Half-life” Series (1998-)

Speculating who the G-Man is probably won’t fill the void of not having Half-life 3 in our lives, but it does keep us involved in the universe. While he looks and sounds like a man… sort of, it’s safe to say he isn’t one. He keeps an eye on you throughout the first game and utilizes your services in the second. We don’t know his true motivations, only that he is a puppeteer, orchestrating events to play out the way he wants them to play out to serve his and his employers’ purpose.

#4: What Happened to the Chozo?

“Metroid” series (1986-)

While the concept of an ancient, advanced race that has mysteriously vanished isn’t quite an original one, the depth to the Chozo history does make it a more engaging mystery to solve. We know that they created the Metroid and Mother Brain to combat another enemy before they were turned on by their creation. What we don’t know is why they have mysteriously gone missing, and not too long ago too, as the surviving members of the race were saved by Samus at one point. Hopefully, we’ll find out in a future title.

#3: What’s Going On?

“Inside” (2016)

You know you’ve got a good game on your hands when the entire thing is a creepy mystery with nothing spelled out to you. The environments and level design do paint an unnerving picture that leaves a lot for us to interpret. Some sort of mind control is it at the surface of everything, but we also have a giant amalgamation of bodies rolling around at the end, and a lot of the facility is underwater, home to long-haired creatures that try to pull you under, which leaves a lot of questions open.

#2: Karazhan Crypt

“World of Warcraft” (2004)

The crypt, located in Deadwind Pass, is a locked-off area that can only be accessed by glitching through the portcullis or walls. It’s an unfinished piece of content that is home to all manners of horror. There are thousands of skeletal remains at the bottom of a mysterious well, and there is a section of the crypt that features corpses hanging upside down underwater. What did Blizzard have planned? Could it be connected to the demon children of Goldshire who walk around in the formation of a pentagram? It’s a lot darker than most of the released content, which definitely has people curious.

#1: The Polybius Arcade Machine

“Polybius” (???)

Did this arcade cabinet ever exist? It supposedly hit the market in the ‘80s, and people who played it experienced all sorts of ailments, which allegedly led to their end for some. Others say it was used as a form of mind control, or to weed out the weak-minded to reveal strong-willed candidates for military conscription. Men in black suits were reported to download data from the machines. While a lot of the stories may have a hint of truth to them, Polybius remains an urban legend… for now.