305 articles
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, GSC Game World's open-world survival horror FPS in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, released November 20, 2024 on PC and Xbox after wartime development, using Unreal Engine 5 and A-Life 2.0.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is a 2010 survival horror first-person shooter set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, developed by GSC Game World as the third game in the series.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, once titled Oblivion Lost, is a 2007 survival horror shooter by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, set in a mutated Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Salt and Sanctuary
Salt and Sanctuary: 2D soulslike action RPG by Ska Studios (James and Michelle Silva), released March 2016 on PS4, later PC, Vita, Xbox One, Switch; salt as XP, 20+ bosses, over 1 million sold.
Samurai Warriors (戦国無双)
Samurai Warriors (戦国無双, Sengoku Musou) is Koei Tecmo and Omega Force's hack-and-slash series, launched 2004, set in Japan's Sengoku period; five mainline games, over 8 million units sold, latest entry Samurai Warriors 5 (2021).
Saw (video game)
Saw (Saw: The Video Game) is a 2009 survival horror game by Zombie Studios, published by Konami for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, starring Detective David Tapp escaping Jigsaw's asylum traps; mixed reviews, followed by Saw 2: Flesh and Blood.
Scarlet Nexus
Scarlet Nexus (スカーレットネクサス) is Bandai Namco Studios' 2021 Brain Punk action RPG with dual protagonists Yuito and Kasane, psychokinetic combat, SAS squad powers, Metacritic 80, and 2 million copies sold.
Scorn (video game)
Scorn is a 2022 first-person horror adventure game by Serbian studio Ebb Software, released October 14, 2022 on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Game Pass, PS5 in 2023. Giger- and Beksiński-inspired puzzle exploration with divisive combat; Metacritic 70.
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana (聖剣伝説2, Seiken Densetsu 2) is Square's 1993 SNES action RPG starring Randi, Primm, and Popoi; known for three-player co-op via Super Multitap, real-time combat, ring menus, and Hiroki Kikuta's score; remade in 3D in 2018 to mixed reviews.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, also known as Sekiro, is a 2019 action-adventure game by FromSoftware, published by Activision, set in Sengoku-era Japan and directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Shadowrun Returns
Shadowrun Returns is a 2013 turn-based tactical RPG by Harebrained Schemes, Kickstarter-funded at $1.8 million, set in cyberpunk Seattle 2054, with the Dead Man's Switch campaign and Dragonfall DLC.
Sifu (video game)
Sifu is a 2022 kung fu beat-'em-up by Paris studio Sloclap; deaths age the protagonist (starting at 20, fatal past 70), built on motion-captured Pak Mei kung fu, selling over 4 million copies with a Netflix film in development.
Siren (サイレン) (video game)
Siren (サイレン), aka Forbidden Siren, is a 2003 PS2 survival horror game by Project Siren/Japan Studio, directed by Keiichiro Toyama, set in the cursed village of Hanuda and known for its sightjacking mechanic.
Snake (video game genre)
Snake (video game genre): line-growing arcade genre from the 1976 Gremlin game Blockade; Nokia's 1997 6110 version by Taneli Armanto reached ~350 million phones; later Slither.io and .io variants.
Soma (video game)
SOMA (Soma) is a 2015 first-person sci-fi survival horror game by Sweden's Frictional Games, creators of Amnesia. Released September 22, 2015 on PC and PS4, it follows Simon Jarrett in the underwater base PATHOS-II, exploring consciousness and identity, with a safe mode and a 2026 spiritual successor, Ontos.
Sonic Generations
Sonic Generations (ソニック ジェネレーションズ) is Sega's 2011 20th-anniversary Sonic platformer for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and 3DS, starring Classic and Modern Sonic; remastered in 2024's Sonic X Shadow Generations.
Soulslike
Soulslike (Souls-like): action RPG subgenre named after FromSoftware's Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, defined by punishing combat, death penalties, checkpoints, and interconnected dark worlds; a mainstream Steam genre since 2022.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
South Park: The Stick of Truth is a 2014 turn-based RPG by Obsidian Entertainment, published by Ubisoft after THQ's bankruptcy, written and voiced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, released March 2014 on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, with a 2017 sequel, The Fractured But Whole.
Spelunky
Spelunky: Derek Yu's roguelike-inspired 2D platformer, freeware in 2008, HD on XBLA July 4, 2012; procedurally generated levels, permadeath, Metacritic 87, sequel Spelunky 2 in 2020.
Splatterhouse (スプラッターハウス)
Splatterhouse (スプラッターハウス) is Namco's 1988 horror beat 'em up arcade game starring masked Rick rescuing Jennifer; spawned Wanpaku Graffiti, sequels 2 and 3, cancelled Splatterworld, and a 2010 reboot.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) is BioWare's 2003 d20-based Star Wars RPG set 4,000 years before the Empire, featuring light/dark side choices, the Ebon Hawk, the Star Forge, a 2004 Obsidian sequel, and an announced remake.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is BioWare and LucasArts' 2003 d20-based Star Wars RPG for Xbox and PC, set 4,000 years before the films, with light/dark side choices, a 60-hour story, and a long-gestating remake.
State of Decay (video game)
State of Decay is a 2013 open-world zombie survival game by Undead Labs, published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360 and PC, with permanent character death, base building, and 250,000 first-48-hour downloads; sequels followed in 2018 and 2027.
State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 (2018) is a zombie survival game by Undead Labs, published by Microsoft, with community management, base building, and four-player co-op; Juggernaut Edition remaster (2020), 10+ million players, final update late 2024.
Stealth game
A stealth video game is a genre where players use concealment and evasion to avoid direct confrontation. It was popularized by Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear series in 1987.
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle) is Sega's side-scrolling beat 'em up trilogy launched on Genesis in 1991 with ex-cops Adam, Axel, and Blaze, revived in 2020 by Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush as Streets of Rage 4.
Streets of Rage 4 (ベア・ナックルIV)
Streets of Rage 4 (ベア・ナックルIV, Bare Knuckle IV) is a 2020 side-scrolling beat 'em up by Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, and Lizardcube, the first core series entry in about 25 years, with hand-drawn art, recoverable-health specials, combo scoring, and the Mr. X Nightmare DLC (2021).
Super Meat Boy
Super Meat Boy: 2010 precision platformer by Team Meat (Edmund McMillen, Tommy Refenes), expanding the Flash game Meat Boy; Meat Boy rescues Bandage Girl from Dr. Fetus across 300+ brutal levels; Metacritic 90, 400,000+ copies sold.
Survival horror
Survival horror: a video game genre of scarce resources and player vulnerability, coined by Resident Evil (1996) and templated by Alone in the Dark (1992), spanning Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Clock Tower, Fatal Frame, and Forbidden Siren.
Sweet Home (スウィートホーム) (video game)
Sweet Home (スウィートホーム) is Capcom's 1989 Famicom horror RPG, a licensed adaptation of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film, directed by Tokuro Fujiwara, never released in the West, and the direct forerunner of Resident Evil and survival horror.