1-Resident Evil
The franchise that arguably started it all! Now, there are other, earlier examples of survival horror, but this game moved the horror genre into the mainstream. It was the first time a horror game exploded; it truly changed the game. In saying all that, the reason it's number one to me is that it
has constantly reinvented itself, though some may see that as a negative, times change and Resident Evil has managed to change with it, the 4th game which leans more into action and campiness, it was a breath of fresh air, as much as I like tank controls and Raccoon City, it needed a change, and the 4th game brought a great new twist to the franchise. By the 6th game, the formula had become tired again and was too action-oriented and had strayed too far from the original game, so Capcom made the 7th entry in the main series a first-person title and set the game back to a more traditional horror setting, change was needed, and change was made.
Resident Evil celebrated 25 years last year and did so with a fantastic 8th game that to me, encompassed a great amalgamation of the entire series, this franchise started a wonderful era of horror and 25 years later it still remains at the forefront of the genre and for that -it’s number 1 on my list...
Top 10 Video Game Horror Franchises | By Transvaal