9 Best Games to Play this Halloween

‘Tis the season to be scared out of yo’ damn mind. 

If you’re looking for a game to have you screaming through Halloween, I’ve got you covered.  These are my top nine games that you should definitely check out this Halloween.

Phasmophobia

Phasmophobia is one of the most-streamed games this Halloween – and with good reason.  It is one of those rare titles that will genuinely scare you, especially when first experiencing it, either by playing it or watching online.  It even has VR support if you’re clinically insane and don’t want to sleep ever again.

The psychological horror title tasks four players with working together to become the best paranormal investigators.  Using ghost-hunting equipment, players visit a variety of haunted locations and come face-to-face with a variety of ghosts and demons.  If you’re looking for something to get the hairs on your arms to stand on end, this is it.

Outlast

Mental asylums are a bit of a cliche when it comes to horror video games and movies, so it takes something special to stand out. Fortunately, Outlast manages to stand head and shoulders above the slew of mediocre titles that have come before.

Outlast is horrifying. Armed with a camera and a handful of batteries, you’re thrown behind the walls of a twisted asylum to wander down its claustrophobic halls to come face to face with its long-insane inmates.  Outlast 2 is worth checking out, too, if you’ve completed the original and want more.

Until Dawn

Until Dawn combined an unsettling setting with great writing to keep players on the edge of their seats.

Stuck with no phone reception (that’s not the scary bit) at the top of a snowy mountain, players were tasked with risking life and limb with impossible choices in a well-written story.  Literally the only downside with Until Dawn is it is a PS4 exclusive.

Throw VR into the mix and Until Dawn becomes even scarier. Whether you’re afraid of creepy clowns, enormous spiders or creepy dolls, they’re extra creepy when they look like they’re standing a few feet in front of you.

Dead by Daylight

Like Phasmophobia further up this list, Dead By Daylight is an exceptional multiplayer experience, with a twist: one player is a savage serial killer hunting four other players who run for their lives.

This asymmetrical horror title is one that you’ll enjoy playing whether you’re the hunted or the hunter.

As a bonus, plauers can unlock or download iconic characters from classic horror movies including A Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Dead Space

A decade has passed since Dead Space gave us the space psychological horror game we’d been wishing that every Alien game ever would be (note, Alien: Isolation was released in 2014).

Dead Space had a tense, foreboding atmosphere which it combined with action-packed setpieces and gore. Undoubtedly one of the best horror games of all time.

Alien: Isolation

Since we’re talking about horror in space, let’s jump to Alien: Isolation, shall we?

Players control Ripley’s daughter as she investigates her mother’s disappearance and is ruthlessly hunted by a xenomorph with unpredictable AI.

While Dead Space treads a more action-based gameplay formula, Isolation instead takes a slower but more nail-biting approach

Silent Hill 2

It doesn’t matter how much time passes, Silent Hill 2 remains timeless. If there is one horror game from your childhood that deserves dusting off, it’s this one.

Silent Hill 2 is the poster-child for atmospheric horror. Under the blanket of a smothering fog, players explore the town of Silent Hill as the game plays upon the fractured psyche and twisted thoughts of protagonist James Sunderland.

The writing is a masterclass, the scares and genuinely haunting and the nightmares seem to be relentless.  Silent Hill 2 is the definition of psychological horror.

Graveyard Keeper

Graveyard Keeper is the game for those who don’t like being scared shitless for, well, fun.  For those who haven’t heard of Graveyard Keeper, imagine Stardew Valley with dead bodies and you’re on the right track.

As crazy as it sounds, taking control of the keeper of a cemetery is a ton of fun as you accept cadavers from the grumpiest donkey in history, try to appease the sound people and try to dispose of the body. And not always in the ground.

We think that this is a must-play game this Halloween, so much so that we dedicated a whole article to try and convince you.

Resident Evil 3 Remake

Following up on the successful remake of Resident Evil 2, the remake of Resident Evil 3 took everything that made the original a classic and dialled it up to 10.

It combined modern visuals with fast-paced action to make the Resident Evil 3 remake one of the best horror games you can play today.  Nemesis is just as terrifying as I remember on my old PS1.

So, what are you going to be playing this Halloween?