Halloween isn’t just about costumes and candy anymore. If you’re someone who loves getting scared or enjoys spooky stories, playing horror games during Halloween hits different. There’s something about the dark nights and creepy atmosphere that makes these games feel even more intense. Whether you’re into jump scares or slow-building dread, these Halloween games will give you the chills you’re looking for.
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Dead by Daylight
This one’s a classic for Halloween. Dead by Daylight puts you in a multiplayer game where four players try to escape from one killer. You can play as either a survivor or the killer, which gives you two completely different experiences. When you’re a survivor, your heart will be racing as you try to fix generators while avoiding the killer. The game does an amazing job of making you feel helpless. You’ll hear the killer’s theme music getting louder as they get closer, and that feeling never gets old. The maps are dark and filled with places to hide, but that also means the killer could be anywhere.
Playing as the killer is just as fun. You get to hunt down the survivors and stop them from escaping. Each killer has unique abilities, so you can pick one that matches your play style. Some killers are faster, while others have special powers that help them track survivors. The best part about Dead by Daylight is that every match feels different. You never know what’s going to happen, and that keeps things exciting.
Phasmophobia
If you want something that’ll genuinely creep you out, try Phasmophobia. This game is all about ghost hunting, and it works best when you play with friends. You and your team go into haunted locations with equipment to figure out what type of ghost you’re dealing with. The ghosts in this game don’t mess around. They can hunt you down, and when they do, you need to hide or run. The game uses voice recognition, so if you talk too loud, the ghost might hear you. That mechanic alone makes everything more tense because you have to whisper to your friends when things get dangerous.
What makes Phasmophobia scary is how real it feels. You’re walking through dark houses with just a flashlight, looking for signs of paranormal activity. Sometimes you’ll see doors slam shut or objects move on their own. Other times, you’ll hear the ghost’s voice through your equipment. It’s the kind of game that makes you want to quit, but you keep playing anyway.
Poppy Playtime (Writer’s Favorite)
Poppy Playtime takes childhood nostalgia and turns it into nightmare fuel. You’re exploring an abandoned toy factory where everything went horribly wrong. The place used to make cute toys for kids, but now those same toys are out to get you. The star of the game is Huggy Wuggy, a tall blue creature with a disturbing smile and way too many teeth. What makes him scary is how he moves – sometimes he’s just standing there watching you from a distance, and other times he’s chasing you through vents. The game plays with your expectations because you never quite know when he’s going to attack.
Your main tool is the GrabPack, which are two hands onextendable arms. You use them to solve puzzles by grabbing things from far away or connecting electrical circuits. It’s a cool mechanic that makes you feel clever when you figure out what to do. But the puzzles also slow you down, which means you’re vulnerable while trying to solve them.
The factory itself tells a dark story. As you explore, you find old VHS tapes and notes that hint at what happened to the workers and why the toys came to life. The backstory gets pretty twisted, with experiments on employees and things going wrong in really disturbing ways. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to know more even though it’s deeply unsettling.
Each chapter introduces new toy monsters with their own personalities and ways of hunting you. The variety keeps things fresh because you’re not fighting the same enemy over and over. What’s interesting about Poppy Playtime is how it takes something innocent like toys and makes them terrifying. We all grew up with stuffed animals and dolls, so seeing twisted versions of them hits differently than generic monsters.
Little Nightmares II
Not all horror games need to be bloody or filled with jump scares. Little Nightmares II proves that with its creepy atmosphere and disturbing imagery. You play as a small child named Mono, trying to escape from a world that’s way too big and way too scary. The game is a puzzle platformer, so you’re solving environmental puzzles while avoiding enemies. What makes it special is the art style and the way it makes you feel small and vulnerable. Everything in the game is designed to make you feel like prey.
The enemies in Little Nightmares II are unsettling. There’s a teacher with a long neck, mannequins that come to life, and other bizarre creatures. None of them make sense in a normal way, which makes them even creepier. You can’t fight them – you can only run and hide. The story doesn’t spell everything out for you. Instead, it lets you piece things together from what you see. This makes the game feel more mysterious and leaves you thinking about it long after you finish.
Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is perfect if you like horror that focuses on story and atmosphere. The game has you switching between two characters – Alan Wake and Saga Anderson. Both are dealing with supernatural events that blur the line between reality and fiction.
The game also respects your intelligence. It doesn’t hold your hand or over-explain things. You need to pay attention to clues and piece together what’s happening. This makes solving mysteries more satisfying.
The Quarry
If you’re more into horror movies than traditional games, The Quarry might be your thing. This game plays like an interactive horror film where your choices actually matter. The game looks incredible. Your decisions shape the story in big ways. Characters can die based on your choices, and once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. This creates real tension because you don’t want to mess up and get someone killed. The game also has quick-time events where you need to react fast or face consequences. Miss a button prompt, and someone might get attacked.
The atmosphere builds slowly. At first, it seems like a typical teen horror setup with jokes and drama between characters. But as night falls, the real threats emerge. Without spoiling anything, the game takes inspiration from classic horror movies, and you’ll recognize some familiar scary movie tropes done really well.
What’s cool about The Quarry is that you can play it with friends. This makes it a perfect Halloween party game. Even if you’re not great at video games, you can still enjoy this one because it’s more about making choices than having quick reflexes.
Outlast
Outlast is not for the faint of heart. This game puts you in the shoes of a journalist investigating an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Right from the start, you know something went terribly wrong in this place, and you’re about to find out exactly what.
The catch with Outlast is that you can’t fight back. You have no weapons. All you can do is run and hide when enemies show up. This makes you feel completely defenseless, which is exactly what the game wants. Your only tool is a camcorder with night vision, which you need to see in the dark. The problem is that the night vision drains batteries, so you’re always managing your resources.
Some people might find it too intense, but if you want pure survival horror where you’re always the prey, this delivers exactly that. The story also gets pretty dark as you uncover what happened in the hospital, with documents and notes scattered around that reveal some messed-up experiments.
Halloween gives you the perfect excuse to dive into horror games. These games will keep you entertained and scared throughout the season. They each bring something unique to the table, so you can’t really go wrong with any of them. So grab your controller, prepare yourself mentally, and jump into these Halloween games. Just remember – it’s only a game. (Hopefully!)
