Halloween is here, and there’s no better way to get into the spirit than diving into some of the spookiest, creepiest games around. From unsettling atmospheres to jump scares and eerie storylines, these games know how to bring the chills. Whether you’re into psychological horror, survival thrillers, or simply exploring haunted worlds, here’s a list of games that will provide you with a memorable Halloween experience. Turn off the lights, put on some headphones, and get ready to immerse yourself in ten terrifying games perfect for Halloween!

The Fears to Fathom Series

First on this list, the Fears to Fathom is an episodic psychological horror series by indie developer Rayll, known for its disturbing realism and gripping stories. Each episode is designed as a standalone experience, taking players into suspense-filled scenarios with relatable protagonists who find themselves in terrifying, everyday situations. Season 1 kicked off with Home Alone, released on July 2, 2021, as a free-to-play title on Steam for Windows. Players take on the role of Miles, a 14-year-old home alone, facing an escalating nightmare of eerie events while his parents are away. This episode set the tone for the series, using subtle environmental clues, sound design, and pacing to build tension without relying on cheap jump scares.

Since its debut, Fears to Fathom has released five episodes in its first season, each exploring different characters and unsettling scenarios. Episodes like Norwood Hitchhike and Carson House follow characters like Holly Gardner and Noah Baker, both unsuspecting young adults who encounter unimaginable terror while performing seemingly normal tasks, from driving to a motel to house-sitting for the weekend. Each story capitalizes on ordinary fears and psychological dread, creating a chilling blend of suspense and immersion that’s hard to shake off. Fears to Fathom is available on Windows, and its episodic structure means players can dive into any episode without needing prior knowledge, making it accessible for casual and dedicated horror fans alike.

The series’ grounded realism, combined with its relentless tension, makes Fears to Fathom a perfect choice for Halloween. Each episode feels like an interactive horror story that places players in relatable yet horrifying situations. For anyone looking to experience real psychological terror this Halloween, Fears to Fathom delivers a haunting, atmospheric journey through the dark side of the ordinary.

Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials, developed by Red Barrels, is a first-person survival horror game that serves as a prequel to the first two Outlast titles, bringing players back to the disturbing universe of Murkoff Corporation during the Cold War era. Set in 1959, players assume the roles of “Reagents,” individuals forcibly subjected to sinister experiments at the Sinyala Facility in Arizona. Here, the twisted Murkoff program forces participants through horrifying trials, with monstrous adversaries known as Ex-Pops lurking around every corner. Released on May 18, 2023, via early access for Windows and fully launched in 2024 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, The Outlast Trials expands on the franchise’s signature tension while introducing a new cooperative multiplayer mode.

Players can team up in groups of up to four or go solo through the game’s chilling trials, each designed to test their nerves and ingenuity. As Reagents, players rely on a limited inventory, night-vision goggles that require regular recharging, and various “Rigs” to aid in survival—abilities such as seeing through walls, stunning enemies, or blocking doors for temporary protection. Emphasizing stealth over combat, The Outlast Trials immerses players in brutal situations where objectives need to be completed to escape while evading relentless threats. To add to the psychological strain, the game includes complex and eerie environments managed by sadistic “Prime Assets,” adding disturbing layers to each trial.

With its dark Cold War setting, intense cooperative gameplay, and horrifying atmosphere, The Outlast Trials is a perfect pick for Halloween. The combination of stealth, survival, and twisted storytelling makes for a terrifying experience, especially with friends. For fans looking for a Halloween game that leans into psychological horror with a social edge, The Outlast Trials is an unsettling choice that captures the essence of survival horror.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Silent Hill 2, released on October 8, 2024, is a remake of the classic 2001 survival horror game, developed by Bloober Team in collaboration with Konami. Staying true to the original’s haunting narrative, the remake follows James Sunderland, a grieving widower who returns to the eerie town of Silent Hill after receiving a mysterious letter from his deceased wife, Mary. The game builds on Silent Hill 2’s psychological depth and atmosphere, preserving its signature storyline and incorporating enhanced graphics through Unreal Engine 5. With a modernized third-person camera, rebuilt combat mechanics, and updated visuals, the remake dives deeper into the psyche of James as he encounters disturbing characters and monstrous figures, including the iconic Pyramid Head, whose appearances manifest the protagonist’s inner turmoil.

Key figures from the original game, such as creature designer Masahiro Ito and composer Akira Yamaoka, returned to work on the remake, enriching its atmosphere with familiar, bone-chilling designs and an updated soundtrack. The setting has been faithfully recreated with added layers of decay and darkness, casting Silent Hill in a more decayed and foreboding state. Each character James meets, from the troubled Angela to the child Laura, brings distinct emotional weight, playing into the town’s dark, subjective reality that evolves based on its observer’s inner fears. The remake’s detailed visuals, atmospheric audio, and refined gameplay make it an engaging experience on PlayStation 5 and PC.

For horror fans, Silent Hill 2’s complex themes, disturbing symbolism, and oppressive atmosphere make it an ideal game for Halloween, delivering an experience that blurs the lines between reality and psychological horror.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, released on October 17, 2024, is a first-person survival horror game based on the A Quiet Place film series, developed by Stormind Games and published by Saber Interactive. The game introduces players to a brand-new storyline that centers on Alex Taylor, a young college student who finds herself alone and vulnerable in a world overrun by alien creatures. These creatures, though blind, possess hypersensitive hearing, which forces Alex to remain silent and careful as she navigates through hostile territory. The game has been designed for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, expanding the reach of this immersive horror experience.

The gameplay stands out for its intense focus on stealth, with a unique microphone feature that allows the in-game creatures to detect sounds from the player’s real environment. This detail enhances immersion, as players must remain eerily silent to avoid detection. The game’s focus on Alex’s survival, especially as she faces the world alone after the loss of her partner, creates a tense, emotional journey where even a single sound can be a life-or-death mistake. The design team has incorporated mechanics that let players monitor sound levels and adapt to the creatures’ heightened senses, delivering a gameplay experience that mirrors the atmospheric dread of the films.

With its bleak, post-apocalyptic setting, eerie sound design, and high-stakes stealth mechanics, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead captures the essence of survival horror, making it an ideal choice for Halloween. Its suspense-filled narrative and immersive audio design make each moment a nerve-wracking challenge, perfect for those looking to dive into a truly unsettling experience.

除邪 (CHUXIE)

除邪 (CHUXIE) is an intense single-player, first-person shooter that places players into the haunting world of paranormal investigation. Developed by an independent creator using Unreal Engine 5, CHUXIE is designed to push the limits of realism, leveraging cutting-edge technology to offer a hyper-realistic experience complete with a body camera perspective and dynamic spatial sound. Players take on the role of a paranormal investigator charged with ridding the world of evil spirits, navigating through dark and eerie realms where every step and every breath draws them closer to terror. The game’s mission-driven exploration involves unearthing clues, solving puzzles, and uncovering the twisted backstory of powerful spirits, with the ultimate goal of finding an escape and restoring freedom.

The standout features of CHUXIE lie in its realism and deeply immersive horror elements. Players have access to a free-aiming system with full ADS and unrestricted hand movements, adding to the intensity of every encounter. The game’s atmospheric sound effects are meticulously designed to heighten tension, and the visuals are so vivid that each monster’s movement, and every shadow cast, amplifies the dread. Players must also masterfully manage limited ammunition to survive battles with grotesque, oppressive creatures and even face special demons capable of causing catastrophic damage if not stopped. This combination of exploration, resource management, and fierce combat demands both skill and courage, creating a game that constantly challenges players’ mental resolve.

Perfect for Halloween, CHUXIE taps into the primal fear of the unknown with its heart-pounding horror experience, blending spine-chilling ambiance with brutal survival mechanics. Its dark, atmospheric world invites players to confront their own fears, making it a fitting choice for those looking to immerse themselves in a genuinely terrifying, high-stakes horror game.

FAITH: The Unholy Trinity

Faith is an unsettling survival horror game developed by Airdorf Games, featuring a distinct retro 8-bit art style inspired by early-80s titles on platforms like the Apple II and Atari 2600. The game, split across three chapters, tells a grim tale of faith and demonic forces through its pixelated visuals and chilling synthesized voices that bring back the haunting vibe of classic horror. The first two chapters were independently released by Airdorf Games in 2017 and 2019, while the third chapter, included in the Faith: The Unholy Trinity collection, was published by New Blood Interactive in October 2022. This compilation provides players with a complete experience and added features, available on Windows, marking it a unique revival of retro-inspired horror gaming.

In Faith, players step into the role of a priest facing down demons, with only a crucifix to protect them. The gameplay combines exorcism mechanics with a survival mode that heightens the challenge and brings replay value for those seeking to uncover every secret. Each chapter builds on the last, with players facing increasingly dangerous encounters against demonic forces while unraveling a story inspired by the 1980s Satanic panic and classic horror films like The Exorcist. Rotoscoped cutscenes, genuine EVP sound recordings, and ominous classical music selections—such as Moonlight Sonata—heighten the eerie experience, pulling players deeper into a demonic nightmare that feels both nostalgic and terrifyingly fresh.

With its suspenseful atmosphere, gripping narrative, and uniquely retro aesthetic, Faith is an excellent pick for Halloween. The game’s unnerving simplicity and haunting pixel art style deliver an impactful horror experience, offering players an immersive, spine-chilling journey through occult themes and supernatural dread that feels perfect for the season.

Still Wakes The Deep

Still Wakes the Deep is a psychological horror game developed by The Chinese Room, known for titles like Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. Released in June 2024 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, the game follows Cameron “Caz” McLeary, a Glaswegian electrician trapped on a deteriorating oil rig in the North Sea during the harsh winter of 1975. With no means of escape, Caz must navigate the rig’s claustrophobic corridors, face environmental hazards, and evade monstrous creatures born from contaminated oil. The game, which unfolds from a first-person perspective, emphasizes stealth and environmental puzzles, as players have no combat abilities and must instead rely on hiding or quick maneuvers to survive. The oil rig’s decay over time creates a dynamic and evolving environment, making each encounter feel more tense and treacherous.

The setting and ambiance are key to the game’s immersion, with each scene inspired by horror classics like The Thing and The Poseidon Adventure, and taking cues from Annihilation for its unnatural transformations. The developers paid careful attention to authenticity by interviewing engineers and reviewing archival footage of 1970s rigs, capturing both the grim reality of oil rig life and the unsettling isolation of the North Sea. Scottish actors like Alec Newman lend their voices to key characters, including Caz, deepening the sense of cultural grounding and realism. The ocean itself acts as a secondary antagonist, intensifying fears of drowning, vertigo, and claustrophobia, while a flashlight and environmental cues guide players through the rig’s increasingly dark and distorted spaces.

With its blend of atmospheric horror, isolation, and a story driven by themes of redemption and sacrifice, Still Wakes the Deep is a fitting pick for Halloween. Its intense psychological elements, coupled with the danger lurking in every corner, make it ideal for players seeking an immersive horror experience that’s eerie, tense, and truly haunting.

Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror game from Remedy Entertainment, following the story of best-selling novelist Alan Wake, who has been trapped in a nightmarish alternate dimension for over a decade. As Wake tries to escape, he intertwines his story with that of FBI Special Agent Saga Anderson, using his writing to create a horror tale featuring Saga. Together, they navigate a disturbing, shadow-filled world full of supernatural threats, piecing together a mystery as reality blurs around them. Released on October 27, 2023, Alan Wake 2 is available for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, drawing players in with its intense atmosphere, detailed graphics, and intricate, mind-bending storyline.

The gameplay builds on traditional survival horror mechanics but leans into a more immersive experience with added elements like the “Mind Place,” a mental space where players connect clues, and the “Writer’s Room,” where plot manipulation brings environments to life around Alan. Players switch between Alan and Saga across two intertwining stories, making strategic use of limited ammunition and resources while navigating terrifying encounters with creatures known as the Taken. By allowing players to explore both Alan’s psychological battles and Saga’s detective mind, Alan Wake 2 provides a gripping, layered experience unlike many horror games.

With its eerie story and cinematic visuals, Alan Wake 2 is the perfect choice for Halloween gaming, creating a deeply unsettling and engaging experience that amplifies the tension and thrill of the holiday season.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a survival horror game developed by Koei Tecmo, initially released for the Wii U in 2014 in Japan, with a worldwide release in 2015. In this fifth installment of the Fatal Frame series, players are introduced to the fictional Hikami Mountain, a place haunted by dark, otherworldly spirits connected to a malevolent force known as the Black Water. Players take control of three protagonists, each with a distinct connection to the mountain’s sinister history, using the iconic Camera Obscura as their only means to confront hostile ghosts. The camera functions as a first-person defense tool, capturing spectral entities in a unique, high-stakes combat style, with specific shots, like the “fatal frame,” dealing more damage. In addition to the main story, the game features a unique post-endgame episode with Ayane from Dead or Alive, where stealth mechanics replace the usual camera combat, adding a fresh gameplay twist.

Upon its release, Maiden of Black Water received mixed reviews, praised for its chilling use of the Wii U GamePad to control the Camera Obscura and for its atmospheric horror elements. The game was later remastered in 2021 for various platforms, including PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Windows, bringing this haunting experience to a broader audience. As players delve into the mountain’s eerie ruins, dark forests, and forgotten shrines, they uncover layers of a tragic ritual tied to Ose Kurosawa, a shrine maiden bound to the Black Water. The use of wetness levels to adjust ghost encounters and the “glimpse” mechanic, which allows players to see a ghost’s past, are standout features that deepen the horror experience.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a perfect fit for Halloween with its spine-chilling ghost encounters, tension-filled gameplay, and story steeped in eerie rituals and tragic hauntings. Its dark narrative and immersive, dread-filled environments provide a classic horror atmosphere, making it an ideal choice for those looking to experience true supernatural horror this season.

The Mortuary Assistant

Lastly, The Mortuary Assistant is a first-person horror game developed by Brian Clarke of DarkStone Digital, released in 2022 on PC and later on additional platforms like Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Set in a haunted mortuary in 1998 Connecticut, players assume the role of Rebecca Owens, a mortuary assistant forced to perform her nightly duties while warding off demonic possession. Her job initially involves the standard embalming of cadavers, but she soon learns that one of the bodies is possessed by a malevolent demon. To survive, Rebecca must identify the demon, perform an exorcism ritual, and burn the possessed body. Adding to the challenge, the game includes jump scares, puzzles, and procedurally generated events that alter each playthrough, ensuring a unique horror experience every time.

The game’s standout features include its blend of mundane tasks with supernatural terror, as players must navigate both the embalming process and paranormal encounters, with Rebecca’s past haunting her through visions and hallucinations. It also has multiple endings and a unique wet note mechanic to track the demon’s influence. This chilling setting is made even more unsettling by Raymond, Rebecca’s boss, who has been fighting his own battle with possession and has his own dark secrets hidden within the mortuary’s walls.

The Mortuary Assistant is perfect for Halloween, as it combines realistic mortuary tasks with a truly disturbing storyline about possession and haunting. The ominous atmosphere, dark lore, and unpredictable supernatural events make it an ideal horror game for anyone looking for a genuinely unsettling experience during the spooky season.

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That wraps up our list of Halloween must-plays! Hopefully, these games give you just the eerie vibes you’re looking for to set the perfect Halloween mood. Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know what games you’re excited to play this Halloween, we’d love to hear what’s on your spooky playlist!