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5 of the Best Horror Games to Play Right Now
It’s officially spooky season, and with Halloween just a few days away, now is the perfect time to tear through your horror watch list. But in between B-grade slasher flicks and scary shows, why not give yourself a fright with a good ol’ horror game? There are so many to choose from and, just like the movies, there are entire genres dedicated to different kinds of spooks.
We’ve rounded up some of the best horror games to play this Halloween. Whether you secretly love a jump scare or prefer your horror to be slow and creeping, there’s a great game that will scare you silly. Turn out the lights, get under the blanket, and load up these spooky games.
The Dark Pictures Anthology
This series of standalone horror games are great to play on the couch with your friends or housemates, because each character can be controlled by a different player. Pass the controller around the room as the story switches between the characters and try not to get your character killed.
There are three games in the series: Man of Medan, a creepy survival story set on a ghost-ship, Little Hope, which is inspired by the Salem witch trials, and House of Ashes, a monster showdown set underground.
Available on: PC, Playstation and Xbox
Little Nightmares
In Little Nightmares, you play as Six, a child trapped inside a huge, underwater vessel called the Maw and hunted by monsters. The game doesn’t throw jump scares or gore at you; instead, it plays on the fears you probably had when you were a kid and turns something like hide and seek into a life or death event.
A sequel came out in 2020 that continues the story of Six and another child, Mono.
Available on: PC, Playstation, Xbox and Switch
Phasmophobia
The premise of Phasmophobia is simple: you and up to three friends are paranormal investigators. Together you explore haunted buildings and gather evidence to figure out what kind of ghost is lurking around.
The scares come when the ghosts start fighting back — and because the game uses voice recognition, you have to be careful you don’t say anything that will aggravate the spectral figure.
Available on: PC
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation came out in 2014 and it’s still one of the scariest games you can play.
Inspired by the creeping dread of the movie, the game drops you onto a derelict ship in the middle of space where you’re relentlessly hunted by a xenomorph.
Available on: PC, Playstation, Xbox and Switch
Mundaun
Mundaun is a creepy little game in black and white with a fascinating art style. After your grandfather’s mysterious death, you return to the small Swiss village you grew up in and uncover a dark family curse.
Everything in Mundaun is hand-drawn, setting a dark and ominous tone as you solve puzzles and explore the alps. You’ll spend a lot of time solving puzzles, but the real thrill of Mundaun comes from the thinly veiled sense of dread that hangs over the village and all comes back to your family.
Available on: PC, Playstation, Xbox and Switch