For many game enthusiasts, the Halloween holiday has taken on a new meaning in their adult years. Instead of going door-to-door to trick-or-treat, it’s now the perfect time to snuggle up under a blanket to play their favorite horror-themed video games. From Resident Evil to Dead by Daylight, the gaming industry now has decades of creepy titles that keep players up at night. Here are our favorite horror games that we like to play during Halloween.
I wouldn’t say it is every Halloween, but I’m far more likely to play a Fatal Frame game this time of year. Especially during daylight hours, when I’m trying to pass the time and want to do something vaguely spooky.
But when it comes to what I’ll play later in the evening, odds are it’s a mobile game. While I’m waiting for trick-or-treaters, I’ll often fire up something fast like Fire Emblem Heroes or Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia to tie up some loose ends between doling out treats. — Jenni
While a cliche answer, I find myself always going back to Resident Evil 4. I mean, it’s a classic for a reason, right? While not the most terrifying game ever made, its creepy rural village setting always sets the mood perfectly for the Halloween season. With the incredible Resident Evil 4 Remake releasing in 2023, the classic game has also never looked or played better. I just wish Capcom would also consider re-making the Parasite Eve games because those would definitely be my Halloween picks if they existed.
Finally, I wanted to give a shout out to the recently released Alan Wake 2. The long-awaited sequel from Remedy Games is already gearing up to be a modern-day classic. It’s also surprisingly terrifying and packed with some seriously chilling scenes that are nightmare-fuel. I recommend the mind-bending game to anyone who is a fan of Inception, Twin Peaks, or the first season of HBO’s True Detective — Brent
It’s not a horror game, but I’ll play the first Kingdom Hearts game so I can play through Halloween Town from Nightmare Before Christmas. I love the ghost Heartless designs and having Jack Skellington in my party. Is it spooky? No. Is it Halloween to me? Yes. — Arielle
I don’t think I’ve ever made the conscious decision to play a spooky game around Halloween, but I know that this year I will be replaying Signalis. Not only because the developers recently announced the release of their promised inventory update on PC but because Signalis is a captivating and haunting tale of love, isolation, and broken promises that I have been meaning to revisit since I first played it when it was released a year ago. — Daniel
The horror game I often go back to at this time of year is Dead by Daylight. I’m a scaredy cat so being able to run from iconic horror villains like Michael Myers alongside other players helps the atmosphere. In addition, while it isn’t fully Halloween-themed, I started a new tradition last year with Dragon Ball: The Breakers, which has its tense and scary moments and (in my opinion) has the best Dead by Daylight-style gameplay. I’ve been playing a round or two of that several nights a week in October. — Cody
I have to echo Jenni’s choice here, mainly because Fatal Frame is my favorite horror series, so I’ll usually replay something in the series around this time. Beyond that, I’ve also played the Little Nightmares games around this time of year. They’re full of creepy imagery and atmosphere, of course, with a stop-motion feel to them, which adds to the uncanny nature of the series. But each game is also a nice short experience that’s easy to work through in a single dark October evening. — Leigh
