Looking for some spooks this Halloween? We have you covered! Check out our list of the best games you can play on Halloween 2023.
The Best Halloween Games To Play in 2023
Halloween is upon us! That means a lot of spooks and scares, and no there's no shortage of video games that can give you the spooks! But what are the best ones you can play this year? We’ve come up with a list of games you might want to play leading up to Halloween, with the scariest games that came out this year (and even some from last year too!).
10. Night Security
A psychological horror game by Japanese indie dev Chilla’s Art, "Night Security" puts you in the shoes of a hapless security guard hired after the previous one went missing. It’s a straightforward enough job - you arrive at work in your van, lock the doors in the building, turn off the lights, and tell any lingering office workers to go home already. It’s your daughter’s birthday tomorrow, too, so you wanna make sure you’ll finish the job early today.
Unfortunately, out of all the nights, this one had to be when things start getting strange. Like a lot of other Chilla’s Art titles, the game starts empty and quiet, but then suddenly becomes noisy as you make your rounds in this otherwise mundane office. Be careful not to get too complacent; you might just see something you’ll regret seeing.
9. The Outlast Trials
You! Yes, YOU, have been chosen to partake in the Murkoff Corporation’s newest trials to be "reborn"… There’s just one catch: You’ll have to survive.
The Outlast Trials is a multiplayer online survival horror game in the Outlast franchise by Red Barrels. Here, you’re one of the many, many poor schmucks who fell for Murkoff’s offer of a new shot at life, and are now forced to participate in very unethical and very deadly experiments. You’ll have to get through various maps, completing objectives like pushing a traitor to his death on the electric chair, or burning a wagon full of disobedient (but animatronic) children! What fun!
Getting in your way are the various horrors and freaks the Murkoff Corporation has been creating in their spare time. It’s up to you to use your wits, your gadgets, and your sneaking skills to get past them, escape, and ultimately be reborn.
The Outlast Trials on Steam
The Outlast Trials Official Website
8. The Sons of the Forest
The Sons of the Forest is the follow-up to the infamous survival horror builder, The Forest, by Endnight Games. In this installment, you’re on a rescue mission to save a missing billionaire and his family on a remote island. However, your helicopter suddenly crashes on the island, leaving you and another mercenary named Kevin as the only survivors. Still, even with the crash, you have to continue your mission.
But the longer you stay on the island, the more you notice that there is something strange afoot. During the day, you must build up your outpost by cutting down trees, constructing buildings, and gathering food. Eventually, you’ll need to make weapons of your own to defend yourself. Against what? Why, against the cannibals and mutants roam the island during these twilight hours, of course. And you must fend them off if you’re to survive this whole ordeal.
The Sons of the Forest on Steam
7. DREDGE
Do you like fishing? How about eldritch horrors? Then you’ll love DREDGE, a little fishing game from Black Salt Games. That’s right, you’re a sailor who has to catch fish around the town of Greater Marrow, with a small boat you can upgrade. There’s a catch though - you are warned to not stay out at sea during the night.
But the thing is, you start getting your hands on mutated fish. Where are they coming from? Someone approaches you with an offer: use your boat to fish out ancient relics from under the water that are causing the mutated fish to appear. In exchange, you’ll be able to get your boat upgraded. But as you move forward in this strange endeavor and uncover the mystery of the fog that engulfs the sea at night, you’ll begin to wonder whether it was worth getting involved in this in the first place.
DREDGE on Steam
DREDGE Official Website
6. Yomawari: Lost in the Dark
A young girl finds themselves in a strange forest, without any idea of how she got there. Unfortunately, she’s cursed - her memories are missing, and she must find those memories in a town full of mysterious and strange beings. Before it is too late…
Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is the third installment in the Yomawari series by Nippon Ichi Software, following the events of Yomawari: Midnight Shadows. Just like in the last games, it’s all about exploration and surviving horrific encounters as a small girl. Be sure to keep your wits about you, follow instructions, use your flashlight, and don’t die.
Yomawari - Lost in the Dark on Steam
5. Signalis
In Signalis, humanity has expanded to the stars, and multiple scout ships have been sent out into space to find distant worlds to colonize. But a particular scout ship, the Penrose-512, crashes onto a snowy planet. You are Replika LSTR-512, also known as Elster, a robot engineer who now has to look for her human co-pilot. But as Elster searches for her human co-pilot, she finds that not all is well.
In fact, she comes across a cosmic mystery involving mutated creatures, dark secrets, and something that could even threaten reality itself.
Signalis harks back to classic survival horror games, where you control Elster through top-down and first-person horror sequences. Use her technical know-how to open doors, solve puzzles, and evade or destroy the terrors that await you in the government black site S-23.
Signalis on Steam
Signalis Official Website
4. Resident Evil 4 Remake
Resident Evil 4 is a game that barely needs an introduction, but we’ll do it anyway. In this remake of the classic 2005 game, you play as former police officer-turned-U.S. Secret Service agent Leon S. Kennedy. The president’s daughter, Ashley Graham, has been kidnapped and his only lead is in a remote region in Spain. There, Leon finds that her captors are anything but normal kidnappers, and he must find a way to rescue her before they use her to unleash a terrible parasitic plague.
The Resident Evil 4 Remake takes everything the original did and crafts them from the ground up. With new shooting mechanics, better graphics, and a story that will pump you with both adrenaline and fear, RE4R is one of the 2023 best action horror titles and one you would definitely want to be playing on Halloween night.
Resident Evil 4 Remake Official Website
3. Amnesia: The Bunker
A terrifying game by the same people behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA, Amnesia: The Bunker puts you in the shoes of a French soldier during the First World War. He’s trapped in the titular bunker, currently being stalked by a creature that hates the light, and he must find a way to escape. Traverse the bunker, gather components, and keep the generator running so the lights stay on and keep the creature at bay. You may have a gun with you, but that’s only enough to ward the fiend off for a limited time. Better save your bullets in case the lights go out.
We recommend you play this alone in a dark room on Halloween night if you want to be really scared. Wear headphones too, so you know where the creature is coming from… or don't. It might be less scary that way.
Amnesia - The Bunker on Steam
Amnesia - The Bunker Official Website
2. FAITH: The Unholy Trinity
FAITH: The Unholy Trinity by Airdorf Games may look really old, but it’s one of the scariest horror experiences you can ever get your hands on. Take on the cross as Father John Thomas Ward. After an exorcism goes wrong, Father Ward returns to the very house where it happened to excise the demons possessing a girl named Amy. From there, he steps into a world full of devils, cultists, and the Unspeakable itself.
FAITH’s gameplay is simple - walk around the level, and hold up your cross to keep any demons at bay. The problem is that you need to stand still to hold up your cross, leaving you vulnerable in three other directions. This is all you have available to deal with the literal Devil himself. Good luck and God bless you.
FAITH - The Unholy Trinity on Steam
1. Dead Space (Remake)
Perhaps the scariest game of 2023, the remake of the classic 2008 survival horror game Dead Space takes you on a journey where nobody can hear you scream. You are Isaac Clarke, an engineer called in to help the Planet Cracker-Class ship USG Ishimura. But once aboard, Clarke and his crewmates find that most people on the ship are dead, and something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Just like in the 2008 game, Clarke has access to a RIG, a suit that somewhat resembles power armor, which will protect him from most of the terrors on the ship at least briefly. And there are many terrors, hiding in the vents and shadows and anywhere else. Players must be creative with how they use Clarke’s weapons because aiming at limbs will take down enemies in the fastest way possible. Yes, "take down," not "kill." Make of that however you will.
If you want a game that will keep you looking over your shoulder while you’re playing on Halloween, then the Dead Space Remake is definitely it.
Dead Space Remake on Steam
Dead Space Remake Official Website
Best Halloween Games To Play in 2023 - Honorable Mentions
Alan Wake 2
After the events of the original 2010 psychological action thriller, Alan Wake, Alan Wake 2 will bring you again to the sleepy town of Bright Falls, where FBI agent Saga Anderson is investigating a string of ritualistic murders. A crime writer, Alan Wake, is deemed to be at the center of this mystery, and it’s Anderson’s job to find out what happened.
Based on what we’ve seen so far from the game, the environments Anderson investigates are abandoned and creepy, full of people possessed by a strange, malevolent force. Gunplay and the player’s perspectives are similar as well. Once it comes out, we expect a very unnerving experience.
Alan Wake 2 on Steam
Alan Wake 2 Official Website
Lies of P
Lies of P is a souls-like game with a steampunk take on Carlo Collodi’s "The Adventures of Pinocchio." Here, Pinnochio, travels through the city of Krat to find his creator, Mister Geppetto. But at the same time, he must fight through the city to do so, taking down all manner of humans, monsters, and other terrifying figures.
It may not be obvious at first glance, but Lies of P can get very creepy at certain times. We will not spoil these parts because it’s part of the surprise. But if you’re playing this game on Halloween night, we suggest you keep on your toes.
Lies of P on Steam
Lies of P Official Website
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a thrilling online game that puts you in the shoes of either the Slaughter Family or their unwilling Victims. During a match, you will either have to hunt all of the Victims down as a Family member, or escape the Slaughter property and hide from them as a Victim. Each player is forced to think of ways to either lure out their prey or evade their predators, making TCSM a thrilling game more than anything.
But if you’re playing a Victim, things can get terrifying really fast, especially if the Family members are adept at using their abilities to scare you out of your hiding spots. If you’re spending Halloween with friends and want a scary multiplayer experience, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will definitely give you the scares you want.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Steam
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Official Website
