I've been a horror fan for 20 years, and these are the best Halloween games I recommend playing this year

There is no better way to celebrate October 31st than by playing the best Halloween games, in my personal opinion. While the best horror movies are great in their own right, playing the best horror games brings the fun, festive scares of the holiday to the next level as you are thrown into tense situations where your very survival depends on your own in-game actions.

However, finding the perfect games to pick up for Halloween can be tricky since there are so many great scary options out there. In fact, 2026 was an especially strong year for the genre with the likes of a new Resident Evil title, a Silent Hill standalone, and a bunch of indie goodness too. However, as a seasoned horror fan, I've been keeping track of all the new games and have played the absolute classics, so hopefully I can be of some help to anyone searching for their perfect All Hallows' Eve gaming activity.

Below are my personal recommendations for the best Halloween games to play this year, looking specifically at titles that capture the spirit of the holiday. I've also tried to include a range of gameplay styles; no matter your preferences, you'll find something spooky and delightful here. And, if you are a fellow horror expert, feel free to comment on what you are playing this Halloween down below! 'Tis the season for sharing scares after all.

The best Halloween games to play right now, starting with…

Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival

As a massive horror movie nerd, I absolutely adore Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival. I've been itching for a new single-player horror movie adaptation that really captures its source material since Alien Isolation, and the good news is that this new Hellraiser outing is as gory and faithful as they come to '80s scary flicks. Revival doesn't recap the story from the Hellraiser movies, though; instead, it perfectly emulates the world to give us a fresh plot featuring Aiden making a deal with the Cenobites in order to save his girlfriend Sunny.

You'll be chased through the labyrinth, have to mess up some cultists, and witness some glorious suffering in the process. I will say, though, that this game is just as gross and mean as the Hellraiser movies. The amount of gore and violence is pretty staggering, and shocked even me (a Hellraiser fan who has seen even the terrible direct-to-video outings). If you are squeamish, stay away, but if you are interested in all of Pinhead's sadistic temptations this Halloween, you can read our Hellraiser Revival review for more details.

No, I'm Not A Human

Halloween is a time of the year when children knock on doors for candy. However, if you choose to play the recently released horror game, No I'm Not A Human, you'll have something far more dangerous ringing your doorbell this spooky season. The game is set during a scenario where something is happening to the sun, and beings known as "Visitors" have made their way to the surface from underground. You need to figure out who to let into your home, and who these said visitors are that you should be avoiding instead.

Playing this feels like playing a strange nightmare version of Papers, Please as it goes through a (at times bizarre) story about the end of the world. The art is strikingly morbid, and so is the writing at times, but as you interact with the folks you let into your home and test to see if they are human or not, it's also very easy to get swept up by the game's creepy and unsettling atmosphere. Imposter games are a guilty pleasure of mine, and in terms of indie titles to explore this Halloween in that particular sub-genre, No I'm Not A Human stands out as a creative and striking choice.

The Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials is not only terrifying, but it also has one of the best communities out of any horror-centric multiplayer offering, so if you are looking for a fun and welcoming Halloween activity, I can't recommend this one enough. First released in 2024, this is a prequel to the first two Outlast games, and has you basically trapped as a test subject for some kind of MK Ultra-like experiment. You will need to complete trials in order to achieve "Rebirth" and be released.

However, said trials are dangerous, involve you being trapped with a charismatic killer most of the time, and carrying out pretty brutal puzzles that will make you wince. The game also has a secondary story of fellow captives trying to escape. With every update, we get a new little chapter that is still going on. There is a ton of love and thought in this title, and it'll also scare your pants off too. What more could you ask for?

Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem is one of the best games of 2026 and is the perfect Halloween game to play thanks to its balance of action and horror. Now, let's be frank: most Resident Evil games either lean into one of two camps: the hard push on survival horror and terror, or big sweeping action and snappy combat like Resident Evil 4. However, Resident Evil Requiem finally brings both of those classic Resi features together in one brilliant title.

The story follows dual protagonists Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy as they have to investigate a series of murders in Raccoon City. In Grace's sections, we get tense stealth and survival horror. Whereas Leon is like a grisly action hero, charging forth into the zombies with some one-liners. Halloween is both scary and fun, and Resident Evil Requiem personifies that seasonal spirit down to a tee. If you need more convincing on this gem, you can also read our glowing Resident Evil Requiem review.

Penguin Colony

Calling all my Lovecraftian lovers: a new Arctic horror game lets you witness unspeakable terrors and descents into madness from the perspective of a cute penguin. Penguin Colony is a delightful narrative experience that takes Hp Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness and A Shadow of Time and has you exploring a semi-open world as a bunch of penguins, asking you to solve puzzles as you also watch the humans around you. It turns out that Nazi's are in Antarctica searching for a hidden power.

This is the kind of title where you piece the plot together by exploring different points of interest to unlock the complete narrative puzzle. And trust me, you will want to find everything you can because the ongoing mystery, paired with the game's brilliant atmosphere, makes for a unique mix of foreboding and cute vibes as you waddle along. On top of all this, Penguin Colony is also a short game that can be bashed out in a few hours if you are looking to complete a new game on Halloween night.

Silver Pines

Silver Pines really does deserve more attention because it's downright fantastic (in fact, we gave this indie horror a near-perfect rating in our Silver Pines review). It's also a great Halloween pick if you want to fully lean into the dark and gritty side of horror that pays homage to spooky detective stories like Twin Peaks. You take on the role of a private investigator who is tasked by a mysterious voice to track down Eddie Velvet in Silver Pines (a recently evacuated town).

This is a survival horror title that is moody as heck; the art direction is stunning, and it really does evoke David Lynch in its atmosphere and surreal nods. Exploration shows a ton of variety, with each location still managing to propel feelings of dread and unease. I can't emphasize how good this game looks; the creatures, animation- it's all spooky and artistically put together. If you love horror stories and psychological thrillers with unsettling elements, then there is no better way to celebrate the spooky season than with this gem.

Alien: Isolation

In terms of classic games that I know will jumpscare me and leave me screaming every time, Alien: Isolation is top of the list. After pure fear and terror, this spooky season? Does peeing your pants every time a Xenomorph jumps out and kills you sound like the perfect Halloween activity? Well, there are few games as reliably scary as Creative Assembly's 2014 masterpiece. Following on from the events of the first Alien movie, here you play as Ellen Ripley's daughter, Amanda, who ends up searching a derelict space station for her mother… too bad she isn't alone.

That's right, you need to avoid being detected by a stray Xenomorph stalking the ship, and the game does a great job of keeping you tense and terrified of being discovered by the deadly monster throughout. The survival gameplay in this title is some of the best I've ever played, and as our near-perfect Alien: Isolation review suggests, everything about this game is expertly crafted to keep your heart racing and nightmares fueled.

Bye Sweet Carole

Bye Sweet Carole combines horror with Disney in one of the best releases to have come our way in October 2025. Visually, Bye Sweet Carole hits all the boxes for all my fellow The Black Cauldron movie fans and Maleficent sympathizers, and if you love whimsical adventure games but want one with a spooky twist this Halloween, I can't recommend this one enough.

Bye Sweet Carol follows an orphan who is determined to find their missing friend Carole Simmons. However, the quest to find her friend turns into one of survival as well. Gameplay-wise, expect 2D platform elements, puzzle-solving, and some stalker villains to deal with. The story here is magnificent and really is presented just like a classic Disney movie. But be warned, it's a dark story that takes around six and a half hours to beat, and you may be in tears by its ending.

R.E.P.O

When it comes to horror multiplayer games, we are spoilt for choice. Honestly, there are so many great options out there to get scared with your friends this Halloween, from Phasmophobia to Lethal Company. However, in terms of games that'll leave you in hysterics while screaming occasionally (aka the perfect Halloween combination), R.E.P.O. fits the bill perfectly.

The game is simple: you need to try and collect a bunch of valuable physics-based objects and not get killed by monsters in the process. Throw in some hilarious proximity voice chat antics, spooky maps, and some downright terrifying creatures, and you have a wail of a time on your hands. The game is still in Early Access; however, it's regularly getting new content, and if you do choose to play it for Halloween, you'll get to experience the R.E.P.O. v0.3.0 Monster update, which adds a bunch of new valuables to collect and ten new monsters, on top of a well of other new tweaks and features as well.

Costume Quest

OK, so a lot of the games on this list are horror titles instead of strictly ones set on October 31. Well, if you are looking for a game that's actually set during spooky season and replicates the feeling of childhood joy around the holiday, then Costume Quest is the game for you. Here, you play as Reynold (aka one of the new kids in town), who, while trick-or-treating, meets monsters who are collecting all that sweet candy for evil purposes. After your twin sister is mistaken for a piece of candy corn and taken by the monsters, you'll have to save her, grab as much candy as you can on the way, and get home before your bedtime as well.

This is a very lighthearted RPG that centers around doing various quests around the neighborhood, taking our stray monsters that you find, unlocking new costumes, and of course, ringing doorbells for candy. Costume Quest is casual, and if you are looking for a gameplay challenge, you won't find that here. You will, however, get plenty of festive vibes and feel very nostalgic as well.

Luigi's Mansion 3

Luigi's Mansion 3 is the ultimate ghost-busting game to play this Halloween and makes for a great date night option if you and your significant other are after some spooky co-op action. The game follows Luigi and the rest of the Mario and co crew being invited to stay at a very swanky hotel… too bad it's haunted, and King Boo has decided to trap everyone in paintings. It's up to Luigi (with the help of his new green goo friend Gooigi) to vacuum-suck all the ghouls, solve environmental puzzles, and save the day.

While you need to play around an hour to unlock co-op abilities with Gooigi, once you do, you have easily one of the best couple games of all time. The game also looks and runs great on both the Switch 2 and the original Switch, and honestly, Nintendo has nailed the classic cartoony, creepy aesthetic that Scooby-Doo fans will just adore. For more information, read our Luigi's Mansion 3 review.

Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares is an adorable but still very creepy and tense horror. It's also short and can easily be played in a single night if you are looking for a complete solo experience to dig into this Halloween. While there are a few games in the Little Nightmares timeline already, if I had to pick one for you to play this year, it would have to be the original that follows a small child called Six as they have to try and get to the surface and escape a ship filled with monsters.

In our Little Nightmares review, we commented that this game is like "Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, if Spirited Away was grotesque and horrifying." Even years after its release, I stand by that statement as the game is still very stylish, and even as you are trying to escape from cannibalistic cooks and long-armed janitors, the visuals remain consistent. Little Nightmares is a gem of the horror genre, and once you get pulled into its creepy charm, you'll likely be picking up Little Nightmares 2 as well.

Silent Hill f

Silent Hill f isn't just one of the best Silent Hill games ever released, but it's also easily one of my favorite horror games of 2025. If you are like me and love psychological horror movies as well as captivating single-player story experiences, then Silent Hill f is the perfect title to celebrate the spooky season with. Set in 1960s Japan, you control the high schooler Hinako, whose hometown has been enveloped by a strange fog and monsters.

While the combat in the game can be kind of grindy and annoying at times, Silent Hill f's atmosphere and writing are where it truly shines. How it uses the horror genre to explore themes surrounding the oppression and objectification of women is great, and honestly makes me excited about the franchise taking more creative risks like this for future spin-offs and mainline games as well. For more information on this must-play, you can also read our Silent Hill f review!

Honorable mentions:

For even more horror-filled Halloween game recommendations, I've listed some honorable mentions for you to check out next, if nothing spoke to you on our list or if you want to try out something else after going through all of our above choices!

• Phasmophobia
• The Mortuary Assistant
• Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
• The Sinking City 2
• Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Alan Wake 2
• Amnesia: Rebirth
• Five Nights at Freddy's
• Layers of Fear
• P.T.

For more thrills and chills, you can head over to our lists of the best survival horror games and all the upcoming horror games still on their way this year and beyond.