10 Horror Video Games That Are Perfect For Halloween!

Everybody loves to be creeped out and scared sometimes, right? I mean, even those who aren’t into horror generally still get a kick out of a jump scare or a creepy or spooky moment or two, especially during Halloween-time. So, I thought it might be fun to look at a few video games that are perfect options to play at this time of year. A mixture of old and new, underrated and highly loved. So, here we go. Ten horror games that are perfect for Halloween…

10. Until Dawn (2015)

Like playing through a slasher movie, Until Dawn is a splendid homage to the horror genre, with some fine acting performances, some lovely visual design and a bunch of genuinely creepy and scary moments. It’s a really cool story, too. If you’re a horror movie fan, this is a perfect game to play, and while the cold and wintery climate feels more Christmassy than it does Halloweeny (it’s a word, ok?) it’s still a worthy pick for October time. Very good, indeed.

9. Left 4 Dead (2008)

There’s something very enjoyable about getting together with some gaming pals and shooting the poop out of a gathering of rampaging flesh eating zombie buggers. Now… Left 4 Dead is one of those games I admittedly didn’t play a ton, but what I did play, I enjoyed. It was cool to plan your game plan and attempt to reach your goals, all the while screaming at Jimmy over there who keeps dropping the fuel cans and causing you all to have to rescue him twenty-four times every game. Dammit Jimmy, all you had to do was carry the fuel can. What is wrong with you? A fun FPS group game, it’s more fun with people you know (otherwise you will likely be booted for not being as good as the others). I’m speaking from experience. I suck at Left 4 Dead.

8. Doom (1993)

Doom was so influential, and so good. Back in 1993 it was the heights of horror gaming. It was gory, it was visceral, it was creepy and it was very cool. Sure, now it looks like a bunch of red pixels flying around a bunch of black pixels, but it still helped to create and launch a whole genre. It’s still, all these years later, fun to go back to. The new games are fun, yes, but I get more of a kick out of switching the lights off, putting the headphones on, and pretending I’m eleven years old in the science lab again. “Are you playing Doom again? Turn it off and do things with magnesium and bunsen burners, for the ninth time!”

7. Bioshock (2007)

Bioshock is still an amazing game. It still plays like a dream. It’s so unique and beautiful to look at. The music and the sound design is fantastic. The story and locations are brilliant. The options of weapons and abilities are deep and interesting. It’s a perfect game, basically, and one I love to go back to over and over again. It has murderous folk wandering around ready to pounce on you. It has Big Daddies and Little Sisters, who are pretty damn haunting, and the overall tone of the game is a throwback 1920s nightmare. If there are many better FPS titles than this, I’d like to see them. One of the best of the genre, easily. Halloween is a good time to pick it up again, I feel.

6. Project Zero/Fatal Frame (2001)

I recall playing Fatal Frame in a quiet living room on a quiet Sunday morning in a quiet house. I was into the game, the creepy ghosty tone giving me chills. I turned my head and soiled myself when I saw the friggin window-cleaner looking through the glass whilst quietly splashing water on it. It was a hard moment in my life. I was eighteen years old, and showed my ability to scream like a high-pitched banshee. Bad times. This series, though, and the first game in it, is very creepy indeed. You can’t really fight, either. You’re armed with a camera to capture the ghosts, but… it’s not that simple. I don’t know HOW well the games have aged, but my memories of them are of very intense and spooky titles that would be ideal for the season.

5. The Condemned 2: Bloodshot (2008)

The Condemned is an underrated game, and the sequel is even more underrated. I loved the sequel, Bloodshot, when it came out in 2008, and I still dig it today. It has some very cool horror moments, such as rooms of moving mannequins. The combat is in-your-face and intense due to it being very melee based much of the time, and the enemies make you jump out of your trousers, and your chair, over and over again. A title that doesn’t get nearly enough love, this is a good one to pick up and give a try to for Halloween. Many may have missed out on this when it came out 12 years back, so what better time to pick it up for cheap and give it a whirl?

4. The Last Of Us (2013) and The Last of Us 2 (2020)

I could easily have placed these games at the top of this list, but as far as pure horror, I popped them a bit lower. I love these games, truly. They’re two of the best video games I’ve ever played and perhaps are the two best overall titles on this list, but… I decided to put them here due to them not falling quite into that pure horror category. Still, there’s a lot of horror amidst the drama and brilliant storytelling. The virus sweeping the planet, the clickers walking around wanting to eat your face off, the various mutants and human killers. It’s a brilliant duo of titles and deserves to be on any list of best games. I think it’s undeniable that these are two perfect choices any time of the year, but Halloween might be just that bit more fitting.

3. Dead Space (2008)

Taking things into space is a damn good idea, and man is this a horrifying experience. The creatures are designed to look like awful bloody things, and they chase you around endlessly, trying to snarf you up like a ham sandwich. Of course, you can blast them to bits with your gun, and then dismember them when they’re down. That is one of the most satisfying feelings here, too. Being able to shoot down an enemy and then stomp their limbs off so they can’t keep coming is a blast. It’s a fantastic game with a real tension going on, and plays like a dream. Just… let me get to that next save point before I get killed, please!

2. Resident Evil: Biohazard (2017)

Now, I know many will raise an eyebrow and cuffaw at my inclusion of THIS Resident Evil game on the list, and not Resident Evil, the original game, or Resident Evil 4. Still… this is one that I added due to it being a more recent title, and because I had an absolute blast with it from start to finish. Of course, any Resident Evil title, especially the ones mentioned above, are good choices too, but Biohazard was something different. It felt, at times, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, before becoming a hectic and frantic monster chase game. It’s gory, creepy and wonderfully designed in both visuals, gameplay and sound. It really is a game that makes you jump. It’s challenging, and it’s very much a nod to the horror genre. I love this game, and it’d be a fantastic choice for one to play for Halloween.

1. Silent Hill 2 (2001)

I haven’t been scared or unsettled more by a video game than I was back in the early 00s by Silent Hill 2. The silent heavy creepiness of Pyramid Head, the demented design of the villains in general, the awfully claustrophobic and threatening tone. It’s an uncomfortable game that gets under your skin. You want to run through it as fast as you can to avoid any danger, but you can’t. You have to endure the terror of Silent Hill, and that’s what makes it so damn good, and so undeniably memorable. In my view, this remains the best horror video game ever. Many may disagree, but hey… I’m compiling this list, so I’ll stick with it.