Horror gamesand Halloween are a perfect pairing, but the genre is so saturated that it can be difficult to find which games are worth playing. Luckily, 2024 has seen the release of several great horror games with more to come in its final months. These ten games are perfect for players looking to pick up a new option for a spooky Halloween.
As a genre, horror encompasses a variety of game styles.Mascot horrors have a sort of charm to them, while survival horrors force players to strategize and use their resources wisely. With so many options, it’s easy to get lost looking for a new title to try for Halloween this year.
10Until Dawn’s Remaster Revives A Tale Of The Normal And Supernatural
A Haunting Return to Blackwood Mountain: Until Dawn’s Remastered Edition
Until Dawnreceived a remasterthat was released on October 4.While this story-heavy adventure is thrilling, it gets the last place on this list simply because it’s a remaster instead of a new game.
Until Dawn
Additionally, itdoesn’t look like the game is making significant changesthat tend to be part of a remake rather than a remaster, which typically polishes a game’s graphics and gameplay. Set a year after the tragic deaths of two sisters, a group of their friends visit a cabin together to honor their memory at the request of the girls’ brother, Josh.
How the story unfolds and who survives to the end is decided by the player through choices and quick time events.
Unfortunately, this get-together turns deadly as the group discovers thepresence of both human and inhuman threats. How the story unfolds and who survives to the end is decided by the player through choices and quick time events.
9The Outlast Trials Rotates Programs
More Than Just a Game: The Social Experiment of The Outlast Trials
LikeUntil Dawn,The Outlast Trialswas available to play before 2024, as it was in its Early Access period. Then, the game’s full release version launched earlier this year.Plus,The Outlast Trialspulls off a feature that can be difficult to use in horror games: multiplayer.
10 Best Psychological Horror Video Games, Ranked
The genre as a whole has provided players with some of the darkest experiences in gaming, but a few stand out as the best psychological horror games.
It’s hard to keep the fear alive when allies are around to help, but Red Barrels pulls it off.An opportunity to make a bit of money turns into a nightmare when the player character finds a flier from Murkoff.
Of course, the Murkoff Corporation is terribly unethical, and this opportunity is more of a nightmare than a blessing, asthe character is forced to undergo horrific trialsin an effort to be reborn.The Outlast Trialsbrings the gritty horrors of the other games in the franchise to a multiplayer experience in a way that doesn’t lower the fear.
8Withering Rooms Brings Victorian Charm
The Beauty of Decay: Exploring the Aesthetic of Withering Rooms
Withering Roomsis like a side scrolling game, but it gives the main character, Nightingale, the option of entering rooms and backtracking. It might not be the usual style for a Soulslike game, but it adds to the difficulty ascombat and dodging are harder when there isn’t the open space of an arenaavailable to use. As a result, Nightingale has to rely on items and abilities to make up for her limited combat space.
Nightingale is at the center ofWithering Rooms, and she’s living at the Mostyn House. Unfortunately, the Mostyn House and locations related to it areconnected to a dream world full of deadly horrors that can last for days on end. With the help of others who are stuck in these nightmares and have learned to survive, Nightingale digs into the secrets of the Mostyn House and its owner.
The Casting of Frank Stoneis perfect for players who likeDead by Daylight, games created by Supermassive, or both. Instead of the normal asymmetrical PvP ofDead by Daylight, this game takes a deeper look into the lore. While story isn’t always an important factor in games that revolve around PvP, having aspinoff to add to the lore is a fun way to put emphasis on one or more characters.
Like other Supermassive games that make up theDark Anthologyseries,The Casting of Frank Stoneincludeschoices that impact how events in the game play out. ChannelingDead by Daylightvibes, the game follows a group of friends who dig into Frank’s bloody legacy in Cedar Hills. Of course, it doesn’t take long for this investigation to turn deadly, and it’s up to the player and their choice to help the group survive.
6Alone In The Dark Revisits A Classic Horror
The Legacy of Horror: A Look at Alone in the Dark’s Influence
Alone in the Darkwas remade and released in 2024,and the reviews were mixed and filled with players who loved the game, those who hated it, and those who thought it was fine, but maybe not spectacular. While it’s rather different from the original version, it has its own charm.
The problem is that its pace is slow, making it a bad choice when looking for action. The positive side is thatAlone in the Darkhas an eerie atmosphere and interesting story.
This won’t be a great option when looking for action, but it’s fun to go slow and explore each area while switching locations and even visiting the past.
There are puzzles to solve, and a full playthrough requirescompleting a run on both characters, as they both have sections that are unique to them. This won’t be a great option when looking for action, but it’s fun to go slow and explore each area while switching locations and even visiting the past.
5Senua’s Journey Continues In Hellblade 2
A Darker Descent into Madness
Senua’s story is finally revisited withHellblade 2: Senua’s Sacrifice. In this game,the horrors aren’t limited to the world around Senua, as her own mind often works against her, and other times, her mind helps her find her way through obstacles and dangers. It might be a sequel, butHellblade 2includes plenty of scary scenesand doesn’t lose touch with what made the previous game great.
Hellblade 2is heavy on atmosphere,channeling eerie vibes that keep players on edgeas they move through each area. However, that doesn’t mean that this game is short on jump scares and generally unsettling content either. It all comes together to create an unforgettably creepy experience that’s perfect for Halloween.Hellblade 2is a gem among horror games, and it’s perfect for players who enjoy titles likeOutlastandSilent Hill.
4Indika Is An Underrated Alternate Universe
Beyond the Mainstream: Why Indika Deserves More Attention
Horror games have a tendency to draw on religious themes, andIndikatakes that a step further.Indikais set in an alternate version of Russia, and it follows the journey of a young nun as she sets out on a quest of self-discovery.
However, she isn’t alone during this quest, andher companion is the devil himself, which creates a highly surreal experience. A nun and the devil aren’t the typical starring characters in games.
The combination opens the way for a story filled with dark humor and an unusual mix of styles, asIndika’s past is told through arcade-like minigames.
While the short length of the game could be seen as a drawback, it means that the story’s pacing doesn’t drag on longer than necessary.Indika’ssimple gameplay is rounded out by puzzles that force players to think creatively,and a story that’s full of moral questions.
3Crow Country Is A Classic Horror Treat
The Haunting of Crow Country: A Review of the Game
In both style and story,Crow Countrypulls inspiration from classic survival horror games, likeResident EvilandSilent Hill. The story revolves around an abandoned theme park that remains full of mysteries. While the theme park seems harmless on the surface, it hides dark secrets that the player discovers the deeper they dig into its history and the reason that it ended up closing in the past.
Curiosity drives Mara to enter Crow Country, the abandoned theme park, to try and figure out why it closed all those years ago, and what happened to its owner, who seemingly vanished.Typical of PlayStation 1 era horror games,Crow Countryinvolves a lot of exploring and puzzle solving to progress through sections. The eerie setting, dark story, and nostalgic style ofCrow Countrymake it a great option to pick up for Halloween.
2Get Trapped In Still Wakes The Deep
The Isolation of the Deep: Exploring Still Wakes the Deep’s Atmosphere
Compared to other games on this list,Still Wakes the Deepis much lighter on gameplay elements and mechanics. Instead, this game is more of a walking simulator that’s set on an oil rig in the North Sea in 1975. Oil rigs aren’t common as a setting for horror games, or games in general, but it works well in this case, especially since it createsan environment that doesn’t allow for the possibility of escape.
Without combat,Still Wakes the Deepforces the player to rely on stealth while they solve puzzles and avoid being caught by the strange monsters on board. An accident resulted in multiple workers on the rig falling into the water, and only one was able to survive and make it back aboard the rig.However, it becomes a quest for survival while waiting for the next chance to get a ride back to land.
1Silent Hill 2 Returns With A New Look
The Psychological Horror of Silent Hill 2
A classic makes a modern return with theSilent Hill 2remake, which arrives just in time for Halloween in 2024.James' story inSilent Hillis often considered the best in the series, and Bloober Team has given it new life with an overhaul to both graphics and gameplay, making it a third person over-the-shoulder style shooter. Additionally,SH2will finally be more available with this remake, as the original game is difficult to purchase and run on modern systems.
After his wife’s death, James Sunderland returns to the eerie town of Silent Hill, a place she wished to revisit with him before she contracted a terminal illness. However, James ends up affected by the strange properties of the town that force people to face negative emotions. As a result,James has to deal with repressed emotions and guilt over the death of his wifewhile trying to avoid death at the hands of creatures created by his own psyche.
Halloween is the perfect time to try a new horror game, but the market is so saturated that it’s difficult to sift through it and find gems. Luckily, 2024 has been a pretty good year when it comes to the genre, and there are both AAA options and indie options that are worth checking out. Any players looking to spice up the season with a few spooks should give the titles here a try, as they all have their own charm ashorror games.
