The BIG list of spooky games for Halloween

Spooky season is upon us! While out and about this week you might see ghouls, ghosts and goblins, we thought it was high time to round up some devilishly devious games to set the scene for a spooky night in.

Beware the below for those of a delicate constitution, we’ve tried to create a balance of games that range from spooky to downright horrifying.

Until Dawn (Remake) — PlayStation 5, PC

Until Dawn, the game that launched Supermassive Games’ lineage of third-person horror games, is a staple classic for horror fans wanting a cinematic experience.

In the game, you’ll find a group of teens set for a weekend away in a cosy cabin in the woods. Of course, not everything is as it seems, and the groups quickly run afoul of things that go bump in the night – both supernatural and more earthly. It’s a tale filled with secrets, betrayals and plenty of blood and gore – and who survives the night is up to the choices you make along the way.

The recent remaster bumps the game into the Unreal Engine 5, which will let you see the whites of each character’s eyes as you sing them off to sleep. Until Dawn is definitely one of my choices for cinematic experiences to play with a group of friends, pizza and popcorn for the old-school late-night horror experience.

Dead by Daylight — PlayStation, Xbox, PC

For those who love nothing more than rounding up a group of friends and riling each other up over voice chat, Dead by Daylight should be top of the list.

In your team of five players, you’ll have four survivors and one killer. The survivors must escape by activating generators and other objectives around the map, while the killer must hunt down the survivors one by one. The game has featured plenty of famous killers, including Chucky from Child’s Play, Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ghostface from Scream, and plenty of others.

While many other games have pushed the multiplayer one-versus-all mechanic and fumbled their player retention (I’m looking at your Evil Dead and Friday the 13th), Dead By Daylight has maintained consistent players and updates since its release in 2016.

The latest update is focused on Castlevania and has players fleeing from Dracula himself. very appropriate for Halloween.

Dead Space (Remake) — PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

For those of you who like your horror more The Thing than Friday the 13th, you’re sure to find a home with Isaac Clarke on the USG Ishimura — it just might be a little sticky.

The original Dead Space has always sat near the top of the list for survival horror gamers, it’s a jump-scare-filled sci-fi spin on horror/survival that draws equal parts from Aliens and Dawn of the Dead. As Isaac Clarke, you’ll have to fight your way through an interplanetary mining ship, where all of the previous occupants have been transformed into Necromorphs. By the time you arrive at the station, most of its inhabitants are clinging to life with more claws and teeth than feeding time at the zoo.

It’s a psychological horror with many twists and turns before the sun rises. For those of you with PlayStation Plus, this remake is included in the monthly games for October.

Cult of the Lamb — PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC

Representing the Australian Indie community, Cult of the Lamb is a spectacular spin on resource management, rogue-like combat and existential horror. It begs the question, what if woodland creatures worshipped an eldritch deity that demanded sacrifices?

As the titular Lamb, you’ll spend your time growing a flock of adorable woodland creatures for your cult and plan to overthrow a cadre of dark gods. As your cult grows, you’ll unlock weapons with which to slay enemies out in the dark forest and rituals to keep your followers happy or sacrifice them to your own god if they’re disobedient.

The recent Unholy Alliance update even lets you bring a co-op companion along for your adventures, so it’s perfect for a spooky date night.

Still Wakes The Deep — PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

While many of the options on this list have been geared towards multiplayer or at least a group experience, we need something for those horror hounds who like their scares to be more solitary.

I’d then like to draw your attention to the horror and isolation of an oil rig out at sea – to be alone with roiling waves from horizon to horizon and the churning, endless fathoms beneath you. Still Wakes The Deep fills a very specific niche of the horror genre – isolation, mystery, and a fair helping of tentacular terror.

Still Wakes The Deep is developed by The Chinese Room, of Amnesia, Dear Esther and Everyone’s Gone to the Rapture fame. The game itself will find you stranded on an oil rig as the lone survivor of a monstrous attack. You’ll solve puzzles and use stealth to make your way around the rig, uncover the stories of the other inhabitants, and ideally make it out alive.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster — PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

The classic Dawn of the Dead-inspired zombie slaughter fest has been remastered for current gen consoles and PC. Taking place inside a zombie invested shopping centre, freelancer journalist Frank West drops in to get to the bottom of the chaos.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is as faithful to the original as you’d hope, with all the same weapons, characters and bad guys – only with a refined look and feel.

The control scheme has been completely reconfigured to control Frank with ease. If you struggled with the original Dead Rising, it’s worth giving it another go with this remaster.

Halloween might not be as big in Australia as it is overseas, but more and more, we’re seeing games do themed updates that bring the holiday down under. this week you’ll likely see Halloween updates in many of your live service games like Fortnite, Fall Guys, GTA Online, Halo Infinite, Rainbow Six Siege and others.

However you get your kicks this spooky season, we hope you enjoy these frightful adventures, and watch out for anything that goes bump in the night.