11. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Sean
Flippendo! — Harry, every 30 seconds
Harry’s second year at Hogwarts sees him trying to solve the mystery behind the titular Chamber of Secrets. Naturally, this brings him into contact with a number of dark forces seeking to bring him all sorts of harm. There’s a giant snake that somehow gets around (pipes is a wonky explanation), a dark lord trying to possess a young girl through a book, and there are also lots and lots of ghosts. Hogwarts is a spooky place. With a castle that’s over a few hundred years old, there’s bound to be a few spirits still knocking about, and Chamber of Secrets is chock full of them.
The GameCube Reigns Superior, Yet Again
Despite being functionally the same game as the PS2 and Xbox versions, the GameCube version of Chamber of Secrets makes a key change that alters the atmosphere of the game: at nighttime, the patrolling prefects throughout the corridors are instead swapped with ghosts. It’s up to personal preference whether or not this was a good change, but the result is certainly a memorable one. The prefects were already startling enough, and being caught was somewhat of a pants-filling moment of terror whenever it happened, but the ghosts bring a whole different layer of spooky.
While you’re walking alone through the castle in the dead of night, you’ll begin hearing ominous echoing footsteps somewhere ahead, growing louder and louder as if you’re directly in someone’s path. After a few seconds, you may see the floating spectre of a lady in a dress float from one wall to another, or a man in the attire of a time long passed strolling down a corridor, staring sightlessly ahead.
They don’t play any major role in the story, but they certainly add to the very eerie atmosphere of Hogwarts at night. Whatever rationale there was for making such a change to this specific version of the game, I’m very glad of it. It’s spooky!
12. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Sean
Not Majora-ly scary, but creepy nonetheless
The Legend of Zelda series has long been an approachable, mostly light adventure without too much heavy drama or grimdark tones, but it’s never been afraid to dabble in the nightmarish.
Though the overworld isn’t as expansive as it would be in later entries in the series, Ocarina of Time‘s Hyrule is full of oddities that range from mildly curious to ‘I wish to shut my eyes and not look at the TV’. While Majora’s Mask may seem like the more obvious pick due to that game’s more overtly gloomy tone, I wished to highlight OoT in this entry due to the way it layers its content.
The game starts things off pretty cosily with Link traipsing around in the woods before he’s let loose in the fields of Hyrule. This soon has you contending with shambling skeletons that continuously crawl out of the ground if you don’t make it to town before dark. Pretty spooky already, but the truly creepy parts crop up later in the game.
After a certain point in the game, you will come across the ReDead, zombie-like creatures that scream at you, freezing you in place in terror. Even creepier still is an area called the bottom of the well, where you come across Dead Hand, a malformed abomination with a human-like face and a bunch of bloody limbs, grabbing at you from underground.
The fact that these moments are buried later into an otherwise really bright and harmless-feeling adventure really heightens the creep factor for me and makes it a worthy mention for the list.
13. Ghosts ‘n Goblins – Melty
Your princess is in another… Graveyard?
An arcade classic is Ghosts ‘n Goblins, alongside its sequel, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. If you’re not up for intricate mechanics and ten thousand buttons to press, this game is ideal. Playing as Sir Arthur, you fight your way through zombies, giants, dragons, cyclopes, and demons, amongst other creepy creatures, to save the Princess Prin-Prin. “Save her from what?” you may ask. Well, none other than the king of the Demon World, Astaroth.
Throughout your travels, you can pick up upgraded weapons, extra suits of armour, and bonuses to help. As is the case with many arcade games, you have a limited amount of hit points until you have to restart the level. In this game, you have two hit points. After each hit, you lose a piece of armour until you are left running around the realm in your heart-spotted boxers. Truly a sight to behold.
Luckily, the game is readily available on multiple platforms, including the NES and SP emulators on Nintendo Switch Online. The remaster of this game is available on Steam here.
14. Batman: Arkham Asylum – Azza
I wonder how many superheroes use fursonas?
Batman, while one of the best superheroes ever conceived, is also terrifying in the eyes of psychos and villains. Thankfully, you play as Batman.
The combat and stealth gameplay is absolutely on point, feeling responsive and impactful. With every punch, kick, and smack having weight and power. Honestly, it’s pretty addictive, and it’s pretty fun to revisit areas just to beat up villains.
The story is pretty awesome too, with Batman going to Arkham Asylum to stop Joker’s grand schemes as usual. There, you meet other characters such as Poison Ivy and Bane. The Riddler also turns up to make you solve puzzles to obtain his collectables.
The gadgets are on full display here with explosive gel and batarangs, allowing for a whole range of options for dealing with puzzles and enemies alike. Honestly, it’s a Batman fan’s dream, and it should be played. The sequels were also pretty good.
This game is available on Steam here.
Editor’s note: As someone deeply terrified of mental asylums, this is a horror game.
15. Pumpkin Jack – Riley
“Since I am dead, I can take off my head to recite Shakespearean quotations.”
Being a spiritual successor to Medievil is no small feat, and while Pumpkin Jack takes a different route in execution, it proves itself worthy of the mantle. Being a beautifully lit 3D Platformer with so much atmosphere, you’ll be feeling those Halloween vibes from start to nearly the finish. Most levels are dark, dank, lit with purples, oranges, and greens, and filled to the brim with secrets to find, monsters to slay, and costumes to unlock and equip. Each weapon that Jack wields is unique and adds its own flair, from the crossbow to the scythe, and even the shotgun; there are plenty of creative ways to defeat the monsters.
One thing to mention, though, this game takes a weird route through a Christmas town towards the end for some reason? Maybe it was referencing The Nightmare Before Christmas? It’s hard to say — but it is a little jarring. Besides that, it’s a short and sweet 3D platformer adventure that will certainly get you into a Halloween mood.
This game is available on Steam here.
16. The Addams Family – Melty
I would die for her. I would kill for her. Either way, what bliss.
What is a spooky season without an appearance of the spookiest and cookiest family since 1938? Luckily, if you’re not into movies, TV shows, or reading comics, the ’90s have got you covered. Released in ‘92 for the NES and SNES, and in ‘93 for the Genesis and Master System, The Addams Family is a platform game of the 1991 movie of the same name.
The playable character in this game is none other than Gomez Addams, the love-stricken paternal figure of the family. Your mission is to navigate the Addams’ mansion and its grounds in search of your family members being held hostage by the evil Abigail Craven, The Judge, and your family’s own attorney, Tully Alford.
By making your way through the game, you must avoid obstacles such as swinging clock pendulums, bats, fire lakes, and the like. The game emits Addams vibes and goodness. Anyone who loves the original show and movies would love playing this rendition. That is, if you don’t mind puzzle-solving, particularly if you want to save everyone’s favourite “Midweek Cutie”.
17. Splatoon 3 (Splatoween) – Riley
Are you a Zombie Kid or a Skeleton Squid?
Splatoon is one of Nintendo’s most recent successes, boasting fresh gameplay with the style of street culture neatly woven in. While cephalopods hurling ink at each other with colourful weapons and hectic tunes is not at all scary, one element adds it to this list. Splatoween is an annual tradition in which the game’s idols and their cities are redecorated in wonderful seasonal dressing. The music gets spookier, the monster outfits come out, and the set dressing is oh so wonderful.
Splatoween is a special Splatfest in which you choose a team and compete in Turf Wars to grab points for your team. You then compete worldwide with everyone who chose the opposing teams to try and claim victory for your cause. It’s just a little chaotic fun with a Halloween twist, but it’s very fun to see everyone put on the special accessories given to match the theme. 2025’s theme is Ghosts VS Zombies VS Skeletons and takes place on October 24th-26th, so make sure you’re there for the spooky vibes.
18. Costume Quest – Melty
Trick-or-Treaters, Assemble!
What’s the best thing about Halloween? If you said anything other than costumes or trick-or-treating, you’re lying to yourself! In Costume Quest, you get the best of both of these answers. When your twin gets kidnapped by a monster, you make it your mission to save them. To do so, you need to collect items for your costume, candy, and recruit other kids as your companions in fighting the monsters of Hallows Night.
The gameplay is your average RPG, with turn-based fighting. By collecting pieces of costumes, you can use them when battling to turn into that costume. The battle system also uses quick-time events for special moves. Winning these battles rewards the player character with additional items towards their main quest. If you try out this game, save your twin, banish the monsters to their homeworld, and enjoy it, you should check out the DLC, “Grubbins on Ice”, and the sequel, Costume Quest 2.
This game is available on Steam here.
19. Grim Fandango – Kane
It’s like Casa Blanca, but you’re dead
What’s spookier than death itself?
Grim Fandango takes place in the Land of the Dead, where the souls of the recently — and not so recently — departed make residence. Manny, our protagonist, works as a Reaper, which in this world is much like a travel agent. His job involves reaping the souls of the recently deceased and arranging their transport across the Land of the Dead to the realm of eternal rest. In the midst of attempting to make up his numbers, Manny stumbles onto a conspiracy that will send him on a multi-year journey across the land.
Grim Fandango is an early 3D adventure game that garnered critical praise at the time of its release for its unique setting, striking visuals, witty dialogue, and masterful voice acting. The original release has definitely aged, but luckily, we have a remaster readily available on all platforms.
The remaster is available on Steam here.
20. The Simpsons: Hit & Run – Riley
“Oh, foul accursed thing! What demon from the depths of hell created thee!“
The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a beloved licensed game from many of our childhoods, but Chapter 7 is why I’m discussing it today. The Springfield represented in this chapter has been dressed perfectly for the Treehouse of Horror season. Whilst the missions you complete here are still the standard affair of driving back and forth to different places, it’s less about the story and more about the vibes.
Exploring Springfield is a treat anyway, but exploring one with fun Easter eggs to Treehouse of Horror and other excellently placed Halloween goodness is a treat. There’s a lot to find and explore here, and the costumes for Homer are fantastic too, well worth loading up and exploring during October!
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