Halloween is a time for sending chills down your spine. However, that doesn’t fly with some of us. Getting scared is something we just can’t cope with, but we still love the Halloween season. Whether you’re looking for a month-long hyperfocus on a slightly tamer spooky game, want to cosy up with a somewhat Hallow-themed game, or you’re dipping your toes into the creepiness before you delve into the horrors, our team have compiled a list of 30 spooky games for you to enjoy this October.
1. A Hat in Time – Riley
“AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!”
Now I know what you’re thinking, “A Hat in Time isn’t a spooky game”, and while yes, you’re technically correct, I think it fits the mould for one specific reason. “Subcon Forest.” There’s plenty to do and see here that makes it one of the game’s best levels, in my opinion, and it fits the vibe of this list perfectly. The dark purples and greens of the swampy forest, the little dark creatures roaming around and the lovingly haunting music make this a visual treat for all things spooky. The Snatcher himself is a wonderfully written and devious character, forcing you into contracts to get what he wants and putting you through obscene scenarios through the forest to get hourglasses.
There is one element of “Subcon Forest” that may just make you shit yourself, though, it certainly did to me. That would be Queen Vanessa. Whilst entirely skippable, she is pretty terrifying at first, especially when you’re caught off guard by the game’s bright and cheery presentation. But, if it’s too much for you, then you can happily skip her and move on with your day!
This game is available on Steam here.
2. Darkest Dungeon – Azza
I wish more games had narrators that remind me of Death from the Discworld Books
Darkest Dungeon is a strange qualifier for this list; frankly, the word spooky doesn’t cut it. The fear comes from creating parasocial relationships with the characters and then being horrified and traumatised when they die. You grieve even though another one will come along, look just like them, and be just like them… but they’ll never be the same. Meanwhile, you have input from a Christopher Lee-style narrator, making their death more dramatic and harrowing.
The atmosphere is grim, dank, miserable, and wretched. It’s the ultimate trauma-inducing environment. The gameplay is a perpetual panic factory as you need to manage stress, health, and light levels to survive. There aren’t jump scares per se, but the feeling of despair and helplessness will be present throughout.
With all that being said, it’s one of my favourites; never has a game made me more invested and motivated to progress. It’s a mad kind of punishment that Dark Souls fans are familiar with. The game can be somewhat unfair at times, but it’s baked into the gameplay. Sometimes you will fail no matter what you do, just make the best decisions you can and move on. People will die in horrid and sometimes unexpected ways, they will contract horrible ailments, and it’s your call as to whether or not it’s worth curing them.
A masterpiece is hard to create. This one is hard to endure.
This game is available on Steam here.
3. Animal Crossing – Riley
“This is a night for frights and delights, which comes but once a year—that’s right! Halloween is here!“
Animal Crossing is great at any time of year, but during October, something special is brewing. Jack typically visits on October 1st, requesting you collect candy for him throughout the month, ready for the big night. Following his arrival, the game starts getting more and more autumnal. From the trees yellowing to the ground turning orange, the atmosphere itself becomes a cosier shade that makes you want to curl up under a blanket in your cosiest jumper.
The furniture sets introduced at this time are fun, too. The spooky set features oranges and pumpkins, with the creepy set sporting blacks and greys for a more gothic approach. Actual Halloween night itself is fun too, with the characters donning their costumes, a unique song, and little games to play with your villagers. Month-long cosy vibes for a season you’ll be spending more and more time indoors!
4. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers – Kane
The Power of VooDoo, Who Do? You Do! Do What? Remind Me Of The Gabe
Voodoo seems to come up in a lot of media that fits the description of “Spooky”, but I think the Gabriel Knight series did more than most in exploring its cultural background.
Sins of the Fathers follows the story of Gabriel Knight, a semi-successful, kinda sleazy, crime writer, looking into a string of murders happening in New Orleans. He, of course, intends to use the happenings as inspiration for his next book, but as he becomes invested in the case and the people he meets, his intentions shift to solving the case and bringing the culprits to justice.
Being an adventure game, Gabriel Knight: SOTF is a slow-burning investigation taking you to many iconic locations through the city, exploring the various facets of voodoo, both positive and negative. While I can’t say for sure that the depictions shown in the game are all that accurate to the real-world religious practices (“Look up Vodou to liberate yourself of any negative preconceptions!” – Dave), I can say that Gabriel Knight puts in the effort to make sure they’re not just repeating the Hollywood stereotype of voodoo dolls and hexes.
This game is available on Steam here.
5. Luigi’s Mansion 3 – Riley
“Is something the matter? I hope nothing is making your stay here less than perfect…“
Nothing beats a playthrough of Luigi’s Mansion during the autumn season. But why not mix up routine and try out the excellent sequel, Luigi’s Mansion 3! For one, it’s wonderfully animated with physics on just about every object, and each character’s facial expressions oozing personality. Not only is it a living cartoon, but each floor is so expertly crafted that everything feels very deliberate and in its right place, with some beautifully spooky backdrops to boot.
The gameplay is similar to the first game and even features a co-op mode for you to jump in with a friend to explore the mansion together. This is a game about capturing ghosts in a cartoonish way, with some small jump scares from lightning and creatures, but it is far from horror. This takes a wonderful approach of making a more tense experience accessible and open for more ages to enjoy a more spooky adventure. Plus, Polterpup is the best boy, I won’t hear otherwise.
6. Grabbed by the Ghoulies – Melty
*Marimbas, but spooky*
Grabbed by the Ghoulies oozes early 2000s vibes. Playing as Cooper, a teen who looks like a mini version of The Offspring’s Dexter Holland, it’s your mission to save your girlfriend, Amber, from the haunted mansion owned by Baron Von Ghoul. To save her, you’ll have to punch, kick, and elbow your way through the mansion, beating up ghoulies, skeletons, and even haunted furniture along your way. By using furniture around the spooky home, as well, you can easily sift your way through the hordes of creepy characters.
Rare really did hit the ball out of the park with this creation. That being said, they didn’t really revisit the concept as they did with their other titles. Grabbed by the Ghoulies never received a sequel, yet it still holds a piece of many a-millennial’s heart. Yes, it got a remaster, and it’s had ports within the world of Microsoft’s Xbox; however, 22 years later, I think it’s about time we finally get a sequel.
7. Darkstalkers Resurrection – Melty
I played it for the “plot”
When it comes to Halloween-esque character designs, many people’s minds will migrate straight to Morrigan from the Darkstalkers franchise. With her bat wings and being a succubus, you can clearly see why this is. What many people don’t know is that the whole franchise has a cast of creepy characters, from the zombie rockstar, Lord Raptor, to the vampire lord, Demitri Maximoff.
Darkstalkers Resurrection is a dual pack of two previous entries in the series, Night Warriors and Vampire Saviour. This means you get double the character roster, double the spooky-themed levels, and double the fun. As is the case with most older fighters, the costume your character is in depends on the button you press when selecting them, so have fun and check out all of the different colour schemes for the vampires, franken-people, and fish-men.
This game is available on PS Plus, or the Capcom Fighting Collection is available on Steam here.
8. Wytchwood – Melty
Woodn’t you like a taste of the Power?
Wytchwood is a stunning game; visually, audibly, and in terms of cosy comforts, there is no doubt that a lot of love went into it. In a storybook style, you play as “The Witch”, crafting your way through many plains, such as a forest, a swamp, and even a graveyard, to recollect your memories and figure out who the sleeping maiden in your grotto’s shrine is.
If you’re a fan of to-do lists and in-game crafting, then the gameplay is perfect for you. Sometimes things can become a bit of a puzzle, working out where specific items are, but that’s only if you don’t use the in-game mechanics properly. That’s right! The game can be as easy as you want, using your character’s Witch’s Eye to see objects and creatures’ weaknesses, and your grimoire to figure out crafting recipes. The game doesn’t give you much to stress about — even inventory space! You can collect as much crafting material as you want without it ever impacting your inventory space or your character’s mobility. This is easily my favourite mechanism of the game.
Woodn’t you like to use more than words?
Wytchwood’s characters are definitely a staple. Their personalities are incredibly unique, allowing you to find people you love as well as people you aren’t particularly fond of. Their designs are individualistic, yet still implement the storybook art style. To top all of this off, the art style and music together are perfect for those Autumn afternoons, when the wind sounds and feels like it’s going to go through your windows, the rain is giving them a well-needed wash, and you just want to sit in front of the fireplace with a few candles lit around your room, sipping on your hot chocolate.
We were lucky enough to be gifted a physical copy of this game a few years ago. Check out Kane’s initial thoughts here! This game is available on Steam here.
9. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee – Kane
I was employee of the year, now I’m dead meat
From the mind of Lorne Lanning back in the days of the original PlayStation, Oddworld has always been an even combination of wackiness and morbidity.
Abe’s Oddysee is a side-scrolling puzzle adventure following the titular Abe, a Mudoken slave owned by the comically greedy Glukkons. After accidentally overhearing plans to turn their workforce into the next big food product, Abe is forced to go on the run, saving as many fellow Modukons as he can along the way.
Run, jump, roll and use your special psychic Mudoken abilities to traverse the improbably dangerous landscape of Oddworld. The original release, while still a pretty spectacular piece of art and worth playing, is looking a little dated nowadays. Luckily, there is a remake with updated visuals and puzzles called New ‘N’ Tasty, readily available on most current platforms.
This game is available on Steam here.
New ‘N’ Tasty can be found here.
10. Medievil – Kane
I used to be a hero like you, then I took an arrow to the eye.
The hero of the land is dead, slain by an arrow through the eye before the climactic battle even began. That’s how this story begins.
Death isn’t the end for Sir Daniel Fortesque.
100 Years later, Zarok, Daniel’s old foe, returns from hiding and raises his undead army once again. In the process, he also raises a skeletal Fortesque, ready to finally become the hero he failed to be before his death.
With a wickedly morbid sense of humour and action-based gameplay similar to games like Gauntlet, this is an easy pick and play this Halloween.
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