Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
A girl and a guy sitting on a couch and smiling with video game controllers in their hands.
A girl and a guy sitting on a couch and smiling with video game controllers in their hands.
Photo by Cottonbro on Pexels
Culture > Digital

Celebrate Halloween with these Spooky Video Games

Kaitlyn Do
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter.

Looking for alternatives to celebrating Halloween besides the typical door to door trick-or-treating and Halloween bashes? Stay inside this spooky season (and maybe lock your doors!) and embark on a new, hair-raising adventure with various spooky-themed video games that will surely satisfy your bone-chilling needs.

1. Resident Evil

Resident Evil is a Japanese horror game series that consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter gameplay. Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard are arguably the most popular of the series. 

In Resident Evil 2, players are tasked with surviving through an apocalypse caused by the spread of a deadly virus that renders the city’s inhabitants undead. 

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, offers the series’ first game to feature the first-person perspective “Isolated View” that immerses its players into the terrifying secrets of a deserted southern farmhouse.

The Resident Evil series is currently on sale due to its popularity during Halloween. The 2022 Halloween Pack is 64% off and includes games 2, 3, 7, and Evil Village. 

Available to play on: 

Steam

XBOX

PlayStation

TV Talks 3 Rep
Photo by Designnn.co from Unsplash

2. Five Nights at Freddy’s

The Five Nights at Freddy’s horror franchise is famous for the creepy animatronic characters that terrorize the halls of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza parlor once night falls. Players attempt to survive five consecutive nights while working as the nightshift security guard without being caught by the roaming animatronics. 

Available to play on: 

Steam

XBOX

PlayStation

Nintendo

Google Play

Apple Store

3. Until Dawn

The interactive drama horror game Until Dawn is famous for its utilization of Choice & Consequence based and Butterfly Effect gameplay mechanics that leave the livelihoods of its characters in its players’ hands. Until Dawn tells the story of eight friends who venture to a snowy cabin in the mountains only to find themselves trapped. Tensions between the group escalate when two of them go missing, and the group finds themselves split off and hunted by something lurking in the shadows. Players switch between the perspectives of each member of the group and are forced to make decisions in the hope of survival. 

Available to play on: 

PlayStation – $9.99 (50% off)

4. Little Nightmares

Although Little Nightmares is not your typical horror series, the puzzle platform horror and suspense adventure franchise rose in popularity due to its sinister world-building and whimsically terrifying caricatures. 

Players play as Six, a young girl, hoping to escape the grasps of the corrupted monsters of The Maw in Little Nightmares I. In Little Nightmares II, players delve into the series’ prequel, where they play as Mono, a young boy, who is trapped with Six in a postapocalyptic world controlled by a mysterious transmission. Very Little Nightmares is the franchise’s mobile game where players help liberate The Girl in the Yellow Raincoat from a mysterious mansion. 

Available to play on: 

Steam

Google Play

Apple Store

5. Outlast II

Outlast 2 is a first-person psychological horror survival video game where players investigate the murder of a pregnant teenager. Players discover Temple Gate, the settlement of a relocated cult and are thrown headfirst into the horrors of their occult affairs. 

Available to play on: 

Steam – $29.99

Epic Games -$4.49 (85% off)

XBOX – $29.99

PlayStation – $4.49 (85% off)

Nintendo – $29.99

6. Forgotten Memories: Alternate Realities

In the interactive survival horror game Forgotten Memories, players play as the capable Rose Hawkins who is forced to face her deepest fears to determine what exactly happened to Eden, a missing child. 

Available to play on: 

Google Play – $4.99

Apple Store – $4.99

Spending Halloween with friends? Send shivers down their spines with these games’ multiplayer features:

7. Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer (4vs1) survival horror game where one person assumes the role of the Killer and attempts to hunt down the remaining four players as Survivors. 

Available to play on: 

Steam – $7.99 (60% off)

Google Play – Free

Apple Store – Free

8. Phasmophobia 

The investigative psychological horror game Phasmophobia allows players to role play as ghostbusters as they respond to and attempt to gather evidence from reports of paranormal activity. 

Available to play on: 

Steam – $13.99

9. The Backrooms

The highly anticipated The Backrooms is a first person survival horror game set to release October 28. Based on an urban legend and creepy pasta, players are forced to explore an infinite maze of pale yellow wallpapered rooms while being chased down by various monsters. 

Available to play on: 

Steam

Not a fan of horror? Check out these RPGs, puzzles, and simulations with spooky themes and art styles!

10. Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is a 2D action adventure game that challenges players to explore the ancient depths of multiple worlds while fighting off and befriending various creatures. 

Available to play on: 

Steam – $14.99

XBOX – $14.99

Playstation – $7.49 (50% off)

Nintendo – $15.00

11. Luigi’s Mansion 3

Although the most expensive game on this list, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the beloved third action-adventure installment of the Luigi’s Mansion series. Equipped with the Poltergust G-00, players solve puzzles and defeat bosses within the haunted Last Resort hotel as Luigi to save the missing Mario and friends.

Available to play on:

Nintendo – $59.99

12. Limbo

Limbo is a black and white puzzle-platforming adventure game where players venture into a bleak world as a young boy determined to find out what has happened to his sister. 


Available to play on: 

Steam – $9.99

Epic Games $2.49 (75% off)

XBOX – $9.99

PlayStation – $9.99

Nintendo – $9.99

Google Play – $4.99

Apple Store – $3.99

13. Oxenfree

As a supernatural mystery and horror graphic adventure thriller game, Oxenfree has its players assume the role of Alex, who shows her new stepbrother Jonas around Edward Island with a group of friends. Alex, however, brought her radio along that possesses the ability to pick up unknown frequencies and interact with spirits she should not be able to communicate with. Things turn south when Jonas goes missing. 

Available to play on: 

Steam – $9.99

Epic Games – $9.99

XBOX $9.99

Nintendo – $9.99

Google Play – Free (Netflix edition)

Apple Store – Free (Netflix edition)

14. Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion

This infamous jumpscare-based game is known for its 1000 castle-like rooms of initial cuteness, until the creatures you encounter become increasingly more grotesque and frightening. 

Available to play on: 

Steam – $11.98

15. The Room 4: Old Sins

The Room 4: Old Sins is a puzzle video game where players uncover the secrets within Waldegrave Manor through the investigation of the disappearance of a couple that previously inhabited its walls and a mysterious dollhouse. 

Available to play on: 

Steam – $8.99

Google Play – $4.99

Apple Store – $4.99

16. Wytchwood

Fulfill your witchcraft dreams as the old witch of the woods in Wytchwood, a crafting adventure game. Explore the woods to collect the magical ingredients necessary to brew various potions and spells.

Available to play on: 

Steam – $19.99

XBOX – $19.99

PlayStation – $19.99

Nintendo – $19.99

17. Animal Crossing New Horizons & Pocket Edition

Although the games themselves are not centered around spookiness at all, the Animal Crossing franchise includes holiday updates within their games that allows its players to get into the Halloween spirit through customization, interactions with the Halloween persona Jack, and a Halloween Night celebration on your island.  

Nintendo – New Horizons – $59.99

Google Play – Pocket Edition – Free

Apple Store – Pocket Edition – Free

Get all the jump-scares, trickery, and nightmares from these cult classics, underrated gems, and new releases alike! 

Kaitlyn Do

UCSB '23

Hi, I'm Kaitlyn! I'm an English major at UCSB with a specialization in Lit and Mind that involves the psychological, philosophical, and psychoanalytical analysis of literature. When I'm not reading, I love to play RPGs, visit museums, and try out new recipes. I'm so excited to contribute to UCSB's HC platform by provoking conversations about issues I am deeply passionate about such as mental health, xenophobia, and gender equality.