It’s no secret that I love playing video games. But I’ve never been a fan of spooky horror games or horror as a whole. Something about crazy-looking monsters and jump scares isn’t my cup of tea.

I know some people are huge horror fans!

So here’s a list of spooky video games to help you get into the spooky spirit this Halloween season! I do have to put out a disclaimer first and foremost; some of these games I have not played firsthand before because I am a coward.

So I will refrain from commenting on player experience and in-depth gameplay. I’ll just tell you a little about the game and my favorite thing about it.

In no particular order:

1. Dead by Daylight 

Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XBox X | S, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Stadia 

Dead by Daylight (DBD) is a fun 5-player survival game—4 survivors and 1 killer. The survivors are trying to fix up five generators. This will let them open the door for them to escape. The killer will, well, try to kill them before they escape. It’s quite a simple premise.

I personally have never played this game before, so I can’t comment on player experience or gameplay too much, but I love the fact that the game has adopted some iconic characters from popular horror franchises. 

Of course, DBD has it’s original characters like The Trapper or the Hillbilly, but you can also play as Pinhead from Hellraiser, Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street, Sadako from The Ring, and a lot more recognizable killers and monsters in the horror genre.

If you choose to play as a survivor, you can play some DBD original characters like Dwight or Claudette, or you can play Steve Harrington from Stranger Things or Leon Kennedy from the Resident Evil franchise!

Now you do essentially have to pay for these licensed characters on top of purchasing the base game but you are able to pick and choose which content you want to purchase. If having all the DLCs is what you want, go for it. If you only want the Resident Evil pack, you can opt to just purchase that one too. 

2. Little Nightmares Franchise 

Platform: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Stadia

Think, Super Mario 64 but better graphics, a bit more challenging and super scary. That’s what Little Nightmares is. It’s essentially a puzzle-platformer game with a horror-adventure theme. 

You play a little girl in a yellow raincoat named Six and must navigate your way through a huge vessel without getting caught by quite a number of unsettling monsters.

This franchise already has two games out, with the first one coming out in 2017 and the second one coming out in 2021. A third game is currently in the works.

This is another game I have not played before (because I’m a scaredy cat!). I’ve seen several playthroughs of it on YouTube and followed that story along there. I have to say that my favorite part is the interesting art style that the game has, coupled with the insane ambience and lighting it employs. 

The combination of the creepy, exaggerated, high-definition art style and low, vignette-like lighting really amps up the scary factor of the game. The scale of the creatures dwarfs six, and the vignette shading of the screen makes you feel somewhat suffocated. It was beautiful. 

While what I’ve heard of the music adds to the creepy aesthetic, I have played the game and therefore haven’t been exposed long-term to the ambient sounds and music that Little Nightmares offers.

3. The Mortuary Assistant

Platform: Windows, Nintendo Switch

Ever wonder how it would feel to work as a mortuary assistant? Embalming the dead, making sure they’re presentable for the funeral, etc. etc. Well, maybe this isn’t the most accurate portrayal of what that job would look like.

As the title suggests, you work as a mortuary assistant. You’re new to the job, and they already have you working nights and during a storm, no less. Suddenly you hear eerie whispers in your ear, and a lady stands staring at you menacingly at the other end of a horror movie-length hallway. When you turn back, the corpse you’re attending to is gone. 

I’m not a mortician, but I’m not sure that usually happens.

The rest of the night, you’re just trying to do your job while trying to avoid demonic possession. You solve puzzles, endure jump scares, ward off demons, and perform exorcisms, which I feel aren’t part of a mortuary assistant’s job description. 

WARNING! VERY SCARY IMAGE COMING

Again, another game I have not played and probably will not ever play because I’m a wuss. 

From what I’ve observed, it’s a fairly short game that’s played in first person. American entertainment website Polygon called it a little clunky, and GameRadar said its atmosphere makes up for its shortcomings. 

From what I’ve seen of the gameplay in various YouTube videos, it’s a good game if you’re into getting an immediate spooky rush without having to commit to a long story-driven game.

4. Resident Evil Franchise

Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XBox X | S, Nintendo Switch

It’s hard to encompass such a massive franchise that spans several years and generations, but I’ll try. 

In essence, Resident Evil is a story-driven survival-horror game. You play as a specific protagonist in the first or third person, going through a unique area infested with all kinds of nope creatures. 

The franchise has eight official video game titles. This is on top of a plethora of other forms of media surrounding the franchise, from movies to short videos to smaller titles to spin-off games. The first of the eight major titles dropped in 1996, and the latest dropped as recently as 2021. 

They even dropped remastered versions of their games, introducing the main series to a new audience while giving older players some nostalgia as they played a high-definition, slightly altered, but mostly the same version of the game they initially fell in love with.

I just feel bad for myself for never having played any of the Resident Evil video games. I can’t even say I was too scared because Resident Evil isn’t as traditionally scary like other Horror games. I have no excuse.

The lore and story of Resident Evil games is actually so interesting that you forget you’re fighting some scary creature.

Except Resident Evil 7. That sh*t cranked up the horror in the survival horror game.

My favorite thing about the Resident Evil franchise is the lore and story-telling. It’s so insanely in-depth that you find hour-long videos on YouTube that just recap the timeline of the game. There have been several theories about the game that just make it easy to dive in and get lost. 

Being a large game franchise, they’re able to reference their previous games and drop hints that these events were all somehow connected, despite having different protagonists per game.

I’m looking at you, Umbrella Corporation.

5. Phasmophobia

Platform: Windows, PS5, XBox X | S

FINALLY. A game I’ve actually played. 

Phasmophobia is a first-person psychological co-op horror game that’s been in early access since 2020. You play with three other players. All four of you are ghost hunters trying to identify what ghost is haunting a specific place.

You have a number of ghost hunting gears that’ll help you identify the ghost you’re dealing with. You record the evidence in your little journal and try to achieve other objectives while trying to identify the ghost. 

What I like most about this game is that you’re not trying to save anyone. No story. Plain as day, try to identify what the ghost is and get the f out of there. 

Did I tell you the ghosties can kill you? They can. 

You can choose from a long list of types of ghosts in your journal. Each ghostie has different characteristics. They interact with your equipment differently, if at all. You gather different combinations of evidence that point you toward a specific kind of ghost. 

There are different maps with varying sizes. I personally hate the high school, the asylum, and the prison. They’re huge, and I can’t deal with them. But also the log cabin? Yeah, that one’s a nope too. Too creepy for my cowardly ass.

It’s one of those games that you can literally just boot up and play with some friends for a quick scare. You don’t have to think about it too much and just enjoy getting jumpscared or having the ghostie breathe in your ear.

Or be like me and just stay in the van after setting up the cameras, which is the safe room for the ghost hunters, and help by just keeping your eyes on the camera so you don’t get jumpscared while exploring the map. 

Yeah, I’m a Van body, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I’m a wuss.

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