It’s that time of year again! In just one more day, little kids will dress up as either Batman or Superman and come to your door demanding candy. Many of us, however, see Halloween as a time to scare ourselves by playing the creepiest video games around. Below you’ll find my favorite games to play around Halloween, along with some new ones that you should definitely check out.
1. Costume Quest
While not exactly scary, Costume Quest, without a doubt, deserves a spot on this list. Created by the masters at Double Fine, the game is just downright adorable in every sense of the word. You’ll play as one of three characters who use costumes to transform into what they’re dressed up as to battle monsters and save Halloween. The game only costs $14.99 on PC/Mac, PlayStation 3 and Xbox, and the PC/Mac version also comes with the Grubbins on Ice DLC.
2. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
As far as doing DLC right goes, Rockstar Games has always hit that nail right on the head. The Undead Nightmare expansion for Red Dead Redemption was so good in fact that it scored a perfect 10 from IGN. With a perfectly campy B-movie story, stepping back into John Marston’s shoes to put a zombie infested old west back to sleep is just about one of the coolest things you’ll ever do in a video game. The soundtrack and voice acting are just as great as the original game’s as well. If you haven’t played Red Dead Redemption yet, there’s a handy Game of The Year Edition that includes the base game and all it’s DLC for a meager $29.99.
3. Resident Evil: Revelations
Resident Evil: Revelations instantly found a spot on my radar when I heard that the game would bring the series back to its survival horror roots. Despite some small issues like an incredibly confusing story and limited enemy variety, the game accomplished just what it set out to do. It felt great stepping back into Jill Valentine’s shoes for a fair chunk of the story, and the episodic setup worked very well on the Nintendo 3DS. There really isn’t much difference between the 3DS and HD console versions, but I can confirm that playing this game on the big screen is totally worth the extra cash. Just prepare to feel some serious buyer’s remorse for Resident Evil 6 if you haven’t already.
4. Outlast
In my review of Outlast, I said that it was the scariest game that I’ve ever played. It’s been a few weeks, and that statement still rings true. Exploring the Asylum on Mount Massive is one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever had playing a video game. The next-gen lighting effects definitely make up for the shoddy character models, and for $19.99, you’ll get a solid six hours of fear out of this game. Since it’s only out on PC, the upcoming PlayStation 4 version probably won’t do much more in terms of graphics, it’s quite easy to run as well.
5. Lone Survivor: The Director’s Cut
Curve Studios made a serious mark with their expert port of Thomas Was Alone to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita earlier this year. They followed it up perfectly with their original game, Stealth Inc.. They didn’t stop there, though. Just this past September they released Lone Survivor: The Director’s Cut on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. I’m playing through the game now for review, but what I will say is that it’s extremely creepy and best played with the lights off and headphones on. The Director’s Cut of the game also comes with extra content that’s unlocked in its ‘New Game +’ mode. $12.99 for both versions of the game is an absolute steal, and it’ll definitely scare your pants off.