October means different things to different people. Some see it as the start of the sweater era, while others stock up on various pumpkin spice items at every grocery store and cafe in their city. For me, and maybe for you, it's mostly scary season.
The days are getting shorter, the orange lights are going up in the neighborhood and the horror vibes are getting more intense, making a scary game, movie or book sometimes the only thing that will meet your intentions to pass. a disturbing night.
With so many horror games now available in early access, more to come this month, and many not far behind, we've rounded up what to put on your Halloween playlist over the weeks. before unofficial holidays. Here are 15 horror games to play in October and beyond.
Horror games now available in early access
In this first category, we will focus on horror games that are still in development but remain playable thanks to Early Access programs on PC.
Face care
Face has been in early access for a few years already, but it's still one of the most anticipated horror games to date, as anyone who's played what's available has been shaken. A wonderful supernatural ghost story, Visage is perhaps the closest we've come to seeing Kojima's PT turned into a full game.
Bigfoot
Have you ever wanted to go "squatching", where you head into the woods and hunt for Sasquatch? In Bigfoot, that's exactly what you do. Get ready, bring some friends, and no one leaves until you find the big guy's makeshift poop lot. More likely, he'll find you first, and when he does, it won't end well.
Second extinction
The most recent game to hit early access on this list is Second Extinction, and while it's more like Left 4 Dead in that it's an action game with horror elements , there's still plenty to be scared of given all the mutated dinosaurs feasting on you. This one comes from a small team at Avalanche, the studio behind Just Cause and Generation Zero, so players can expect a show on top of a few scares.
Phasmophobia
It's a long list, but Phasmophobia might take the crown as the scariest game. It simulates real ghosthunting, like with electromagnetic readers, flashlights, thermometers – the whole thing. Alone or with a group of up to three partners, you get out of a van, head to a haunted house, and try to investigate a ghost that lives there before it gets to you first. Phasmophobia even uses your voice chat and will sometimes focus on louder players, plus you can taunt the entity by saying its name – if you dare.
Launch before Halloween
October will be a busy month for horror games. Here's what's coming in time for Halloween 2020.
Remothered: Broken Porcelain (13 octobre)
The sequel to 2018's weirdest horror story seems like another weird one, but I say it with affection. Remothered's mix of old-school survival horror and new-school hide-and-seek makes for a unique experience, and after a few demos with the game earlier this year, I can't wait to see what the full story is about to unveil.
Amnesia: Rebirth (20 octobre)
Personally, no game on this list fills me with a more confusing feeling than Amnesia: Rebirth. It's the type of feeling that I can only describe as the child of excitement and dread. Few games have ever reached the heights of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Frictional's return to the series over a decade later suggests they've cooked up something special. It can be tricky to play this one with the lights off.
Pumpkin Jack (October 23)
Alright, so Pumpkin Jack isn't really a horror game. Maybe you could call it catwalk horror to very fresh eyes, but it's not even really trying to be that. Instead, it's one of the most timely releases of the year. Arriving just a week before Halloween, this MediEvil-like 3D platformer has all the spooky sounds and vibrant visuals of a classic monster cartoon like Scooby-Doo. It's also developed by one person, so if you like supporting indies, the teams don't get any smaller than that.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope (30 octobre)
The team behind PS4's surprise hit Until Dawn has gone cross-platform with Man of Medan, the first game in Supermassive's The Dark Pictures Anthology. Now they're back with Little Hope, focused on the witch trials that hurt many innocent women a few hundred years ago. With a time-jumping story and a few famous faces, Little Hope will likely be a go-to horror game.
Save some scares for later
These horror games won't be ready to play until Halloween, but they deserve to stay on your wishlist for future scares.
Song of Horror (out now on PC, consoles in 2021)
Song of Horror launched on PC a year ago and is now coming to Xbox and PlayStation next year, having recently been delayed from the Halloween 2020 window. It has also been praised by a large number of outlets, as you will see in this rewards trailer. If you prefer your horror games a bit like the classics, Song of Horror presents that kind of gameplay with a story all its own and unforgettable.
Once upon a time in Roswell
Not to be confused with the Tarantino movie of a slightly different name, Once Upon A Time In Roswell is, of course, a horror game about aliens. It's an incredibly less traveled space in the games industry, so it's exciting on that basis alone. But it's also more than an alien game. The footage also seems to point to some weird, repressed memories that we can't yet fathom, and it all takes place decades ago, which also gives it a touch of a period piece.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 may have been stuck in development hell for a while, but that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the most ambitious horror games announced. Hopefully 2021 will be the year we finally see it all come together. With a deeper story driven by player choice and a bigger world to explore, Dying Light 2 could become one of the best zombie games of all time, or it might never see the light of day. All horror fans are surely hoping for the former.
Deathground
If Second Extinction's kind of *ahem* dino crisis isn't what you're looking for, maybe Deathground is. Think of it as alien isolation, but with dinosaurs instead of xenomorphs. Or even simpler: Think of it as a game where every moment is like when kids hide from raptors in the kitchen in Jurassic Park. Sounds good, right? It looks good too. We don't know when we'll be able to play it yet, but for now we'll practice holding our breath and not knocking over pots and pans.
Later trials
I vividly remember reviewing Outlast 2 because no review mission has ever tested my mettle, and this insanely chilling sequel to The Red Barrels might be more of that. Set in the deserts of Arizona in the midst of a doomsday cult, the classic green-tinged camerawork of the original game returns with new features, like the soundtrack and even more memorable scares. I get chills thinking about this one. Even though the sequel plans to introduce co-op for the first time, I expect nothing less than another chilling display of fear. You have been warned.
Resident Evil 8: Village
Resident Evil needs no introduction, but we'd be foolish to leave it out of our most anticipated horror games list. According to believable leaks that seem to be backed up by trailer footage, this latest main sequel is going to get weirder than ever. Werewolves, witches, and more will debut on the show, and it's the kind of departure that might drive longtime fans away. And yet, the first playtests were nothing but brilliant. It looks like the Renaissance will continue.
Little nightmares 2
The name might be a little misleading, as the original Little Nightmares still had huge potential to give you nightmares. With its Tim Burton factor raised to 11 and some truly harrowing encounters with real-life night terrors, Little Nightmares has earned its place among the best horror games of the generation. It sits like a cousin to things like Limbo and Inside, and the sequel should only cement its place as one of the best new horror series to emerge in recent years.
There are sure to be more great horror games announced over the next few months, so stay tuned to GameSkinny for news on their announcements, release dates, and more.
