Halloween night does not need the same kind of scare for everyone. Some groups want to debate a slasher story from the sofa; others want to hunt ghosts together or spend an hour listening for something in the next corridor. These ten horror games cover those different evenings, with the edition, play format and content caveats made clear.
Choose your company before your monster. Most entries are single-player, even when they feature two protagonists. The Quarry has shared-story options; Phasmophobia is the online co-op choice. “Play tonight” means a worthwhile session, not a promise that you can complete every campaign in one evening.
How we chose and ordered the games
This is an editorial shortlist ordered by use case: shared stories and eerie atmosphere first, then online teamwork, survival action, stealth and sustained dread. It is not a measured ranking of scariness. We selected distinct, available games with recognizable horror premises and verified their features against official publisher or store pages on October 31, 2026. We have not claimed hands-on testing. These are games for a Halloween horror night; they are not all stories set on October 31.
Content and access: Age labels below are US ESRB ratings, not universal European classifications. Check your local store’s PEGI or other applicable rating, content warnings, hardware requirements and online requirements before choosing. Platform lists are verified examples, not exhaustive availability guarantees. No current prices, subscription inclusion or sale promises are assumed.
Choose your Halloween-night setup
| Game | Choose it for | Play format |
|---|---|---|
| The Quarry | A shared slasher-movie evening | Solo; local party for up to 8; online voting |
| Little Nightmares II | A sinister storybook atmosphere | Single-player |
| Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut | Branching horror without action reflexes | Single-player visual novel |
| Phasmophobia | An online ghost hunt with friends | Solo or up to 4 online co-op |
| Resident Evil 2 (2019 remake) | Classic zombies, puzzles and survival | Single-player |
| Dead Space (2023 remake) | Graphic science-fiction action horror | Single-player |
| Alan Wake 2 | A cinematic supernatural mystery | Single-player |
| Alien: Isolation | Stealth and being hunted | Single-player |
| SOMA | Existential horror rather than firepower | Single-player |
| Amnesia: The Bunker | Resource pressure and reactive pursuit | Single-player |
1. The Quarry
Good fit: A shared slasher-movie evening. Play format: Solo; local party for up to 8; online voting.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. US age label: Mature 17+.
If everyone wants a say in who survives, start with The Quarry. Its summer-camp horror story turns character choices into the evening’s entertainment: one person can handle the controls while the room debates the next decision. Local party play lets players take responsibility for different characters, making it a more natural sofa-night choice than a demanding action game.
The distinction matters online: the host plays while up to seven invited guests watch and vote. That is not eight people freely exploring together. PlayStation also specifies same-generation multiplayer. Expect graphic violence, gore and strong language; this is an adult slasher setup, not a family Halloween game.
Sources: Official modes and editions; ESRB rating and platforms.
2. Little Nightmares II
Good fit: A sinister storybook atmosphere. Play format: Single-player.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch. US age label: Teen 13+.
Choose Little Nightmares II when your ideal Halloween image is a small figure creeping through an oversized, distorted world. Mono’s journey mixes environmental puzzles, hiding and escapes from threatening inhabitants. Its woodland and school settings give spectators something unsettling to follow without requiring a roomful of controllers.
Although Six accompanies Mono, this specific game is single-player. Do not confuse it with another entry’s multiplayer features. The stylized artwork also does not make it harmless: the US rating includes blood and violence, and its threatening imagery may be too much for sensitive players. This selection is the 2021 game; check the Enhanced Edition listing where applicable to your hardware.
Sources: Bandai Namco game and platforms; Steam features and rating.
3. Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut
Good fit: Branching horror without action reflexes. Play format: Single-player visual novel.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, PS4, PS5. US age label: Mature 17+.
For players who would rather argue with a narrator than aim at a monster, Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut offers a fully voiced, branching horror story. The premise sends you toward a cabin and a princess, then lets your decisions reshape what follows. Its hand-drawn presentation makes a striking change from the realistic corridors elsewhere on this list.
This is a choice-led solo game, though a room can discuss decisions informally. It is not a gentle fairy tale: the developer explicitly warns that it is unsuitable for children or easily disturbed players and flags suicide themes. Choose the expanded Pristine Cut named here, and read the content warning before inviting spectators.
Sources: Publisher edition and platforms; Developer description and content warning; PlayStation editions.
4. Phasmophobia
Good fit: An online ghost hunt with friends. Play format: Solo or up to 4 online co-op.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S. US age label: Check your regional listing.
Phasmophobia is the pick when your Halloween group wants to work together rather than watch one person play. You collect paranormal evidence with ghost-hunting equipment and try to identify the haunting. The appeal is the shared investigation: comparing observations and deciding whether to keep searching or retreat.
This is online co-op, not a couch split-screen recommendation. VR is optional rather than required, and the game remains in Early Access, so features can change. Expect frightening encounters and violence; the PlayStation listing also flags blood and use of drugs. Arrange compatible platforms and online access before the gathering instead of assuming one copy and one screen cover the whole group.
Sources: Steam mode and Early Access listing; PlayStation features and content; Developer status update.
5. Resident Evil 2 (2019 remake)
Good fit: Classic zombies, puzzles and survival. Play format: Single-player.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, PS4, PS5. US age label: Mature 17+.
For a recognizable zombie-night setup, choose the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. Raccoon City provides a mixture of third-person combat, exploration and puzzle solving, with Leon and Claire offering separate perspectives. It suits someone who wants to make tactical decisions as well as experience horror, rather than only run or hide.
Two lead characters do not mean two-player co-op. This is a solo survival-horror game, and the gore and intense violence are substantial. The year matters when finding it in a store: the original 1998 game is a different release. Pick the remake deliberately rather than assuming every listing with the same title is interchangeable.
Sources: Steam remake listing; PlayStation remake edition; Capcom edition clarification.
6. Dead Space (2023 remake)
Good fit: Graphic science-fiction action horror. Play format: Single-player.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S. US age label: Mature 17+.
If you want to fight back, the 2023 remake of Dead Space puts engineer Isaac Clarke aboard the USG Ishimura with engineering tools that become weapons against Necromorphs. The ship setting and survival combat make it a strong fit for a Halloween session built around alien-body horror rather than ghosts or a masked killer.
This is one of the list’s most explicitly graphic choices, with intense violence and blood and gore in its US rating. It is better suited to a player who wants combat pressure than someone seeking a relaxed group story. Check for the 2023 remake, not the 2008 original, and do not assume its modern-console release covers PS4 or Xbox One.
Sources: EA game page; PlayStation edition; Xbox platforms and rating.
7. Alan Wake 2
Good fit: A cinematic supernatural mystery. Play format: Single-player.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC via Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X|S. US age label: Mature 17+.
Choose Alan Wake 2 when the Halloween mood you want is a troubling mystery unfolding across interconnected stories. FBI agent Saga Anderson and writer Alan Wake anchor a survival-horror experience that combines investigation, limited-resource combat and the struggle between light and darkness. It is an inviting choice for someone who wants to follow a narrative beyond tonight.
The two protagonists are not a co-op pair. This is a single-player game, and its US rating includes intense violence, gore, nudity and strong language. The base game is the selection here; you do not need to treat Deluxe extras as part of this recommendation. Give the story room rather than expecting to finish it during one party.
Sources: Official FAQ; Epic edition and rating.
8. Alien: Isolation
Good fit: Stealth and being hunted. Play format: Single-player.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC; PS4 version also playable on PS5. US age label: Mature 17+.
Alien: Isolation changes the question from “What can I shoot?” to “How can I get through here without attracting trouble?” Amanda Ripley must scavenge, craft and evade threats aboard a space station while an alien stalks the environment. It fits a Halloween night for players who enjoy listening, waiting and making cautious moves.
That sustained vulnerability is also the reason to skip it if your group wants constant action or easy drop-in multiplayer. It is a solo game with violence, blood and strong language. The base game is enough for this selection; a Collection bundle adds material but is not what makes the central hide-and-survive premise work.
Sources: Steam game and mode; PlayStation version and compatibility; ESRB rating.
9. SOMA
Good fit: Existential horror rather than firepower. Play format: Single-player.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. US age label: Mature 17+.
Set beneath the ocean at PATHOS-II, SOMA builds its horror around identity, consciousness and an environment you do not understand. Exploration and story are central, while threats call for evasion or outsmarting rather than a combat-first approach. Choose it when your ideal Halloween conversation continues after the screen goes dark.
This is a solo story, not a co-op expedition. Its thoughtful premise does not make it mild: the US rating includes violence, blood, nudity and strong language. If you want a festive party game with quick rounds and lots of chatter, pick another entry; this one is better matched to attention, atmosphere and a willingness to sit with disturbing ideas.
Sources: Steam game description; Xbox listing; ESRB rating.
10. Amnesia: The Bunker
Good fit: Resource pressure and reactive pursuit. Play format: Single-player.
Verified platforms include: Windows PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. US age label: Mature 17+.
Close the shortlist with Amnesia: The Bunker if you want an evening of difficult, nervous decisions. Its First World War bunker combines scarce supplies, light management and a monster that reacts to what you do. Experimenting with routes and solutions is part of the appeal, but noise and dwindling resources make experimentation feel costly.
This is the 2023 standalone game, not a recommendation for the whole Amnesia series. Expect blood and gore, violence, partial nudity and strong language. It suits someone actively looking for pressure; it is a poor default for guests who only agreed to something vaguely spooky. The PS4 version is playable on PS5, which should not be confused with a separate native PS5 edition.
Sources: Steam game description; Xbox listing and rating; PlayStation edition and compatibility.
Set up the night before the scares
Install updates, test controllers and check online access before everyone arrives. Agree on content limits, keep a light on if anyone prefers it, and let people opt out without making it a challenge. The right game is the one the room actually wants to play.
For a lower-pressure group night instead, see our couch co-op games for Nintendo Switch. You can also browse the wider Gaming collection.