New Horror Games for Your Halloween Game Nights

If you’re the kind of person who cracked out the skeleton decorations on the first day of September and have been adding pumpkin spice to every meal, then there’s a good chance you’re already planning your Halloween game nights. You know that great horror is all about the build up. And if you’re after something new to play as the dreaded night nears, the days ahead have plenty of spooky offerings. Whether you’re after a jump-scare-packed group gaming night, a solo spot of survival horror, or just want to blast zombies online with your buds, the new and upcoming horror games below will help you plan your Halloween game nights in terrifying detail.

Until Dawn (Remake)

Ideal for: Group gatherings, cinephiles, jump scare addicts.

Until Dawn defined an entire new genre of horror game – cinematic and mo-capped dramatic feasts riddled with potentially lethal quicktime events, conversations, and interactions. The original still looks decent, but subsequent Dark Pictures games and The Quarry have pushed visuals notably further. This remake takes the still scary PS4 game and polishes it up to the standards of more recent iterations. On top of that, you also get DualSense support for a dose of haptic-feedback-induced fear.

The spooky setup is simple: eight (somewhat) friends reunite in an isolated mountain lodge a year after an awful tragedy took place there. Things soon start to go unsettlingly awry as the group is stalked by a mysterious figure and supernatural events seem to occur. Do your best to keep everyone alive, or make terrible decisions and drive everyone to a grisly grave. The killer choices are yours to make.

Until Dawn is made for gaming as a group. Gather everyone around the TV, light some candles, and prepare to pass the controller as the narrative shifts between the core cast. It’s as close as you can get to controlling the stars of a horror movie – one where you need to maintain composure while your real friends are screaming beside you. Alternatively, fans of Dead By Daylight may want to pick up The Casting of Frank Stone to see one of developer Supermassive Games’ recent crossover offerings.

Until Dawn (Remake)

Release Date: October 4, 2024

Silent Hill 2

Ideal for: Solo game nights, survival horror, storylines that make you question your sanity.

The original Silent Hill 2 is a seminal survival horror classic. But it’s also ancient and incredibly unwieldy. Bloober Team’s remake aims to recapture the atmosphere of the iconic game while bringing visuals and controls into the modern era. A mighty challenge, but one it seems to have measured up to.

If you’re planning to play alone this Halloween or have a partner or pal who likes watching solo games beside you, then Silent Hill 2 could offer the harrowing haunts you’re after. The story follows James Sunderland, who heads into the eerie town of Silent Hill after receiving an invitation letter from his dead wife. Yeah, that’s the kind of sinister summons that can only end poorly. Before long he’s lost in both the fog-ridden landscape and his own delusions. To survive, he’ll have to piece together the purpose that brought him there and face twisted creatures including the infamous Pyramid Head. You may have heard of him. Read our full Silent Hill 2 review here.

Silent Hill 2

Release Date: October 8, 2024

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies

Ideal for: Online multiplayer, B-movie pulp and gore, zombie lovers.

Heading online for Halloween this year? Hordes of the undead are ready to greet you and your friends in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies. After a disappointing Zombies outing in the last Call of Duty, Black Ops 6 will return to the core round-based gameplay that the spinoff mode started with.

Two Zombies maps are included on launch: Terminus and Liberty Falls. For maximum atmosphere on your Halloween game nights, we’d opt for the former. Terminus takes place at night on a prison island complex, and there’s something sinister lurking in the waters. In addition to the usual undead shamblers, Black Ops 6 Zombies adds twisted aberrations which look like they’ve been pulled from sketches in Dead Space’s necromorph handbook.

You’re unlikely to get many genuine scares from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies. But if you’re just keen to kick back and blast through some monsters alongside your mates, you could probably do a lot worse than take on Terminus together.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Release Date: October 25, 2024

Fear the Spotlight

Ideal for: Retro graphics, narrative horror, minimal combat, fans of '90s horror games.

Sneaking into school after hours to conduct a seance – what could go wrong? A lot, if Fear the Spotlight is anything to go by. This third-person narrative horror tale follows two girls getting an education in terror. Vivian must attempt to locate her missing friend Amy and escape the school, all while staying out of the spotlight.

Fear the Spotlight features a distinct PS1-inspired visual style which should immediately trigger the nostalgia nodes of any older horror fans. And don't worry, tank controls aren't included. It looks to be packed full of intricate puzzles and stealth segments in an unsettling spooky atmosphere without direct combat.

Fear the Spotlight

Release Date: October 22, 2024

Digital Only

Mario Party Jamboree

Ideal for: Group gatherings, cooling off after genuine scares, ruining friendships.

Mario Party isn’t a horror game, you say? Clearly someone hasn’t experienced what it feels like to have your victory robbed at the last moment by the arbitrary assignment of bonus stars. Don’t let the cheery visuals fool you – this series offers an exercise in despair. So if you’re planning a group game night this Halloween and are welcoming guests for which actual horror is a bit too heavy, make sure Mario Party is on hand as a backup or palate cleanser for when the serious scares get a bit too much.

Mario Party Jamboree promises to bring the best of both previous Switch releases. It includes seven boards – some new, some drawn from the N64 era – as well as more than 110 mini-games, many of which feature Joy-Con motion controls. There’s no explicitly horror-themed map in this iteration, so you’ll need to settle for either the intense magma of King Bowser’s Keep or the more existential dread of the Rainbow Galleria shopping mall. Truly a terrifying locale in which to squabble over stars.