Another October has arrived, and with it comes the excitement of another Halloween. It feels like every year, a lot of media outlets—CGM included—tend to focus on the many scary games of the past and forget to consider the many great horror games that release in the same year as the Halloween taking place!
Obviously, horror was a much more serviced genre back in the 90s and early 2000s, and as such had more than just the Indie Scene to keep it alive. This year, however, we’ve seen a lot of really solid contenders in the spookiest genre, so we’ve compiled a list of the Top Five Scary Games to Play This Halloween. Reader beware…you’re in for a scare!
Look Outside
When I finished playing Look Outside back in March 2025, I ended my review by saying, “I never want to play [the game] ever again, and I mean that as the highest compliment.” It’s a game that is so well-crafted, so effective, and so genuinely scary that it stayed with me for weeks, causing me serious existential dread every time I looked up at the sky. That’s a pretty impressive feat for something that was made in RPG Maker.
Look Outside uses simple and effective methods to really amplify its scares. Its plot is mind-bending and deeply unsettling. Its settings are claustrophobic yet ever-changing and labyrinthine. Its combat system mixes classic turn-based RPG rules with a perspective system—where enemies that are further away are obscured by darkness, until they reveal the twisted aberrations they’ve become. If you’re a fan of eldritch horror, or want something DEEPLY scary to play this Halloween, you owe it to yourself to take a look at this one.
Silent Hill f
Silent Hill f was something of a genuine surprise to me. I think it’s no secret that Konami has been on a bit of a bad run when it comes to modern interpretations of their seminal franchises, so when the announcement came that they would be doing a brand-new Silent Hill, I was immediately skeptical—if not completely worried based on their previous attempt.
When I sat down to play it, after Brendan Frye’s recommendation, I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Strange story that withholds information for player interpretation? Check. Bleak, haunting atmosphere? Check. Engaging puzzles? Check. Disturbing enemies that represent the protagonist’s fragile psyche? Check. Unbelievable soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka? 100x Check on that one. While it’s not completely flawless, Silent Hill f absolutely nailed the fundamentals on what makes the series such a nail-bitingly tense experience. There were so many moments where I would see something, make the Tina Belcher “Everything is Okay” face and say, “Oh, I don’t like that…”
Chronos: The New Dawn
Staying somewhat within the same thematic realm here, Chronos: The New Dawn was yet another genuine surprise because I have not been shy about criticizing Bloober Team’s horror output in the past. But it was a welcome surprise to hear that, for a studio that clearly loves horror, they finally delivered a game of outstanding quality. Absolutely dripping in atmosphere, Chronos: The New Dawn delivers an experience which many compared to the original Dead Space.
Players are thrown into a strange and horrific version of Poland after a horrific pandemic. True to Bloober form, the game has ideas with real-world parallels, but rather than beat you over the head with them, they let the game do the talking with its foreboding atmosphere and genuinely grotesque creature design. This is highlighted by a serious lack of ammunition and an interesting charge mechanic that makes every shot count and every fight tense. It’s a callback to classic horror games like Resident Evil while still feeling new and wholly relevant.
Little Nightmares III
Little Nightmares III could’ve made the amateur mistake a lot of horror games make with its gameplay by adding a second player to the proceedings—much like F.E.A.R. 3 or Dead Space 3. But the foundation upon which Little Nightmares III was built was so solid that sharing the horrifying experience with a second player only works to its benefit. After all, why be scared alone when you can be scared with a friend?
Little Nightmares III continues the incredible world design and atmosphere of its predecessors, trapping its players in a world that’s as dreamlike as it is nightmarish. Players run through a crumbling carnival, an otherworldly necropolis and other horrorific locales that are made much more intimidating by their sense of size and scale. Average items like chairs or boxes tower over the players and enhance the feeling that they are a small part of this hostile world.
If you have a friend this Halloween and are looking for a spooky game that will test your nerves as much as it will test your mind, then Little Nightmares III is the game for you!
Honourable Mention: Dying Light: The Beast
While Dying Light: The Beast does trend a little too actiony for my taste, I felt it at least deserved an honourable mention on this list. Despite being a parkour master who can literally become a monster to turn zombies into papier-mache, Dying Light: The Beast still manages to maintain a certain degree of tension and horror while being beset upon by massive groups of undead nightmares. While skilled players might find avoiding the hordes a bit too easy, one wrong mistake and you’re as good as brain food.
Dying Light: The Beast does a lot with its setting and atmosphere to really bring its more terrifying elements to life. Being set in a large forest rather than the usual suburban setting makes things a little more grounded and even more tense when night falls and the hordes become even more powerful. If you’re looking for something relatively scary, but a little more fast-paced and power-granting, then this is for you.
Post Trauma
When I first saw Post Trauma, my first thought was “this is giving me some serious Silent Hill 4: The Room vibes.” Reading up on the game, I was a bit confused as critics seemed very divided on it—with a majority of complaints being around the fixed camera and clunky combat, seemingly forgetting horror games utilize these things to make the player feel helpless. But playing it was a different story altogether.
Post Trauma is a fantastic callback to the old-school days of survival horror—most notably the original Silent Hill. While it’s not perfect, it captures almost every element that made PS2 horror games really shine. The fixed camera constantly keeps the player off balance—and is used to some genuinely creepy effect as if you’re being watched by unseen eyes. The sound design creates a tense atmosphere that always keeps you guessing, and the story is bizarre and surreal.
All backed by some genuinely creepy visuals that wrap fleshy tendrils around modernistic settings to make the whole experience feel like a descent into hell. It’s a genuinely solid first attempt by RED SOULS GAMES and certainly worth a look this Halloween if you’re nostalgic for classic PS2 horror.
