Xbox Game Pass continues to bring quality titles for gamers no matter the genre, but this time, we have compiled a list of spine-tingling titles on the service to celebrate the spooky season with.
Each year, Halloween comes around with tricks, treats, and everything in between. Luckily for readers, we here at CGMagazine have compiled a goody-bags worth of Halloween lists for fans to peruse in case solid recommendations are necessary. This year, we have numerous lists of recommendations for Anime, horror-based Tabletop RPGs, and even scary books that have made the bloodiest of cuts.
Xbox Game Pass is known for being the gift that keeps giving, and this Halloween season, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite scary offerings the subscription service has in its catalogue to keep gamers on their toes while their wallets are kept in their pockets. Introducing the Top 5 Scary Games on Xbox Game Pass for 2023. (Note: this is not a ranking list, and it is in alphabetical order)
The Evil Within (series)
Developed by Tango Gameworks (known for the recent rhythm-based Hi-Fi Rush) and published by Bethesda back in October 2014, The Evil Within is still on Xbox Game Pass, and it still embodies some seriously chilling scenes. Not to mention, the sequel to this chilling title is also on Xbox Game Pass if fans like to double-dose their fear.
After chancing upon a mass murder scene at Beacon Memorial Hospital, Krimson City Police Detective Sergeant Sebastian Castellanos and his colleagues need to escape the Hospital filled with horrors, while contending with limited ammunition and a system that requires the player to literally light creatures on fire with matches to finish them off for good. The Evil Within could be next on your list of fears.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
For more of an unnerving entry, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is the video game equivalent of literally hearing things that aren’t there. Hellblade takes the player on a journey featuring themes of loss, sacrifice, heartache and acceptance, all while incessant voices follow Senua through the uncertain harrowing landscape of Helheim.
The CGMagazine review of Hellblade: Senuas Sacrifice says “Hellblade is an empowering story of overcoming one’s demons, and it commanded my attention in every moment” Although there are notable themes of mental suffering. It should also be noted that Hellblade should come with a trigger warning, there are very deep descriptions of emotional, physical and mental abuse. But, if the Xbox Game Pass player can stomach the heavy material the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.
SIGNALIS
Despite the small two-person development team at Rose-Engine Studio, SIGNALIS packs a meaty punch for the horror genre. One of the things SIGNALIS does best is it makes the player feel truly isolated in a cursed mining facility on a planet devoid of life. While this title is on Xbox Game Pass, it shows that it is a true evolution from the PS1 era of horror games, that feature a top-down perspective and limited resources.
SIGNALIS is also unafraid to load up on references from material it is clearly inspired from, heavy-hitting horror franchises like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, and SIGNALIS makes sly nods to those franchises with respect. While horror references are all well and good, SIGNALIS kept genuine fear on the menu, and the unnerving atmosphere complete with haunting melodies from Cicada Sirens & 1000 Eyes is a match made in hell. A worthy adversary for the bravest horror game fanatic.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
For those who wish to become the fear, an obvious choice would be Dead by Daylight (which is also on Xbox Game Pass) but for those that want to get incredibly messy on a team of horror, Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn’t just a 1974 movie. Let’s face it, it’s incredibly hard to get a group of grown-ups in a room together, so Texas Chainsaw Massacre puts players in a game of cat-and-mouse (a game genre known as Asymmetrical Horror) on a team of five survivors or four killers, without the need for a physical meet up.
CGMagazine’s review of the title says “By placing the emphasis of the title on the horror aspect, a match can have a player go through the full spectrum of human emotion in a moment’s time, which is true hair-raising entertainment.” The only downside to playing asymmetrical horror is the need for other players to help fill out a match, but when a match gets going, blood starts spilling.
The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season
When I first played Telltale’s The Walking Dead, I had the unfortunate horror experience of having to wait in suspense to see what happens next, it was truly painful waiting for the next chapter to launch. Luckily for horror-seeking fans who may have missed out, The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season is available on Xbox Game Pass, and it is a trip worth taking. Horror enthusiasts who have yet to get into The Walking Dead, rest assured you don’t need any familiarity with the series to enjoy this standalone story and it doesn’t spoil anything from the other series.
Those who have indulged in one of the many spin-offs, comic series, or even the base AMC original can find worthy easter eggs that may bring remembrances of zombie violence. The first season takes the player through a whirlwind of emotions as freed convict Lee Everett, as humanity is explored and blood is shed (not all of it of zombie origin).
Each moment of suspense present in each moment of The Walking Dead feels like it was pulled from episodes of another AMC series, Breaking Bad. The build-up is done so masterfully that by the time any payoff hits, the full human spectrum of emotion may get in the way. The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season is horror in its truest form, you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Better yet, it’s also free on Xbox Game Pass.
While there are honourable mentions like HITMAN World of Assassination due to the many Halloween costumes you can dress up in, or Vampire Survivors because ‘vampire’ is in the title, the games listed are my favourite horror games present on the service currently. Fans finished with the Top 5 Scary Games on Xbox Game Pass, can swing over to the top Halloween TV specials for more spooky content during October.
