It’s that time of year again, Halloween. So to celebrate this haunted occasion, I’ve listed below 5 of my favourite spooky games. Do any of them match your favourites, or are you too scared to play them?

Horror is a perfect fit for video games, especially if the game manages to immerse you. so if you are a fan of the genre maybe give some of below a try. Also see last years post for 9 perfect games for Halloween.

Alien Isolation – 2014 – Creative Assembly

With the Alien constantly hunting you down, the tension is present throughout. Death is almost guaranteed if you bump into it, though you can temporarily deter it with certain items. Playing as Amanda Ripley’s daughter is a nice touch, her mission to find closure to the fate of her mother is slightly bittersweet if you are aware of franchise.

The spookiness comes from the unpredictability of the Alien, will it be in the air vent or the shadows this time round? You’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout the games lengthy campaign, and it did make me jump when the Alien or androids caught me off guard.

 

P.T – 2014 – 7780s Studio/Kojima Productions

Is is fair to put a short teaser in my favourites? Of course it is, it’s an extremely unsettling game. Although nothing would come from it, as Silent Hills was cancelled less than a year later. The teaser we did get to play was pure horror, more than some fully fleshed out titles on the market.

It’s perfect atmosphere created a sense of foreboding, and if you did come face to face with ‘Lisa’ you were defenceless. I still have P.T installed on my PS4, for when I do feel like scaring myself silly.

 

Dead Space – 2009 – EA Redwood

Usually when met with unspeakable horror, you first instinct would be to put as many bullets in it as possible right? Well not in Dead Space, you are instructed by a bloody message to ‘Cut off their limbs’, those limbs belonging to the horrific Necromorphs. This makes for some tough combat situations, which could spell doom for Isaac Clarke.

The Necromorphs coupled with the cramped atmosphere of the USG Ishimura make Dead Space well worth a visit today.

 

Until Dawn – 2015 – Supermassive Games

A horror game where the choices you make could spell doom for any of the characters, packed with all the tropes you’d expect in horror there’s something in this game that should unsettle you. Starring some familiar faces including Rami Malek, you must uncover some creepy goings on in a lodge in the middle of nowhere.

Featuring some excellent cast performances,  jumpy horror moments and some twists and turns. Until Dawn is a homage to the best slasher films of yesteryear, while also bringing it’s own tricks into proceedings.

 

Resident Evil – 1996 – Capcom

 

I was struggling to decide which Resident Evil game would make the list, it was between three of them. The original, the RE2 Remake & RE7. I decided to go with the 96′ original, with the reason being how petrified I was when it came out – I never got past the first zombie until many moons later.

It’s the game that kick-started my love for horror games, from the way the puzzles worked to how the music created some top notch tension. It was campy, it was fun to play and the scariest thing of all? The tank controls… sends shivers down my spine still to this day.

It was hard to whittle down my long list of favourite horror video games, sadly games like Silent Hill 2, Condemned,  Stories Untold and ZombiU haven’t made the list, but should still be played if you want some spooks.