7 Spooky Games for Halloween - from cosy tales to total scarefests

Every year, on the 1st October, a mystical beacon can suddenly be seen in the sky. Nope, it’s not for Batman - it’s for Halloween lovers, summoning them to break out the pumpkin-spiced things, frolic in autumn leaves, add ghosts to their usernames and hibernate with spooky books, films and games. As Steffi said, seven is the new five, so here are my seven Spooky game recommendations for your devilish delight.

Whether you’re looking for cute and creepy, or a big ol’ bag of jump scares, there’s something for every spooky gamer, on every device. I - guest blogger Maddie Saunders - have given each game a Spook Score, where 1 is ‘Oh my ghoul, this is ADORABLE’ and 10 is ‘I didn’t want to sleep anyway…’ so you know exactly what you’re in for.

Costume Quest 1 & 2

Spook Score: 1/10

Platforms: PC, Playstation, Xbox, Linux, MacOS

This is about as wholesome as spooky games get. A single-player adventure game where you play as a courageous kid trying to rescue their twin on Halloween after they’ve been kidnapped by a real monster. You collect costumes to level up and make friends to add to your team to take down the big bad boogiemen. Minimal peril, maximum Halloween vibes, and the sequel is awesome too.

Beacon Pines

Spook Score: 2/10

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation, Xbox, MacOS

Always hungry for a mystery to solve? Take a trip to Beacon Pines with yet another adorable protagonist as they - or rather you - tell their story. This choice-based game invites you to uncover the secrets of a quaint and creepy town, home to a host of animal folk, collecting charms that open new pathways in Luka’s tale. Spooky goings on in a stunning illustrative style that will throw you right back to bedtime stories.

Wytchwood

Spook Score: 3/10

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation, Xbox

Witches, unite! If you’re firing up your cauldron and petting your familiar as we speak, this is the spooky crafting adventure game for you. Live your best witch life, gathering ingredients, brewing potions, and turning your enemies into frogs in a world rich with folk legends and fairy tales. When you’re ready for more of a challenge, you can take on strange and horrible beasts. If you’re always about the side missions, this is the perfect pick for a gloomy day.

Scarlett Mysteries: The Cursed Child

Spook Score: 3/10

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation, Xbox, iPadOS, Android

Hidden object games can be a little hit or miss, both in terms of story and puzzle design, but there are some gems concealed in the masses. Scarlett Mysteries: The Cursed Child is one of them, and it’s perfect for Halloween. A gothic, Victorian style backdrop and a dark family secret to be unveiled - it’s a classic spookfest. Get your puzzle solving hat on and prepare to click on absolutely everything in pursuit of the truth.

Inscryption

Spook Score: 6/10

Platforms: PC, Playstation, Xbox, MacOS (possibly Nintendo Switch before November 2022!)

The scariest thing about Inscryption? The atmosphere. This deck-building rogue-like nails unsettling environments, disturbing silences and terrifying point-of-view will probably make it the spookiest card game you’ve ever played. This game of strategy and luck has lots of replayability, so if you want to keep spooking beyond Halloween, you can. To say any more than that would spoil it, dear player…

Little Nightmares I & II

Spook Score: 7/10

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation, Xbox

You might need to grab teddy for this one, because Little Nightmares transports you to a bleak world of hungry horrors, straight out of a bad dream from your childhood. You guide Six, a small but determined one, through levels of environmental puzzles to escape a vast and terrible vessel with grotesque inhabitants. Even when you see them coming, you won’t be prepared for the fear (but try to keep an eye out for little secrets hidden away in dark corners as you run!)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Spook Score: 9/10

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation, Xbox, MacOS

For those horror film veterans who need a little more jump in their scare to be truly spooked, Amnesia: The Dark Descent has it in spades. A critically acclaimed survival horror adventure where you play as Daniel, a man who wakes up inside castle walls with no memory of how he got there. You slowly make your way through the castle, piecing together your haunting past through notes and environmental storytelling, but quickly discover you are not alone. Without weapons, stealth and healing are your only way to make it out alive. For 10/10 spooks, turn off the lights!