By Liam Moore

October 27, 2020

As the spooky season gets into full swing, people are looking for ways to enjoy the scary vibes from home. Most people will watch classic Halloween movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas or horror movies like The Shining if they are craving more of a fright. However, if you truly seek the biggest spook, horror video games are the mode of entertainment for you. 

First on this list are the Five Nights at Freddy’s games. First released in 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s quickly gained popularity among gamers and the YouTube community. The game consists of the player controlling a night shift security guard in a Chuck E. cheese-esque pizzeria, appropriately named Freddy Fazebear’s Pizza. The main goal of the game is to survive against the bloodthirsty animatronic animals by using security cameras and mechanical doors all while maintaining the small amount of power left in the building. After the success of the first game, four more games were released afterwards and a virtual reality version was released on May 28, 2019. From personal experience, these games were very scary for the first handful of times playing them, but they do become predictable after a while.

Secondly is Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero. Although not a proper horror game, the 2015 release was another extremely successful and popular game. After crashing on an ocean covered alien planet your main goal is to survive on this while trying to find a way off of the planet. The game mainly takes place in the ocean and the player must collect materials from the ocean in order to craft gear to help them progress. Although it is a beautiful game in the shallow waters, once the player descends into the depths of the ocean, the creatures get drastically bigger, scarier, and deadlier. This game immediately sucks you in with its beautifully scary atmosphere, however, it is not for those with thalassophobia or a fear of the ocean because it is genuinely terrifying.

Next up is Folklore Hunter. Released February 20, 2020, this game was yet another that was quickly picked up by the gaming community. Armed with only a rifle, bear traps, and cameras, the player must survive against the wendigo, a mythological creature which resembles a deer humanoid, which hunts them day and night. As the player tries to find a way to kill the creature, they slowly lose their mind as they stumble across dead bodies, ruins, caves and more. This game really fits the Halloween spirit and is an incredibly chilling game.

The next game on this list is House on the Hill. Released July 29, 2020, this game is less popular than the previous games but is much more frightening . Playing as a jewelry thief, the player’s objective is to make their way through an old, dilapidated house and steal a certain valuable. As the player progresses, they quickly learn that the house is not a normal one; it is actually  haunted by the spirits of the family that used to live there. With chainsaw wielding corpses, mannequins, giant human spiders, and floating bodies, this game has it all to reach every type of phobia. Additionally, once you complete the game, you are thrown back into the house with a new storyline and enemies. This game is by far one of the best horror games released this year in terms of scariness and quality.

Lastly is Phasmaphobia. Released September 18, 2020,  this game is the newest on this list, and perhaps the most terrifying. The game consists of the player, or players, hunting down ghosts with appropriate  equipment. Basically, the game simulates how people in real life hunt for ghosts, similar to the ones on TV shows like Buzzfeed Unsolved. Also, the ghosts can actually hear what you say into the microphone and the player needs to communicate with them in order to hunt the ghost by asking the ghost questions like “are you here?”, or “can you write in this book for me?”. That is what makes this game so terrifying, it takes place in realistic places and scenarios and the ghosts can hear every word and say things back to the player. Combined with the fact that the player can barely see and the random creepy noises, this game is extremely scary. These five games are some of the best and scariest games to play during this October. Whether you’re looking for games to play by yourself or with friends, these games won’t disappoint. Among the games on this list, Phasmophobia is most likely the scariest game and should definitely be considered when looking for scary horror games to play this Halloween.