New Halloween-adjacent video games are often in short supply, but 2021 was filled to the brim with games ripe for the spooky season. From titles that double down on action-based terror to those that evoke Tim Burton’s whimsical Halloween spirit to psychological horror and old fashioned survival horror, the year was more than covered from all angles. Here are 16 of the best Halloween games to play and one to steer well clear of.
Resident Evil Village
Good if you like: Resident Evil 7, Dog Soldiers, Crimson Peak, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Apostle
Resident Evil games are likely popular ones to visit or revisit during October and Resident Evil Village is no different. It takes the first-person viewpoint and general gameplay loop from Resident Evil 7 and throws it into a gothic European setting that’s not too dissimilar from Resident Evil 4. And like that 2005 classic, Village is phenomenally paced and never lets up, scuttling players from one action or horror set piece to the next, although it does focus more on action than horror. Village has some stiff competition within its own series that it doesn’t quite overcome, but it’s still a great entry that takes some interesting risks and sits near the upper echelon of Resident Evil games.
Resident Evil 4 VR
Good if you like: Virtual reality games, Resident Evil 4, adrenaline-based terror, The Wicker Man
Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games of all time that has been on almost every platform since its 2005 release. And while most of those are fundamentally the same as that 2005 original, Resident Evil 4 VR is one of the only ports (outside of the Wii version) to radically change how the game plays.
RELATED: Underappreciated Movies to Watch During Halloween
Shooting and slicing the Ganados in virtual reality translates brilliantly as it has the same tension as its third-person counterpart, yet is completely fresh because of its viewpoint. Puzzles and menus have also been changed to fit the hardware, but the shooting is still the key takeaway, even though it does add a few new problems and its overall smoothness makes the game significantly easier. It would be difficult to mess up Resident Evil 4 and this version is missing some content, but RE4VR’s move to a new perspective is fantastic and is one of the better VR translations in the medium. It’s just unfortunate that, at this current time, engaging with this game also means engaging with the scariest of evils: Facebook, given that Oculus published this Quest 2 exclusive.
Alan Wake Remastered
Good if you like: Stephen King novels (or films based on his novels), Control
Alan Wake was a classic and Alan Wake Remastered is an even better version of that classic. The beefed-up visuals and faster frame rate improve the gameplay and atmosphere, both of which are key to the Alan Wake experience. Light and darkness play such a big role in Alan Wake that improving the lighting has a positive impact on the overall game.
Gunplay can feel intense in some instances and dated in others as it is, for better and worse, a 2010 game at its core, but its storytelling has aged gracefully. Alan Wake’s literal first words in the game are “Stephen King” and that name drop is appropriate, given its quality and tone. The tale is impeccably told through clever foreshadowing, engrossing narration, likeable characters, and an unshakeable amount of mystery that presides over the whole thing. It’s thoroughly engaging from beginning to end and given the grander implications of the series as of late (especially given the cheeky new Easter eggs in this remaster), it is a must-play game.
In Sound Mind
Good if you like: Alan Wake, psychological horror
In Sound Mind was easy to overlook given its rudimentary visuals and the obscurity of the studio behind it; it’s We Create Stuff’s first full title, after all. But In Sound Mind is a mind-bending, puzzle-focused, first-person psychological thriller that takes place inside the minds of therapy patients. It uses that ethereal setting to mess with the player and these moments help reinforce the game’s unpredictable world and spooky atmosphere. In Sound Mind isn’t the most innovative title and can be a little primitive, but it’s relatively effective at what it tries to do.
Control Ultimate Edition
Good if you like: Alan Wake, X-Files
Control wasn’t supposed to be on the last generation of consoles and those dramatic technical shortcomings ruined a lot of its atmosphere. Control Ultimate Edition (on the PS5 and Xbox Series X) lets console players finally see the PC game that was undoubtedly closer to Remedy Entertainment’s original vision.
Control, much like Alan Wake and Returnal, creates a world covered in mystery and uses that intrigue to draw players further and further into the depths of The Oldest House. The Oldest House is full of SCP-like oddities that add flavor to the world as their mystifying supernatural abilities clash with the bureaucratic systems that mundanely file and log all of these supernatural, everyday objects. Fighting the most hostile objects and beings is often a treat since its quick, power-drive gunplay is smooth and satisfyingly rips through whatever setting the battle takes place in. Because of its rich and bizarre world that never stops providing creepy bits of lore and gratifying gunplay, Control is a consistently engaging experience.
Returnal
Good if you like: Annihilation, Prometheus, Hades, Control
Returnal is less about jump scares and more about that crushing dread of the unknown. Everything in this roguelite shooter is coated in secrecy and unwrapping those mysteries in its alien world is as fascinating as it is humbling; humanity just feels so insignificant within the scope of Atropos’ history. It’s a profoundly isolating setting, one that contributes to the protagonist Selene’s more interesting developments and makes the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired foes even more dangerous.
Shooting those strange, tentacle-laden blobs is addictive and empowering, given the extremely responsive controls and wealth of ever-changing upgrades found on any given run, but that never takes away from its effectiveness as a horror setting. Some of this is most clearly seen its first-person segments in the house, most of which are deeply unsettling and expertly crafted. But these sections are just part of what makes Returnal such an incredible experience as it almost perfectly balances frenetic gunplay, enigmatic storytelling, and its sci-fi horror atmosphere in a way few other games can even touch.
Mundaun
Good if you like: Supernatural European horror films, Midsommar
Mundaun is one of the most bizarre horror games of the year. It’s a first-person experience set in Switzerland and grabs the player with its hand-drawn aesthetic and creepy vibes. Something’s not quite right in this rural town and while its puzzles can be overly obtuse at times, its visual style and overall tone make it an effective horror title that’s almost always unsettling. This is Hidden Fields’ first actual game and feels like it in a lot of ways, but hopefully is just the beginning of its weirdness.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Good if you like: Schlocky B-horror movies, Man of Medan, The Descent
Supermassive Games may never top Until Dawn, but The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is still a decent pick for those who want a schlocky and interactive B-horror movie. House of Ashes’ setting of Iraq circa 2003 is inventive for a horror game and while it doesn’t fully explore that era as much as it could, it contains a small bit of commentary and a few novel takes on established horror tropes that are worth seeing through. But because of its stilted animation and troubling first act, its best moments are in its latter half when its story, metaphors, and horror bits begin to come together and begin to overshadow some of its obvious faults.
Little Nightmares II
Good if you like: Inside, The City of Lost Children
Little Nightmares II takes everything the first game did and does it better and that extends to the horror. Platforming is smoother, level design is sharper, and its visuals are darker and more creative. The themes around its levels are stronger, too, and takes its motif of realizing childhood fears of twisted adults and makes them even more twisted and scary. Tarsier Studios steadily improved its craft after the first entry — a decent cinematic platformer in its own right — and Little Nightmares II is proof of that.
Lost in Random
Good if you like: Coraline, Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie
Lost in Random is less scary and more fit for the mood around Halloween. Much like the Laika Studios movies it was inspired by, Lost in Random features beautiful, fantastical, and slightly twisted worlds and characters that would be right at home in almost any of Tim Burton’s stop-motion films. Even though its world has easy influences to point to, its odd combat doesn’t have as clean of a parallel. Using its dice and card-based system to fight enemies is wholly unique and strategic, despite its few rough spots. The overall game does have its share of shortcomings, but it’s a delightfully grim world worth diving into.
Pumpkin Jack
Good if you like: Jak & Daxter, MediEvil, Banjo Kazooie, The Nightmare Before Christmas
Pumpkin Jack is yet another whimsical interpretation of Halloween, much like The Nightmare Before Christmas. The game features protagonist Jack, the Mythical Pumpkin Lord, as he goes to fight humankind for the Devil himself. But he doesn’t slice up teens in the woods, but assorted baddies as it is a 3D platformer reminiscent of Jak & Daxter and not some sort of Friday the 13th game. Its simple hack-and-slash combat and puzzle sections (that see Jack using just his pumpkin head) are straightforward and feel straight out the PS2 era, but are a welcome, if overly loose, throwback.
The color palette is bright and inviting and the score would fit right at home with that aforementioned Burton film, both of which combine to create the fun Halloween vibes games don’t often go for. Pumpkin Jack did originally come out on PC, Switch, and Xbox One in 2020 and the PlayStation 4 in early 2021, but it has just gotten a full (and free) PS5 and Xbox Series X update, which enhances the whole experience and gives players another chance to pick up on this seasonal and comfortable relic.
Back 4 Blood
Good if you like: Pretty much any zombie movie, Left 4 Dead
Back 4 Blood wants to fulfill that zombie movie fantasy of shooting through hordes of the undead while scrambling to stay alive and get to a safe zone. And it mostly achieves that. Turtle Rock Studios has continued what it had started with Left 4 Dead by making a dynamic and intense cooperative shooter, but one that focuses even more on replayability.
RELATED: How Back 4 Blood Is Trying to Build the Biggest Audience Possible
The card system’s ability to add or remove different variables means that Back 4 Blood might have a set of legs that don’t completely rot through quickly after release. And with stronger core shooting mechanics, shorter and more digestible levels, and the addition of crossplay, Back 4 Blood has potential to live on like its spiritual predecessor, a game that is still enjoyed well over a decade later.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Good if you like: Aliens, Left 4 Dead
Aliens: Fireteam Elite isn’t the strongest co-op shooter of the year, but it’s the strongest (and only) co-op shooter in the Alien franchise to come out in 2021. While it has dated visuals and a relatively low-budget presentation, it’s a functional third-person shooter that seems designed for people who’d rather cling to a Pulse Rifle and mow down xenomorphs than use an M4 to mow through zombies. An unremarkable yet competent co-op shooter in the Aliens universe may not sound exciting, but games like Aliens: Colonial Marines makes that seem like an amazing achievement.
Inscryption
Good if you like: Slay the Spire, Saw (but without the gore)
The card-based, roguelite, horror genre isn’t crowded so Inscryption would stick out regardless. But its gameplay is more than a mere novelty as it merges strategic card-based gameplay with a spooky horror atmosphere; imagine running through Slay the Spire while being held captive in a haunted house. The game is tough and can sometimes feel unfair as the ruthless AI mercilessly tears through your deck, but it is worth learning the intricacies of crafting a solid run to learn the sheer depth of its mechanics. Opening up its gameplay possibilities and moving forward will also open up its odd, ominous narrative that’s simmering just under the surface.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus
Good if you like: Anime visual novels, subversive games
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus may seem like an odd inclusion, but it does fit the genre if players don’t mind anime girls coupled with their scares. The visual novel relies on disturbing and surprising players in unique ways so even just saying it is a horror game gives away some of the magic, which was also true for the free PC version of the game that was released in 2017. 2021’s Plus brought the game to consoles and was also a hefty upgrade for the existing PC version, hence its new premium price point. Horror isn’t always filled with this many busty anime women and probably shouldn’t conceptually work, but Doki Doki Literature Club Plus demonstrates that such an off-beat marriage is great under the right circumstances.
Tormented Souls
Good if you like: Old Silent Hill and Resident Evil games
Some people are going to find Tormented Souls clunky and unintuitive. But that’s mostly because it is specifically trying to emulate the PS1 era of survival horror games like the first Silent Hill or the original Resident Evil trilogy. And for those people who want a rush of horror-tinged nostalgia, Tormented Souls’ claustrophobic fixed camera angles, focus on puzzles, hilariously bad voice acting, mediocre combat, and spooky, dimly lit environments will be welcome features and not dated tropes. It’s even got optional tank controls right on the D-pad for those willing to play like it’s 1996.
The Medium
Good if you like: Boring horror with a bad message
The Medium is not only the worst of this bunch; it’s undoubtedly one of 2021’s weakest titles. It isn’t scary in the slightest and barely has any gameplay to speak of. The bland story is also told poorly and has an absolutely terrible and harmful message, as do almost all of Bloober Team’s games. It is simply not worth your time unless you are truly pining for some old school horror and want to preliminarily get insight into Bloober’s process before it inevitably makes Silent Hill, which it is absolutely not prepared for in its current state.
There are plenty of bad or mediocre horror games that come out every year and 2021 is no exception. But few have as high of a profile as The Medium and have as harmful of a message. It’s the one horror title almost everyone should avoid, especially in a year full of decent to excellent horror experiences.
