6 Scary Video Games to Play for Halloween

Set in 1960 (shortly after the all-out war on New Year’s Eve, 1959), you play as Jack, a man who crashes in the Atlantic Ocean and soon makes his way to the underwater dystopia of Rapture. What was once a beautiful utopia, is now home to ADAM-craving Splicers, Little Sisters, and their Big Daddies. BioShock is a first-person shooter with RPG elements and combines action and horror themes in the most wonderful ways.  

BioShock was my initiation into serious gaming. I’ve been playing video games since the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until this game came out in 2007 that I realized how much I loved video games. Ever since I rented the first game from Blockbuster, the series has had a place in my heart.

Ten years later, BioShock remains one of the best games to play during the Halloween season (or any other season, for that matter). BioShock Infinite is great, as well, and is scary in an entirely different way.

Originally released on PC and PS4, SOMA just got its release on Xbox One late last year, and that’s when I was able to play it. It is one of the creepiest and most dreadful games I’ve ever played. 

SOMA is a first-person science fiction survival horror game set on an underwater facility where the various machinery have begun to adopt human characteristics. The game uses stealth and puzzle-solving over a more hands-on approach. It opts out of conventional jump-scares found in many games in the same genre and instead takes on a more psychological horror approach, which I personally find much more effective and scary.

SOMA is definitely a game that caters to a bit of everything. Whether you’re a sci-fi fan, a puzzler nerd, a horror fanatic, or just a general fan of video games, it is definitely a must-play.

If you need a testament as to how creepy this game is, there’s a ‘Wuss Mode’ mod that exists for the game.

Despite some pretty ugly legal disputes recently, Friday The 13th: The Game is still a pretty fun game to play, especially if you have friends to play with. It actually puts you right in Crystal Lake, letting you play as either Jason himself or a counselor trying to survive. The Virtual Cabin is one of the best features, as it allows you to free roam around a cabin and read up on Friday the 13th trivia and and find fun Easter eggs.

Those with PlayStation Plus can get Friday The 13th: The Game for free for the rest of the month.

Related Article: 5 Comic Book Series Perfect for Halloween

Until Dawn was originally set to be a PS3 title incorporating PlayStation Move support, but this was ultimately scrapped, and the game was released on the PS4 in August 2015. The game takes your favorite cliche ‘group of teens in a cabin in the woods’ scenario and throws it for a gigantic loop.

The gameplay is unique as choices really do matter, and there are dozens of different ways your game can end. Until Dawn is fully mo-capped and voiced and actually featured some big names like Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Brett Dalton (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Peter Stormare (Fargo, Prison Break, and a billion other things) as a creepy psychiatrist. The game also kicked off Rami Malek’s career, who is known for Mr. ROBOT and playing Freddie Mercury in the upcoming biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.

Fans of VR will also want to check out the spin-off, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, which is an arcade shooter. Both games are exclusive to PlayStation 4.

After the utter disaster that was Aliens: Colonial Marines, Alien Isolation was a beacon of hope for Aliens fans and gamers alike. The game delivered, and we finally have a great Alien game. Like other video games on this list, Alien Isolation is a survival horror game played entirely in the first person.

The game is set 15 years after the events of the first Alien film and follows Amanda Ripley as she investigates the disappearance of her mother (yup, Ellen Ripley). Isolation relies on stealth and brainpower to outsmart the single Xenomorph on-board. The game is definitely based more on Alien rather than the action-centered sequel, Aliens.

Alien Isolation is a game I don’t like to play alone (thank god my sister’s a fan). While there are jump scares, they don’t necessarily feel cheap. I love the futuristic ’70s aesthetic the game has going on, obviously borrowed from the film.

The Station came out early this year and pretty much soared under the radar. The Station is a first-person narrative/mystery with some pretty creepy and suspenseful undertones. The game is set on a station in the depths of space. You’re sent to the station to investigate the disappearance of a research crew who discovered an alien race in a state of civil war.