Winter is coming… but first, there’s Halloween. It’s the season of costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and horror. So, while plenty of people are going to paste themselves in front of TVs to watch a few Halloween classics, the rest of us are grabbing controllers and keyboards to immerse ourselves in true, interactive Halloween magic in video games.
Here are seven great video games to get in the mood, from horror to action to virtual trick-or-treating:
Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight racked up some awards and lots of positive reviews when it was released, and it’s obvious why. This horror game pits one monster against four survivors. The survivors have to try and make it out alive, usually by working together, but you can try to escape on your own.
Or, you can play as the monster, hunting the survivors down one by one and placing their bodies on meat hooks to save for later. The base game includes some cool, original monsters, but you can also download some of horror’s greatest movie slashers, like Freddy and Jason.
Killing Floor 2
Killing Floor 2 is an action-horror game filled with bloody “ZEDs,” murderous clones created by an evil corporation. The clones make up a motley and murderous group of enemies, encompassing everything from standard human-ish murderers to massively obese clowns to titans with blades strapped to their arms.
There’s no real story to speak of; it’s really just an arena horror game. But, it features great gunplay and an awesome soundtrack combined with waterfalls of gore. A nice touch is that increasing the difficulty doesn’t just make the ZEDs more powerful and robust, it also changes the ways they behave, making them better coordinated and more aggressive.
Friday the 13th: The Game
Friday the 13th: The Game is similar to Dead by Daylight, but it’s all about one of America’s most iconic movie killers. Players taking on the role of the killer can adopt one of Jason’s many looks, from the 1989 video game to the Jason impersonator from A New Beginning. Players trying to survive are known as “counselors” and can pick from over a dozen different Crystal Lake camp counselors.
Jasons work to kill all seven counselors before they escape or are able to defeat him. Counselors try to survive long enough for the police to arrive or go for an epic win by completing teamwork challenges and escaping or killing Jason (both of which are hard). Lots of movie characters make appearances, including Jason’s mom and Tommy Jarvis.
Call of Cthulhu
Call of Cthulu is based on — what else? — the Lovecraft Universe. Specifically, it’s based on a tabletop game based on the Lovecraft story, “Call of Cthulhu.” You’re a World War I vet and private detective sent to investigate the murder of the Hawkins family at their burnt house where, as it turns out, some crazy occult stuff is going on. And, of course, there are lots of tentacles.
An awesome, Lovecraftian twist in the detective genre comes as gathering occult clues slowly leads to insanity.
It looks like a promising psychological/survival horror game. Unfortunately, this title doesn’t actually release until October 30, just in time for Halloween, but way too late for us to gather nuggets to share with you ahead of time.
DOOM
Yup, the old DOOM series. In every game, you play the role of a guy sent to a place where portals to Hell are opening. While most DOOM games, including the 2016 iteration we’re recommending here, are more action than horror, they’re still a great way to get ready for Halloween as you fight your way through the hordes of demons.
The game provides a great atmosphere, soundtrack, and plenty of blood and gore without really trying to terrify you, so you can easily fall asleep. You know, unless the game’s awesome soundtrack pumps up your heart up too high. Bonus: Playing DOOM for Halloween will help you prep for the release of DOOM Eternal.
World of Warcraft’s Hallow’s End
This isn’t a full game of Halloween or horror, but World of Warcraft has special events for most holidays, and Halloween happenings are especially fun. Starting on October 18, players will be able to trick-or-treat, kill the Headless Horseman, collect costumes, and hurl pumpkins onto each other’s heads.
It’s all lots of fun and very family-friendly. Even killing the Headless Horseman is accomplished with little blood and gore, especially compared to the other games on this list. But, seeing as this is only a two-week event, it’s more for people who already own the game. It’s not likely worth it for folks who have no interest in the rest of the game (which is full of more monsters, including zombies and witches and Lich Kings… so why aren’t you interested?).
Sophie’s Curse
Sophie’s Curse is a crazy simple game. You’re a nurse hired to take care of an old grandpa in a haunted house with faulty wires and four generator-powered lights. You have to keep the lights on and, spoiler, a ghost is there to attack you.
The monster is standard fare, but the limited controls and the focus needed to keep the lights on guarantees that most players will experience some serious jump scares. You have no way of fighting the monster, so the key to survival is making it to the safe points quickly whenever she shows up. TO top it off, the game is cheap. It’s currently on sale on Steam for id=”listicle-2611465480″.69 until October 15 — down from .