The currently best horror games for Halloween 2024

We'll show you current horror games and newly released classics that horror fans should check out.

Horror stories don't necessarily have the best reputation. Interchangeable goods,more of a fairground attraction than horror art. But when a horror story hits the bloody nail on the head, it triggers incomparable feelings. And of course that also applies to gaming.

If you search the Steam databases, you will also find them theretons of bad shockers. But on the other hand, there are enough brilliant horror games to fill countless best-of lists. Of course we can't offer that here due to space constraints, so we'll limit ourselves tothe best horror games that we want to recommend to you for 2024:

• Survival horror and action
  • Dead Space Remake
  • Alien: Isolation
  • Outlast
  • Alan Wake 2
  • Resident Evil
  • The Evil Within
  • Silent Hill 2 Remake
  • Tormented Souls
  • Amnesia: The Bunker
  • signaled
  • Darkwood

To give us and you a good overview, we have divided all horror games into categories, one per page. Of course, many games cannot simply be assigned to a single group; many have several. What was crucial for us was the core of the game, so please don't tear our heads off. Save that for the zombies in the games on this list.

Of course, not all of the good recent horror games are included here. If you'd like to recommend additional games to people, feel free to leave them in the comments!

There will also be a big horror sale on Steam for Halloween 2024, you can find all the highlights here:

Survival horror and action

The mother of all horror genres is of course survival horror. Even if a game does not primarily focus on this hobbyhorse, many titles use typical mechanics and stylistic devices of this genre.

This is about survival,and not for super-strong war veterans, but often for perfectly normal people or at least under extremely adverse circumstances. Here you experience a constant lack of resources and face constant danger.

Dead Space Remake

What is it about?In the revised horror classicAs technician Isaac Clarke, you have to survive on the USG Ishimura, a spaceship that has apparently been overrun by aliens. You have to find out what happened, somehow keep your sanity and at the same time look for your lover Nicole, who is missing there.

How does it play?Dead Space offers action-packed third-person shooter gameplay. You shoot your way through enemies, but also use other, more creative weapons and improve your equipment. You also explore the eerie surroundings and look for clues to gradually piece together the events.

Scary factor?Dead Space shines in new splendor as a remake - the improved optics and the revised sound increase the thrill of the sci-fi shooter enormously. You can read more about the improvements.

Alien: Isolation

What is it about?We have to apologize. Becausebeen missing from this list for far too long. It's a game that horror fans shouldn't miss. Here you play Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, known from the films, who sets out to search for her mother and gets to know the xenomorphs herself.

How does it play?Alien: Isolation relies primarily on stealth. Because you can drive the alien away here, but you can never completely defeat it. It also doesn't follow a predefined path, but rather hunts you. Actions that generate a lot of noise are particularly attractive. Accordingly, it is important to make a lot of use of your motion scanner to avoid him. But be careful: the alien can also hear its beeping.

Scary factor?As a result, you always act under tension and are sometimes suddenly attacked by the xenomorph. This makes exploring the space station a constant thrill and you have no place to be safe.

Outlast series

What is it about?Outlast and its successor are probably some of the scariest games ever.For a change, don't send yourself into dark corridors or dungeons, but to Arizona, where religious fanatics want to attack you in the desert. Armed with the typical camcorder of the series, we are actually going on a research trip with our wife as journalists to investigate the mysterious suicide of a pregnant woman.

However, everything goes terribly wrong at the beginning: our helicopter crashes and our wife disappears without a trace. In the desperate search for her, we fight our way through villages populated by crazy people and huge cornfields. Outlast 2 takes place largely outdoors and features a sprawling environment.

How does it play?This also shows a big problem with Outlast 2: the open levels make it difficult to find the right path. This sometimes causes frustration during chases and sneaks because you constantly lose orientation and all the buildings and fields somehow look the same in the dark. Fighting back is not an option alongside hiding and fleeing.

Scary factor?But the desert landscape feels refreshingly different and the constant panic of being discovered provides a thrill. If we sit trembling in a closet while an enemy stands in front of it and listens, the nerve-wracking tension is almost unbearable.

Alan Wake 2

What is it about?Alan Wake is back. In theThe author's story becomes entangled with that of FBI agent Saga Anderson, who wants to solve a series of ritual murders in the well-known small town of Bright Falls. While she tries to solve the mystery, writer Alan Wake finds himself trapped in a nightmare.

He now wants to rewrite his own story and free himself - even though they both operate from different worlds, they are still connected and together they have to defeat the darkness that seems to have a firm grip on Bright Falls.

How does it play?In Alan Wake 2 you not only explore, but also fight against supernatural horror figures. In addition to weapons with scarce ammunition, light is your most important ally. Lastly we have the expansion .

Scary factor?Like its predecessor, Alan Wake 2 also focuses on the story. You follow two storylines, explore two eerie worlds in parallel and reveal the secret of the darkness that drenches Bright Falls in atmospheric horror.

Resident Evil series

What is it about?The Resident Evil series is a true classic among survival horror games and has now received countless sequels and spin-offs. What particularly stands out, however, is the remake offrom 2019. This may not be the newest installment in the series, but it is one of the best.

Here you control the protagonists Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, two months after the events of Resident Evil. As in the original, the zombie-infested Raccoon City serves as the setting. We also face the mysterious Mr. X and the evil Umbrella Corporation again. The two heroes have to stop the newly developed G-virus and in the process meet characters such as Ada Wong, the scientist Dr. William Birkin or his daughter Sherry.

How does it play?In the remake of Resident Evil 2, however, you control your characters from a shoulder view and can walk and shoot at the same time - similar to Resident Evil 6. In addition, the entire environment is now displayed in 3D and some scenes have been converted accordingly.

You have to pay attention to your ammunition supply, defend yourself against zombies and explore carefully to solve the puzzles in the game. Overall, our testers were enthusiastic about the new edition. Only the boss fights are not well received due to their run-of-the-mill character. More about our rating.

Scary factor?Resident Evil offers classic survival horror. You have to defend yourself against monsters with little ammunition, master puzzles and make your way through the dangerous environment as cleverly and carefully as possible.

:If you're looking for more action, you should especially watch the latest remake of the series.

The new Resident Evil 4 is a remake of the original series part, which, like parts 2 and 3, has received a general overhaul. Six years after the events in Raccoon City, you once again control Leon S. Kennedy, who this time is supposed to save the kidnapped President's daughter. This leads him to a remote village in Europe, where the quirky residents interpret the concept of hospitality a little more generously...

As is usual from the series, you shoot your way through all sorts of bloodthirsty opponents with rare ammunition, explore eerie environments and solve a few puzzles along the way. Thanks to improved graphics, eerie soundscapes and modernized gameplay, you can experience the survival horror classic more intensely than ever. If you want to see whether you like the new features, you can first play the demo on Steam.

The Evil Within-Reihe

What is it about?Similar to Resident Evil, the series plays on our fears by giving us ammunition or weapons at our fingertips. In the latest part,, main character Sebastian returns from the predecessor and has to team up with the shadowy organization Mobius to save his daughter Lily.

How does it play?Despite the lack of ammunition, we are supposed to defend ourselves against supernatural creatures such as zombies and deformed monsters that are far superior to us. Often the only solution is to hide, sneak and run away.Among other things, the more open level sections are praised compared to its predecessor. The only criticisms were that the puzzles were too easy and the inconsistent texture quality.

Scary factor?The Evil Within relies more on splatter and gore than subtle psychological horror, but fear is not neglected here either. This time Sebastian has to enter the surreal world of STEM and defeat the monsters there. Only if he survives the nightmare can he win his family back.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

What is it about?With theOne of the most iconic survival horror games is being re-released. Bloober Team SA, the makers behind horror games like Layers of Fear and The Medium, have given James Sunderland's depressing journey a complete overhaul.

He mysteriously received a letter from his late wife Maria, who summoned him to the monster-infested small town of Silent Hill. Little by little you uncover the secrets of the place and delve deeper and deeper into the psyche of the protagonist.

How does it play?As is typical for the games in the series, you explore various locations, solve puzzles and defend yourself against grotesque monstrosities. You have firearms and melee weapons at your disposal, but you shouldn't be too wasteful with them.

Monitoring and healing are few and far between and you have to carefully consider when it's worth fighting and when you should just take your chances. You are not a typical hero who stands for good, but are looking for a way to leave your own demons behind you. You can find out whether everything works as well in the remake as it did in the original.

Scary factor?With the remake, a horror classic shines in new splendor without losing its densely scary atmosphere. The use of light and shadow, coupled with the menacing soundscape, won't let you take a breather for a moment.

Tormented Souls

What is it about?basically mixes Resident Evil and Silent Hill, which should please many fans of the horror classics. You experience typical survival horror when you suddenly wake up in an abandoned mansion while searching for your missing twin sister.

How does it play?You have to solve puzzles, find tools and defend yourself - but ammunition is scarce. However, Tormented Souls tries to modernize the gameplay from back then and packs a captivating story on top - even if it slows down a bit towards the end.

The graphics look great except for the faces and models and the enemies are fantastically designed, although there is a lack of variety in places. Inyou can find out more about our rating.

Scary factor?In addition to scary enemies and the eerie scenery, the shortage of ammunition scares you. If you don't manage, you'll quickly find yourself with your pants down.

Amnesia: The Bunker

What is it about?For many, Amnesia is one of the scariest horror experiences ever, which has shaped the popular horror of running away and hiding.

WithThe series now returns and sends you as a French soldier into the First World War, where you find yourself in a dark bunker. Evil lurks in its dark corners and you are only armed with a revolver with a single bullet and a crank flashlight.

How does it play?Fighting is not an option. To escape the bunker's procedurally generated corridors, you'll have to experiment and quickly escape or hide, because the monsters down here are not to be trifled with. These react to your actions, movements and sounds that you make.

Scary factor?In Amnesia you are accompanied by constant tension. Light is scarce and danger could be lurking around every corner. Here, too, it is rarely an option to go into direct confrontation, which is why you always feel like the prey instead of the hunter.

signaled

What is it about?Inyou immerse yourself in a surreal retrotech world. After your spaceship crashes, you wake up from cold sleep as a technician replica named Magpie and try to find your way on an alien planet. There you search for survivors of your crew while the boundaries between reality and dreams blur.

How does it play?From a top view you control the protagonist through different locations. In typical survival horror style, you have to solve puzzles on the one hand and defend yourself with your weapon on the other, while managing ammunition and healing items.

Scary factor?Signalis combines the unpleasant tension of classic survival horror with surreal cosmic horror. Especially if you like older genre offshoots, like the original Resident Evil or Silent Hill, you will be swept away by the atmosphere.

Darkwood

What is it about?In the dark survival gameYou end up in a dark forest from which there seems to be no way out. Without any real memories, you try to solve the mystery of this place little by little and have to proceed extremely carefully.

You fortify an abandoned forest hut and collect food and resources to stay afloat. As if that wasn't stressful enough, the forests are teeming with monstrous creatures and blood-hungry wild animals.

How does it play?From above you direct the actions of the nameless protagonist, navigate through different sections of the forest and explore the surroundings. You have weapons at your disposal to defend yourself and you always have to keep an eye on your light source, because without it, things suddenly become dark. This is how you look for allies, ensure your survival and unravel the secrets that the deep forest holds.

Scary factor?Darkwood's style appears minimalist at first glance, but upon closer inspection it is extremely detailed. Although you play from a bird's eye view, your field of vision is very limited. This means you only ever see what is in your character's field of vision. The background noise and enemy design, as well as the mysterious story, contribute to a scary atmosphere in which you never really feel safe.