Top 7 Halloween Indie Games
A night of spooks and scares awaits.
The night of fear is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than with some classic Halloween experiences of the indie variety? We’re staying away from the horror games everyone knows about already, even the indie ones. Instead, we’re counting down the games that exemplify the kitschy, over the top Halloween traditions we’ve come to know and love as well as hilariously terrifying co-op experiences that will boost your spooky party.
7. The Park
The Park recognises a quintessential Halloween trope: the terror of carnival. Creepy clowns and abandoned rides aren’t the scariest part of this funfair, however. The Park is a deeply psychological walking simulator that takes you through an abandoned amusement park in search of a lost child. Pairing the timelessly creepy with a slow ebb of clues and story is a classic horror staple, but The Park compounds the effect by pumping the story full of an adrenaline-fuelled search for your son.
While The Park might not be the most exciting of games to stick on at a Halloween party, it’s got plenty of jump scares and just the right atmosphere for a terrifying night of exploration.
6. Killing Floor
Throw Killing Floor on at your Halloween party for a hilarious night of co-op terror. A first-person shooter that everyone can get behind, Killing Floor pits you and your friends against waves of slobbering zombie enemies.
This is the perfect horror party experience – players automatically rejoin the next wave after dying, so no sitting around waiting for your turn, and each game can be customised to alter the difficulty and length of each wave so everyone can get in on the fun. With plenty of different weapons, grenades, and upgrades up for grabs, there’s something for every player to get killing with.
5. Dicey Dungeons
You may be confused as to Dicey Dungeons’ inclusion here. The recent deck-building roguelike hasn’t exactly made a name for itself as a horror game, but that doesn’t mean it can’t help you celebrate Halloween.
The latest update adds new content for the witch, inventor, and the warrior characters, with new stories to tell and new monsters to defeat (as well as extra spooky costumes for some of your favourite foes). With more Halloween surprises that we don’t want to spoil here, Dicey Dungeons is keeping its decorations up until November 4th so act fast to get your playtime in.
4. Blair Witch
Where would Halloween be without The Blair Witch Project? The cult classic has been a Halloween sleepover hit since its release in 1999. Now, though, kids can huddle around their PCs late into the night experiencing the same terror first-hand.
While Blair Witch (the game) didn’t spend too long in the limelight during its release window this year, there’s nothing like a time-proven cocktail of creepy shadows and forgotten woodland to get your Halloween off to a cultish start.
3. The Blackout Club
The Blackout Club is another co-op game to throw on at your Halloween party, but with a twist. This isn’t your conventional ‘hide in the shadows, gun down the enemy’ spooky game. Instead, you and your friends can embody a classic tale of intrigue and detective mystery.
American teenagers exploring the creepy goings-on of a small town, shadows that twist and warp out the corner of your eye, and a heart-thumping force driving you forwards without looking back – The Blackout Club has it all.
2. Dead By Daylight: The Halloween Chapter
Dead By Daylight released its Halloween DLC in 2016, but it’s still a great addition to the base game when this time of year rolls around. Featuring none other than Halloween poster boy himself Michael Myers, The Halloween Chapter introduces brand new killer perks to suit Myers’ obsessive, disturbed mind as well as survivor perks to suit the babysitter he’s stalking. Complete with Haddonfield map, Dead By Daylight’s Halloween DLC is a great time for all, as players relive the classic movies from both sides of the story.
1. Crawl
The best party games combine co-op and competitive gameplay to bring your friends together before brutally pitting you against each other. Crawl does all this at lightning speed, swapping the goal lines with every passing moment and all against the horror backdrop of ghosts and demons. One player takes on the classic dungeon crawling role of the hero, while three others are tasked with stopping them in their tracks.
These three players must summon demons and execute traps, but once a player is successful in taking out the hero they must swap places with them and the cycle begins again. There’s nothing like putting your all into taking out a hero only to find yourself embroiled in the very trap you helped your friends create.
If you’re looking for more scary games to play this spooky season, check out our picks of the top 50 horror indie games lurking in the shadows! Or, if you’re after something more classically trained, why not try our list of 7 indie games inspired by Silent Hill.