The Best Multiplayer Horror Games To Share With Friends
With all that’s happened in this relentless year, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Halloween is finally upon us. In celebration of the spooky season, many players use it as a chance to dig out their scariest games and take them for a new playthrough.
Whether that’s a more light-hearted adventure catching ghosts within Luigi’s Mansion, to hiding in a locker from Sevastopol’s Xenomorph in Alien Isolation, there’s no shortage of options to choose from.
The best multiplayer horror games
With many of us still under lockdown worldwide, you can’t help but miss that social element to Halloween but fear not; there’s still plenty of ways to get into that spooky spirit with friends. An online game can’t replace your Halloween party, but a good co-op experience can be hard to beat, and recent years have seen a significant increase in some of the best multiplayer horror games. For those looking at a new plan this Halloween, here are five of the best multiplayer horror games from indie developers.
Phasmophobia
Considering the name literally means “fear of ghosts”, Phasmophobia is one of the more fitting choices this Halloween. Developed by Kinetic Games, this four-player survival horror experience launched last month on PC as an Early Access release. Playing as a team of ghost hunters, you’ll be investigating a recent surge of paranormal activity, recording evidence which can then be sold to a ghost removal team. Aided by tools like Ouija boards and crucifixes, it’ll take a good crew to survive.
Phasmophobia’s seen wide praise over its jump scare mechanics, currently featuring 10 different ghosts with unique gameplay traits and gained a significant surge in popularity thanks to Twitch. If you’re truly feeling brave, it also includes Virtual Reality support, supported by all major PC headsets and thus can be enjoyed alongside non-VR users too. Whatever way you experience it, horror fans would do well to check this out.
Dead By Daylight
For those looking to replicate that 80’s style horror film within a game, Dead by Daylight is the way to go this Halloween. Developed by Behaviour Interactive, this asymmetrical survival horror game puts players into a one versus four scenarios online, seeing a player take on the role of a murderous serial killer as four other players attempt to escape. Each killer holds a unique power, such as cloaking powers, to turn invisible or instantly knocking down players.
Players cannot fight against this mysterious murderer, only able to evade him whilst completing a series of tasks. There’s 21 in total, including DLC characters from famous horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween or Saw. Initially released in 2016 on PC, it’s now available on all major consoles (Stadia too), with next-gen versions also launching this year. Better yet, it comes with cross-platform multiplayer too (excluding the mobile edition), making co-op easier than ever.
Barotrauma
Barotrauma has quietly built up a fanbase since launching last year. Developed by Undertow Games and FakeFish Games, it brought us a 2D side-scroller which takes place in a distant future. Finding yourself onboard a submarine, humanity has fled Earth, and you traverse the treacherous oceans of Europa, one of Jupiter’s many moons. Like most co-op games, communication is key, and players must work together to keep this ship going.
Whether that’s taking down terrifying sea monsters, hauling cargo or fixing leaks, there’s a lot to do, and those looking for a more complex experience will find it. Currently, in Early Access release on PC, there’s a full single-player campaign, but multiplayer is what truly shines here, and survival very much depends on player competency. Should you wish to liven things up, Barotrauma also offers a traitor option, letting players deliberately sabotage the ship or assassinate crew members.
Among Us
If you’ve been following gaming these last few months, you’ve probably heard of Among Us. Set on a spaceship with up to 10 player parties, you take on one of two roles: Crewmates and Imposters. Crewmates must complete a series of tasks to win, whilst Imposters aim to sabotage your ship and kill the Crewmates. It’s not strictly a horror game like other titles here, but if you found yourself trapped aboard a spaceship whilst an imposter murders your friends, you’d be pretty scared too.
Though it released in 2018, Innersloth’s murder mystery sensation only gained traction recently amongst streamers, and it’s easy to see why. Going for a mere £3.99 on Steam and low cost of nothing on mobiles, there’s no excuse not to try it out. A lot of enjoyment comes down to who you play with, but if you assemble the right crew, it makes for a fantastic detective game. Cross-platform multiplayer is also featured, so get yourself a Discord lobby setup and start investigating.
Unfortunate Spacemen
Unfortunate Spacemen has gained a dedicated fanbase since launching in June on PC, offering a free-to-play horror experience. Published by New Blood Interactive, you play with up to 16 people across alien dig sites, abandoned space stations and more, trying to evacuate by completing crew complete objectives. Amongst your group, one player roams as a shape-shifting monster to sabotage this, and voice chat is all proximity-based. Spacemen have strength in numbers, so it’s down to the monster to kill others, gaining power by eating them.
Though the premise is undeniably similar to Among Us, Unfortunate Spacemen is a 1st person game which places a stronger emphasis on the survival horror elements, letting players take down the monster with guns and brute force, instead of a heated friendly vote. With no price barrier to entry, it’s worth checking out if you’ve been looking for something different.