Scary movie marathons are only one small part of celebrating the Halloween season. After all, from spooky fast food items to over-the-top decorations, the horror genre can be found in all sorts of different media these days. Video games are no different, and that’s why it makes sense that so many horror games are released in the weeks leading up to Halloween.
Unfortunately, sifting through seasonal sales can be a bit of a chore – especially when so many developers have resigned themselves to releasing low-effort streamer-bait consisting of cheap jump-scares and re-used assets. With that in mind, we’ve decided to help our readers by compiling a list of must-play horror games for the 2025 Halloween weekend!
As usual, this list is purely based on personal opinion, though we’ll be focusing on smaller releases in order to keep things interesting. So don’t expect to see us mentioning heavy hitters like Silent Hill f or even Cronos: The New Dawn. That being said, feel free to comment below with your own Halloween favorites if you think we missed a particularly spooky one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Blasfemia (2025)
Whether they pay homage to the great masters of yore or simply imitate real life, all works of art are derivative of something. And in the case of Nakashima Studios’ indie horror gem Blasfemia, a cursory glance at the game’s antagonist is all it takes to know exactly what franchise influenced the Brazilian developer.
And yet, this P.T.-inspired haunted apartment simulator has a lot more up its surprisingly polished sleeve than you might initially expect. From its carefully choreographed jump scares to the legitimately interesting backstory behind the haunting, this peculiar take on religious horror is actually way more entertaining than the Nun movies that inspired it.
5. Halls of Torment (2024)
I used to be terrified of Diablo II as a child, with the game’s wicked cover art and detailed monster sprites (not to mention the hellish soundtrack) leading me to associate the title with horror media like Hellraiser and The Evil Dead instead of the dungeon-crawling tabletop adventures that actually inspired it. And while not even the Diablo franchise itself could ever really recapture those spooky vibes, Chasing Carrots’ retro Survivors-like Halls of Torment comes incredibly close.
Playing like Diablo on steroids as you blast through thousands of skeletons, demons, and grotesque bosses while arming yourself with procedurally generated equipment, Halls of Torment has somehow become even more addictive with the addition of its recent Boglands DLC. And while the game only really gets scary when you’re surrounded by hordes of enemies, there’s no denying that the title’s eerie ambiance is a perfect match for the Halloween season – especially now that you can play it from the comfort of your couch.
4. Cabin Factory (2024)
While it was originally released in December of last year, it was only in 2025 that International Cat Studios’ Cabin Factory became a viral hit. A somewhat silly revision of Exit 8’s looping haunt formula, the game puts you in the shoes of a literal cabin inspector as you make sure that your superiors aren’t accidentally shipping out haunted houses.
Naturally, there’s a bit more to the experience than that, with the game boasting a surprisingly eerie narrative that has to be slowly pieced together from context clues hidden inside seemingly identical cabins. It may be a short game, with eagle-eyed players likely getting through the entire campaign in less time than it takes to watch a scary movie, but the clever writing and randomized scares make this a breezy must-play for horror fans.
3. Amanda the Adventurer 2 (2024)
Mascot Horror has something of a negative connotation among “purists” these days, as many fans have accused the sub-genre of pandering to a younger audience in a desperate attempt to sell merchandise. Personally, I’ve never been bothered by this more moderate kind of horror, as scary stories can still be memorable without the need to traumatize younger family members.
The Amanda the Adventurer franchise is a great example of this, with this series of analog-horror inspired puzzle games managing to unsettle players with cursed television programming despite featuring scares that would feel right at home in a PG-13 movie. And with the third (and supposedly final) entry set to be released on November 6th, this is the perfect time to revisit the mind-bending puzzles of its predecessor. I only recently checked this one out once it was released on consoles, and despite getting stuck on several of the title’s torturous puzzles, I now find myself counting the days until AtA3 reveals the final batch of secrets behind the mysterious Hamelin company/cult!
2. Tormented Souls 2 (2025)
The original Tormented Souls was incredibly divisive among Survival Horror enthusiasts, and while I was a huge fan of the title’s retro mechanics and janky storytelling, I can understand why it wasn’t a hit with everyone. That’s why I’m pleased to announce that the recently released sequel is a superior experience in almost every way, with this throwback to early 2000s horror gaming having quickly become one of my favorite genre experiences of the year.
Tormented Souls 2 is still faithful to a fault when it comes to recreating the intense resource management of classic Survival Horror, but the game also feels a lot more balanced (not to mention polished) than its predecessor. It’s also much scarier, so I’d only recommend this one to players with nerves of steel and a fondness for the Resident Evil clones of yesteryear.
1. Skinfreak (2025)
Solo developer Jordan King (founder of Black-Eyed Priest Games) is right up there with Puppet Combo as the current reigning champion of PSX-style horror gaming. That’s why I wasn’t really surprised when Jordan’s latest release turned out to be one of his best, with the Slasher-inspired Skinfreak feeling like a true labor of love without retreading the same ground as his retro-loving peers.
Following an ill-fated cabdriver as she becomes the latest victim of the titular serial killer, this first-person thriller combines Immersive-Sim-like environments with a B-movie narrative that puts most modern Slasher flicks to shame. The low-poly graphics also make the violence feel surprisingly gnarly, as your mind tends to fill in the gory details missing from the simplified character models.
If you only play one game on this list, make sure it’s this one – unless you have a particularly weak stomach.
