15 PC Games We Recommend for Halloween

(Author’s Note:  This list was originally written for Maximum PC October 2014. For further details, go to the end of this post)

October is finally here and it is time to consume enormous amounts of confectioneries without feeling guilty, if not a little sick to your stomach. Leading up to Halloween, it is hard not to get into the mood by watching scary movies such as The Exorcist or even listening to songs such as “This Is Halloween” – the Marilyn Manson version. Yet while there are plenty of great books, movies, and music that suits the ghoulish atmosphere perfectly, we feel that nothing compares to the experience of playing a scary video game. 

Whether it is fighting off zombies, dealing with the paranormal, beheading zombies, fighting aliens, shooting zombies, encountering all kinds of monsters, and trying to survive zombies there is a good selection of games to choose from. Naturally, there are many MMOs and multiplayer games that will sometimes have Halloween events. But for our list, we choose ones that don’t shoehorn Halloween elements into its gameplay.

So here are 15 PC games we recommend you check out for Halloween in no particular order.

Or maybe this list is in order…

Alan Wake is a survival horror game that was developed by Remedy Entertainment. It revolves around a character named Alan Wake, a best-selling author whose wife has disappeared. But during his search, he discovers pages to a thriller he doesn’t remember writing while a dark presence haunts the small town of Bright Falls. 

The game’s episodic structure, use of light as a weapon, strong storytelling, and atmosphere makes it a game to be played. 

Alice: Madness Returns – American McGee’s twisted take on this classic fairytale produced a very interesting game that saw Alice in an asylum. In Madness Returns, an action-adventure and psychological horror game, Alice must return to Wonderland due to an outside force that is corrupting it. But while she attempts to find out what is happening to Wonderland, she also discovers the truth behind the fire that killed her family. 

It’s time to follow the White Rabbit once again…

Alien: Isolation – Developed by The Creative Assembly, Alien: Isolation was released earlier this month. It is a first-person survival horror stealth game that is set 15 years after the events of the Alien movie. You play as Amanda, who has been investigating the disappearance of Ellen Ripley, her mother. Her investigation takes her to the space station Sevastopol where an Alien has invaded the station and killed the cast majority of the crew.

If you are a fan of Ridley Scott’s Alien, then we suggest you play this game. The AI is great, stealth mechanics are topnotch, and the pacing is good. 

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – This is a survival horror game that will keep you tense and nervous the entire time. Developed by The Chinese Room, it features a spooky, dark atmosphere that keeps you on your toes as you try to unravel a complex story. You play as Oswald Manus, a wealthy industrialist and butcher who has awoken from a fever that has lasted several months. As he searches for his missing sons, Oswald will also have to fix the “Machine” which has been sabotaged. But, in order to accomplish either of those goals, there are “things” out there that you will need to survive to find out what is going on.  

BioShock – The game might have some great water effects, but it is also a creepy first-person shooter that takes place in the underwater city of Rapture. You’re either fighting crazy “Splicers” or “Bid Daddies” throughout the game as you traverse the city which is falling apart. Aside from the cool powers you will yield, BioShock also boats a good morality-based storyline, great voice acting, and stunning visuals. 

DayZ – If you ever wanted to experience what it would be like to be a survivor during the zombie apocalypse, then DayZ is as close as you will get. This multiplayer, survival horror game is open world and drops you into the landscape of Chernarus with nothing more than the clothes on your back and a flashlight. Once you are in the game, you will have to find water and food so your character will not die of thirst or starvation. 

But as you play this game, trying to survive for as long as possible and scrounging for equipment and food, you’ll discover that it is not the zombies you should fear, but other players you might stumble across. 

Dead Space – While Dead Space 2 is technically a superior game when it comes to gameplay mechanics, we feel that the original had a better atmosphere. We prefer the isolated experience this third-person shooter provided with its setting on the ship USG Ishimura. The shooting mechanics are great and the look of the Necromorphs, reanimated creatures from the bodies of the dead crew, is downright terrifying and disgusting.

Don’t Starve – The artwork for this single-player survival game looks like it was done by Tim Burton, which was the reason it was able to catch our eye. But it’s the gameplay and trying to survive for as long as possible that keeps us coming back to play it. It has weird monsters, a creepy and depressing atmosphere, and your character will lose its sanity if you take certain steps to prevent that from happening.

But why should your sanity matter? Because, when your character starts losing its sanity, that’s when you start to see things…things that can hurt you.

DOOM 3 – This game has been out for 10 years and it is still a game we would recommend you play. The graphics still look good and, while we may be awesome when it comes to shooting things, we were still terrified when traversing through the levels blasting everything we saw.

Sometimes, even having a weapon isn’t enough to make you feel safe and secure.

F.E.A.R. 3 – If you are tired of zombies, then perhaps you should check out the F.E.A.R. franchise. Just like its predecessors the third game deals with the paranormal. What is interesting about this FPS title, aside from the horror-filled atmosphere, you can control two different characters. The Point man uses weapons and has a Slo-Mo ability that slows down time, while Paxton Fettel doesn’t use weapons but has psychic powers, telekinesis, and can even possess enemy soldiers.

Left 4 Dead 2 – Perhaps you are not the kind of person who likes to watch a scary movie or play a scary game by themselves. Then you and three of your bodies can mow down hordes of fast-moving zombies in this FPS game from Valve. There are four characters to choose from, an assortment of guns to use, and you’ll also be able to wield melee weapons like a bat or a katana. 

There is also a multiplayer campaign where you, or your opponents, can play as the infected. Which is a nice turn of events if you’ve always wanted to see how the zombie half lives…

Metro 2033 – This post-apocalyptic FPS game takes place underground in the metro stations of Moscow after a nuclear war has made the surface inhospitable. But while you are battling mutants and the Dark Ones, you will have to be conservative with the ammo you use because, in Metro 2033, it also doubles as currency. 

And for those of you who decide to pick up the game, we highly recommend picking up the Redux version. 

Natural Selection 2 – This sci-fi FPS title is a team-oriented game that also has real-time strategy elements. You can play as the Marines or the Kharaa (aliens). Each side can have a commander who allocates resource points to whatever they feel needs to be built or researched as a match progresses. And while the Kharaa rely mainly on melee attacks, unlike Marines who wield guns, they can also fly and climb walls. 

Which is more than enough to make any Marine feel a little twitchy.

Outlast – Another addition to the survival horror genre, Outlast puts you in the role of investigative journalist Miles Upshur and, acting an anonymous tip, finds himself in a dilapidated psychiatric hospital. Armed with only a notebook and camcorder, you will have to traverse the hospital and try to stay alive.

Project Zomboid – It’s the zombie apocalypse and you have to survive for as long as possible in Knox County, which has been overrun by zombies and quarantined by the government. Featuring slow-moving zombies, you will have to deal with hunger, fatigue, pain, and mental stability while trying to stay alive. This is a fun little indie game that will offer you a challenge. 

And that’s our list!

Be sure to sound off in the comments section below with what game you like to play whenever Halloween comes around.

Author’s Note: As stated above, this list was written for Maximum PC back in 2014. I don’t remember if this was the first list I wrote for the site but this is almost exactly what was posted on there at that time. It was a lot of fun coming up with the list, though I had wanted to add in older titles. However, my editor at the time wanted me to focus on more recent games that readers would be  still be able to buy and play. Made sense. But that means I will need to come up with another list of older titles.

In regards to the pictures, the original Maximum PC post had taken them for this list and put it all into a small slide gallery. That way each click on the slide button equaled one view/click for the website. So if someone looked at the entire list, it showed up as my article being viewed/clicked 15 times from one person (any opportunity to bump up those clicks for the advertisers). I always hated those kinds of schemes. But I was being paid for my work, not my thoughts on such a tactic.

Would you like to know what I was paid for this piece? Let me know in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: I hope you enjoyed the article. If you would like to support this site, you can donate via Paypal or even check out our merchandise on RedBubble. Here are some of the items available.