Six surprisingly scary games to play this Halloween

Sure, you can play Silent Hill, Dead Space, Resident Evil, The Evil Within, Until Dawn, the list goes on, but perhaps you want something a little less spine-chilling to see you through the night.

We've finally made it to the spookiest day of the entire year. Halloween is here and to mark this annual celebration we at Gamereactor UK have decided to drift away from convention and instead look at a handful of games that are surprisingly scary and perhaps ideal for anyone looking for a fright this evening without wanting to be scared silly by an established horror title.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a game made of blocks, primarily designed for a young audience, so you might not find it the most scary game on paper, but I tell you if you go wandering in a cave at night, playing on your own with nothing but a dwindling supply of torches and a shoddy pickaxe, you're sure to feel the terror. There are plenty of ways Minecraft can create an unsettling atmosphere. Whether it's knowing zombies are pounding at your door, or having a Creeper jump up on you without making a sound, it might not be the most scary game you'll ever play, and you can always turn it to Peaceful if you really don't want to deal with any enemies, but it allows an entry level of spookiness this Halloween.

Metro Series

While not technically horror games, the world of Metro is certainly full of terrifying stuff. Radiated animals that can tear you apart a moment after getting a whiff of your fear-filled musk, humans that have become little more than animals thanks to the old nuclear apocalypse. Am I forgetting anything? Oh, yes, the Dark Ones. Smooth, almost human-like creatures that can invade the minds of anyone else in the Metro and turn them into their thralls. Even just walking around the dark tunnels of the Moscow metro can make your skin crawl in the Metro games, and while not all of them are equally eerie, they are a great bunch of shooters that can give just enough of a scare to make you feel like a big boy who maybe is ready to watch a horror flick or something more extreme.

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Garry's Mod

Alright, this is cheating a little bit here. Technically, Garry's Mod can be whatever you want it to be. A sandbox to build whatever creation pops into your head, a party game where someone is the murderer and it's up to everyone else to figure out who it is, a Bomberman-like with melons. Seriously, there are too many game modes and mods to list, but Garry's Mod was never designed to be a horror game. It's impressive then, that so many great horror creations have come from the minds of modders over the years. Not all of these spooky maps are made equal, but classics like The Dungeon, Hell's Resort, and even The Elevator can provide varying levels of scares. Some might be so poorly made they'll have you laughing with friends, but either way you'll be getting stuck into the Halloween spirit.

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Call of Duty Zombies

Call of Duty is perhaps the most iconic action series of all-time. It's regarded for its tight multiplayer and thrilling campaigns, neither of which really have any horror or scary undertones at all. However, the Zombies mode, for the uninitiated, can be a different beast. Some of the more recent maps trade the unsettling and freaky nature for more action-oriented design, but the original slate of maps found in Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops, for example, present some of the most creepy experiences in the shooter space. What started with Nacht der Untoten quickly spiralled into Veruckt, Shi no Numa, Der Reise, Kino der Toten, Five, Ascension, Call of the Dead, Shrangri-La, Moon, Tranzit, Die Rise, Mob of the Dead, Buried, Origins, and then lately in Black Ops 6, Terminus. Liberty Falls doesn't quite have the same effect, but one cannot deny that being swarmed by hundreds of undead doesn't have a fear-effect.

Death Stranding

It's the combination of the tranquillity one finds wandering to the next delivery location and the sudden effect when the Timefall begins and Gazers and other Beached Things begin making their presence known. This is when Death Stranding becomes a surprisingly fearful game. The darkness, the eerie sounds, the threat of death, these are all elements that turn an otherwise unusual game into one where you are on the edge of your seat while your heart rate spikes. Love it or hate it, Death Stranding has many moments that really stand out and impress.

Batman: Arkham Series

We're also cheating here a little bit too as we're not referring to just one game but a whole trilogy. Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham series (consisting of Asylum, City, and Knight) are dark games by design, but they are not meant to be scary. However, there are occasions where the Caped Crusader's most terrifying foes decide to invoke fear in a way that we didn't expect, with Asylum's Scarecrow mental slip, City's Killer Croc escape, and Knight's Man-Bat jump scares all being prime examples of how you can feel fearful while handling and in-control of a superhero. There are a handful of other smaller quests and story beats that leave you a little unsettled beyond these too, with Knight's Professor Pyg quest and City's Mad Hatter story also adding to the equation. Regardless of whether you're looking for a thrill or not, play the Batman: Arkham games, you won't be disappointed.