The spooky season is finally upon us! Scary movies, trick or treating and of course horror games. So if you’re feeling brave this Halloween, here are some spooky PC games to play during spooktober.
System Shock 2
“L-l-look at you hacker-r. A p-p-pathetic creature of meat and bone panting and sweating as you r-run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect immortal machine?” These are the first words you are greeted with when you start up System Shock 2. To this day that quote manages to send shivers down my spine.
I recommend you skip the first one since it is kinda non-playable on modern systems, it’s clunky and there is a remaster coming soon (so wait for that instead). You’re not missing out much storywise if you go straight to System Shock 2. This is the game that to this day manages to feed my existentialism, fear of AI and angst ridden fear.
Lastly, this is the only one of the spooky PC games that has managed to scare the bejeezus out of me with sounds. Terri Brosius, who is the composer on this game, did a fantastic job. Most of the soundtrack is available on Youtube and I highly suggest you give it a listen!
You can find System Shock 2 on Steam.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
I can hear your thoughts. What is a Pewdiepie meme game doing on this list? Well that’s simple, it is a great horror game! Amnesia is an adventure game played in first-person perspective. It has puzzles, object physics and more importantly horrific monsters!
The worst monsters are the ones you cannot see. The developers, Frictional Games, knew this and made some of the scariest monsters ever. With an excellent sound design and never knowing when your light is gonna run out it makes for a suspenseful game from start to finish.
This game is rather short, with a cleartime of 6-10 hours. But if you have it on PC then here’s a treat and the reason I still occasionally play this game today. The modding scene is absolutely huge! With hundreds if not thousands of custom maps, stories and even reworkings, it gives you plenty of game time for your buck! But let’s pretend the sequel — A Machine for Pigs — never happened okay?
You can get Amnesia: The Dark Descent on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Yume Nikki
This list wouldn’t be complete without a free game for you to enjoy. Yume Nikki is a pixelated adventure game about a shut-in named Madotsuki. You spend the game exploring this girl’s dreams while collecting effects in order to complete the game.
This game has no game overs, no enemies that will kill you or really any grand narrative. It is an exploration game of surrealism and upsetting visuals. It was released all the way back in 2004 but it has held up brilliantly! This is a game that needs to be experienced rather than read about, so get on that right now!
You can purchase Yume Nikki for PC.
Layers of Fear
Most horror games expect you to run away from danger and scares. Layers of Fear rewards you for facing them head on. This is the first time I have ever played a game that requires you to watch all the spooks happen in order to get the proper ending. It makes for a unique and absolutely terrifying experience.
You play as a broken down painter trying to complete his magnum opus. In a delirious state he wanders around his huge mansion discovering more and more disturbing secrets about himself. This is a heavily story-driven game with an emphasis on exploration and some mild puzzle solving. It rewards you for meeting all your fears head on and damn does that work!
Layers of Fear is what happens if PT and Amnesia had a drug baby together. That is probably the best way to describe this. If you want the full story of the game then you’ll need to get the DLC Inheritance as well.
You can find Layers of Fear on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Knock-Knock
Ice Pick Lodge is mainly known for the buggy messes that are Pathologic 1 and 2. But they made a game called Knock-Knock as well. According to the developers their idea for this entry in the spooky PC games list came to them in the form of an email challenge, challenging them to make an unconventional game. This game turned out to be just that.
You play as a paranoid scientist living in a cabin deep in the woods. As of late the lodger has started to notice weird sounds and changes in the cabin structure. It is your mission to find out what is going on in the depths of the woods, for both science and to silence the screaming voices inside your head.
Every night is a new game of hide and seek from the monsters and creatures invading your home. You spend your nights trying to reach daylight with your sanity intact. Knock-knock takes the concept of being home alone and turns it up to 11. If you look deep down inside the game there is also a very well written story for you to enjoy. If you dare to get out of hiding for long enough to find it!
You can get Knock-Knock on PC and PS4.
Enjoy horror games? Check out our list of great free Horror games that you can play right now.
