October Is Thankfully Stacked With New Horror Games
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Halloween has stretched to become a month-long celebration for many people, with many seeking to play new horror games, discover the best horror movies, and eat pumpkin-flavored treats. We already have a list of the best horror games to play in 2024, and it's loaded with a few-dozen timeless classics, newer hits, and everything in between. But if you're like me, and your horror backlog is painfully short because you're all caught up on the genre, don't worry. October 2024 is going to be a good, busy month for new horror games. We've rounded up all the major releases you can expect in the genre this month, which is a scarier sibling gallery to our broader list of October 2024 new video game releases in general.
The horror games you see below are listed in order of release date, so if you're really diligent, you can keep up day by day, week by week. If you're in need of even more horror content, don't miss the best horror games on Game Pass and the best zombie games. On the movie side, we have a list of the best vampire movies, the best movies set on Halloween, and a list of horror movies that, for some reason, went to outer space. If you don't mind Scream spoilers, we've even ranked every Ghostface.
Moving Houses - October 1
Platforms: PC
Don't let the cheerful imagery fool you. Moving Houses may look like a happy home redecorator sim, but it hides a much more somber side to it that comes to the surface the deeper you go. That twist is both teased in trailers and alluded to in the developer's tweets, so we're comfortable saying it here. Plus, we find such a rug-pull to be especially effective in the horror genre. If you agree, this one is out on Steam now with positive reviews.
Predator: Hunting Grounds - October 1
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
Illfonic is no stranger to licensed horror and horror-adjacent games, having previously worked on other games like Friday The 13th, Ghostbusters, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Predator predates all of those, and it's recently been given renewed life on modern consoles. The 4v1 multiplayer game casts the titular hunter extraordinaire against a pack of soldiers meant to kill the being. How that turns out is up to you and your friends.
Until Dawn - October 4
Platforms: PC, PS5
The re-release of Supermassive's best cinematic horror story is being labeled a remake despite seeming to be more like a remaster, but whatever you call it, it should make for a great Halloween-season game whether you've played it before or not. These choose-your-own-adventure style games are great in small groups where different players can be assigned caretaking duties for different characters. Can you get your ward out of this story alive?
7 Minutes In Hell - October 7
Platforms: PC
7 Minutes In Hell is the unexpected mash-up of Lethal Company and... Supermarket Sweep. Playing out like a sinister game show, contestants in this solo or multiplayer game have seven minutes to scrounge up as much loot from haunting locations as they can, dodging monsters and obstacles in a labyrinthe. Each round plays differently as a result, and the brief timer promises failures don't hurt too much while more attempts in short order can follow up successes. You're only as good as your last round, after all.
Silent Hill 2 Remake - October 8
Platforms: PC, PS5
Perhaps the biggest game on this list, Silent Hill 2 follows a run of horror remakes like Resident Evil 2, 3, 4, and Dead Space, that have set a high bar, and the world is waiting to see if Bloober Team can keep the winning streak alive. It'll be no easy feat, as the original game is often considered among the best in the genre's storied history, but with some of the original team assisting on the project, we remain hopeful.
Dead Season - October 8
I've waited years for someone to do "zombies plus XCOM." Finally, Dead Season offers that concept. The turn-based tactical zombie game pits survivors in a dark universe resembling The Walking Dead and demands they work together to escape hordes of undead across a life-or-death campaign. Rather than a permadeath setting, the game presents you with four unique survivors and demands you get each of them out of every scrap with the undead in order to suit its narrative ambitions. If you're up to the task, you'll find it on digital stores for PC soon.
Amanda The Adventurer (Xbox and PlayStation Launch) - October 10
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4
PC and Switch gamers may have already experienced the unique horrors of this twisted take on a children's TV show, but if you're waiting to play it on other platforms, your wait is almost over. The game blends bits of first-person exploration and puzzle-solving with point-and-click mechanics when you're inside the titular learning program. Think of it as Dora The Explorer… only with murder.
DayZ Frostline Expansion - October 15
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
DayZ is expanding again; this time it's getting chillier with the winter-themed map, Sakhal, an archipelago that succumbed to the same zombie plague that the rest of the DayZ universe has suffered. The winner-takes-all ruthlessness of DayZ seems well-suited for a snowy region where keeping warm is likely to be a greater concern. Bundle up!
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead - October 17
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
There hasn't been much talk of this one despite it being just a few weeks out at the time of writing this, but if you like the movies, this first-person shush-or-die horror game could be a fun companion piece, offering a new storyline featuring new characters not seen in the movies.
RetroRealms Halloween and Ash vs. Evil Dead - October 18
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Boss Team Games is teaming with WayForward, one of the best 2D game developers going right now, for this unexpected series of horror platformers. Halloween and Ash vs. Evil Dead are the first two of at least four IP to be represented in this horror museum of a sort, with the next two still to be revealed. If these first entries do well commercially, Boss Team has plans to continue bringing in more iconic horror characters, leading perhaps to an eventual Scary Smash Bros. vibe.
Fear The Spotlight - October 22
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Switch
Fear The Spotlight is the first game to be published by the gaming division from Blumhouse, Hollywood's busiest horror studio, the aptly titled Blumhouse Games. It combines an early PlayStation aesthetic with an over-the-shoulder perspective, all done in service of a spooky story about two high school friends and the ghostly mischief they get up to in the school after regular classroom hours. The game was previously available on Steam last year, but went back into the figurative oven so it's pair of developers could add additional content for its grand re-opening this month.
No More Room In Hell 2 - October 22
Platforms: PC
Left 4 Dead-likes are bountiful, especially on PC, but this sequel to a somewhat under-heralded game inspired by L4D ups the ante in a few ways. For one, if it's like the original, it's much harder than typical Left 4 Dead. It's also played in eight-player co-op rather than four, which seems to reinforce that earlier claim about difficulty. If I need seven allies to fend off zombies, things seem to have really gotten out of hand.
Amanda The Adventurer 2 - October 22
Just a few days after the original comes to new console platforms, Amanda The Adventurer 2 will hit Steam. This subversive horror-adventure game continues the story of a very messed-up version of a kids TV show akin to Dora The Explorer. The star of the show is working through some... issues, and it's up to you to unravel the latest chapter in a mystery that moves between the TV series and the real world.
Alan Wake 2 - The Lake House Expansion - October 22
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
Nearly a year to the day since the game launched, Alan Wake 2's second (and presumed final) expansion is coming this month, though no release date has yet been specifically circled on the calendar. In The Lake House, it seems players will take on the role of yet another new playable protagonist, with Special Agent Estevez filling that role after the base game and first expansion combined for five playable characters. For Remedy Connected Universe devotees, expect this to be another must-play chapter with as many questions as it has answers.
Forest Hills: The Last Year - October 22
Platforms: PC
The next asymmetrical horror PvP game is on the way. Forest Hills: The Last Year is sort of a reboot of an arguably cursed game that first launched exclusively in the short-lived Discord games store, before later being moved to Steam after its momentum had vanished. Now, rebuilt in a new engine with a team that feels it's ready to bring the game into the limelight of a competitive genre, the third time may be the charm.
The Axis Unseen - October 22
Platforms: PC
Developed by a former Bethesda dev, The Axis Unseen is a first-person survival-horror and hunting game in which you track and kill strange mythical beasts. It's also inspired by the heavy metal genre, and it seems like there's a lot of overlap between the horror and metal fandoms, so this one is sure to become some people's whole personality for a while after it launches.
Post Trauma - UPDATE: Delayed to 2025
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4
Update: Since publishing this story, Post Trauma has been delayed beyond the Halloween window and into 2025. We're leaving it here so you can still put it on your radar for the future.
Post Trauma is an interesting blend of old and new ideas from the horror genre. Its gameplay is presented by way of fixed camera angles akin to classic PS1 and PS2 horror games, but its visuals reject the popular retro aesthetic in favor of a high-fidelity modern look. Like a lot of games of this sort, success will ultimately come down to how scary it is and how rewarding its exploration feels, but a new game going for that classic approach with a fresh coat of paint is an intriguing starting point.
Clock Tower Rewind - October 29
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Mobile
The Clock Tower series has been dormant for a long time, but now its return will be marked with a reset, in a sense. Clock Tower Rewind is a re-release and somewhat modernized version of the very first game in the series. The 2D horror game predates basically every other horror series you may know by name, so even if the 2D style isn't your thing, there's a historical case for checking this one out.
IfSunSets - October TBD
Survival games tend to feel at least a little like a horror story even when they're not really trying to, but IfSunSets is trying to. Its day-night cycle takes center stage as the game unfolds quite differently depending on where the sun is in-game. During the day, you'll hunt for food, craft items, and fortify your domain all to prepare yourself for the unforgiving nighttime hours, during which time monsters emerge and bullrush your fortress. They're described as "relentless," so it seems only your survival skills and the promise of the soothing rays of sunshine will carry you through each night.