Six surprisingly scary games to play this Halloween –

We have finally arrived at 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 the convention and instead look at a handful of games that are surprisingly scary and perhaps ideal for anyone looking for scares tonight without wanting to be driven crazy by an established horror title.

Minecraft (English)

Minecraft is a game made of blocks, designed primarily for a young audience, so you may not think it’s the scariest game on paper, but I’m telling you if you go wandering into a cave at night, playing by yourself with nothing but a dwindling supply of torches and a sloppy pickaxe, You’ll definitely feel the terror. There are plenty of ways Minecraft can create an unsettling atmosphere. Whether it’s knowing that zombies are banging on your door, or a Creeper jumps on you without making a sound, it may not be the scariest game you’ll ever play, and you can always set it to Peaceful if you really don’t want to deal with enemies, but it provides an entry level of creepiness this Halloween.

Metro series

While not technically horror games, the world of Metro is certainly full of terrifying things. Irradiated animals that can tear you apart for a moment after you catch a whiff of your fear-filled musk, humans who have become little more than animals thanks to the ancient nuclear apocalypse. Am I forgetting something? Oh, yes, the Dark Ones. Slippery, almost humanoid creatures that can invade the minds of anyone in the Metro and turn them into their slaves. Even just walking through the dark tunnels of the Moscow Metro can make your skin crawl in the Metro -games, and while not all of them are equally creepy, they are a great group of shooters that can give just enough scares to make you feel like a big boy who might be ready to watch a horror movie or something more extreme.

Garry’s Mod

Okay, this is a bit of cheating here. Technically, Garry’s Mod can be whatever you want it to be. A sandbox to build any creation that comes to mind, a party game where someone is the killer and it’s up to everyone 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. So it is impressive that so many amazing horror creations have come out of the heads of modders over the years. Not all of these spooky maps are created equal, but classics like The Dungeon, Hell’s Resort and even The Elevator can offer different levels of scares. Some may be so poorly made that you have to laugh with friends, but either way, you get stuck in the Halloween atmosphere.

Call of Duty Zombies

Call of Duty is perhaps the most iconic action series of all time. It is known for its tight multiplayer and exciting campaigns, neither of which really have any horror or scary overtones. Zombies mode, however, for the uninitiated, can be a different beast. Some of the more recent maps trade the unsettling and freaky character for a more action-oriented design, but the original series of maps found in Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops, for example, present some of the creepiest experiences in the shooter space. What started with Nacht der Untoten quickly turned 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 most recently in Black Ops 6, Terminus. Liberty Falls doesn’t quite have the same effect, but you can’t deny that being overrun by hundreds of undead has no fear effect.

Death Stranding

It is the combination of the peace one finds as one wanders to the next delivery location and the sudden effect when Timefall begins and Gazers and other Beached Things begin to make their presence known. This is when Death Stranding becomes a surprisingly frightening 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 as your heart rate spikes. Whether you like it or not, Death Stranding has many moments that really stand out and impress.

Batman: Arkham series

We’re also cheating a bit here, because we’re not talking about just one game, but an entire 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 when the Caped Crusader’s most terrifying enemies decide to evoke fear in ways we didn’t expect, with Asylum ‘s Scarecrow mental slip, City ‘s Killer Croc escape, and Knight ‘s Man-Bat jump scares all being excellent examples of how to feel anxious while dealing with and controlling a superhero. There are a handful of other smaller quests and story beats that will also make you a little unsettled out there, with Knight ‘s Professor Pyg quest and City ‘s Mad Hatter story also adding to the equation. Regardless of whether you’re looking for excitement or not, play the Batman: Arkham -games, you won’t be disappointed.