Halloween is just around the corner, and the ongoing Steam Halloween sale (going through November 1st) is a great time to capitalize on the festivities with discounted horror games. From the indie gaming scene to triple-A blockbusters, the horror genre is an impressively versatile one.
Both in terms of setting, subgenre, and gameplay, developers have gotten creative across a range of franchises. Big-name titles with legacies in the genre like Resident Evil will undoubtedly be games worth picking up on Valve's storefront, but even smaller-scale endeavors like Soma are worthwhile and hair-raising ventures in their own right.
10 Resident Evil 2
$11.99 (RRP: $39.99)
Acclaimed as one of the greatest modern video game remakes ever, Resident Evil 2 is a superb choice for the uninitiated of the series and survival horror genre at large. Given the newly announced Resident Evil 4 Remake release early next year, it's also a great opportunity to take a shot at a modern adaptation of an adventure starring Leon S. Kennedy.
Following both him and Claire Redfield as co-protagonists, the two find themselves wading through the ravaged Racoon City Police Department amid a zombie breakout. Resident Evil 2 has been emphatically acclaimed for its streamlined gameplay mechanics, the visuals, and for doing justice to the beloved PS1 original.
9 Resident Evil 4
$4.99 (RRP: $19.99)
Even more fitting, the HD remaster of the original Resident Evil 4 is a prime choice for the current Steam Halloween sale. It's often hailed as one of the best games ever, in addition to the Resident Evil franchise, and the original version still holds up today. The game was revolutionary for its time, striking an excellent balance of action elements in its combat and traditional survival-horror elements.
The story of Resident Evil 4 is also beloved for its mesh of scares with charming B-movie campiness. Even with the tantalizing remake coming in March 2023, the game that is paving the way for it is still great for revisiting (or playing for the first time) in preparation for the latest take.
8 Dead By Daylight
$7.99 (RRP: $19.99)
If players want a multiplayer flavor to their horror games, Dead by Daylight is one of the best and most popular titles available. The game launched to a somewhat average critical reception, but dedicated post-launch support in giving the game more substance has resulted in an endlessly entertaining time.
Taking inspiration from classic horror movies, Dead by Daylight functions as a multiplayer survival-horror experience by setting a player-controlled serial killer to hunt down four other player-controlled survivors. It's a clever combination of multiplayer gameplay with traditional horror, and Dead by Daylight is also an online game that features annual Halloween-themed events.
7 Phasmophobia (Early Access)
$11.19 (RRP: $13.99)
Even though the game is still in its Early Access phase on Steam, Phasmophobia is another wildly entertaining multiplayer horror game. The game focuses on a 4-player multiplayer mode where players, as the name of the game suggests, have to work together to investigate paranormal activity while avoiding being attacked by the ghosts themselves.
Phasmophobia has, in its current state, 12 playable maps of various sizes, with the gameplay loop cleverly mixing psychological horror with survival and investigative mechanics for a terrifying online experience. It's poised for a full release in late 2022 or early 2023.
6 SOMA
$5.99 (RRP: $29.99)
Frictional Games' SOMA is evidence that the survival-horror genre has depth to it even outside of the triple-A blockbuster space. Also using some underwater biopunk elements as BioShock did, Soma revolves around the protagonist Simon Jarrett as he navigates a remote research facility that utilizes machinery that expresses human consciousness.
The gameplay emphasizes stealth to deal with its horrific threats, as well as puzzle-solving mechanics. On top of its foreboding atmosphere and also like BioShock, SOMA's story incorporates compelling themes like what constitutes the self and free will.
5 Days Gone
$19.99 (RRP: $39.99)
Though it was originally released on the PlayStation 4 to a lukewarm reception, Days Gone managed to earn something of a second lease on life when it was ported over to PC. The open-world, zombie-themed action adventure earned a moderately positive reception in this version, with the game's "horde" mechanic being a highlight.
Centering around drifter Deacon St. John, his quest takes him across the infected lands when he discovers his thought-to-be-dead wife may have survived. Days Gone's open-world design and story weren't particularly special, but the zombie horde fights were cited as a genuinely entertaining feature of the title.
4 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
$3.99 (RRP: $19.99)
In terms of indie horror titles, Frictional Games' Amnesia: The Dark Descent is perhaps the most influential. Just as well, it can be seen as the survival-horror game that kicked off the genre's renaissance within the indie gaming space. Daniel, Amnesia: The Dark Descent's playable protagonist, finds himself having to navigate the eerie and treacherous Brennenburg castle all while slowly seeing his sanity chipping away.
Played from a first-person perspective, Amnesia was critically praised for combining stealth, physics-based puzzle-solving, and sanity management that created a unique psychological-horror experience. The latter mechanic, in particular, was an ingenious way to add to the tension of venturing through the dark while avoiding ghoulish monsters.
3 Alan Wake
$3.74 (RRP: $14.99)
Alan Wake is affectionately regarded modern cult-classic game, with its story taking an inspired page from Stephen King novels and the like. As such, the game doesn't strictly adhere to the survival-horror genre, but it combines it with psychological thrillers.
During a vacation, the titular novelist ventures to uncover the mystery behind his wife's sudden disappearance, all the while events from his latest novel (that he can't remember ever writing) manifesting themselves to haunt him. It's an inventive take on horror in gaming, and longtime fans are surely elated at the long-awaited announcement of Alan Wake II.
2 The Walking Dead
$5.09 (RRP: $14.99)
Though not as interactive in the conventional sense when it comes to mainstream video game genres, the graphic adventure genre has its own draw for feeling like an interactive movie or TV show. This is Telltale Games' area of expertise, and the studio's first The Walking Dead game was a prime example of quality in its heyday.
An original story set within franchise creator Robert Kirkman's world, The Walking Dead follows the story of Lee Everett and the adoptive daughter he rescues named Clementine during the zombie apocalypse. It was lauded for its meaningful player choice-driven gameplay, the diverse cast of characters, and its emotionally charged story.
1 Dead Space 2
$4.99 (RRP: $19.99)
The original Dead Space is also poised for a remake early next year, though, the original version is not currently discounted on Steam. However, Dead Space 2 (and the trilogy bundle) is on sale and was also acclaimed for building on the strengths of its predecessor.
Taking a page from influential sci-fi horror movies like Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens, Dead Space 2 sees Isaac Clarke return to a terror-inducing space station infested with Necromorphs as he fights off his aggressively deteriorating mental health. Its cathartic gunplay, survival elements, story, and oppressive atmosphere earned the game critical acclaim.