‘Tis the season for demons – Halloween is the only time of the year where we can indulge the ghastly glee of throwing on a ghoulish costume and frightening the daylights out of each other without calling the authorities.
Of course, sometimes you just want to experience the fun that comes with a great scare entirely within your own safe, four walls. Which is the perfect time to let your PlayStation transport you to a variety of otherworldly settings that will leave you clammy, spooked and smiling.
There are plenty of bloodcurdlingly brilliant horror games across PS4 and PS5 that will do the trick or treat, but here’s a selection of our favorites which are currently available on PlayStation Plus that will deliver a wonderfully wild Halloween experience straight into your home…. no cursed video tape required.
Dead Space | Electronic Arts
PS5
Essential, Extra, and Premium (available until Nov 4)
Sci-fi survival horror was given a new lease of blood-flecked life when EA’s instant classic originally space walked onto PS3 way back in 2008. Since then it’s had several spin-offs and sequels, but the 2023 remake on PS5 reconfirmed how atmospheric, tense and well-crafted Dead Space has always been. Staying alive against the terrifying Necromorphs of the dread ship Ishimura is an unforgettable experience, but remember: not all headshots will earn the expected results. You have been warned.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! | Serenity Forge
PS5, PS4
Essential, Extra, and Premium (available until Nov 4)
With its breezy anime style and colorful high school setting, you’d be forgiven for thinking this visual novel is innocent and even a little saccharine. But if Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! had a voice, it would be sinisterly laughing at such an understandable yet utterly misguided assumption. Beneath the cheery surface is an inventive, dark, fourth wall breaking psychological horror that spins its story in directions I promise you’ll never see coming. Seriously – this is not for the faint of heart.
Resident Evil 2 (2019) | Capcom
PS5, PS4
Extra and Premium
Returning to the zombie-infested Raccoon City might have filled rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and student Claire Redfield with fear, but the rest of us couldn’t wait for the stunning remake to hit PS4 and PS5. Capcom’s impressive dedication to updating the original’s visuals and gameplay while maintaining its jump scares and tension pays off, with Resident Evil 2 masterfully threading the eternally tricky, bloodstained needle of satisfying old and new survival horror fans alike.
Inscryption | Daniel Mullins Games
PS5, PS4
Extra and Premium
Roguelike deck-building games aren’t typically the first genres that spring to mind when it comes to horror, but Inscryption mixes things up with intense narrative interludes and a shadowy dealer inside a claustrophobic cabin, creating a supremely unsettling atmosphere. Inscryption uses a sense of mystery and minimalism to not only draw you in, but also to keep you on edge – because it’s never just about the blinking, fluttering, oddly alive cards you’re playing with…
Dead by Daylight | Behaviour Entertainment
PS5, PS4
Extra and Premium
Cat and mouse games are always more engaging when they’re played with friends, so Dead by Daylight leans into that concept in a brutal 4vs1 multiplayer horror set-up. Four of you take the role of survivors trying to escape the lone killer player in procedurally generated environments. If you’ve ever wanted to be in a playable slasher flick, Dead by Daylight delivers an abundance of gory glee.
Dredge | Team17
PS5, PS4
Extra and Premium
Even from its first few minutes of boat sailing gameplay, there’s something deeply unnerving about Dredge. After playing it for longer, you’ll soon realize what it is – pretty much everything. From its subtly eerie soundscape to the memorably odd characters you encounter, this off-kilter fishing adventure isn’t strictly a horror game but expertly plays with your imagination. A masterclass in building tension, Dredge dares you to explore its eldritch fever fringed world… and then entraps you with its compelling narrative.
The Last of Us Part I | Sony Interactive Entertainment
Due to its world-beating TV adaptation, The Last of Us has become a multimedia phenomenon, but seeing where it all started it’s easy to see why its story has become such a powerful mainstay. Remaking the original and its expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind, this Naughty Dog action-adventure pulls no punches in a world ravaged by infected humans… and worse – uninfected, morally devastated people. A heartbreaking, genre-defining title.
Siren | Sony Interactive Entertainment
Ghost stories are especially effective in video games, with Siren a testament to that – outmatching many big screen equivalents with its creeping tension and haunting horror. The stealth game’s secret weapon for scares is the ‘Sightjack’ ability, letting you see the world through the eyes of others, including the monstrous Shibito while you attempt to survive the cursed mountain village of Hanuda. It also means you can suffer a first-hand view of own gruesome demise if you’re not especially careful.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution | Skydance Interactive
There’s something terrifyingly intimate about horror games in virtual reality, so entering the already ruthless undead-laden world of The Walking Dead via PlayStation VR2 only ups the stakes. Naturally taking the form of a first-person shooter, this chapter opens up New Orleans for you to explore and survive in, whether it’s against the walkers, unhinged humans or the mythical serial slasher only known as the Axeman.
Doom 3 | Activision
Acting as a more story-driven reboot of the original game, Doom 3 tosses you into a Hell-spawn ravaged Mars research facility, armed with a flashlight. Okay, and some instantly recognisable weapons, too. Switching the series to a slightly more measured, atmospheric tone compared to its more fast-paced roots, Doom 3 is the survival horror first-person shooter which helped inspire an entire genre, and still holds up many years after its initial release.