October is the best time of year to pick up a spooky game, especially with gamer friends. Whether your friends are seasoned gamers who ain’t afraid of no ghosts or they’re scaredy cats who screech at every jumpscare, here are 13 of the best horror games to play with friends.
Co-op games
Resident Evil
The introduction of co-op in Resident Evil games has always been controversial, mostly due to janky AI when you don’t have a second player to join you. However, there have been some fun Resident Evil co-op games. Resident Evil: Revelations and Revelations 2 are probably the games that use co-op the best, but Resident Evil 5 and 6 also have some fun moments. There are also games like RE: Verse and RE: Resistance that are built for multiplayer, but the reviews and lack of players speak to the quality of said games.
The Quarry
1-4 players (Playstation, PC); 1-8 players (Xbox)
This iconic horror choose your own adventure can be played by up to eight friends on Xbox; talk about a party game! Even without the additional controllers, you could conceivably have one person carry out the decisions of eight people, meaning only one person has to buy the game for everyone to play.
ObsCure
1-2 players
This throwback to 2000s horror allows you to play as different teenage characters as they deal with infected students and mutant teachers. It does only have localized gameplay (i.e., people have to be in the same room / using the same console to play), however, you can work around that with software that allows you to host virtual players.
Asymmetrical horror games
Friday the 13th: The Game
12 Camp Counselors vs. 1 Jason Voorhees
Unfortunately, Friday the 13th: The Game will no longer be available to purchase after December 31, 2023. But if you have a few friends and want to play it while you have the chance, it’s only $5 on Steam. It also has a single player challenge mode for anyone who wants to get some practice as Jason Voorhees.
Evil Dead: The Game
4 survivors vs. 1 Deadite
While Evil Dead: The Game will not be receiving any more updates and will not be getting any new content for the film that was released this year, it is still a very fun game that has a small but dedicated player base.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Game
4 victims vs. 3 “family” members / hunters
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Game is similar to other asymmetrical horror games in that you can play as either a hunter (Leatherface and his family of cannibals) or as a victim. However, the intriguing part of this game is that the hunter role is the one best suited for playing with friends. Don’t get me wrong, having a group of friends play as victims is also fun (Leland and Connie players make especially efficient pairs), but having a few friends play as killers is a unique option that most other asymmetrical horror games don’t offer. The game is a little on the pricey side, but should be going on sale soon.
Dead by Daylight
4 Survivors vs. 1 Killer
Dead by Daylight calls itself the “horror hall of fame” and for good reason. It has DLCs from many iconic horror franchises including Halloween, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street (the 2010 remake), Saw, The Evil Dead, Ghostface (the costume, not the character from Scream), Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Hellraiser, The Ring, and Alien. It’s also collaborated with CryptTV, Attack on Titan, and Nicolas Cage (yes, Nicolas Cage plays himself in Dead by Daylight). The DLCs cost money to play as the iconic survivors and killers (except for Bill Overbeck from Left4Dead, who comes with the game); however, if you just buy the base game, you can still play against characters like Michael Myers and the Xenomorph.
Miscellaneous multiplayer games
Cry of Fear
1-4 players
For a game that started out as a mod for Half-Life, it stands well on its own. Cry of Fear has multiple endings and over 20 different unlockables and allows you to complete the story as a single player or in co-op with up to four players. The best part about this game: It’s free! You can download it any time and start playing for free!
Devour
1-4 players
Devour is best known for jumpscaring Markiplier, Jackspeticeye, and other YouTubers. It’s got some of Phasmophobia’s search and find aspects combined with Left4Dead’s pick-up mechanic. Combine that with a cheap price tag and you’ve got an easy game to spend a night playing with friends.
SCP: Secret Laboratory
Any number of players
SCP: Secret Laboratory has a lot of options: you can play as a scientist, a “mobile task force unit” (soldier), D-class prisoners, or as an SCP monster. How scary or silly you make it depends on the group you play with. As with Cry of Fear, this is a free to play game, making it easy for friends to download and enjoy.
The Outlast Trials
This isn’t a game you can shoot your way out of; The Outlast Trials is all about outlasting the monsters by running and hiding, both of which are made easier by the presence of friends or teammates. If you do get downed, another player can revive you, allowing for a slightly less frustrating experience than single-player mode.
Phasmophobia / Demonologist
1-4 Players
Phasmophobia went viral in 2020 for being a horror game that people could play with friends, at a time when you couldn’t see your friends in person. If you love listening to friends freak out or generally enjoy investigation games, this is probably the game for you. However, I would also suggest a “knock-off” of Phasmophobia—Demonologist. Demonologist uses a lot of the same mechanics as Phasmophobia, but has the added challenge of exorcizing the ghost after you correctly identify it and complete the associated tasks.
Left4Dead / Left4Dead 2
1-4 Players
Honestly, if Left4Dead isn’t the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of “horror co-op game,” are you really a gamer? Joking, of course, but these games are still iconic 15 years later. Basically all zombie games—and many horror co-op games—that have come out since Left4Dead have been influenced by it. Both games are only $10 a piece, or two for $15 on Steam. Play it if you haven’t. Re-play it if you have.
Additional game suggestions:
GTFO
Dead Island
Dying Light 2
The Dark Pictures Anthology Series, especially Man of Medan
(featured image: Supermassive Games / Gun Media / Behaviour Interactive / Saber Interactive)
