It’s that time of year again when the indie games market is taken over by horror, a virtual cavalcade of spooky, terrifying and creepy-weird games. Looking for something to play tonight? Well, you could of course take a look through the Indie Horror Gamer News and Reviews sections; but in case you can’t be bothered to do all that, here’s our summary of the best indie horrors to play on Halloween, all neatly categorised, just for you.
Stalker Terror
Yellowcreek Stories: The Cabin Watcher
Many horror stories revolve around struggling writers (see Misery and last year’s excellent Hokum), and The Cabin Watcher blends this with the popular supernatural stalker genre, made famous by flicks such as Halloween, Friday The 13th and the scariest movie of all time. This game blends some genuinely terrifying moments as the gargantuan machete-wielding behemoth gets closer and closer. Don’t forget to hold your breath.
See also: The Run
Funny Horror
This indie horror delivers some startlingly brutal moments, mixed with bizarre humour and an authentic 90s vibe. The characters are the game, a set of glamorous YouTubers, almost all of whom are guaranteed a grisly demise. As tough cop, Dick Slater, you’re on the trail of the titular stapler, and in the spirit of serial killer movies such as Se7en, Slater’s always turning up just as the killer’s completed their deadly deed.
See also: Tom The Postgirl
Horror With Friends
Away from single-player, this slice of multiplayer mayhem got our pulses going back in the summer. Combining a manic job sim with an otherworldly invasion come nighttime, up to three people can play Shift At Midnight, each of you running around frantically stocking shelves while dealing with weird customers and inhuman entities.
See also: Escape The Backrooms
Turn-based Terror
While you wouldn’t call it a comeback, turn-based games still appear regularly in the indie horror realm, and the dark aesthetics of Vultures: Scavengers Of Death are one appealing aspect of this mission to save Salento City from a terrible viral outbreak. It won’t convince non-turn-based heretics, yet offers lots of gameplay for fans of the genre.
Old Skool Shivers
This loving tribute to Resident Evil is a fantastic game once you’ve negotiated its slightly slow start. Fixed camera, tank controls and inventory management are concepts that may strike fear in the hearts of some—but if it sounds like your sort of thing, then Tainted Pact’s Flesh Made Fear could be, erm, your sort of thing.
See also: Boomer shooter Fleshcancer
Homages To The Greatest Horror Movie Of All Time
We’re big fans of The Exorcist here at Indie Horror Gamer—there’s nothing quite like the possession (and transformation) of a loved one into something rather more devilish to give you the proper chills. One-room game Peek is the story of an exorcism inside a house haunted by a vengeful lodger who died under mysterious circumstances. Using holy trinkets, the player closes their eyes and places the items where the ghost has left audio cues. You can peek—if you dare.
See also: Spiritus Sancti
Fishing With Fear
Creepy fishing games remain in vogue thanks to 2023’s indie hit, Dredge, and with Hookeye and Dreadmoor incoming, this nautical sub-genre shows no signs of slacking. Our favourite so far this year? Antipodean dystopian thriller Crabmeat. Think Moby Dick crossed with 1984 and Jaws, and you’re halfway there to this fabulous game.
See also: Gone Fishing
Icky Sticky Scares
Arachnophobes look away now. Back in February, Indie Horror Gamer went spider-mad with this horror game set within a mysterious research facility. Here, the mad scientists are experimenting on ordinary spiders, and guess what—it goes wrong! Stalked by Huntsman, Orb Weavers, Tarantulas and more, Huntsman is a real test of your nerve in which a tumbler and piece of paper ain’t gonna cut it, bud.
See also: It’s not out until early next year, but Lurking’s demo is spine-tingling
Job Sim Jitters
You’re on the night shift in a Scottish coastal chip shop, and there’s something even weirder than the drunk customers. Trapped down in the basement is a frightening creature—but who is the real monster in this gloriously Gaelic horror from lone developer James Muirhead?
See also: Night Plane
An Alternate Past
We love this horror subgenre: it’s the past, but it’s different, with alternate technologies, events and conflicts.
In Off Black Creations’ Mole, you’re the last remaining crewmember in a deep-bore tunnelling machine, plunging into the Earth to discover the source of a signal that’s causing terrible disruption on the surface. Deeply unsettling, with harsh themes of isolation and regret, Mole is a fantastic experience boosted by its altered Eighties past.
See also: Below, Rusted Gods
Moody and Broody
And finally, a game for those of you who prefer something quieter, yet atmospheric and brooding. Set in a rainy North West UK—not much of a stretch—Hollowbody is the story of Mica, a black-marketeer looking for her partner in a zone that’s been walled off thanks to a devastating virus. Hollowbody’s sad tales of those stuck in the exclusion zone perfectly complement its dark, rainy environment of utilitarian tower blocks and terraced houses.
See also: Project Songbird