For all gaming-savvy Halloween fans, we've picked out the 15 best horror games on PC and Xbox Gamepass and sorted them by press ratings.
Here's the deal: Yes, so here it is again, late October with its unpopular comrades wind and rain. And also with an annual question, at least for the Halloween-savvy part of the gaming community. These days, they're wondering which horror games they can play for a good price on October 31. That's why we've picked out the 15 best horror games on PC and Xbox Gamepass below.
And what's more, we didn't leave the ranking of these games to our gusto, but we ranked them according to their meta score. So you can be pretty sure that your Halloween will be blessed with good horror games. All you need is a Gamepass subscription. You can get this for the monthly price of 10 dollars on Microsoft's Xbox website.
The fact that we were able to pick 15 horror games out of the Gamepass selection with a clear conscience speaks for the catalog, even if it can still grow a bit (and probably will). The great thing about our list is that there are also good games on the lower ranks.
By the way: If two games have the same Metascore, the ranking is based on the number of professional critics. But that's enough writing; let's go!
1. Inside (93, Xbox One) / Go to Gamepass Page
A creepy action-adventure with platformer elements and 2.5D visuals is the best horror game in Gamepass? Yes, the impressive Metacore of 93 points on Xbox confirms it.
An excerpt from the game description: Hunted and alone, a boy finds himself in the center of a dark project. INSIDE is a dark narrative platformer that combines intense action with challenging puzzles.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
2. LIMBO (90, Xbox 360) / Go to Gamepass Page
Limbo preceded the above Inside and caused a bit of hype with its shadowy 2.5D presentation, so there were stylistic stragglers.
An excerpt from, no, this is actually the full game description: A boy who doesn't know his sister's fate enters LIMBO. Well. I guess sometimes less really is more.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
3. Dead Space 2 (90, Xbox 360) / Xbox App Required
What more can or should be said about Dead Space, except that the series of sci-fi shockers reached its zenith in the second part. At least according to press reviews. If you're into monstrous space horror in a dark future, you really can't go far wrong here.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
4. Dead Space (89, Xbox Series X, PS5) / Go to Gamepass Page
Of course, the first edition of Dead Space still has the future horror down pat 15 years later. Meanwhile, Isaac Clarke's saga can also be played as part of a very decent remake.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
5. Doom 3 (88, Xbox) / Go to Gamepass Page
Doom has always been a first-person shooter first and foremost, but the Mars setting, the many grotesque enemies and also the brilliantly composed soundtrack have always given the cult brand a horror touch. In Doom 3, the creepy feeling of the series clearly reaches its peak.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
6. A Plague Tale: Requiem (85, Xbox) / Go to Gamepass Page
A Plague Tale already shone before with a relentless plague narrative. If you appreciate a gripping, story-heavy horror game, you might be very happy with Requiem.
An excerpt from the game description: Embark on an emotional journey into a barbaric world and learn what it takes to save your loved ones. Strike from the shadows or unleash hell using various weapons, tools and supernatural powers.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
7. Prey (84, Xbox One) / Go to Gamepass Page
No, Prey is not really a horror game. However, anyone who claims that this immersive sim with a dark sci-fi setting in space isn't scary is lying (sorry). A look at the gameplay scene above already shows that.
An excerpt from the game description: In Prey, you wake up aboard the Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the main test subject of an experiment that is supposed to change humanity forever - but something has gone terribly wrong.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
8. SOMA (84, PC) / Go to Gamepass Page
In the horror genre, you often get to deal with repetitive scenarios; Soma, on the other hand, explores the horror potential of the deep sea and does an excellent job. The first-person horror adventure is primarily aimed at those who love philosophical approaches in games. Thus, Soma not only teaches its players to be afraid, but it also makes them think.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
9. The Evil Within 2 (82, Xbox One) / Go to Gamepass Page
The Evil Within 2 comes from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and that's exactly how the title plays. The second part achieved slightly better press ratings than the prequel, but it is exactly in the same vein.
An excerpt from the game description: Detective Sebastian Castellanos has lost everything, including his beloved daughter Lily. But in the nightmarish world of STEM lies the key to saving her. His mind is his most powerful weapon against the lurking horrors - and redemption can only be found deep within the STEM.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
10. Amnesia: Rebirth (80, PC) / Go to Gamepass Page
With Amnesia: Rebirth, the developers from Frictional Games wanted to take a slightly different course, but they didn't really succeed. Nevertheless, the second newest Amnesia remains an interesting horror trip with a desert setting, which is scariest indoors. The partly challenging physics puzzles are also successful here.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
11. The Walking Dead: The Final Season (80, Switch) / Go to Gamepass Page
The final season of The Walking Dead barely reached 80 points in the Switch version, but the game is still suitable as a recommendation for friends of very narrative-friendly zombie games. The only thing to be forgiven here is the graphics style that takes some getting used to.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
12. The Evil Within (79, Xbox One) / Go to Gamepass Page
The course of Resident Evil changed with parts 7 and 8 (The Village), but The Evil Within celebrates the strengths of older Resident Evil editions. So it's largely old-school survival horror with the appropriate resource management and sometimes challenging puzzle interludes.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
13. Amnesia Collection (79, Xbox One) / Go to Gamepass Page
Amnesia Collection is, as the name suggests, a collection of several Amnesia parts. It includes the uber-hit The Dark Descent with the expansion Justine as well as the sequel A Machine For Pigs. While the second part rattled both critics and gamers, the first two entries are top-notch horror adventures from a first-person perspective.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
14. Amnesia: The Bunker (78, PC) / Go to Gamepass Page
Not much time on your hands? Amnesia: The Bunker is one of those relatively short horror games that doesn't seem too short on the first playthrough either. More importantly, though, The Bunker is, in our opinion, one of the strongest Amnesia editions. This is ensured by an absolutely oppressive bunker setting, in which a monster living in the walls spreads ice-cold horror.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
15. Alice: Madness Returns (75, PC) / Go to Gamepass Page
Although Alice: Madness Returns is more in the realm of cuddly horror and thus not really shocking, the dark platformer title is still a feast of bizarreness 12 years after its release. In it, Alice returns to a nearly destroyed Wonderland and encounters emaciated old acquaintances as well as menacing minions of the Queen of Hearts.
If you enjoy this game, you shouldn't skip its stone-cold predecessor from 2000 (American McGee's Alice).
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
Want to join our community and discuss about your favorite horror games? Then join our Discord server, we look forward to seeing you!
