Supermassive games like Until Dawn, The Quarry, and the Dark Pictures are great for this, especially since later iterations have built-in "pass the controller" modes that are great for sharing a game with your spouse.
Played Until Dawn, that was a fun one will need to look into the other 2
None of the others are as good as Until Dawn, imo, unfortunately :(
I keep hoping, but no joy every time
They're all the same format, but The Dark Pictures is an anthology of games that are about half the size of Until Dawn. There are 5 or 6 of them at this point.
Little Nightmares 1 & 2 get my vote. Also, Alan Wake 2 is a lot of fun and not exactly a horror game since it doesn't take itself seriously, but it has a fantastic spooky vibe.
Horror comedies are definitely a thing, but tbh I'd still consider Alan Wake 2 an outright horror even with the lighter stuff! Very spooky elements, with great writing and story crafting. Bonus points if you play Remedy's other games for the Easter eggs
Alien Isolation. Resident Evil 7. If you can do either/both in VR, DO IT.
Soma, Stasis (and the other games in the series), Observer, Observation
No one has mentioned Phasmophonia yet so I’ll throw that in the ring
I still really enjoy Phasmophobia and all the games which came out after that have similar mechanics/gameplay. The Dark Pictures games are all really great experiences. There's also indie games like Little Nightmares and Dredge! Alan Wake, Outlast, Still Wakes the Deep... Honestly there's been so many amazing ones which have come out. For days/nights where you want a lighter experience, the Observation Duty type games can be fun!
Alien isolation stressed me out. For fun, run monster bash on an emulator.
I second Alien: Isolation. I always like to call it the best stress I've ever experienced while playing a game.
If the game being old isn't a dealbreaker, I've always enjoyed Phantasmagoria.
If you're looking for a more schlocky horror experience, give Resident Evil 8 a try! Extremely fun to play with a story that would be kinda 'eh' if the performances didn't elevate it to cult-following b-movie perfection.
Subnautica would be a good game to transition from the end of summer to the beginning of fall. Spooky atmosphere where you play (almost) entirely underwater.
Crow Country came out earlier this year and definitely capitalizes on PS1 era horror games. In that vein also, Signalis is an excellent cerebral sci-fi horror.
Dusk. Quake meets Evil Dead. One of the best games I've played in years. It's definitely more of a straight up shooter than a horror game, but the themes/setting/art style nail the spooktober vibe. I replay it every autumn and always have a great time
My wife is playing bendy and the dark revival. I'm going to have her play amnesia next.
Costume Quest.
Funny answer: Nightmare Kart. It's Bloodborne Mario Kart with Sega Saturn graphics. Delightfully postmodern, spooky, and free.
If you need a break from genuinely scary and just want thematically spooky fun, it's Crypt of the Necrodancer and Darkest Dungeon.
If you have a reasonably strong machine, try emulating Call of Cthulhu, Dark Corners of the Earth. It's genuinely scary a lot of the time.
Amnesia: the Bunker. A masterpiece in horror and very tense. It is my personal GOTY for 2023
Man, I played this a couple months ago, and it is indeed tense. I had the same feeling playing this as I did Alien: Isolation. I was crawling on the ground most of the time, and I like that with every playthough the items are randomized. It's a solid entry to the entire Amnesia series (and better than Rebirth imo)
Or, The Bunkererer: Also called “Conscript”, another survival horror game about World War 1.
I really love Visage. Costume Quest is a cozy rpg.
Costume Quest
Just what I came here for! Not spooky, but entirely Halloween themed. I beat the first, but never got around to playing much of the second. A pretty simple turn based RPG, but the costumes you put on your party become the actual thing they are in battle. Very cute and fun games
I prefer psychological horror over jumpscares by a long shot, so my recommendations are a bit slower than what people may recommend, but if it strikes your and your wife's fancy, here are them:
Dreaming Sarah, Wishing Sarah, Tanglewood, Parasite Eve, Wake Up (by Philosophic Games), UNLOVED, The Corruption Within.
Still Wakes the Deep. Shit goes wrong on a Scottish oil rig in the 70s, it’s sorta like dead space mixed with alien isolation and a walking simulator. Stealth gameplay with some puzzles and a decent emotional narrative. I had a good time playing it and it’s on gamepass. Short and sweet.
Silent Hill 2 Enhanced Edition - the undisputable best way to play Silent Hill 2
Dead by Daylight is horror themed, just don't interact with the highly toxic community
Resident Evil HD is the best way to play Resident Evil
Project Zomboid - you either quit in 15 minutes, or you rack up thousands of hours, there is no inbetween
The Forest and Sons of the Forest
Naissance. Also Control.
The remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 4. Also Resident Evil Village
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