Seven Halloween Games for Every Kind of Spooky Season Mood

Halloween gaming doesn’t have to mean spending the night in a dark corridor waiting for something to jump out. The Pocket Tactics team’s seasonal picks range from punishing horror and zombie survival to costume collecting and gothic dressmaking. That variety is the appeal: a good October game can unsettle you, give you something playful to collect, or simply supply the right atmosphere while you settle in for the evening.

Here are seven games the team is playing this spooky season, spanning Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Steam Deck, PC, and mobile. Some are built to test your nerve; others make Halloween part of a gentler routine.

CloverPit turns a slot machine into a horror trap

Connor Christie’s Halloween pick for Nintendo Switch, CloverPit, brings together the tension of a roguelite, the pull of a fruit machine, and an atmosphere of bodily horror. Its central threat is stark: miss a round’s target and an unseen observer sends you plunging into a pit. The game makes failure feel immediate and grim, giving its repeated-run structure a nastier edge than the usual score-chasing loop.

That setup suits a season built around dread. CloverPit adds existential unease and a streak of sacrilege to its horror, while its machine keeps tempting players to try one more run. Christie’s concern is less about whether the game fits Halloween than whether it’ll be easy to stop playing once the season ends. The high-score chase has a way of outlasting the decorations.

Pokémon Go makes collecting part of the festivities

For Daz Skubich, Halloween in Pokémon Go is as much about the seasonal collection as the encounters. Costumed Pokémon return at the right time of year, and ghost types add a natural fit for players who want their walks to feel a little more festive. This year’s event includes Pikachu wearing a hat and cape, Sinistea with a bow, and a special Mega Chandelure Raid Day.

The game can also fold into an evening out. Players can set a ghost Pokémon as their walking buddy, use local Routes to seek Zygarde cells while trick-or-treating, or take augmented-reality photos with friends and family alongside the costumed creatures. Turning on the music brings back the eerie Lavender Town soundtrack. For longtime players, the growing collection of Halloween outfits offers a record of events across the game’s ten years. Newcomers can find more context in the team’s Pokémon Go review.

Dressmaker offers a quieter kind of costume play

Not every seasonal game needs ghosts in the hallway. Holly Alice has been playing Dressmaker on Steam Deck and PC, a recently released cozy game about making garments for townspeople. Commissions give players a brief to work from, while custom pieces let them experiment beyond those requests.

That creative freedom lends itself to Halloween without making the game a horror experience. Alice has been designing increasingly elaborate gothic outfits inspired by prompts such as pumpkins, bogs, and raven feathers. The Steam Deck version gives the game a portable home, though Alice sees a possible fit for Switch 2 as well: its Joy-Con mouse functionality could suit the detailed work of designing clothes.

Hellraiser: Revival pushes survival horror to extremes

Kayleigh Partleton’s choice is Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, a survival horror game set in the long-running franchise. Its story sends Aidan searching for his girlfriend through a world of vicious enemies, gore, and explicit material. Partleton describes the experience as an endurance test in places, a quality that makes it a particularly intense option for players who want Halloween horror without much relief.

The game also borrows familiar survival-horror ideas from Resident Evil. Inventory management asks players to fit items into limited storage space, while a merchant provides access to weapons and upgrades. Those systems bring a practical layer to the brutality: getting through each encounter depends on what Aidan carries and how well-equipped he is. Partleton’s full Hellraiser: Revival review explains why the long-awaited franchise game made the cut.

Death Road to Canada balances zombies with bad odds

Quinn Collins isn’t usually drawn to horror, but Death Road to Canada has pulled them into a zombie road trip on Nintendo Switch 2. The game’s pressure comes from keeping a whole group alive: players need to manage supplies, watch morale, and react when the undead close in. The danger is real, but so is the possibility that a party member’s behavior will create trouble before the zombies do.

Its structure recalls The Oregon Trail, with a crew to manage and the persistent sense that a run might have gone better with different equipment. Reaching Canada for the first time felt, for Collins, like an unlikely lottery win. The game cuts the tension with deliberately silly exchanges, including the options to tell someone to “cool it” or call them a “dink.” That comedy gives nervous players a way into the genre without sanding away the danger.

Diablo IV brings gothic fantasy to a group session

Sam Comrie’s pick, Diablo IV, makes Sanctuary a fitting place to spend Halloween. Demons, undead creatures, and threatening dungeons give its grim fantasy a strong horror streak, while the story builds toward a mystery with high stakes. Up to four players can team up, making it an option for a group that wants a shared campaign as well as a steady supply of enemies to fight.

Character progression is a major part of the draw. Skill trees, weapons, and armor give players plenty to adjust as they develop a build, and the steady stream of loot rewards those who enjoy sorting through new gear. Comrie has been playing on Nintendo Switch 2; the game also supports cross-play with PS5, Xbox, and PC, plus cross-progression for continuing a character across platforms. Details on the Switch 2 experience are available in the team’s Diablo IV review.

Fatal Frame II makes silence part of the scare

Tilly Lawton’s pick is the Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, which follows twin sisters Mio and Mayu after they become trapped in a village occupied by vengeful spirits. Their main tool is the Camera Obscura, a mysterious device they use to confront the supernatural while uncovering the village’s past and their connection to it. The remake, released in March of this year, brings a cult horror story to a new audience.

Where some horror games rely on constant action, Crimson Butterfly lets quiet stretches do their work. Its slow pace and lingering atmosphere build tension before the scares arrive, and its camera-based mechanics give encounters a distinctive shape. Lawton sees it as a strong choice for players looking beyond familiar zombie action toward ghost stories and a more patient form of dread. Her Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake review offers a closer look.

These picks cover a wide range of Halloween moods: tense survival, collectible costumes, creative dress-up, and horror that takes its time. Pick the level of fright that suits the evening, then save room for another run, another outfit, or one more walk with a ghost Pokémon. For more seasonal options, explore the team’s guides to indie games and Steam Deck games.