If you love your friends and you love a good scare then combining the two must be a good idea right? Even if you hate scary games you can never go wrong playing them with friends and hearing each other cry for help. At the end of the night, you all are closer than before from all the high pitch screams, tears, and anguish. I have yet to play a scary game with friends where I don’t end up in tears, whether from horror or laughter from my friend’s demise. Gather your group and take a stab at the 12 scariest games with your friends to have a terrifying night.
12. Devour
When is fighting off a possessed cult leader not a good time? In Devour, you will find everything you’re looking for from strategy to terrifying chases. The objective is to rid the demon from Anna’s body. No two playthroughs are the same. You and up to 4 players can take part in this unique co-op experience. This game is low budget and has replayability with game developers releasing new maps regularly.
Available on: PC
11. Deceit
Deceit is a free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter. This game is all about deception and instincts. In each game, your group will have 1-2 infected (depending on party size) and the innocents must use the tools around them to identify the infected. Gather a group of your friends and by the end of the night, you’ll question if you really knew them at all. Your best friend can use your weaknesses against you. Friends turn to foes and your trust in people beings to diminish. There’s never a dull moment when you’re sitting there with your friend and you turn on them when the lights go out.
Available on: PC
10. Cry of Fear
Another free-to-play on our list is Cry of Fear. You can go at it alone in single-player or play with up to 4 players and have a sold 8 hours of gameplay ahead of you. This psychological horror game is set in a deserted town filled with horrific creatures and nightmarish delusions. You play as a young man desperately searching for answers in the cold Scandinavian night, finding his way through the city as he slowly descends into madness.
Available on: PC
9. Pacify
Pacify never lets me down when I want a good scare. Up to 4 players can enjoy this horror experience. As you enter this old funeral parlor with your friends, something seems off. This strange girl appears and you must find a way to put a stop to her before you end up like her. Find and use keys, dolls, wood and matches to help you along the way. Now Pacify has a new map called “Woods”. It’s based out in the country at an old farm. Your team must investigate reported rumors of chicken going missing. What you find turns out to be so much worse than expected….
Available on: PC
8. Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is a fantastic 4v1, survivors vs killer, gaming experience. This game is also free to play with fun DLC to add if tempted. As you’re being hunted down by creepy and ravenous killers, you and your team must repair generators to power on the exit gates for your escape. Fail and suffer the consequences by being sacrificed to the entity. There is tons of replayability here with a great leveling system and each character has their own unique perks……killers too.
Available on: Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC
7. The Blackout Club
The Blackout Club is an exciting, action-packed horror adventure. It’s centered around a group of teenage friends investigating a monstrous secret beneath the skin of their small town. You and up to 3 friends must team up to overcome the powerful forces that are arrayed against you. Use tools you find to outwit your enemies and find proof of what is going on during the blackout. No two nights will be the same so this game offers great replayability.
Available on: Playstation, Xbox, and PC
6. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan
Man of Medan is a cinematic 2-player horror experience (can also be played solo). The scariest games usually take a psychological toll on you and this game does just that as you progress further and further. The story is based on five friends who set sail on a holiday diving trip that soon changes into something much more sinister. Embark on a horrific journey aboard a ghost ship. Did I mention it’s also decision-based? Yea that’s right. Every decision you make could save you and your friends or put you in grave danger. The choice is yours. Hopefully, it’s the right one.
Available on: Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC
5. Dead Island
Dead Island may not be at the top of the scariest games but it will always be a classic you won’t forget. It’s just a great time with you and 3 other friends in a sprawling open-world just waiting to be explored. Did I mention zombies? Yup, you’re caught in the midst of a zombie outbreak and you must craft tools and use your environment to survive and escape the island. What lies outside the island? That’s a question for another day.
Available on: Playstation, Xbox, and PC
4. Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is a unique ghost hunter experience. Personally when I think ghost hunter it seems lame and boring. Wrong. When you hop into a game, the atmosphere alone is spine chilling. Up to 4 players can join forces to stop the ghost. You have a large variety of tools at your disposal and there are many unique ghosts you can go up against. Take your friends on this scary mystery hunt and find out what is possessing the house.
Available on: PC
3. GTFO
GTFO freaks me out….and I love it. In this 4 player co-op horror game, there are multiple levels you can complete. Players get to play as a team of prisoners, forced to explore and extract valuable artifacts from a vast underground complex that has been overrun by terrifying creatures. Gather weapons, tools, and resources to help you survive and work to unearth the answers about your past and how to escape. This game will challenge you to your core and communication is key to everyone’s survival. Trust me, you will not survive alone. Plan your expedition, equip and operate tools and combine your firepower….every detail counts if you are to survive the nightmare. This is by far one of the scariest games I have played yet.
Available on: PC
2. The Forest
Cannibals….yup. Have you ever seen The Green Inferno? If so then you have a good idea of what to expect from this game. In The Forest, you and up to 3 friends have crashed on an island. At first, everything seems normal but you quickly learn the natives are crazy, flesh-eating cannibals. The objective is to find out the mysteries of the island. Something lies deeper and it’s calling to you. Use the island’s resources to build shelter and survive the harsh nights. Gather food and tools to fend off predators then explore the caves to which you’ll find your answers.
Available on: Playstation and PC
1. Labyrinthine
When I think about the scariest games that I’ve play, Labyrinthe comes up first. Absolutely terrifying. Labyrinthine is a true horror experience complete with all of the horror staples you may be used to. While navigating the regions of the Happisburgh hedge maze, you will be solving puzzles, collecting items, and escaping the horrific entities that lie within it. When I say even having 3 other friends with you doesn’t make you feel safe, I mean it. The game is still in early access but feels so clean and polished. Right now there are only 4 chapters with more to come in the future.
Available on: PC