When it comes to Halloween in games, people might be looking for a few different kinds of things. Some desire the fear factor, maybe some jump scares, a game that will get the adrenaline pumping. Others may be looking for something with a spooky theme that can give people the creeps but not necessarily heart-pumping fright. Then there are the creepy cute types of games that have a softer approach to the holiday, with visions of pumpkins and sheet ghosts.
The Nintendo Switch is a portable gaming system that was released in 2017 and has hundreds of games available through physical and digital means. All these games, big and small, give a good variety of spooky play options. This is good news for players as there’s a great amount of Halloween Switch games to choose from.
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13Amnesia: Collection
TheAmnesia: Collectiongives players three titles in one. The series began in 2010 withAmnesia: The Dark Descentand continued withA Machine for Pigs,Rebirth, and most recentlyThe Bunker. While players who purchase the collection won’t receiveThe Bunker, the older titles still have quite an impact even through the years.
These cult classics are said to haveredefined psychological horror games. Instead of the typical jump scare horror games tend to give, theAmnesiaseries focuses on suspense and power struggles. In each of these titles, the main character is a different person in a new location, but the players will try to get them out of their dark locations, mentally and physically. Each character discovers who they are and what they’re running from through a series of puzzles that slowly bring back their memories.
12Resident Evil
The story of Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield started the wholeResident Evilfranchise in 1996 that is still being created today. What was once a PlayStation exclusive has now been remastered in HD for the Nintendo Switch. The upgraded graphics don’t cause a loss in the nostalgic quality for those looking to replay an old favorite but update it enough to make it worth picking up. The series is known for it’scursed enemiesand now some of the very first ones are shown in a little better quality.
Jill and Chris are sent to look into a disappearance and run into a mansion in the forest that gives them more questions than answers. In and around the mansion they run into dogs, zombies, and other cursed enemies trying to attack them. Slowly they uncover horrible secrets as they attempt to solve what has been happening to people in the nearby town. This game is full of jump scares and creepy creatures to get the adrenaline going.
11Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
Doki Doki Literature Clubis a visual novel game initially released in 2017 for PC. Some aspects of the game were specifically created for a PC experience, but weren’t lost in translation through the port to Nintendo Switch withDoki Doki Literature Club Plus!. This is another one of the greatpsychological horror gamesthat toys with the mind as players interact more with it.
It starts off as a seemingly innocent dating simulator that starts to take some unexpected dark turns. The choices made in the game affect the player as well as those around them. The shock behind the story plays a huge aspect in the psychological effectiveness ofDoki Doki Literature Club Plus!.
10Alien: Isolation
What is scarier than a game learning how someone plays and using it against them? WithAlien: Isolationthe AI figures out where the player hides, moves, and begins to understand how they think. This makes it harder to hide from the creature the longer the game is played. Fans of the 1979 movieAlienmay be excited about this opportunity to jump into the action for themselves.
Amanda Ripley, whose mother disappeared on a spaceship when she was young. As she journeys to discover what happened to her mother, she begins to find out firsthand and is now fighting to make it out alive. Don’t forget to pay close attention to what’s around, and tune in to all the sounds, for the best effectsplay it with headphonesattached to your Nintendo Switch, it could come at any time.
9Five Nights At Freddy’s
Very popular for its jump-scares,Five Nights At Freddy’sis a violence-free horror title that builds anticipation and catches players off guard. Those looking for gore and fighting will want to explore other options. While only five nights seems like a simple task, the job becomes more difficult each night. If the first one isn’t enough, there is awhole series ofFive Nights at Freddy’sgames available, and most of them are on the Nintendo Switch.
In this story, the player is hired as a security guard for an overnight shift in an entertainment pizza place, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, complete with creepy animatronic animals. The manager warns that there is sometimes some weird activity with Freddy and his crew, but definitely understates it. At night these creatures come alive, and the end goal is to survive just five nights.
Slasher fans and those looking for multiplayer will love digging intoDead by Daylight. This is a 1v4 where four players are survivors trying to make it to morning against one player who is a killer. The game features a lot of well-known slasher movie characters such as Ghost Face, Michael Myers, and Pig, as well as somesurprise faces like Nicolas Cage.
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A benefit to this title is the ability to play cross-platform on everything except mobile, which helps out a lot when trying to get people together to play. The survivors have a list of items they can use to try to distract and trap the killer so they can make it to morning and make it out alive. The killer has a list of powers that are different from character to character, giving the killer player an option of play style.
7Wytchwood
WhileWytchwoodisn’t a horror game and probably won’t be making anyone jump out of their seat, it is a really fun collection of dark fairytales with creepy story elements. The art is gorgeous and well-suited to the story type. It’s a low-combat, no-gore adventure with a hint of spookiness.
The Witch of the Woods wakes to find that she has a woman in a glass case on her property. A goat tells her that they made a deal about this woman. In exchange for the souls of specific creatures or people terrorizing the nearby towns, he would let her go and tell the witch more about the deal. Players must gather the materials needed for spells, weapons, and missions and interact with an interesting cast of characters, including one of thebest plague doctors in a game, while uncovering the story.
6Cult of the Lamb
A combination of a base-builder and dungeon crawler,Cult of the Lambisn’t a scary game, but more so one with spooky elements and creepy cute characters. This indie title really took off when it was released in 2022 and has continued to haveadded updates since. The controls on the Nintendo Switch are very simple, even with the base building aspects that can sometimes get complicated without a mouse and keyboard.
InCult of the Lamb, Lamb is taking in followers and forming a cult. The cult’s beliefs and practices are totally up to the player and there are many options throughout the game. To continue gaining followers and building the cult, players must defeat the four Bishops in the woods to free the one who provided power to Lamb, defeating their monsters along the way.
5Luigi’s Mansion 3
For a little taste of family-friendly ghost hunting, there’sLuigi’s Mansion 3. In addition to a great solo story, there are also multiplayer options with a co-op story for two players where the second player is Gooigi. Or up to eight players can play together on Scarescraper and ScreamPark. ScreamPark will allow for everyone to play from the same console, while Scarescraper will only allow up to two per console, but can connect up to eight total online.
In the story, Mario has been captured by King Boo once again, this time in a hotel andsomeone other than Mario gets to be the main characternow. He teams up with Professor E. Gadd who gives Luigi the equipment he needs to make his way through all 17 floors of the ghost-filled hotel in search of his friends and brother.
4Disney Dreamlight Valley
Although this isn’t strictly a Halloween game or one with typically spooky themes, Gameloft does love to throw in aHalloween event. Generally, players will get some fun and unique costumes for their characters only available through these events. It can also be expected that there may be some new character releases that fit the Halloween vibe.
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Outside of Halloween,Disney Dreamlight Valleyis a life-sim adventure that takes place in a mystical place called Dreamlight Valley. Players can interact with familiar characters and even have them follow along on the adventure. Dreamlight Valley has been attacked by a curse causing all the residents to lose their memories, and it’s up to the player to defeat the magic and restore the valley.
