Looking for some fun retro Halloween games to dive into this holiday? Well, if you got an old-school console handy, there’s a slew of titles you can boot up for the holiday! There are so many retro titles out there that are perfect for a night of spooktacular fun, but this will focus on 10 of them that stand out from the rest. I’m going to be focusing on everything spooky from psychological horror to brutal and gruesome slaughter fests for all of you freaks out there. So yeah, let’s dive right in and count down the 10 best retro horror games you should boot up on Halloween night!
10. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
9. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Got a SNES or Sega Genesis handy and looking for a fun time on Halloween night? Then why not boot up Zombies Ate My Neighbors and enjoy a whole night of laying waste to hordes of murderous zombies with friends and family? Sounds like a good time to me. This cult classic manages to perfectly blend a humorous tone with a horrific and spooky atmosphere, all while still being a super co-op or single-player adventure for anyone to enjoy! Set out as Zeke, Julie, or both on a mission to save their neighbors from any spooky thing you can think of, like evil dolls, possessed children, monsters, and wouldn’t you know it, zombies! I know how I’m spending my Halloween.
8. Clock Tower
If you’re more into true horror than action adventures or shoot-em-ups, then Clock Tower might be more your drift this Halloween. Originally released only in a Japan SNES, this horrific point and click adventure was soon ported to the PlayStation and made available almost everywhere. Follow a young woman named Jennifer as she traverses a great and creepy clock tower all while being chased by the Scissorman, by a homicidal and deformed maniac who, you guessed, wields a pair of giant scissors and is all too eager to cut you apart limb by limb with it! You’ll have to hide from and avoid him constantly to keep him from literally cutting your face off, and it makes for a truly terrifying experience as he ruthlessly hunts you down. There are multiple endings as well, so why not give yourself a chance to get them all this Halloween? Just stay frosty. He’s right behind you.
7. Doom
You can’t have Halloween without hordes of terrifying and horrific monsters, and you can’t have Doom without those either. I think you know where I’m going with this then. The original Doom is not necessarily creepy or fitting in the realm of retro Halloween games, but man does it make for a fun and gruesome time! Why not take up a shotgun or a chainsaw or a freaking machine gun ad rip and tear your way through hordes of demons, monsters, and ghouls this Halloween in the quintessential FPS classic?
6. Splatterhouse
Still, got that itch for blood and gore? Good thing you can boot up Splatterhouse for the NES and splatter some monster guts all over the place! You can take control of Jason Voor- I mean, Rick, a university student bent on saving his girlfriend from a haunted mansion filled to the brim with gruesome hordes of monsters, ghouls, and beasts! It’s like Doom, but in a haunted mansion and from a 2D sidescrolling beat ’em up perspective. And bloodier, probably.
5. Silent Hill
Who does psychological horror better than Silent Hill? Frankly, not many, and it’s no wonder why. Take on the role of Harry Mason as he explores the twisted town of Silent Hill in search of his missing daughter, leading down a road full of things that creepy doesn’t even begin to describe. The result is one of the scariest games of the 90s and the start of one of the greatest horror series ever made, perfect for a night defined by all things horrifying, no? This may not be a fun Halloween game, but it’s still a classic horror experience.
4. System Shock 2
The perfect blend of horror and science fiction, this FPS/RPG title is as scary as it gets. You will assume the role of a lone soldier sent aboard the abandoned starship Von Braun, in an attempt to track the source of a genetic virus that has mutated all of the crew into feral, ruthless monsters whose only goal is to kill you. In addition to fighting and avoiding this crew with only a wrench in hand, the ship’s AI – known as SHODAN – is also trying to kill you, often in extremely terrifying and gruesome ways. If you’re looking for a truly suspenseful experience that will keep you on your toes this Halloween, boot up System Shock 2.
3. Resident Evil
Resident Evil is perhaps the poster child of the survival horror genre, only proven by its incredibly successful release. Not only is it filled with some of the most horrific enemies out there – like those ugly zombie dogs – it’s an experience driven by its immersion and characters. If you have a PlayStation or GameCube, give yourself a sense of nostalgia this Halloween and journey back into the mansion.
2. Super Ghouls N’ Ghosts
Ready for a fun retro Halloween game? You probably don’t associate a game like Super Ghouls N’ Ghosts with “fun”, but that does not take away from the spirit of it! The SNES classic is still loved to this day and even got a sequel recently, and through its purely medieval world and atmosphere, it’s a must-play this Halloween! So sit back, relax and see how far you can get in Super Ghouls N’ Ghosts this Halloween! Just make sure to bring an extra controller.
1. Castlevania
What better game to celebrate Halloween than with an adventure through a castle filled with monsters and demons and ruled by a literal vampire lord? Castlevania is more than a classic name in the industry – it’s a timeless experience and true a horror game through and through. This can be seen in its level design, mechanics, characters. Even to do this day, the original on the NES stands out as one other most iconic not only in the franchise but in the horror genre at large. Venture back into Dracula’s fortress as Simon Belmont and take on the froes of the Underworld this Halloween!
