Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch)

Okay, we've gone from horror to 'horror-themed' here, but Luigi’s Mansion 3 is not only a graphical powerhouse and showcase for Next Level Games’ unrivalled mastery of video game animation, but it’s also an immense helping of spooky fun as well.

The amount of care and consideration poured into every facet of the game is abundantly clear, and it all results in one of the most enjoyable and attractive Switch titles of the year. It's also the undisputed high point of a franchise which – following this sterling release – will hopefully get even more love and attention from Nintendo fandom, and the gaming community as a whole. We know what you're thinking, and no, it's not exactly an outright horror game, but if you're after a spooky title that you can play with the kids, Luigi's Mansion 3 is perfect.

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Luigi's Mansion 3
Luigi's Mansion 3
Luigi's Mansion 3
Luigi's Mansion 3

Inside (Switch eShop)

Inside is the spiritual successor to Limbo, and it builds on its predecessor in every imaginable way possible. A grimly beautiful platform-puzzler that, while brief, is packed full of jaw-dropping highlights, its dark tone won't be for everyone, but it's all been executed brilliantly, with gently taxing physics-based conundrums woven into a haunting wordless narrative. It's a very similar game to its predecessor in many ways, with side-scrolling elements, a gorgeous, moody art style, and a vulnerable protagonist at the heart of it. Everything's just bigger, better, and way more affecting.

MADiSON (Switch)

MADiSON is a first-person horror game that makes liberal use of an in-game polaroid camera, requiring you to snap pictures of certain objects and manually waft it about in the air to allow the picture to develop. It's an interesting mechanic, to say the least, but MADiSON's greatest strength is that it's genuinely scary. There are moments in this game that cause our hearts to nearly drop out of our backsides and onto the floor. It certainly has its issues, including repetitive visual assets, but this is definitely an effective horror that you should check out if you're a fan of the genre.

MADiSON
MADiSON
MADiSON
MADiSON

Signalis (Switch eShop)

Signalis came out of nowhere to provide survival horror fans a near-perfect love letter to the long-running genre. It is at its best when you're darting between enemies, using stealth and patience rather than brute force. While some of the combat encounters felt a little forced, the puzzles are just the right mix of challenging and approachable. The surreal imagery and unique storytelling structure add to the overall polish of a game that is the perfect length for what it is. There have been an awful lot of homages to classic survival horror, but Signalis stands as one of the best.

SIGNALIS
SIGNALIS

Pumpkin Jack (Switch eShop)

Another entry that will keep you up at night only with its excellent gameplay rather than being pants-browningly scary, Pumpkin Jack is a triumph. For the developer's debut title, it’s remarkably confident in its vision, delivering a delightfully spooky experience that feels very familiar to MediEvil without outright copying it. In fact, with MediEvil's controls feeling distinctly dated by modern standards, we’d go so far as to say Pumpkin Jack is superior. The controls are slick with satisfying combat mechanics, and while the platforming can occasionally feel a bit frustrating, it’s mostly very well done. Visuals in handheld mode can look a little grotty, so we’d recommend playing on the TV if you can, and make sure you crank up that camera sensitivity. Fear not though, folks; the spirit of Halloween lives on year-round thanks to Pumpkin Jack.

Afterdream (Switch eShop)

Afterdream is a trippy puzzle game that takes all the iconic hallmarks of classic survival horror games (minus the survival part) and crams them into a cute yet entirely unsettling package. The game makes great use of the camera mechanic to reveal secrets and scares, and while it doesn't go quite as freakishly horrifying as we'd perhaps like, the overarching atmosphere more than makes up for this. If you're after something spooky that's not going to outright scare the living daylights out of you, then this is definitely one to check out.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered (Switch)

Another entry that's more spoopy than genuinely spooky, we could hardly exclude the 'busters, could we!? Your enjoyment of Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered depends almost entirely on your affection for the movies – we love 'em (and we're more than happy to rigorously defend Ghostbusters II if you want to hear us bang on about it for an hour down the pub), so this game is a wonderful form of time travel. It has no business calling itself a remaster in the sense most players might expect, and is best approached as a straight port of the Xbox 360-era game... but it’s a fine one.

Mechanically speaking, there's little you haven’t seen elsewhere, but it’s a good-looking, fun third-person romp dripping in slimy spooks and nostalgia, and the chance to spend time in the company of these old friends – some of them dearly departed – is too good to pass up if you've ever strapped on your school backpack and gone out to catch ghosts in the garden.

Need even more nostalgic paranormal entrapment in your life? We've got you covered...

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed - Ecto Edition (Switch)

Launching on Switch a year after its debut on other platforms, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed - Ecto Edition douses its thoroughly serviceable online 4v1 gameplay in positively charged psychomagnotheric nostalgia slime. From small touches in the visuals to snippets of dialogue, the detail and care that has gone into recreating the Ghostbusters’ world here makes you forgive the occasional visual glitch and basic, predictable plot. If 'busting makes you feel good, you'll have a great time with this one, even if it's not strictly a 'horror' game in the blood-curdling, spine-tingling sense.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Ecto Edition
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Ecto Edition

Alisa Developer's Cut (Switch eShop)

Alisa Developer's Cut is an excellent homage to classic survival horror that can easily stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark. From the tank controls to the cheesy voiceover work, it nails almost every aspect, providing an experience that feels like it was ripped straight from the '90s. Its overall appeal will likely be limited to those who are intimately familiar with survival horror, but if that's you, then strap yourself in for one of the best examples of the genre to date.

Resident Evil 4 (Switch eShop)

Resident Evil 4 is one of the best video games of all time, and if you’ve somehow managed to avoid it all these years, the Switch edition — which it should be noted is not the 2023 remake available on other platforms — is a decent, convenient way to catch up. Handheld mode is the biggest draw here and that’s not only where the game’s ageing visuals work best, but also where its control scheme makes the most sense. The lack of optional gyro aiming is disappointing and high definition arguably works against it in many ways, highlighting cracks which simply didn’t show up when it first released, but the genius of the underlying game still shines through and anybody who’s still got it sitting on their bucket list is in for a treat.

If you haven’t played the original RE4 in the last decade, the Switch version is a very solid one, even if it doesn’t feel as special as it once did. So, what’ll it be, stranger?

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Nintendo have any horror games?

Nintendo itself? Hmm, not really. As you can see above, the Switch console hosts plenty of horror games, but Luigi's Mansion is the closest thing Nintendo itself has to a horror franchise of its own, and that's most definitely a kid-friendly spookfest. An excellent series, but not one that's going to genuinely scare you. Famicom Detective Club has some unsettling moments, but it's not a horror game per se.

Nintendo has published several scary games in the past, though, including Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water on Wii U (the Switch port was published by Koei Tecmo, though) and the genuinely terrifying Eternal Darkness on GameCube. The platform holder retains the IP rights to Eternal Darkness, so it's possible — if unlikely — that Nintendo could return to 'proper' horror again sometime in the future.

Will 'The Last of Us' come to Switch?

Erm, no. The Last of Us was developed by Naughty Dog, a Sony-owned subsidiary of PlayStation Studios since 2001. As such, The Last of Us franchise is a Sony first-party exclusive, so regardless of how popular its critically acclaimed sequels and spin-off HBO series are, you won't be seeing The Last of Us on Nintendo Switch or a Nintendo anything. Sorry!

Are any of your favourites missing from this list? It's an ever-evolving beast we'll add to periodically whenever a worthy game rears its ugly head, so share your favourite recommendations in the comments section below.

This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.

Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!

If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games To Play In 2023 should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.