It's Halloween again, a holiday that's big business and plenty of fun if you like sweets / candy, dressing up or a mixture of both. For some, of course, this is more than a single night of trick or treating, but a full-blown Holiday (with a capital H) to celebrate and enjoy. With that in mind, we thought we'd jump in with our traditional list of games perfect for the occasion, but this time at the start of the Halloween weekend.
When putting this list together we thought it felt familiar, and that's because we were instinctively including lots of games already in our 2015 list - oops. So, instead we've thought up 10 different games, some from your feedback in the past and some of our own, and at the end you can vote on your favourites from this list and those that we featured last year. That'll be 20 games to choose from, which is nice.
Some of these are a little unconventional (some are the usual contenders), and we have a few prime Virtual Console games too.
Let's get to it.

Freshly released this week, this is an updated version of a PSP remake of the original (if that makes sense), with an extra four chapters also added. It delivers its own narrative-driven spin of mature horror on the 3DS, with pixel-based visuals combining with fantastic audio design (wear a pair of headphones for this one) and some puzzles thrown in. As it's only just been released here's a link to our Corpse Party review.

There are a lot of fantastic Castlevania games to choose from on Nintendo systems. Through multiple Virtual Console options we have examples such as the original trilogy, the GBA trilogy, DS trilogy and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate on 3DS. All good options, but we have a soft-spot for this 16-bit entry, truly one of the great games of the SNES era.

On the subject of classic SNES games, this one's a doozy, and is certainly a popular choice for some around this time of year. It's not out-and-out horror, of course, but is ultimately focused on isolation, uncertainty and rather big monsters. A stone cold classic, and while we're on the subject of Samus...

We're actually thinking primarily of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the dark and arguably divisive entry in this trilogy. With a light and dark world, some truly creepy enemy designs and the sense of being on a desolate world that's fallen to ruin and darkness, this is a hugely atmospheric game from Retro Studios. The Wii trilogy has the ideal control scheme, and if you're not a fan of Echoes you can simply fire up the first game of the series instead for some Super Metroid-esque isolation and mystery.

This is part of your humble scribe's annual Halloween routine, and is arguably the high point of the series, at least in terms of the later games that ditched static camera angles. Ashley may be ridiculous and a bit reminiscent of Jack Bauer's daughter from 24, but the mood, setting and memorable encounters in this game are irresistable.

Back to the SNES era (for the last time in this list), this is from the golden era of Capcom. Many are familiar with the NES original, Ghosts 'n Goblins, though we reckon the generational gap did this one good. You'll see lots of ghosts, demons and spooky foes, but the most horrifying thing in this game is the difficulty. It's deliciously challenging if you fancy an old-school challenge.

A game that helped boost the subscriber counts of plenty of YouTube creators, in this one you creep around daunting environments while trying to avoid Slender Man, who loves causing jump scares. That's the basic formula, but it's one that's proven lucrative and hugely popular in a lot of games.

Part of the fantastic 'Guild' series of releases by Level-5, this is a relatively linear narrative experience that places you in control of a robot on a mysterious, abandoned spaceship. It taps into the atmosphere and tropes of suspenseful sci-fi, and though it's a one-off experience with some rough edges it is, nevertheless, well worth a playthrough.

Not everyone wants to be scared or spooked out at Halloween, so for those people we recommend this Level-5 download. Set in 1970s Tokyo, this is heavily rooted in Japanese culture as a young boy and friends explore the mystery of large monsters that appear ever Friday afternoon. This is a beautiful, hugely charming narrative adventure, and it does have monsters at its core; perfect for a change of pace this Halloween.

Originally we had a gag entry for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric here, but decided that wound may still be rather raw. Instead we've thrown in this early Wii U title which was a rather good version of a thoroughly decent game. In Darksiders II you play as Death, work through a lot of dark and intimidating dungeons and environments, and get some Legend of Zelda vibes as you do so. Arguably the first game is better - the good news is that Darksiders: Warmastered Edition will be out on Wii U soon.
Now, below is the list from last year, which will add to the juicy poll at the end.
- Fatal Frame / Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water - Wii U / Wii U eShop
- Year Walk - Wii U eShop
- Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 - Wii U / Wii U eShop (We're cheating and counting them together)
- ZombiU - Wii U
- Extreme Exorcism - Wii U eShop
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D - 3DS
- Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon - 3DS
- Resident Evil Revelations - Wii U and 3DS
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 3DS
- The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth - Wii U eShop and New 3DS eShop
So there you have it, vote for your favourite Halloween games out of these in the poll below, and let us know what other games you're planning to play in this extended spooky weekend.
Comments 67
Monster Party for the NES will always be my favorite Halloween game
Right now I'm playing steamworld heist on 3ds, ziggurat and jotun on Wii U, salt and sanctuary on PS4, and hearthstone. Not really Halloween related but still plenty of hours of gaming this weekend.
Definitely Animal Crossing. I have been buying candy, costumes, furniture and masks since October 1st.
Luigi's Mansion Dark moon is good too.
I would also recommend playing Shovel Knight's Lich Yard level or playing through the game as Plague Knight.
AC is a yearly tradition as well as Resident Evil Revelations which I absolutely love.
Majoras Mask will get a play as that still gives me the creeps and it's my favourite Zelda game by far.
Where's Lone Survivor?!? That's my choice for this Halloween.
AlexSora89 proudly presents: the 2017 AlexSora89 Halloween Special!

"You scroll down the list and realise your favorite spooky game hasn't been mentioned. Misinterpreting the lack of mention as a statement of Nintendo consoles never having had truly scary games, you take this as the last straw in the whole 'Nintendo is teh kiddie' debate, and promptly freak out. The last thing you remember seeing through the eyes of sanity is your nails uselessly trying to grab the floor as you're carried away by the asylum staff, before spending the rest of your days as a drooling mess, hopelessly swinging your torso back and forth while wearing a straightjacket, with a crazed grimace on your face."
guys, it's called spooPy.
I don't know, half these games aren't scary or spooky.
no thanks i dont do creepy games
Super Metroid and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon take my votes (the others I haven't played or played enough of yet). Super Metroid isn't really scary, but the creepy isolation factor and more outlandish enemy designs are enough to make the flesh crawl a bit. Plus, there's also that certain sad moment...
Dark Moon isn't scary at all, but it has a great atmosphere and is fun to play! By far the creepiest room in the game is that toy room with the rotating doll head.
Since Year Walk is on sale, I may pick that up and play it as my "Halloween game" this year.
I went with Bayonetta and Animal Crossing
I don't know how Metroid has anything to do with scary or creepy games, but they're great games at least.
I'm playing Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon right now and really enjoying it! I think the first one on GCN is still better, but it is definitely a great sequel so far!
After that I plan to start playing Resident Evil Revelations on the Wii U! Looks like a great game, and I got to try a small bit of it out on a friends 3DS, so I can't wait to get into that.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Ironic, I was born one day before Halloween. I Like and Extremely HATE with Spooky theme. I like Spooky as long cute, fake, harmless and no evil purpose. But I Extremely HATE Spooky (Horror) if adult content, sadistic, bloodshed, gory, has evil purpose, ended with Extremely Worst ending and I can ended up by Extremely Pissed Off, Extremely Mad and wanna destroy completely that horror things. Hard to say.... sorry for my rants...
@hYdeks Metroid games are considered creepy at some moments because of the isolation, like at the very beginning of Super Metroid when you are exploring the sation and everything's so quite or right after you arrive on Zebes. Another creepy moment in that game is when you are at phantom's sector, where the atmosphere feels heavy and mysterious.
They are not scary games, but there aren't many games to choose from to begin with. However, this list really lacks Resident Evil revalations Demon's Crest and Gargoyle's quest 2 in my opinion.
Buying a Wii-U in 2016 is probably the scariest thing one could do
Animal Crossing all the way!
Super Castlevania IV is my go-to Halloween game. I love the music so much.
Scary games aren't for me. If I want to be scared I'll just watch/read the news. Luigi's Mansion 2 is great though.
Don't forget all the spooky, Halloween levels in Super Mario Maker- like this one that is 100% not mine!
https://supermariomakerbookmark.nintendo.net/courses/98ED-0000-02B3-3E5E
Corpse Party and Fatal Frame V are the PERFECT Halloween games for Nintendo customers.
Wrapping up Ghost and Goblins on the Sega Genesis this weekend. And then some Overwatch with Dr. Junkensteine's Revenge.
I recall playing Project Zero on Wii U last Halloween. As much as I really like the concept and look of those games, I struggled to enjoy it. I didn't find the story very compelling, in fact I found it a bit silly to be honest, and not particularly fun to play either. Never finished it. I might give it another go this weekend, see if I can get back into it.
I have the Physical UK version so at least it's gained in £ value, regardless of how much actual use I get from it!
Just dance 2016. Spoooooky
@WilliamCalley
Then again, it may be the best time to buy. Now there's already a full library of games as opposed to people who bought it at launch and had to wait. My friend just bought a PS3 instead of PS4, for example. Full library of games is a huge draw.
Although they could drop the price some.
Gotta play Sweet Home for the NES. That's a good horror game.
Super Castlevania IV has always been my favorite. When I was a kid, my friend and I decided to defeat Dracula at midnight on Halloween. We bought a bunch of Mt dew and Doritos for the epic battle. We ended up beating him around 10pm... still it was epically fun!
Right now I'm playing through Corpse Party. Playing that game with headphones on in the middle of the night is really freaky.
..too little time for a full game, but I'll get my costume and zombie fix with Injustice: Gods Amoung Us...

..for some Halloween fun..
"Originally we had a gag entry for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric here, but decided that wound may still be rather raw."
Indeed, the Sanik drama is getting old, at least show some respect for his anniversary.
I just played Year Walk, nicely done and very atmospheric. Not really scary (well, it might be to some I guess?) but I really enjoyed reading the mythology and solving the puzzles. Plus it's about an hour long so it's a nice one to play in an evening. On sale at the moment too.
@WilliamCalley I bought a Wii U at the beginning of this year and definitely don't regret it. I got 36 games for the system already (I have a backlog of games to play obviously) and I bought most the game new and extremely cheap, and there isn't one game I have regretted buying. Now when I had a PS4, that was definitely adifferent story...
@roy130390 still wouldn't consider Metroid creepy or anything though lol and Resident Evil Revelations is mentioned, but it was on last years list. My favourite Halloween like games might be Castlevania series, House of the Dead series, and first Fatal Frame (haven't played the Wii U version yet )
ZombiU.... need I say no more
@AlexSora89 Boy why are you playing shadowgate? Does Death wait to catch you? Its a shame your quest has ended so soon
Surprised Animal Crossing isn't voted higher.
It really is the ultimate holiday game.
@Beau_Skunk Sonic really doesn't deserve much respect.
Super Ghouls and Ghosts, anything Castlevania, and Gargoyles Quest 2 for NES on WiiU. Gargoyle's Quest is just down right fun action with RPG elements. It has the Spook and not many people have it.
Yokai Watch. I'm not starting YKW 2 until I complete that first medallion so I've got some serious work to do, 👻
I've got just about everything listed and love em although it is odd to see such an oversight by not including titles such as Lone Survivor or Master Reboot!? Great games that absolutely deserve the attention for Halloween.
I'm still a bit salty over the Fatal Frame V situation in North America. I played the demo and loved it but simply don't have enough storage on my system for the full version and I'm not gonna go through the cost of upgrading my storage for a single game this close to the launch of the Switch. As a fan of the series (I have Fatal Frame 1, 2, 3 and Spirit Camera), I am really ticked that Nintendo never released a physical copy yet did 2 freakin print runs on Devil's Third!
@AlexSora89 The Uninvited?
Why didn't Zero Time Dilemma make this list?
Astyanax, NES or Arcade!
Currently playing How 2 Survive. Pretty good game and a fitting choice for Halloween and especially now when it's on sale.
Just got bayonetta 2 this week on clearance. That is an AMAZING game! I'll be spending my weekend with my new girlfriend.
The Costume Quest games will always be the #1 Halloween games for me. Every Halloween that comes and goes without Costume Quest 3 I die a little inside.
@Ogbert Awesome thanks for the heads up! I've been meaning to play this game and now would be the perfect time!
I might play some Bloodborne as well, see if I can get past the first fat troll guy. Man I suck at this game.
@BLP_Software
No, it's as @masterLEON said. I should have potholed part of my paragraph to the right musical cue.
Until Dawn: Rush of blood on PSVR is the best Halloween game this year.
As far as Nintendo-console games go, I'm hoping to get in some Resi4 this year. It'll have to wait until I play some REmake on the PS4, though.
There were no Halloween discounts this time...
sad face
sad face
On a slightly different topic how I wish that the Wii U virtual console had Castlevania Rondo of Blood
bayonetta is perfect for any occasion.
Castlevania Dracula X is more my Halloween style. Also last year me and some of my friends tried out Dark Maiden and we couldn't stop laughing. I don't remember why though... Edit: I meant Fatal Frame instead of Dark Maiden
Quality list too much too pick from but if you playing on the Wii U it's gotta be Zombi U, Fatal Frame and Bayo 1&2 on the 3DS it's gotta be Luigi's Mansion n Majora's Mask, if you are looking for real classics then it's Resi 4 and Metroid Trilogy plus old school classics Super Metroid, Super Castlevania and Super Ghouls n Ghost you can't go far wrong with any of these games this Halloween.
@WilliamCalley I thought that being one of those early adopters of Wii U is more scary.
Best games for Halloween:
5) Bayonetta 1+2
4) Luigi's Mansion GC
3) P.T
2) Dead Space
1) Super Castlevania.
Not all Nintendo, or even still available games. But hey.
Outlast is currently about £3 on PS store atm (and resi for free), so me and the Mrs will be playing that with the lights out!
Regarding this list, metroid prime is always a great way of feeling lost and isolated.
@GreatPlayer
Nah, it was exciting because at least we had hope then.
Little did we know....
The Keep may be my favourite download from eShop.
It's been often on sale. Keep an eye on it.
RE Revelations is great. RE Mercenaries is funny. I downloaded when it was on sale and played it a lot.
But the greatest RE is the RE 1 remake for Gamecube. Beautiful and scary.
I've done the same for the N64!
http://n64memories.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/n64-games-to-revisit-this-halloween.html?m=1
I never thought Metroid Prime 2 was the divisive one. 3 had the lack of true suit changes and a completely different feel
Corpse Party is 20,000,000,000 scary, 432,855.543,0148,432 me.
I would have bought a lot of spooky games if NoA bothered to give us out the discounts that EU got.
I mean, surely Bayonetta will eventually get discounted or a MyNintendo offer, right...
Nintendo doesn't have much when it comes to horror nowadays (they used to be awesome during the Gamecube area with Eternal Darkness and the Resident Evil Remake) and so most of my horror "playtime" is on PS4 (with games like The Evil Within, Alien Isolation, Outlast, Resident Evil Remake HD, Bloodborne, etc) but I've noticed they do have Slender: The arrival, Lone Survivor and Don't Starve on Wii U (I own them all on PS4 already) and I recommend them all for Halloween, much more fitting than most of the choices here, which are more kid friendly.
"arguably divisive"
I think Echoes is just plain divisive. It's a 10/10 game that some people hate, therefore divisive.
Just finished Year Walk. A great little game, a bit lika an interactive novel with some puzzles. It teaches about swedish folklore too.
I carved a pumpkin today.
I'm kind of annoyed I didn't do Luigi screaming from Luigi's mansion
@Pimmen
How is How 2 Survive? It's only because of the mediocre review here on Nintendo Life that I decided against picking it up...
animal crossing and luigi's mansion for me. but right now I'm playing alpha sapphire
I'm Gonna Start Playing Metroid Prime Trilogy, It Seems So Fun!
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