Halloween is almost upon us once again, which means that it’s time to do things like watch a bunch of scary videos on YouTube at 3am and not be able to sleep, eat a bunch of candy that’s half the size and twice the cost of regular candy, and of course play some of the scariest games on Xbox One. Some of the picks in our list might surprise you, but trust us, they are every bit as worth playing as we say.
Outlast
The sub-genre of stumbling around in the dark with a flashlight while things pop out and go boo might be somewhat overdone these days, but Outlast is definitely one of the few that does it right.
Set in a run-down psychiatric hospital, Outlast has you running and hiding from from a variety of murderous patients, while you try to capture evidence of the strange events on a camcorder.
It might stigmatise genuinely ill people somewhat, but it is definitely one scariest experiences you will have in a videogame.
Alien: Isolation
While later entries in the the Alien film franchise were full of awesome action and swarms of Xenomorphs getting blown to bits by machine gun fire, the original film was much closer to the horror genre.
Alien Isolation goes back to those roots, having you try to navigate a space station while being constantly stalked by a single, intelligent and deadly alien.
It might not have ghosts and ghouls but most people would agree it is one of the most tense and terrifying games they’ve ever played. In any case, it’s better than certain other Aliens games.
Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4
When making this video, it became clear that the Xbox One has not had many great horror games. There are some on the way, with Resident Evil 7 and Friday the 13th coming next year, but even if they were all available now, the older titles in the Resident Evil series would still make the list.
The original game is one of the all time classics of the genre, with Resident Evil 4 being the last great entry before the horror elements were finally abandoned. Both games have remastered for Xbox One, but the cheesy original will still be the best.
Slender: The Arrival
Slender: The Arrival is well… it’s a lot of jumpscares. While not everyone’s idea of real horror, Slender does create an unsettling atmosphere, as you explore various creepy locations looking for pages, before Slenderman has a chance to go boo.
If you want to scare some friends or younger siblings without exposing them to violence, this is definitely the game for you. By the way, I’m really sorry for that jump scare.
Condemned: Criminal Origins (Backward Compatibility)
Another one from the 360 era, Condemned is one of the best games you’ve never played. You start out investigating a murder case, but before long you’re being taunted by sadistic serial killers, stalked by violent criminals and dealing with potentially supernatural forces.
All that combined with extremely visceral combat and limited weapons, easily make Condemned the most gritty and disturbing game on this list.
Doom
Okay, so Doom hasn’t been remotely scary since you were four years old. But not everyone wants to spend Halloween being afraid.
Some of us would rather kick demon butt and take names, so what better way to do that than with rock music blaring, while you push back the forces of hell with an awesome shotgun? Doom does that better than any shooter in decades, so this Halloween is a better time than any to try it out.
Dead Space (Backward Compatibility)
If you want a horror game set in space but also want more complex gameplay and better action than Alien Isolation can provide, then the original Dead Space is for you.
It suffers from an over-reliance on monsters jumping out at you, but there’s tons of creative creature designs, futuristic environments and very gory deaths to keep things interesting. If you’ve still not given it a try, now is the time.
Gone Home
Alright, we know what you’re thinking, “This isn’t a horror game”, you say. But this list isn’t about horror games, it’s about games that are scary. Gone Home, believe it or not, is one of the scariest games we’ve ever played. If you’re really looking for a scare – and we mean a genuine sense of dread where you can’t almost bring yourself to play any more – then look no further than this.
Obviously, if you already know the ending then you won’t get the full effect, so make sure you avoid any spoilers before playing. But if you don’t know anything about it, then if you play this one at night in a dark room, you’ll absolutely understand what we mean. This is the most scared I have personally ever been while playing a game, and I am certainly not alone in that regard.
So those are some of our suggestions. Have we missed any out that you think should be on here? Let us know!
UPDATE: Our reader suggestions edition article is up now! Click here to read it!
Dean was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 39 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @SpookyWomble.