Best horror games on Xbox Game Pass to play for Halloween

HALLOWEEN is fast approaching, and nothing gets you quite in the mood for the spooky season as a horror game.

However, we don’t always have the spare cash to splash out on new titles.

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We’ve gathered up the best horror games currently available on Xbox Game Pass, so you can get a month’s worth of terrifying play for the price of a single subscription.

Dim the lights, and lock your doors tight; things are about to get spooky, just in time for Halloween.

10. Grim Fandango Remastered

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Based on the Day of the Dead rather than Halloween, you play as a skeleton in Grim Fandango, so it’s spooky enough for us.

In this point-and-click adventure, much like the recent Return to Monkey Island, you play as Manny as he tries to make his way across the Land of the Dead to save one virtuous soul.

Definitely more humorous than it is frightening, it still contains plenty of the scary imagery the season is known for.

This one is for those who want to experience the holiday season without being too scared.

9. Danganronpa

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All three mainline Danganronpa games are currently on Xbox Game Pass and we recommend you play them in order. 

In the first game you play as kid who is trapped in a school with 14 other students where the only way out is murder.

While murder might not be on your mind, but you will be tasked with solving the killings committed by other students.

Think Phoenix Wright meets Hercule Poirot if you want to try your hand at the series.

8. Alice: Madness Returns

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The only Xbox 360 classic game on the list, Alice: Madness Returns is a horror game loosely based on the original Alice in Wonderland story.

It has a strong gothic look to it, and is part of the psychological horror genre, if that’s your kind of scare.

You play as Alice as she journeys through a twisted version of Wonderland in this hack and slash adventure.

Mundane items, such as a kitchen knife and pepper grinder, turn into a sword and a gatling gun, adding to the dark design.

7. Inside

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Anyone who has played the developer’s previous masterpiece, Limbo, knows how chilling these games can be.

While Inside is a similar style to the previous game, both featuring a small lost child, Inside has more of a twist to it.

Based more on the real world than some fantasy forest, there is a larger diversity of areas to explore.

Those who enjoy when games go completely off the rails, Inside is for you.

6. This War of Mine

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Deeply rooted in reality, This War of Mine explores the horrors of war from the perspective of civilians left in war-torn countries.

You manage a house of people as you tread the line between survival and morals.

Do you take in more people when you are already low on food? Do you give in to people’s vices to keep them happy, but give away valuable bargaining tools?

It feels impossible to save everyone as the war drags on and on.

5. Death’s Door

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You take on a crow playing the part of the Grim Reaper, who must take down monsters and steal the souls of those not wishing to enter the afterlife.

While the story sounds similar to Grim Fandango the vibe and gameplay are very different.

Death’s Door isn’t for the faint of heart, as it offers quite a challenging level of difficulty for those not used to isometric brawlers.

However, if you aren’t afraid of a challenge, then Death’s Door provides the perfect Halloween atmosphere.

4. Doom (2016)

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While most gamers have fond memories of the original Doom, it’s the 2016 remake that we recommend to really put hairs on your chest.

It’s a high-speed first-person action game where you are rewarded for playing aggressively.

Rip and tear through each layer of hell to one of gaming’s best ever soundtracks.

While Doom Eternal was released more recently, the 2016 game is by far the more memorable.

3. Metal: Hellsinger

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Throwing a very recent release into the mix, Metal: Hellsinger is a rhythm-based FPS that was released in September.

Killing enemies to the beat of the heavy metal soundtrack is the key to success here, as you battle past hell’s demons.

It has a great range of weapons to choose from making every playthrough a little bit different. 

A different take on the horror genre for those who are good with a beat.

2. Omori

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Don’t let Omori’s cartoonish looks fool you, it is a far darker game than the artwork lets on.

It’s an RPG where you play as a boy who has locked himself away from the world and instead explores his emotions through his dreams.

Fear, sadness, and anger all play a role in how powerful each character can be.

Another one that fits more in the psychological horror box, Omori plays on your emotions more than a repulsion for gore.

1. Alien: Isolation

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While we’ve tried to give you a range of different styles of horror game in this list, Alien: Isolation is the pure kind.

The kind you have to turn off lest you soil your trousers, as a xenomorph ceaselessly tracks you around a space station.

Unknown terrors are always more terrifying as your imagination fills in the holes your eyes cannot.

The alien stealths around hardly ever being seen, but you can hear it, sense it, and if you’re unlucky, run into it.

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.