10 Spooky Nintendo Switch Games to Get You Ready for Halloween

10 Spooky Nintendo Switch Games

It’s Halloween time and we’ve got a list of games you can take with you on the go while you’re out trick-or-treating! Or while staying at home, passing out candy. These Nintendo Switch games may not necessarily be classified as horror, but may still be considered spooky – Ones that are perfect for Halloween time. These are games with a scary sense of atmosphere, with the inclusion of monsters, or any other creatures and themes evocative of this time of year. Enjoy our list of 10 Spooky Nintendo Switch games.

1. Resident Evil Revelations 1 + 2

These Resident Evil games are a return to form for the series – Giving us a sense of survival horror, like so many of us fell in love with from the original games. This is a great package, with two fully realized Resident Evil games included, both for Nintendo Switch. These games have a great blend of action, shooting, and survival, making it great for lots of different players – And with lots of other Resident Evil games on the way, these two will hold you over till we get more.

2. Detention

Detention is noteworthy because it introduces an interesting mechanic – One where you must hold your breath to avoid being caught by spirits who are constantly after you. This coupled with the creepy audio design make this an ideal choice for a spooky game on Nintendo Switch. There is a certain level of craftsmanship to the art design, blending horror-themed visuals with Taiwanese paintings. For some reason, this adds to the creep-factor, which I’m all for.

3. Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares captures the essence of fear of constantly being caught – an idea explored in many horror games, but not executed as well as this game does. When it comes to environmental storytelling, Little Nightmares succeeds, giving us a detailed environment that has a personality and that feels lived in. The art is downright creepy and it’s easy to see why it’s called Little Nightmares – Everything feels small in size, but that doesn’t change how impactful and horrifying this game is.

4. Oxenfree

What’s great about the Nintendo Switch is its breadth in games. On one hand you’ve got a haunting experience like Resident Evil, and on the other, a creepy, yet more slowly paced game like Oxenfree. It’s nice because Oxenfree doesn’t feel overwhelming – Instead, it gives you some (mostly) believable writing, branching dialogue options, and a supernatural mystery that is great for this time of year. This game won’t scare your pants off, but it does have some thought provoking plot points that will keep you engaged.

5. Hollow Knight

This game gives me the creeps – It always seems like something is out to get you in Hollow Knight. Everything from the world, to the characters and the music is eerie and I love it. Hollow Knight is also brutally difficult, adding to the unsettling feeling – But it’s so rewarding, too. This game draws a lot of inspiration from Metroid, wherein not much information is given to you and you must figure things out on your own. The creep-factor is balanced by a certain level of charm, making it feel spooky, yet weirdly inviting to play.

6. The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth +

The elevator pitch for this game doesn’t do it justice till you see it in action: A mother thinks god tells her to murder her child and you play as said child, running away from the mother, traveling from dungeon to dungeon, shooting poop monsters with your tears and fighting bosses. The imagery is frankly disgusting, the concept is disturbing, and the fact that each dungeon is procedurally generated is addicting. No two runs are the same in The Binding of Isaac and the fast paced nature makes it a great fit for a portable system – A must have for fans of all things spooky.

7. Layers of Fear: Legacy

I often scoff at the term “Walking Simulator”, because of its reductive description of many slower-paced games. Layers of Fear may be one that is unfairly thrown into that category, because it’s way more nuanced than that. You explore a house that is a manifestation of the main character’s own demons and as you explore, you uncover more about the protagonist’s twisted past. All horror tropes aside, this is a worthwhile game in the spooky category simply because of how uneasy it makes you feel.

8. Night in the Woods

While Night in the Woods is pretty far from scary, it does have some eerie moments, particularly in its plot revolving around ghost sightings – It tells its story in a relatable and endearing way, introducing some funny writing and charming characters that are easy to love. Aside from that is the town in which the game takes place, Possum Springs – lots of creepy things happen here and it’s this mix of spooky themes with relatable humor that makes this so intriguing and engaging to play.

9. Salt and Sanctuary

Much like Hollow Knight and Metroid, Salt and Sanctuary doesn’t tell you much and pushes you towards learning from your mistakes and figuring things out on your own. Holy moly is this game creepy. The monster design is flat-out terrifying, the environments are out to get you, and there is an overwhelming theme of death found throughout. Despite all the push-back, Salt and Sanctuary is addicting, and it rewards you for your accomplishments, giving you much reason to come back. Despite it’s appeal, this is one of the creepiest games on the system, making it a fantastic choice for Halloween.

10. Outlast 1 + 2

What spooky list is complete without Outlast? The first one legitimately horrified me, being one of the only games I remember having to play with someone next to me so I wouldn’t get too scared. You can’t attack, you can’t fight back – All you can do is run and hide. My goodness does this series do an incredible job of making you feel dirty for playing it. The constant sense of dread and the gore factor are enough to make this an exemplary choice for horror fans, especially on Nintendo Switch.

And those are all of our picks for spooky games on the Nintendo Switch.