Summary

  • Play non-scary video games to celebrate Halloween without the fear of jump scares.
  • Explore charming and spooky games like Luigi's Mansion 3, Costume Quest, and Spiritfarer.
  • Enjoy games like Flipping Death, Graveyard Keeper, and Lost in Random for unique storytelling and gameplay.

It's almost Halloween, which means it's time to start painting everything orange and covering random objects in sheets with cutout eyeholes. However, just because it's the spooky season, doesn't necessarily mean it has to be horrifying.

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Horror video games are their own genre with many excellent titles and dedicated fans, but the content and jump scares can be a bit too much, especially for those faint of heart. For those wanting some video games to celebrate All Hallow's Eve without the risk of heart attack, here are some excellent non-scary games full of zombies, ghosts, monsters, vampires, and more.

Updated on October 17, 2024 by Noura Costany: The spooky season is upon us, which is the perfect time to try out some new games. These games are a fantastic way to enjoy the Halloween spirit without delving into the horror genre. This update added Flipping Death, Graveyard Keeper and Lost in Random.

22 Have A Nice Death

Have a Nice Death

Released March 22, 2023 Developer(s) Magic Design Studios Publisher(s) Gearbox Publishing Platform(s) PC, Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

Death can be scary, but it's also a natural part of life. In addition to that according to Magic Design Studios, death is also a business that you get to experience in Have A Nice Death. More accurately, you get to experience the effects of burnout caused by endless hours and crushing paperwork.

The game follows the Grim Reaper who started a company to help with his reaping and hire a bunch of demons to help out. The problem is that over time, the demons gained more control, draining the Grim Reaper of his powers, and sticking him behind a desk. Well, the Grim Reaper has had enough and will take back his company showing who's the boss in this challenging and cartoon 2D roguelite adventure.

21 Dredge

Dredge

3.0/5 Released March 31, 2023 Developer(s) Black Salt Games Publisher(s) Team17 Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand Collapse

Much like farming, fishing is the frequent fantasy of those wishing to escape the corporate rat race and live a simple life. Despite this, weird things can happen on the vast and open ocean like in Dredge.

Developed by Black Salt Games, the game puts you into the role of a fisherman who takes a job in the town of Greater Marrow situated in a part of the sea surrounded by various islands. As you start to fish to earn a living, you'll catch some weird creatures that defy explanation. When night comes, you'll have to navigate through a dense black fog full of ghostly whispers. This 3D fishing adventure game is creepy with some dark things going on, but it's mostly relaxing and enjoyable like fishing should be.

20 Death Or Treat

As we get older, we sadly outgrow the activity of trick or treat unless we're escorting kids around. That's why we have to seek it in other forms like Death Or Treat by Saona Studios.

The hero is a puppet-like ghost named Scary who comes to HallowTown to sell his candies. Unfortunately, the town and its citizens have been consumed by a number of apps that have robbed their desire for candy and the town has fallen apart. To save his town and his business, Scary needs to take down the different heads of each app using Halloween powers and weapons in this thematically pleasant 2D roguelite journey.

19 Cult Of The Lamb

Cult of the Lamb

5.0/5 Released August 11, 2022 Developer(s) Massive Monster Publisher(s) Devolver Digital Platform(s) PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

Lambs are so cute and fluffy and delicious but have often appeared in dark ceremonies, being called sacrificial lambs. One of these lambs is going to be fighting back in Cult of the Lamb by Massive Monster.

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The game begins on a downer note as a nameless Lamb prepares to be sacrificed for the purposes of four powerful Bishops. Upon death, a dark entity called The One Who Waits offers to revive the Lamb with the power of the Red Crown in exchange for their service. The Lamb revives and begins a crusade against each of the Bishops. However, there's also a light side to this hack-and-slash 2D roguelite where you grow and manage a cult, making sure that all your adorable little cult members remain happy, healthy, productive, and loyal.

18 Grim Fandango

Grim Fandango

Released October 30, 1998 Developer(s) LucasArts Publisher(s) LucasArts Platform(s) Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

A classic LucasArts game with a remastered spin, Tim Schafer’s Grim Fandango is a unique and charming game with an art style as entertaining as its humor. Grim Fandango mashes story-laden adventure with point-and-click mystery-solving puzzles. The mid-afterlife travel agency setting is reminiscent of old film noir, with its dramatic cuts and classic television soundtrack.

Double Fine Productions, founded by Schafer himself, gave fans a beautiful remaster of the 1998 relic. The game’s post-death scenery and humor, and cartoonish 3D-rendered skeleton characters make for a good spooky time without any genuine scares.

17 Death Road To Canada

Death Road To Canada

Released July 21, 2016 Developer(s) Rocketcat Games Publisher(s) Rocketcat Games Platform(s) PS4, PC, Xbox One, Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

This gem of a zombie game was developed by Rocketcat Games and launched in 2016, with multiple large free updates in the following years. The story has the zombie apocalypse in full swing, with you attempting to travel from Florida to Canada by any means necessary, as Canada is rumored to be completely zombie-free.

Anything can happen on the Death Road to Canada: you must make your way through randomly generated levels to pick up supplies, rescue survivors, and keep their car in good enough shape, all while fending off zombies with whatever weapons they can find. This game's charm comes from its pixel art graphics, plucky chiptune-esque soundtrack, and hilarious dialogue and random events, making a terrifying event quite entertaining and funny. Death Road to Canada's KIDNEY update was released in September 2020 and has a multiplayer mode, giving even more reason to pick this game up as a Halloween treat.

16 Night In The Woods

Night In The Woods

Released February 21, 2017 Developer(s) Infinite Fall Platform(s) Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Developer Infinite Fall Powered by Expand Collapse

All aboard the feelings train. First stop: Possum Springs. Infinite Fall and Secret Lab’s animated adventure game, Night in the Woods is a rollercoaster. Set around Halloween time, the game follows Mae and her childhood friends through a tale of drama, mystery, and good old-fashioned small-town cults.

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Night in the Woods isn’t a scary, horror-filled game, but it will run you through every other emotion possible while you’re playing it. The spooky feeling gets eerier and more convoluted the further you get. Uncovering clues always seems to raise more questions than answers.

15 Luigi’s Mansion 3

Luigi's Mansion 3

5.0/5 Released October 31, 2019 Developer(s) Next Level Games Publisher(s) Nintendo Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

The best of its series to date, Luigi's Mansion 3 has Luigi and friends invited on a vacation to the Last Resort, a fancy high-rise hotel, only for poor Luigi to wake up in a deserted building filled with ghosts. With the help of Professor E. Gadd and his loyal pal Polterpup, Luigi must explore the 17 floors of the hotel while capturing ghosts and fighting bosses in true Mario Bros. fashion.

In addition to its great single-player story, Luigi's Mansion 3 has a multiplayer mode that can host up to eight players locally or online, allowing friends to bust ghosts and play cooperative games like ScareScraper and ScreamPark.

14 Maniac Mansion

Maniac Mansion

Released October 5, 1987 Developer(s) LucasArts Publisher(s) LucasArts Platform(s) PC Powered by Expand Collapse

Maniac Mansion wasn't wildly successful upon its launch, which is how most future cult classics are received. It came out on consoles such as the Commodore 64 and Amiga, but its most successful was on the NES in 1987 and is known for being one of the early point-and-click games that would go on to define the genre (as did LucasArts' other titles).

The premise starts out simple enough: teenager Dave must rescue his kidnapped girlfriend from a mad scientist whose mind is being controlled by a sentient meteor. From there, things just get wackier, with you using commands such as 'Push,' 'Walk to,' or 'Read' in order to solve puzzles and progress the story. The game's designers Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick wanted to tell a story with a comedic take on the clichés of B-movies and horror films, making it primarily a funny experience rather than a scary one.

13 Sam & Max: Night Of The Raving Dead

When game company LucasArts decided to move away from adventure games, many of its developers left and went on to found their own company, Telltale Games. Though now defunct and no longer making games, it was responsible for such games as The Walking Dead, Back to The Future, and Sam & Max, particularly its second season, Sam & Max Through Time & Space. Its third episode, Night of the Raving Dead, is the perfect point-and-click game to celebrate Halloween with some laughs.

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Not only do Sam & Max go to a vampire's castle rave in Germany, but they are turned into zombies, encounter a Frankenstein monster, and try to help it find love. It's another wild adventure from the Freelance Police that is at its best during the spooky season of October.