You’d be surprised how many horror gems don’t cost a pretty penny—in fact, they don’t cost anything at all. If you’re dipping your toes into horror but aren’t sure where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Here are the 11 best free horror games to try on PC this Halloween 2024.
The best free horror games on PC this Halloween
The Windows Are Gone
In my restless dreams, I see that house. It’s calling out to me. Is it a beacon of hope, or perhaps it’s something more sinister? You can try to push down your trauma, tuck it inside a box and throw away the key, ignoring it indefinitely. But the world shifts into something uncertain. Nothing feels “normal” anymore. You arrive at that house that keeps calling your name. The mundane of moving in is disrupted by a single, ominous thought—where have the windows gone?
The Windows Are Gone takes clear inspiration from Silent Hill. Being a retro-style horror game that focuses on the protagonist’s psyche, The Windows Are Gone is an excellent throwback to iconic PS2 titles.
Bad Parenting 1: Mr Red Face
Bad Parenting is an incredibly dark game about a young boy and his neglectful parents. We all know how imaginative a child’s mind is, but is there some truth behind their imagination? Kids cannot make sense of what’s in front of them, so it’s down to adults to interpret and help. But when Mr. Red Face comes by to visit on Ron’s birthday, things take a turn for a worse. It’s down to Ron to fix everything, but should something like this rest in a innocent child’s hand?
Bad Parenting: Mr Red Face has a dark secret it’s hiding from you under the guise of a child’s imagination. Who exactly is Mr. Red Face and what does he want with mom? And why does Ron’s toy look exactly like him?
Wrong Floor
The elevator breaks on your way back to your apartment, trapping you inside as it descends to the basement. A single lamp illuminates the door, beckoning you towards it. There’s no other option, you must head inside. You need to find the breaker and restore power to the elevator. But the labyrinthine basement is engulfed in darkness and the silence is deafening. Can you make it off the Wrong Floor?
Developer N4bA is truly evil for this creation. Although Wrong Floor is an incredibly short horror experience, it perfectly uses sound and lighting to fuel the atmosphere and provide most of its scares. The threat, however, is somehow worse than these two components combined. The dread in this game is palpable, making it one of the best free to play indie horror games of all time.
Alternate Watch
Darkness falls over the quiet house in Alternate Watch. Tasked to observe seven rooms for the night, you must ensure that the house is safe from any threats. This horror version of spot the difference sounds simple on the surface—as objects disappear from the house—and lights flicker ominously. But, it isn’t until the visitors start to let themselves in that you start to understand why no one’s sleeping there tonight.
Alternate Watch follows the usual Observation Duty-style gameplay where you need to spot all of the anomalies to “survive” until 6am. Inspired by Mandela Catalogue, Alternate Watch mixes human imposters (alternates) into standard anomaly types like duplicate or moved items, large objects, and electronic disturbances.
TELEFORUM
You heard about Walter Martins’ mysterious death and you just couldn’t help yourself, could you? Conducting an interview with the now widow seems incredibly distasteful, but you’re just desperate to know the contents of that tape. After all, Martins was the last person who saw it. Surely it’s not another case of The Ring? Your curiosity is what pushes you towards finding the truth in TELEFORUM. But at what cost?
This found footage horror game appears to be inspired by iconic horror films like Blair Witch and The Ring. The art style is foreboding, as each character is lit in a way that removes any distinguishable features. Locked inside a a point-and-click perspective, there’s the feeling that someone is always standing behind you. You can’t avert your eyes or stop your colleague’s obsession. You have to find out what’s on that tape.
No Players Online
It’s hard to fight back curiosity when a mysterious game pops up on the screen. Yes, the servers may be dead, but that won’t stop you from having fun. While there’s no soul around to trash-talk as you annihilate the “competition” in a game of Capture the Flag, there is something sinister looming over the servers.
The free version of No Players Online has a dark ambience that slowly builds as you explore the cursed game. The eerie stillness of the game feels like you are being observed at all times. It isn’t until a new player arrives that the anxiety truly sinks in.
SCP: Containment Breach
The alarm rings in your ear as the Nine Tail Fox storm the facility like SWAT. You’re nothing but D-Class, incapable of accessing areas without a high-level security pass. The scientists fled the scene. Others were killed. The entities have escaped, and a lockdown has been initiated—but you’re still trapped inside. It’s down to you to outsmart the entities and free yourself from your containment.
SCP: Containment Breach still holds up as one of the greatest horror games ever made. A game born from a community, the SCPs have inspired many recent titles like Lethal Company, Content Warning, and Escape The Backrooms. It is a must-play for horror fans interested in anomalies and entities.
Do You Copy?
It’s the first day on the job; are you settling into your lookout duties okay? It’s particularly lonely out on those towers, and we hope you don’t get bored. It seems exciting at first when someone calls into the tower, looking for your help as they navigate the winding paths of Gracewind Park. What? Something’s following them? Hey, Do You Copy?
Do You Copy? is a short horror game where you need to help someone lost in Gracewind Park. But he isn’t alone. Figure out his movements and put him to the right direction. His life (and yours) rests entirely in your hands.
Northbury Grove
If you’re a fan of Puppet Combo game but are too scared to give them a go, then why not settle into Northbury Grove? Inspired by the utterly terrifying universe of Puppet Combo, you can get a compact version of this unique style of horror that will truly get your heart racing. Northbury Grove is guaranteed to make you panic and with RNG involved—well, let’s just say this game doesn’t want you to succeed.
Take a trip to the Northbury woods and try pitching a tent. See how long you’ll last. There’s a killer loose in Northbury Grove, so it’s probably best you stick with your friends tonight. The killer wants nothing more than to see you scream.
We Never Left
Something is going on with your cousin, Michael. He’s not showing up at work and his employee is getting concerned. All Michael left is a note with your name on it, his address, and this message: “Finish the game.”
Part of Dread X Collection 5, We Never Left is a psychological horror with text-based adventure mechanics. As the narrative unfolds by listening to tapes and reading letters, you progress through this mystifying tale by playing Michael’s game. We Never Left has an incredible story and ending, delivered in an underrated game format that will surely leave you in awe.
Cry of Fear
You awake after being hit by a car—not a great start. You must navigate across Fäversholm during a chilling night of bloodshed. Nowhere is safe in Cry of Fear, as nightmares haunt your every move. Is any of this real? Can you make sense of what’s in front of you? Find the answers to your questions along the way or fall victim to deadly visions.
Made back in 2012, Cry of Fear released as a Half-Life mod with clear references to Silent Hill. Appropriately named, Cry of Fear has an atmosphere similar to Condemned: Criminal Trials and Silent Hill 2. The monochromatic world pairs perfectly with Simon’s psyche. It is bleak throughout, with hints of dripping red as Simon slowly descends into madness from witnessing the violence of Fäversholm.
