Face your fears…with friends.
Fall has fallen, which means Halloween is right around the corner! With so many great horror games, there is no shortage of scares to go around. But the season is about more than what goes bump in the night; it is about spending time with friends. We’re here today to look at some games that cover both of those aspects of this season!
Luckily for us, the multiplayer horror scene is alive and well, giving fans of multiplayer games and horror plenty to choose from. We’ve gathered together 15 of our favorite picks from among all those co-op horror games, so if you’re looking for some scares to share with your friends, be sure to check out these fantastic titles:
- Back 4 Blood
- Dead By Daylight
- Demonologist
- Devour
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Friday the 13th: The Game
- GTFO
- Hunt: Showdown
- Midnight Ghost Hunt
- Pacify
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Sons Of The Forest
- Project Zomboid
- The Outlast Trials
- Phasmophobia
1. Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood is a frantic 4-player co-op first-person zombie shooter developed by Turtle Rock Studios. In this title, players will take on the role of one of a few survivors immune to the parasitic demon worm that transforms humans into the horrific zombie creatures known as the “Ridden.” Together, it’s your job to eradicate the hordes of ridden and reclaim the world.
Back 4 Blood is a fast-paced shooter with RPG elements that encourage players to specialize in roles that can help their teammates. This title can be played solo but is best enjoyed with a group of friends that definitely won’t get you killed when the horde wakes up.
2. Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is a 5-player mix of cooperative and competitive horror made by Behaviour Interactive. In this game, four players take on the role of survivors, tasked with finding a way to escape the horrific domain they’ve been trapped in. It won’t be easy, though, as the 5th player will take on the role of the killer, whose only job is to hunt down and sacrifice the survivors to a monstrous eldritch “entity.”
With tons of different killers and survivors (each with their own customizable and upgradable perks) to choose from and lots of different and interesting maps, no two games are ever quite the same. This game is a love letter to all of our favorite horror classics, and each of the playable characters (and maps) hail from a widely beloved horror franchise such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and even Alien.
3. Demonologist
Demonologist is a first-person horror/puzzle game developed by Clock Wizard Games. This game puts you and up to 3 friends in the role of special ghost hunters, meaning it’s your job to investigate a haunted location, discover the spirit, and exorcise it.
Though not quite as polished as other games of the same type, Demonologist is a unique and terrifying experience that will test your courage and deductive skills in equal measure.
4. Devour
Devour is a co-op survival horror game developed by Straight Back Games that pits you and up to 3 others against a powerful demon. Your goal is to work together to find clues, solve puzzles, and ultimately banish the demon back to hell before it catches you and drags you there itself.
The type of demon, methods of exorcism, and dangers will all change depending on which of the game’s several maps you choose. Each demon has its lore and hunting methods, so you’ll need to adapt and think quickly if you want to survive long enough to complete your objective.
5. Left 4 Dead 2
A widely acclaimed classic among multiplayer horror games, Left 4 Dead 2 is an up-to-4-player co-op FPS survival experience developed by Valve and an obligatory entry to this list. Players will choose one of several quirky survivors to play in an attempt to work together to make it to the end of each level. Along the way, players must navigate the environment, search for ammunition and supplies, and try to survive the hordes of frenzied undead and each other.
L4D2 is styled like an old-fashioned Hollywood zombie flick, complete with cheesy one-liners, unusual weapons, and (of course) horrifying mutated zombies. Suppose you’re looking for tense, blistering action and atmospheric horror. In that case, this title never fails to deliver whether you’re playing solo or with friends who definitely won’t shoot you in the back…probably. Maybe.
6. Friday the 13th: The Game
Friday the 13th: The Game is another killer versus survivors multiplayer horror game developed by Illfonic. In this cat-and-mouse deathmatch, one group of survivors must escape the map by any means necessary while being hunted by one of horror’s most famous killers: Jason Voorhees. Jason is controlled by one additional player, who is tasked with, of course, murdering all of the survivors in cleverly brutal and shockingly gory ways.
This is a title that seeks to set itself apart from similar games by offering game-changing opportunities for each match, as well as a plethora of survival strategies for survivors and lots of supernatural abilities for the killer. If you’re a fan of old-fashioned horror films or the Friday the 13th Film Franchise, you’ll probably get a kick out of this one.
7. GTFO
GTFO is an atmospheric, tense, and absolutely terrifying sci-fi survival shooter designed by 10 Chambers Collective. This nerve-wracking FPS drops you and a team of other players into a dark, mysterious underground complex filled with long-dormant creatures barely recognizable as having once been human. Together, you and your team will have to improvise, plan, and cooperate if you even hope to reach the extraction because this game doesn’t pull any punches.
Gameplay mostly takes two forms. Starting with incredibly tense stealth as you and your squad infiltrate the facility and try desperately not to wake the hordes of nameless horrors lurking in the darkness and reach your objective.
Whether you tripped an alarm or just made one wrong step, sooner or later, you’ll find yourself battling it out against swarms of horrifying creatures with your back against the wall. Regardless of your experience with horror games, this is one title sure to have you sweating bullets.
8. Hunt: Showdown
Ever thought of becoming a real monster hunter? Well, Hunt: Showdown is a multiplayer horror experience designed by Crytek to put you in the boots of a paranormal bounty hunter! In this game, players will be equipping their hunter with whatever gear they can afford before setting out on dangerous hunts for terrifying monsters with a sizable bounty on their heads. The only thing is, you’re not the only one looking for a payday.
This FPS seamlessly combines PvE and PvP combat by dropping several players or teams of players into a map and tasking them with hunting down the same monster. The first one to escape with proof of the kill gets a shiny payout at the end. However, it doesn’t matter how you managed to get that proof. Players will have to fight off supernatural horrors and watch their back for other hunters as they race to complete their mission or steal the bounty for themselves.
9. Midnight Ghost Hunt
Midnight Ghost Hunt is an interesting twist on the arena team horror concept cooked up by Vaulted Sky Games. This title pits two teams of 4 players each against each other in a hide-and-seek type match. This time, however, the ghosts will be doing most of the hiding as they attempt to outlast and outwit the opposing team of well-armed and equipped ghost hunters.
This game takes a less serious and more hilarious stance on multiplayer horror and allows players to lob random objects at each other, disguise themselves as a toilet, and other wacky shenanigans that make this game a blast to play with friends. This title brings back fond memories of Prop Hunt, so if that type of gameplay is enjoyable to you, then you’ll love Midnight Ghost Hunt.
10. Pacify
Pacify is an indie multiplayer survival horror game developed by SKH Apps, the same folks responsible for the terrifying Emily Wants to Play series. Though perhaps not as graphically polished, Pacify runs with a similar concept to Devour, pitting a group of players against a dangerous supernatural entity and tasking them with destroying that entity before that entity destroys them.
Pacify is atmospheric, fast-paced, and unapologetically scary. If you like horror games that require coordination, teamwork, and clever planning just as much as quick thinking, you’ll want to give this one a try.
11. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Ready to dive back into some classic horror? The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a multiplayer horror game developed by Sumo Nottingham. In this title, players take on the role of a member of the notorious Slaughter family or one of their intrepid victims. While those playing as victims attempt to find a way to evade and escape, players working as members of the family will attempt to hunt them down before they get the chance.
Attempting to capture the atmosphere and nature of the Texas Chainsaw Film Franchise, this game puts a heavy emphasis on teamwork, encouraging players to utilize their unique equipment and abilities to stay alive or to hunt down their victims.
12. Sons Of The Forest
Developed by Endnight Games, Sons Of The Forest is the long-awaited sequel to the iconic survival-horror giant The Forest. In this open-world survival-horror adventure, players are put in the shoes of a special operative tasked with locating the missing billionaire Puffton family. Unfortunately, their helicopters crash-land on the mysterious island, and they are soon faced with hostile cannibals and horrific mutants.
Though the first game in the series was capable of multiplayer, Sons was designed with multiplayer in mind. The game’s variety of weapons, defenses, survival strategies, and dynamic building systems make it just as much fun to stay in one spot and build up a fortress with your friends as it is to search through dark caves and cramped bunkers together.
13. Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid is a hardcore roguelike zombie survival game developed by The Indie Stone. This title allows players to create their own survivors, with distinct skills, traits, and flaws, before throwing them headfirst into day zero of the zombie apocalypse. Every wrong move could mean the end of your run, and if you’re bitten, that’s it for you. Luckily, you don’t have to face the brutal world alone.
Project Zomboid can be played with friends, allowing survivors to build their own community, scavenge for supplies together, or even hunt each other for sport. PZ is a hyperrealistic model of what a zombie outbreak could be like, so how will you and your friends choose to survive this ongoing apocalypse, and how long will you last?
14. The Outlast Trials
An up-and-coming face in the multiplayer horror scene, The Outlast Trials is an online co-op survival horror game developed by Red Barrels. Set in the same universe as the iconic Outlast and Outlast 2 but long before, in the Cold War era, the player takes the role of one of many human guinea pigs.
Alongside online players or your friends, you’ll be forced to undergo an attempt to survive twisted, sadistic experiments for the Murkoff Corporation. Your survival, quick thinking, teamwork, and puzzle-solving will all be put to the test as you run through a series of sick games in pursuit of perfecting mind control and brainwashing techniques and attempt to emerge on the other side with your mind intact.
15. Phasmophobia
One of the most improved and best-known names in modern multiplayer horror, Phasmophobia is a supremely atmospheric survival horror experience developed by Kinetic Games. You and up to 3 other players step into the role of paranormal investigators, tasked with exploring various haunted locations and determining what kind of ghost haunts it. The ghost, however, might not take kindly to having its haunting ground invaded.
Work solo or together to gather evidence and interact with the ghost using various equipment and try to complete your objective before the ghost hunts you down and starts picking you off one by one. There are tons of different ghosts, each with its own quirks, weaknesses, and tells that experienced investigators can use to their advantage. In addition, the randomization of items, map variety, and level system are sure to give you plenty to do as you and your friends seek to become professional ghost hunters.
Don’t face the darkness alone.
Seeing so many co-op games in a genre typically limited to single-player is refreshing. The sheer variety of multiplayer horror games on the market is staggering, and we only had time to talk about a handful. Whether you want someone to watch your back, need a hand building a zombie-proof fortress, or just want to hunt your friends for sport, there is something for you here.
Halloween will be here before we know it, so celebrate all the spooky, scary, goofy seasonal hijinks and bring your pals along for the ride. Horror games might not be as scary when you have friends by your side, but they can also be much more fun.
