Movie tie in games… well, they don’t have the best reputation but when it comes to horror movies, there are a surprising number of genuinely brilliant adaptations from developers who know the source material inside out. And in the case of many of them, we see insides coming out too… Tie-ins like this stretch back to side-scrolling Friday the 13th stabathons but for this list we’ve only included the very best games based on horror movies that are also available on current platforms.
Asymmetrical multiplayer is currently the most fashionable horror movie game trend and it largely works thanks to minute to minute drama with friends that perfectly recreates the panic of the best slasher movies. The upcoming Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Killer Klowns from Outer Space are firmly in this category but there are some terrifying single player experiences too. So whether you want pixelated Metroidvanias, a trip to the woods, or to play hide and seek with a xenomorph, it’s all here in the best games based on horror movies.
And if you need more scares, make sure to head on over to our best horror games list too.
Out Now
Friday the 13th: The Game
Playable on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Whisper it with us.. ki ki ki ki ki… ma ma ma ma… The Friday the 13th franchise has a very specific, not to mention delightfully gory, tone and the good news is that the official asymmetrical multiplayer game hits it on the head (and then dangles it over a campfire in a sleeping bag). Developers Illfonic are so in love with masked ultimate mummy’s boy Jason Voorhees that every detail of every map feels true to the movies. The iconic score comes from original series composer Harry Manfredini, Jason himself, Kane Hodder, performed every kill in motion capture, and there are multiple iterations of Jason, each with different weaponry and abilities. Add in the range of counsellors - all with their own trope led strengths - and trying to fix the car or running to the police is a perfect Friday night horror experience.
Alien: Isolation
Playable on: PS5, PS4, PS3, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
If The Cabin in the Woods taught us anything, it’s that horror monsters are tiered, ranging from ‘quite scary’ to ‘never sleep again someone please hold me’. Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation ensures that the xenomorph is firmly in the latter camp. Although it escalates over the surprisingly long campaign, this masterpiece is at its best when it’s just us playing as Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, slowly exploring the Sevastopol space station. Every step is a risk as we pore over the iconic tracker, pleading silently that nothing will be around the next corner and for those agonising bleeps to disappear. Spending hours frozen and hiding in one spot is entirely forgivable as Alien Isolation is positively dripping with tension (and probably acid spit). Play this for the first time at your peril. Everyone will hear you scream.
Dead by Daylight
Playable on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Truthfully, this list could just be populated with official Dead by Daylight add ons. Plenty of the 35 DLC packs now available for the stratospherically successful asymmetrical multiplayer game are tied into horror movies. The most recent is Sadako Rising with Ringu’s long-haired nightmarefest but we’ve also had A Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, Halloween, Leatherface, and even Hellraiser. Scream’s Ghost Face has even paid a visit after their successful Halloween season on Warzone. If you’ve never played Dead by Daylight, the formula is strikingly simple. Each bout sees survivors desperately repairing enough electricity generators to power the gate to escape, while a Killer has other ideas and would rather hang them on hooks and sacrifice them to a higher power. Go figure. Each DLC means different killers, locations, and abilities but we can’t help but feel we’d like to see standalone experiences for all of them too.
Evil Dead: The Game
Playable on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Because we just can’t get enough of asymmetrical multiplayer horrors, we can now get groovy with Evil Dead: The Game. Once again, authenticity is key as we either grab boomsticks and chainsaws as Ash and co, or play as a choice of demon trying to end their lives. One thing worth noting is that while there is a single player mode available, it’s exceptionally frustrating thanks to a complete lack of checkpoints. The first time you’re in the infamous cabin complete with chained trap door it feels amazing but it’s remarkable how fast the sheen comes off a deadite after a return trip or six. Thankfully the multiplayer offering makes up for the misery with a sprawling map and some ludicrously fun kill animations and the ability to possess trees or even cars, Christine-style. Bruce Campbell on voice duties is the gooey red icing on the cake*.
* Warning: may contain rogue extremities.
Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle
Playable on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
But what about a horror movie game that doesn’t just want to annihilate your blood pressure? Well, Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle wants to take it out on your gray matter instead. There are more than 150+ levels to murder your way through, each with a line up of willing victims just waiting for the fall of Jason’s machete. All we have to do is send Jason flying into them without blocking himself in and having to restart the level. Slasher movie villains just hate that. This is from the same development team as Slayaway Camp and uses the same timeless if bloodthirsty puzzle mechanics. The range of locations and murder weapons always keeps things fresh - yes, Jason goes to space - and the constant less-than-inspiring interruptions from mother are an excellent source of comedy entertainment. Even better is that the first carnage-filled chapter is free on some platforms.
Blair Witch
Playable on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest
If the purity of the threat of a constantly unseen force is what scares you about The Blair Witch Project, then Bloober Team’s Blair Witch might not be the game for you. But what is here is an atmospheric and often terrifyingly disorienting experience as we head into the Burkittsville woods with only a trusty dog for company. Playing as ex-police officer Ellis, who has enough of his own demons without bringing in any new ones, we’re on the hunt for a missing child. And of course, it’s not long before we find sticks in iconic shapes dangling from trees, videotape puzzles, and are under attack from the Witch herself. Layers of Fear dev Bloober Team does a neat job of bringing in more found footage elements and there’s a real sense of menace lurking in Blair Witch. Fans of the movie definitely shouldn’t miss the trip to that house, handprints and all.
The Mummy: Demastered
Playable on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Don’t let it put you off that The Mummy: Demastered is officially licensed to the Tom Cruise movie that managed to single-handedly unravel Universal’s entire Dark Universe before it even properly began. This is a brilliantly solid metroidvania and, unlike every other game on this list, feels nothing like the movie and is all the better for it. A gorgeously pixelated Princess Ahmanet has unfortunately set her legions of zombies, swarms of insects, and endless rats on the world and as an elite monster hunting agent, we’re tasked with tackling them in 16 bit. There’s a solid sense of progression - not to mention a risky reclaiming of all of your gear if you die - and the environments feel like a genuine retro treat. Add in the roaring chip tune soundtrack and this almost undoes the hurt of the movie. Almost.
Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul
Playable on: PSVR, PC, Oculus Quest
Despite a gradual law of diminishing scare returns, the reason that the Paranormal Activity franchise is so terrifying is its place in normality. For the first movie especially, we’ve never unintentionally related to any couple so hard, simply because we know what it’s like to sleep in the dark. This meant that the sheer tension of watching for ANYTHING to move in that bedroom was almost unbearable. For the game, the scares had to be the same so The Lost Soul pops us eyes first into an ostensibly normal looking family home. The only problem being that it’s very haunted indeed. Playing in VR as the devs intended is an exercise in heart-in-mouth tension while you try to keep an eye on everything at once. Did that door just move? What about the fruit bowl? Oh dear, why has that toolchest just thudded down the stairs like Home Alone…? You get the idea… Good luck.
Upcoming
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game
Playable on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
As cult classics go, few horror movies can beat the sheer camp delights of Killer Klowns from Outer Space. If you didn’t watch this on VHS at a sleepover were you even alive in the 90s? We’re back in asymmetrical multiplayer for this red nosed alien delight and Teravision Games are working with the directors of the movie, the Chiodo Brothers, to make sure that everything translates perfectly. We haven’t seen a huge amount just yet but the dev team have released an interview with the directors about hitting just the right comedy horror tone.
“I think our role has really been just kind of keeping you on the path. But again, holding true to that, you know, “is that Klown-esque”? Is it funny? You know, it's not just violence for violence's sake,” says Edward Chiodo. “Yeah, the idea - I guess the basic premise of a “Klown kill” - is that the first reaction when something happens, the players will laugh. That's really funny. And then there's this, as this moment of recognizing what has actually happened there that it's lethal, that character is dead. But it's still funny.”
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Playable on: TBC
Hands up if you can almost smell the sweat in the above screenshot? Even the stills alone are enough to convince us that the upcoming Texas Chain Saw Massacre - note the space between chain and saw just like the original movie - has a deep understanding of its source material. The world of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 masterpiece is grim, unrelenting, and filthy. Every frame of that movie is a journey further into depravity and GunInteractive, previously the publishers of Friday the 13th, along with devs Sumo Nottingham are clearly seeking to serve this feeling up like a plate of mystery BBQ. This is another asymmetrical horror where we play as either victims to be or members of the so-called Family. Interestingly, the dev team has discussed how important stealth will be. The idea of using the shadows to slip by unnoticed in filthy abattoirs and basements. Just watch out for hooks will you?
