Halloween gives kids an excuse to dress up as monsters, so it’s only fair that they get to play as a few, too. Video games have plenty to offer those who want to get into the spirit of the holiday, whether that means catching ghosts or causing trouble as a pumpkin-headed villain. Finding a spooky game is easy. Finding a game that truly embodies the spirit of Halloween takes a little more thought.
The best Halloween video games for kids and teens cover a surprisingly wide range of genres. Whereas Costume Quest turns trick-or-treating into a quest to rescue a kidnapped sibling, Luigi’s Mansion turns exploring haunted buildings into a chance to solve puzzles together. Meanwhile, older kids and teens can venture into stranger territory, including the unsettling waters of Dredge or the surreal world of Creaks. Every game on this list has a supernatural setting or theme that makes it perfect to play during Halloween.
Some of the games on this list keep things playful, but others feature darker stories or combat that takes practice to master. As always, we’ve included everything you need to know about the games, including ESRB ratings, pricing, platform availability, and player counts to help you choose. Check out our recommendations for the best Halloween video games for kids and teens down below.
Costume Quest Turns Halloween Costumes Into Superpowers
Trick-or-treating takes a dangerous turn in Costume Quest when monsters kidnap one of two siblings. The other sets out to round up friends, investigate the neighborhood, and bring them home. The children look like children while exploring, but their homemade costumes become enormous robots, armored knights, and other powerful characters during battles. There’s plenty of candy to collect along the way, too, which is only fitting for a game set on Halloween.
Costume Quest 2 continues the siblings’ story with time travel and a dentist who wants to eliminate Halloween. Luckily, players can put an end to the villain’s nefarious plans. Neither of the two games has co-op, so this is strictly a single-player Halloween experience. Costume Quest 2 is the easier console option for PlayStation players, while PC and Xbox players have ways to play both installments. Kids who end up enjoying the games can also check out the Costume Quest animated show currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Why Kids Will Love Costume Quest
A cardboard costume turning into a towering combat robot captures exactly how imaginative dress-up can feel. Finding a new costume means getting another power to experiment with, giving children plenty of reasons to keep exploring the game world.
- Regular Price: $9.99 USD for Costume Quest; $14.99 USD for Costume Quest 2 (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Cartoon Violence, Tobacco Reference in Costume Quest; Fantasy Violence in Costume Quest 2
- Platforms: PC; PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility for Costume Quest 2; Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through compatible releases; legacy console versions vary by installment
- Players: 1
Luigi’s Mansion Makes Ghost Hunting A Family Business
Luigi has never been particularly enthusiastic about haunted buildings, but he somehow keeps finding himself trapped in them. The Luigi’s Mansion games arm him with a flashlight and a ghost-catching vacuum before sending him into rooms full of paranormal mischief. For large groups of players wanting to experience the game together, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is definitely the best starting point. Its hotel floors have wildly different themes, and clearing a room often involves figuring out what its resident ghosts are doing before trying to capture them.
Once Gooigi is unlocked, a second player can join Luigi’s Mansion 3’s story on the same system. The character’s gooey body lets him pass through obstacles Luigi can’t, giving both players ways to help each other. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is another great way to visit the series, however, its main campaign is single-player and divided into missions. Neither game is entirely free of startling moments, but the exaggerated ghost antics and Luigi’s nervous reactions help keep the atmosphere overall playful.
Why Kids Will Love Luigi’s Mansion
The ghosts have personalities, habits, and elaborate ways of causing trouble. Children who enjoy analyzing everything in-depth can uncover interesting things by experimenting with the vacuum, while Gooigi gives multiple players a way to tackle Luigi’s Mansion 3 together.
- Regular Price: $59.99 USD each for Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (Nintendo Switch)
- ESRB Rating: E — Everyone
- Content Descriptors: Mild Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief in Luigi’s Mansion 3; Mild Fantasy Violence in Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch; both games are playable on Nintendo Switch 2
- Players: 1 in either campaign; 1–2 local story co-op in Luigi’s Mansion 3; separate multiplayer modes support additional players, up to 8 in Luigi’s Mansion 3
Pumpkin Jack Puts A Pumpkin-Headed Troublemaker In Charge
Pumpkin Jack is a Halloween-themed 3D platformer starring a pumpkin-headed protagonist who runs through haunted landscapes, takes on monsters, and follows a quest that puts him on the villain’s side of the story. Jack fights with different weapons, dodges incoming attacks, and jumps between platforms, with bigger enemies testing how well players have learned his moves. The spooky monsters and fight sequences make Pumpkin Jack a strong choice for kids who want their Halloween games to include plenty of action.
Some of the puzzles in this game let Jack separate his head from his body, while other sections interrupt the fighting with rides and environmental challenges. In other words, there’s a lot more to this game than long sequences of identical battles. Parents should expect boss fights, jumps that take practice, and some mild language and alcohol references. Pumpkin Jack isn’t suitable for kids of all ages, but anyone 10 and up will have a blast with this game.
Why Kids Will Love Pumpkin Jack
Jack’s detachable head gives the game a silly physical trick that most platforming heroes can’t match. The changing challenges let children do more with their pumpkin character than simply swing a weapon at various monsters.
- Regular Price: $29.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Plants Vs. Zombies Makes A Zombie Invasion Look Ridiculous
The zombies in Plants vs. Zombies are determined to get into your house and it’s up to you to stop them. Players defend the lawn by planting rows of peashooters, sunflowers, wall-nuts, and other plants, each with its own role and attacks. Sun is the resource that pays for those defenses and it must be managed carefully because a player who spends everything on attackers may struggle to afford replacements later. Different zombies force adjustments, and a strong lawn usually combines ways to stop, slow, and damage them.
The original game’s nighttime stages give the invasion a strong Halloween atmosphere while changing how the defenses work. The campaign gradually introduces new conditions, with the GOTY Edition going one step further by including extra challenges and minigames to explore beyond the main path. The series features several other games, including Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, Garden Warfare 2, and Battle for Neighborville, but the original is arguably still the best of the bunch even after all these years.
Why Kids Will Love Plants Vs. Zombies
Learning why a ridiculous plant works against a particular zombie makes subsequent enemy waves easier to manage. The enemies’ silly equipment gives children clues they can recognize, helping them turn a messy lawn into a full-fledged botanical fortress.
- Regular Price: $4.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Animated Blood, Cartoon Violence
- Platforms: PC for Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition
- Players: 1
Gibbous – A Cthulhu Adventure Gives An Occult Mystery A Comic Twist
A sinister book, strange cultists, and a cat who can suddenly talk are enough to get Gibbous – A Cthulhu Adventure off to a memorable start. Gibbous follows three protagonists through a supernatural mystery, with hand-drawn scenery and animated characters giving it the look of a slightly spooky cartoon. Players investigate locations, talk to people, collect objects, and figure out how those objects can help them move forward with the investigation. The occult setting and funny dialogue make Gibbous a perfect Halloween game for kids.
Gibbous is a point-and-click game where noticing details and understanding what a character wants are crucial to progression. Spoken dialogue helps tell the story, but children still need to follow conversations and connect clues across locations. That makes Gibbous a better fit for older kids, especially since the humor includes some crude jokes, mild language, and drinking and smoking content. Hence, the E10+ rating.
Why Kids Will Love Gibbous – A Cthulhu Adventure
The reluctant talking cat gives children someone entertaining to follow through the stranger parts of the game. Players get to work out solutions using the characters and objects around them, with the comedy making conversations worth paying attention to.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Crude Humor, Mild Language, Mild Violence, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
- Players: 1
Flipping Death Lets Teens Cover The Grim Reaper’s Shift
Penny’s arrival in the afterlife comes with an unexpected employment opportunity. Death needs someone to cover for him, and she ends up with the job. Flipping Death sends Penny between the worlds of the living and the dead, where helping a ghost often involves possessing someone who still has a pulse. Players can control those characters’ movements and investigate their thoughts, using them to solve puzzles that Penny couldn’t handle on her own. The crooked buildings, strange residents, and supernatural premise make the whole game feel like a dark comic fairytale.
Changing worlds reveals different characters and routes through the same surroundings. Understanding both sides is part of finding a solution. There’s some platforming between the puzzles, but the story and the ways its characters can interact do much of the heavy lifting here. Flipping Death is more suitable for teens than kids due to the cartoon corpses and body parts, suggestive jokes, and drug and alcohol references. The absurd dark humor caters more to older players as well.
Why Teens Will Love Flipping Death
Taking control of a living character changes what Penny can accomplish, making possession a tool players are free to experiment with. Teens who like working out how two connected worlds affect each other will have plenty to investigate between the jokes and puzzles.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: T — Teen
- Content Descriptors: Crude Humor, Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol in the console rating
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One; compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Cozy Grove Sends Children Camping With Ghost Bears
The island in Cozy Grove is haunted, but its bear spirits generally need a helping hand more than an exorcism. In this relaxing collectathon, players become a Spirit Scout, wander the island, and get to know ghosts who have memories and unfinished business to work through. Their requests involve finding objects, gathering materials, and completing other tasks that gradually reveal more about who they were. Helping them brings color back to parts of the island, with progress changing the scenery as well as moving each ghost’s story forward.
Cozy Grove follows real-world time and provides a limited amount of new quest content each day. Children can keep fishing and arranging their campsite afterward, but the next part of a ghost’s story may require coming back another day. This system works best for players who enjoy ongoing games with stories that develop over time. The sequel, Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit also deserves a quick mention, especially since it can be played via Netflix.
Why Kids Will Love Cozy Grove
Watching a previously gloomy patch of the island brighten up gives children a visible reward for helping its residents. Decorating the campsite gives players something of their own to build alongside the bear spirits’ unfolding stories.
- Regular Price: $14.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Comic Mischief, Use of Alcohol
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Wytchwood Features A Witch That Brews All Sorts Of Trouble
Wytchwood puts players in the shoes of an old witch who has little patience for the less pleasant residents of her countryside. Exploring the woods and nearby settlements provides ingredients for spells, potions, and other magical preparations, which then help her deal with the characters she meets. The world looks like an illustrated collection of gothic fairytales, complete with strange creatures and people whose bad behavior tends to catch up with them. Witchcraft is the activity driving the game, making Wytchwood a particularly strong Halloween choice for children who enjoy making things.
A request might require a crafted item that depends on several ingredients, sending players back into places they’ve visited to collect what’s missing. Keeping track of those requirements matters more than fast reactions for much of Wytchwood, although hostile creatures still need attention. Kids who enjoy gathering and crafting have a lot to work toward; those who find repeated ingredient trips tedious may have less patience with it. The fairytale humor can be dark, with mild blood, language, and drinking content among the descriptors. Standalone mobile versions offer another way to play alongside the PC and console releases.
Why Kids Will Love Wytchwood
Ordinary-looking things found in the countryside become ingredients in the witch’s next magical scheme. Completing a recipe lets children put their preparation into action and discover what happens when a troublesome character finally meets someone less accommodating.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android
- Players: 1
Hauntii Makes Being A Ghost Part Of Every Puzzle
Hauntii follows a small ghost through an afterlife filled with other spirits, strange scenery, and fragments of a life he no longer remembers. His ability to haunt creatures and objects is the main selling point of the game, and taking possession can provide another way to interact with the surroundings, reach something hidden, or complete a challenge. The stars players collect along the way help build constellations that reveal more of Hauntii’s past, tying exploration to the story.
In addition to exploration, there’s also quite a bit of action to look forward to in Hauntii. The game uses twin-stick shooting, with movement and aiming handled separately on a controller. Kids may need a bit of time getting comfortable with the controls during combat, but other sections slow down and leave room to investigate the scenery for stars or something worth haunting. Much like other games where death is prevalent, Hauntii can get a little scary at times and is recommended for kids who are on the older side.
Why Kids Will Love Hauntii
Possessing things gives Hauntii ways to interact with the world that a living hero wouldn’t have. Completing constellations gradually connects reveleations to his forgotten life, rewarding players who take time to investigate the scenery.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Fantasy Violence, Use of Tobacco
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Lost In Random Turns A Gothic Fairytale Into A Dice Game
In Lost in Random, a roll of the dice determines where people belong in a kingdom ruled by a sinister queen. A girl named Even sets out to find her sister, accompanied by a small living die called Dicey. In addition to being a companion, Dicey is also central to the battles, which combine movement, shooting, cards, and rolls that decide what actions Even can afford. Their journey takes them through gloomy towns populated by strange characters, with the crooked architecture and unsettling fairytale atmosphere providing a strong spooky backdrop.
Even collects energy during combat, rolls Dicey, and spends the resulting points on cards that provide weapons and other effects. The pauses involved in choosing cards give players time to think, but they still need to move around enemies and understand how their choices work together. The game received a sequel of sorts in the form of Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, however, the follow-up is more of a hack-and-slash and doesn’t have quite the same charm as the original game.
Why Kids Will Love Lost In Random
Dicey provides the story with a companion children can root for while changing their choices during fights. Figuring out how to spend a roll well can turn a difficult encounter around, making the little die feel important in spite of his appearance.
- Regular Price: $29.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Fantasy Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Penko Park Lets Kids Photograph Its Creepy Creatures
An abandoned wildlife park might not sound like the most promising place for a pleasant outing, but Penko Park is precisely the sort of spot you’ll want to visit during Halloween. The gameplay revolves around riding through the park and photographing creatures whose designs range from odd and amusing to decidedly creepy. Getting a good picture requires players to watch what a creature is doing and experiment with ways to make it react. The park guidebook records every new discovery, encouraging children to look for more poses or creatures they missed during an earlier visit.
Interacting with the environment and using the Grappling Hand help reveal things to photograph, while Ghost-o-vision opens another way to investigate the park. Children who enjoyed the observation side of Pokémon Snap should have some idea of what to expect here, though Penko Park’s imagery is stranger. Even though it’s just a photography game, parents may still want to look into the creature designs because some of them may be a bit much for sensitive children.
Why Kids Will Love Penko Park
A creature usually has more to show beyond what the first photograph reveals. Discovering new behaviors gives children a reason to pay attention to the inhabitants, with their guidebook gradually becoming a record of the park’s strangest residents.
- Regular Price: $13.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Crude Humor, Mild Language
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
- Players: 1
The Wild At Heart Makes A Haunted Forest A Place To Explore
Two young runaways find themselves in a hidden woodland in The Wild at Heart, where strange creatures and an ancient mystery quickly complicate their journey. Luckily, they’re not on their own. The protagonists gather little helpers called Spritelings and direct them to collect materials, move things, fight enemies, and help open routes through the forest. Anyone who’s played Pikmin will be familiar with the idea of guiding small creatures through a world that’s much bigger than they are.
The woodland in The Wild At Heart grows more threatening after dark, when the shadowy Never makes being caught away from safety dangerous. But while players are encouraged to stay put at night, there’s plenty of exploration and puzzle-solving to do during the day, with new abilities opening paths into places players couldn’t reach before. Despite having two main characters, The Wild At Heart is a single-player game with no co-op mode.
Why Kids Will Love The Wild At Heart
The Spritelings let children accomplish things that would be impossible for the human characters to do by themselves. Building a capable team makes previously blocked parts of the forest accessible, giving exploration a visible sense of progress.
- Regular Price: $24.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence, Language
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One; compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Creaks Makes Common Pieces Of Furniture Look Scary
In Creaks, turning the lights on is the only way to know for sure if a strange shape in a dark room is just an ordinary piece of furniture or something else. Players are tasked with descending into an enormous, impossible-looking mansion inhabited by birdlike residents and threatening creatures. Light is the only thing that can turn the furniture monsters back into objects, making lamps and switches central to working out a safe route.
Creaks’ hand-painted rooms and ominous sounds make the mansion consistently eerie and a great place to explore this Halloween. The largely wordless presentation allows players to follow what’s happening without having to go through tons of dialogue. Creaks is rated T for Teens on some storefronts but only PEGI 7 or 9+ on others. The game doesn’t actually have an official ESRB rating, so that discrepancy is mostly a reflection of each storefront’s sensitivity to games like this. Similar to other Amanita Design titles, Creaks looks odd and surreal, but it isn’t particularly scary.
Why Teens Will Love Creaks
Understanding a monster’s behavior can turn a seemingly impossible room into a puzzle with a clear solution. The mansion’s artwork gives players plenty to examine while they figure out how to make its threatening inhabitants work in their favor.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: T — Teen
- Content Descriptors: Violence
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One; compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; Apple Arcade on supported Apple devices
- Players: 1
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered Lets Families Strap On A Proton Pack
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered recruits players as the original team’s newest colleague. There’s haunted property to investigate, paranormal activity to track, and plenty to learn about trapping the spirits causing trouble. The voices and likenesses of the actors from the original Ghostbusters team help make the campaign feel connected to the films in a big way. Any parent who grew up watching the iconic movies should jump at the opportunity to introduce their children to the franchise via this game.
The original Ghostbusters: The Video Game had some multiplayer functionality, but the modern remake is single-player only. Unfortunately, the player can only control the new recruit so it’s not possible to step into the shoes of Venkman, Stantaz or the others. But in spite all that, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is still a blast to play and very easy to recommend during Halloween, for both kids and parents alike.
Why Teens Will Love Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered
Trapping a ghost makes players feel like they’ve learned a skill belonging to the Ghostbusters themselves. Investigating with the team and using its equipment gives fans a chance to participate in the paranormal business they know from the films.
- Regular Price: $24.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: T — Teen
- Content Descriptors: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One; compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Death’s Door Sends A Crow Through A World That Won’t Let Go
Collecting souls is just an ordinary day’s work for the crow reaper in Death’s Door, at least until a particular assignment goes wrong and a soul gets stolen. The search that follows leads players through graveyards, strange estates, and other places occupied by creatures who have their own reasons to resist death. The odd characters and dark humor enable the game to switch between eerie and amusing on a dime. Meanwhile, the gameplay offers a lot of variety, with combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving all included as part of the package.
The combat revolves around watching enemy attacks, dodging at the right moment, and avoiding spending every opening on a reckless swing. Bosses are especially demanding, and being sent back to a checkpoint can mean having to attempt a difficult section all over again. Death’s Door is consequently a better recommendation for teens who enjoy getting better through practice than for beginners wanting an easy spooky outing for Halloween.
Why Teens Will Love Death’s Door
Each new ability creates opportunities to investigate places that were previously out of reach. Teens who enjoy exploration can search for secrets between the harder fights, making progress depend on curiosity just as much as combat skill.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: T — Teen
- Content Descriptors: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Crypt Custodian Gives A Ghost Cat A Very Long Cleaning Job
Pluto the cat reaches the afterlife in Crypt Custodian and promptly finds himself banished from its palace. His sentence is to clean the surrounding world forever, which is an unfortunate amount of housework for someone who has just died. Things get really interesting when the broom he is given turns out to be good for fighting monsters as well as clearing debris. Pluto’s work sends him into ruined areas filled with secrets and other ghosts, while new abilities open routes through the connected landscape and puzzles give him reasons to keep exploring the strange world.
Crypt Custodian uses a top-down view and the combat revolves around quick movement and good timing. However, difficulty options give players the option to make challenges more manageable. This is a good alternative for kids who like a ghostly setting and animal protagonist, but aren’t big fans of constant horror. The story does involve death, including conversations about how the other ghosts ended up there, so the story can get a little bit dark.
Why Kids Will Love Crypt Custodian
Finding ways through the afterlife turns Pluto’s punishment into a chance to discover something new. The ghosts give children characters to get to know between the fights, while new abilities always make returning to an earlier area worthwhile.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Fantasy Violence
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Players: 1
Don’t Starve Together Makes The Dark A Shared Concern
Getting a campfire ready before nightfall is an important early lesson in Don’t Starve Together. The game’s wilderness contains strange creatures, scarce resources, and darkness that can become dangerous very quickly. Meanwhile, the sketchlike characters and lurking shadow creatures give the world an ongoing gothic feel that fits Halloween like a glove. Working with others allows players to divide responsibilities among themselves, but ultimately everybody still needs to be ready when the wilderness interrupts their plans.
Don’t Starve Together can be a very demanding game, however, world settings can considerably lower the challenge. Players can also create private lobbies to gain even more control over the world, as well as who can join it. Console editions offer two-player split-screen, while PC play normally requires separate devices for multiplayer. Switch supports four online players, while PC and the other main console releases allow up to six by default. The mobile Pocket Edition also supports six-player servers, but mobile players can’t join PC or console players.
Why Teens Will Love Don’t Starve Together
A successful camp gradually becomes something the group built and learned to protect. Players can take on different jobs, with a well-timed supply run or meal making a difference to whether everyone gets through the next night.
- Regular Price: $14.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: T — Teen
- Content Descriptors: Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence; online interaction and optional in-game purchases
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One; compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; iOS and Android as Don’t Starve Together: Pocket Edition
- Players: 1–6 online on PC, PlayStation/Xbox, and mobile; 1–4 online on Switch; 1–2 local split-screen on consoles
Skul: The Hero Slayer Makes A Skeleton’s Head Its Best Weapon
Skul: The Hero Slayer puts a small skeleton on the side of the monsters, trying to save the Demon King from an invading human army. Skul changes his abilities by wearing different skulls, which transform his appearance as well as the way he fights. Players can carry up to two skulls on them at all times and switch between them at will. The skeletons, demonic creatures, and exaggerated fantasy battles make Skul the perfect Halloween game for teens who feel like playing an antihero.
Skul: The Hero Slayer is a game for players who enjoy experimenting and getting better through practice. Having said that, the game does offer a Rookie Mode that reduce incoming damage and can make learning the early fights less punishing. The game is best played on PC or consoles, however, Skul also has a mobile version complete with redesigned touch controls, available on both iOS and Android devices.
Why Teens Will Love Skul: The Hero Slayer
A simple skull pickup can turn Skul into a character with a completely different fighting style. Players can experiment with combinations of forms and equipment, discovering which powers work well together through trial and error.
- Regular Price: $19.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: T — Teen
- Content Descriptors: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One; compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; iOS, Android
- Players: 1
Dredge Gives A Fishing Trip A Sinister Side
Strange catches, secretive island residents, and things moving through the water gradually turn Dredge from a pleasant fishing trip into a supernatural mystery. Taking on the role of a lone fisherman, players get to explore an archipelago, complete requests, and search for equipment that lets them reach different fishing grounds. As players progress through the game, they’ll gain the ability to upgrade their vessel and start uncovering ancient relics pertaining to mysterious beings.
Trips tend to be pretty peaceful during the day, but everything changes at night when travel becomes dangerous and long-forgotten entities start revealing themselves. Dredge may look cutesy at first glance, but its unsettling sea creatures and imagery are enough to give anyone the willies. For players who want to tone things down a bit, Passive Mode makes the normally aggressive creatures non-aggressive, reducing some of the pressure while leaving the story and eerie world in place.
Why Teens Will Love Dredge
Improving the boat creates opportunities to investigate more of the islands and catch things an earlier setup couldn’t handle. The curiosity behind the next discovery gives the ordinary fishing tasks a purpose within the larger mystery.
- Regular Price: $26.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+
- Content Descriptors: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android
- Players: 1
Haunt the House: Terrortown Lets Players Be The Ghost
Haunt the House: Terrortown allows players to take control of inanimate objects and use their paranormal effects to frighten unsuspecting people who are just minding their own business. Raising fear levels gradually unlocks more dramatic tricks, so experimenting with the scenery is the best way to find new methods to scare everybody away. Different locations, including a museum, hospital, theater, and cruise ship, provide different objects and arrangements to investigate.
The bright cartoony artwork makes Haunt the House: Terrortown look a bit more lighthearted than it actually is. Terrortown is littered with dark themes and humor, making it an excellent game to play during Halloween. Interestingly enough, the game has received three free expansions since launch and it still receives occasional updates to this day despite being over a decade old at this point. Haunt the House: Terrortown is available on PC and mobile devices, with Android TV support allowing play using a remote.
Why Teens Will Love Haunt the House: Terrortown
Every building gives the ghost another set of objects to experiment with. Discovering what a seemingly ordinary item can do when possessed turns the scenery into an endless stream of surprises, with human reactions showing how effective a trick has been.
- Regular Price: $4.99 USD (PC)
- ESRB Rating: E10+ — Everyone 10+ in the US Android listing and original console release
- Content Descriptors: Fantasy Violence
- Platforms: PC, iOS, Android; Android TV support
- Players: 1
