The best free horror games for Halloween 2026 are Doki Doki Literature Club!, SCP: Secret Laboratory, Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 and Cry of Fear on PC, Deceit 2 on PS5 and Xbox, and the official Resident Evil Requiem and Fatal Frame II demos on Switch 2. Everything below costs nothing to download and keep. We checked every price on the Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo stores on October 29, 2026 at 13:50 UTC.
This is a list of games that are free all the time, not one-week giveaways. For this week’s limited-time claims (Epic, Prime Gaming, PS Plus), see our free games this week page, which we update every Thursday.
- Best free horror game on PC: Doki Doki Literature Club! (96% positive from 132,774 Steam reviews). Go in knowing as little as you can.
- Best free multiplayer horror: SCP: Secret Laboratory (92% of 92,030 reviews) on PC, or Deceit 2 with crossplay on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- Best free co-op campaign: Cry of Fear, a full single-player and co-op horror game.
- On Switch 2: no big free-to-play horror game, but the Resident Evil Requiem and Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake demos are free.
- Free on Epic right now: Sker Ritual and Home until October 29 at 15:00 UTC, then Sorry We’re Closed until November 5 at 16:00 UTC.
Table of Contents
Free horror games at a glance
| Game | Platforms (free) | What kind of free | Steam reviews | Worth your time if… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doki Doki Literature Club! | PC (Steam) | Full game | 96% of 132,774 | you like stories that turn on you |
| SCP: Secret Laboratory | PC (Steam) | Free multiplayer | 92% of 92,030 | you have a group and want chaos |
| Poppy Playtime (Chapter 1) | PC (Steam) | First chapter | 88% of 62,868 | you want a short, famous jump-scare night |
| Cry of Fear | PC (Steam) | Full game, co-op | 87% of 38,784 | you want a long, bleak campaign |
| Indigo Park: Chapter 1 | PC (Steam) | First chapter | 95% of 17,295 | you liked Poppy Playtime’s mascot horror |
| missed messages. | PC, Mac, Linux (Steam) | Full game | 95% of 11,228 | you want something short and personal |
| Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion | PC (Steam) | Full game | 92% of 8,958 | you want cute art that gets nasty |
| Dark Deception | PC (Steam) | Chapter 1 | 88% of 7,926 | you like chase-heavy maze games |
| Grimm’s Hollow | PC (Steam) | Full game | 98% of 7,494 | you want spooky but gentle |
| Yume Nikki | PC (Steam) | Full game | 94% of 6,610 | you like strange, wordless dream worlds |
| Fears to Fathom: Home Alone | PC (Steam) | Episode 1 | 88% of 5,838 | you like slow-burn, true-story style horror |
| Deceit 2 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Free-to-play | 64% of 3,204 (Mixed) | you want social deduction with friends |
| Resident Evil Requiem demo | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 | Demo | n/a | you’re curious about this year’s big RE |
| Fatal Frame II Remake demo | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 | Demo (save carries over) | n/a | you like ghosts more than gore |
Review figures are Steam’s all-language totals as shown on each store page on October 29.
Best free horror games on PC (Steam)
1. Doki Doki Literature Club!
Team Salvato’s 2017 game looks like a cheerful dating sim about a school poetry club, and that is all you should know going in. Its Steam page warns that it is “not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.” The free version is the full original game. The paid Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! ($14.99 on Steam) adds extra side stories.
2. Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1
Mob Entertainment’s toy-factory horror is the one most younger horror fans already know, thanks to Huggy. You explore the abandoned Playtime Co. factory and use the GrabPack to hack electrical circuits and grab things from afar while the toys hunt you. Chapter 1 is free on Steam. Steam notes that the later chapters are paid DLC (Chapter 5 lists at $19.99). On consoles, Chapter 1 is not free: it’s $4.99 on Xbox, and $3.74 on Switch in a sale that ends November 1 at 15:59 UTC.
Poppy Playtime's first chapter is free on Steam but costs $4.99 on Xbox. Image: Mob Entertainment
3. Cry of Fear
Team Psykskallar’s psychological horror game started out as a Half-Life 1 mod and became a free standalone game on Steam in 2013. You play a young man searching a deserted Scandinavian town at night. It has a single-player campaign of over 8 hours plus co-op, which is rare for a free game, according to its store page. It looks its age, but its 38,784 reviews are 87% positive.
4. Indigo Park: Chapter 1
UniqueGeese’s mascot horror game sends you back into a closed-down amusement park, guided by Rambley the Raccoon, to get the power running again while something chases you. It has one of the highest scores on this list (95% of 17,295 reviews). Chapter 1 is free. Chapter 2 is listed on Steam with no release date yet.
5. missed messages.
Angela He’s short “love/horror story about life, death and memes” plays out on a borrowed phone. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Its Steam page warns that it shows and mentions suicide and self-harm, so read that before you start.
6. Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion
Lag Studios asks if you can survive 1,000 rooms of “cute terror”. The cuteness fades as you go deeper, and then you’re running for your life, as the store page puts it. It’s free on Steam, and worth your time if you like horror that builds slowly from silly to frightening.
7. Dark Deception (Chapter 1)
Glowstick Entertainment’s first-person maze game is all running. There’s no hiding in lockers, and the monsters can be stunned but never killed, according to its store page. Chapter 1 is free. Chapters 2 to 4 are $6.99 each on Steam, or $19.99 for the Complete bundle.
8. Grimm’s Hollow, Yume Nikki and Fears to Fathom
Three smaller picks for different moods. Grimm’s Hollow is a free RPG where you search the afterlife for your brother with a scythe (98% positive). It’s the one to try if you want spooky without real terror. Yume Nikki (kikiyama) is the Japanese RPG Maker cult classic about wandering through dream worlds, with almost no action or dialogue and no stated goal. Fears to Fathom: Home Alone (Rayll) is a free first episode about a 14-year-old home alone at night. The next episode, Ironbark Lookout, is paid ($9.99, $3.99 on sale on October 29).
Free multiplayer horror games to play with friends
SCP: Secret Laboratory has a 92% positive score from more than 92,000 Steam reviews. Image: Northwood Studios
SCP: Secret Laboratory (Northwood Studios) is the biggest free multiplayer horror game on Steam by reviews. After a containment breach in an underground facility, players are split into sides: Class-D personnel trying to escape, the Foundation’s forces, the Chaos Insurgency, or the escaped SCPs themselves. Its store page warns of strong violence and disturbing imagery.
Deceit 2 (World Makers) is the free choice if your group plays on different platforms. Up to nine players are secretly split into the Innocent, the Infected and the Cursed, inside the Game Master’s Ritual, and you have to work out who to trust. The official site lists full crossplay between PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It’s free on Steam, the PlayStation Store and the Xbox store. Skins and packs cost extra (the Master Edition is $19.99 on Xbox). Steam reviews are Mixed (64%), so treat it as a party game rather than a scary one.
Cry of Fear (above) also has a co-op mode. If your friends are on Fortnite, our list of Fortnite horror map codes has free scary islands that work on every console, including Switch 2.
Deceit 2 is free on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S with full crossplay. Image: World Makers
Free horror games on PS5, Xbox and Switch 2
Consoles have far fewer free horror games than Steam. Deceit 2 is the main free-to-play one on PS5 and Xbox. Beyond that, the best free scares are two official demos of 2026’s big horror releases. Both run on Switch 2 as well.
| Demo | Platforms | Released | Save carries over? | Full game price (Oct 29) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil Requiem demo | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, PC (Steam, Epic) | May 27, 2026 | No | $69.99 ($48.99 on Steam until Nov 3, 18:00 UTC) |
| Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake demo | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, PC (Steam) | March 5, 2026 | Yes | $49.99 ($32.49 on Steam until Nov 2, 18:00 UTC; on the US eShop until Nov 1, 06:59 UTC) |
Resident Evil Requiem demo: Capcom’s demo lets you play part of the game’s early stages, according to Gematsu’s report of the announcement. Your demo save does not carry over to the full game. On Switch 2, the demo is offered from the game’s eShop page.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake demo: Koei Tecmo’s demo covers the opening, as twins Mio and Mayu enter Minakami Village and face their first ghosts with the Camera Obscura. Koei Tecmo confirmed that demo saves transfer to the full game. That makes it the better pick if you might buy it while it’s 35% off this weekend. It’s worth your time if you prefer dread and ghosts to gore.
Horror games free for a limited time this week
According to Epic’s store promotion data (checked October 29, 13:49 UTC), Sker Ritual ($24.99) and Home ($4.99) are free to keep until today, October 29, at 15:00 UTC. Then Sorry We’re Closed ($24.99), a fixed-camera survival horror game, is free from 15:00 UTC until November 5 at 16:00 UTC. Our Sorry We’re Closed guide explains what it is. Prime Gaming, PS Plus and Xbox Free Play Days change during the week, so the free games this week page has the latest list.
If you’d rather wait and pay less for a bigger horror game, our Black Friday hub tracks the next big sales. On a phone? See the best horror games on iPhone and Android.
FAQ
What is the best free horror game on Steam?
By reviews, Doki Doki Literature Club! (96% of 132,774) is the best-rated big free horror game on Steam. For multiplayer, SCP: Secret Laboratory (92% of 92,030) leads.
Are there free horror games on PS5?
Yes, but only a few. Deceit 2 is free-to-play on PS5. The Resident Evil Requiem demo and the Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake demo are free downloads too. Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 is free only on PC.
What free horror games can I play with friends?
SCP: Secret Laboratory and Cry of Fear (co-op) on PC, and Deceit 2 with crossplay across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Are there free horror games on Xbox?
Deceit 2 is free on Xbox Series X|S, and the Resident Evil Requiem and Fatal Frame II Remake demos are free on the Xbox store. Check the Xbox Free Play Days posts on Thursdays for limited free weekends.
Sources: Steam store pages and appdetails (checked October 29, 2026, 13:50 UTC); deceit.gg; PlayStation Store and Xbox store listings; Nintendo eShop; Gematsu; Koei Tecmo Europe; Epic Games Store promotion data.
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Featured image: Koei Tecmo
