Halloween: The Game is running double XP, double Perk Points and double Weapon XP until November 3 at 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET, 18:00 UTC), according to IllFonic’s October 30 Steam announcement. Most tips guides were written before the free Tower Farm Terror update on October 27, which changed how Civilians find Residents, how Michael finds targets and what happens when three or more players gang up on him. This guide covers the event, the new map and the tips that still hold after those changes.
Checked October 31, 2026, 10:45 UTC against IllFonic’s Steam news (latest patch: Hotfix 1.2.2, October 30).
Table of Contents
Quick answer
- Event: 2x XP, 2x Perk Points and 2x Weapon XP until Nov 3, 10:00 AM PT. US clocks go back on Nov 1, so that is 18:00 UTC, not 17:00.
- Free cosmetic: smash 50 pumpkins with weapons by the same deadline to unlock the ‘Jack’ Ghoul Goggles for your Civilian.
- Civilians: Residents are no longer marked on the map at the start. Search house by house, convince Residents to widen your discovery range, and don’t clump in groups of three or more, because Michael now gets a buff when surrounded.
- Michael: stalk before you strike, use Shape Jump only from darkness, and use Blackout on escapes. Since October 27 it closes open escapes and locks doors within its radius.
- Tower Farm: a free fifth map with open roads, cornfields, a lit filling station, a sewer escape and the new Scythe weapon.
Halloween XP and Perk Point event: end time and rewards
IllFonic announced the event on October 30 (18:39 UTC). Two other limited-time rewards end at the same time, so you can work on all three in the same matches.
| What | Reward | Ends (PT) | Ends (ET / UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween XP and Perk Point Event | 2x XP, 2x Perk Points, 2x Weapon XP | Nov 3, 10:00 AM | 1:00 PM ET / 18:00 UTC |
| ‘Jack’ Ghoul Goggles weekly challenge | Civilian cosmetic: smash 50 pumpkins with weapons | Nov 3, 10:00 AM | 1:00 PM ET / 18:00 UTC |
| “A Haddonfield Halloween” Twitch Drops (from Oct 26) | Moon Smile icon + Moon Light background, Michael Kitchen Knife tint, Tanya and Marcus Outfit 1 tints | Nov 3, 10:00 AM | 1:00 PM ET / 18:00 UTC |
The 'Jack' Ghoul Goggles: smash 50 pumpkins with weapons by Nov 3, 10 AM PT. Image: IllFonic
For the Twitch Drops, the official drops page says to link both your Twitch account and your platform account at accounts.illfonic.com, watch any participating Halloween: The Game stream, and claim each drop in your Twitch inventory before the next one unlocks. Then redeem them on IllFonic’s site and restart the game. Codes go in Graveyard, then Extras, then Redeem Code.
How to get the most out of double XP and Perk Points
- Level the weapon you actually want. Whisper of the House’s progression guide (updated October 28) says each Michael weapon has its own level. The 2x Weapon XP only helps the weapon you have equipped, so pick the one you plan to main.
- Go for the Scythe. According to the patch notes, the new Scythe starting weapon unlocks through its own Progressive Challenges or comes with the paid Halloween 5 (1989) Michael skin. Hotfix 1.2.1 (October 28) fixed a bug that blocked that challenge.
- Use cheap Perk Point rolls first. All Things How’s perk deck guide lists rolls at 100, 500 or 1,000 Perk Points. Bigger stakes raise your odds of a rare card but don’t guarantee one, so the guide advises building a collection with small rolls on a young account. Upgrades bought with points are temporary. Scrapping a card refunds points.
What the free Tower Farm Terror update added
The October 27 update (hotfixes 1.2.1 and 1.2.2 followed it) is the first of what IllFonic calls “a series of post-launch content updates” across the game’s first year. The map and gameplay changes are free. The new characters and skins cost extra.
| Content | Free or paid | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Tower Farm (map #5) | Free | In matchmaking and private matches. Farmhouses, barns, cornfields, a trailer park and a harvest festival, plus a new sewer escape |
| Scythe | Free (challenge) | New starting weapon (unlocked through its Progressive Challenges or with the 1989 Michael skin); IllFonic says it can also be found on Tower Farm |
| 3 new context executions | Free | Added in the October 27 notes |
| Cross-play toggles | Free | PC and console cross-play matchmaking can now be switched on or off |
| Halloween 5 Michael skin | $9.99 | Michael from “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers” (1989) |
| Halloween (2018) Michael skin | $9.99 | The Shape from the 2018 film |
| Civilian Pack 1 | $9.99 | Eugene Kelly (trait Lurker) and Michelle Blanton (trait Therapeutic) |
| Civilian Costumes Pack: Special Halloween Edition | $9.99 | 14 Halloween costumes, one per Civilian, 42 tints |
Tower Farm, the free fifth map added on October 27, swaps suburban streets for farmhouses and cornfields. Image: IllFonic / Compass International Pictures
The big change: how Residents and Special Targets are found
The update notes call these “fairly substantial” changes, meant to slow the early game. Many guides from September and early October still say the map shows you where the Residents are. That’s no longer true:
- Civilians: Resident and Special Target areas are no longer marked at the start of a match. They appear as you get close. Every Resident you convince increases your discovery range and marks one Special Target, until all of them are marked. Once enough Residents are dead or escaped, the Special Targets are marked automatically.
- Michael: targets now show up on his map in stages as his Bloodthirst rises (table below).
| Michael’s Bloodthirst tier | What his map reveals (since Oct 27) |
|---|---|
| Tier 0 | No target areas |
| Tier 1 | 1 random Resident area |
| Tier 2 | 50% of Resident areas + 1 Special Target area |
| Tier 3 | All remaining Resident and Special Target areas, plus Special Target beams |
Halloween: The Game tips for Civilians (survivors)
- Sweep houses and talk to people early. With no starting markers, the Civilian who convinces Residents first gets the bigger discovery range and the Special Target marks. The update also raised the chance that Residents and Special Targets hand over escape items or escape locations after a successful conversation.
- Let NPCs make the police call. All Things How’s beginner guide (September 9) points out that calling dispatch yourself is a minigame you can fail. A Resident who knows about the danger can’t fail it. Gaming.net’s Civilian tips (October 9) also suggest getting Residents to make the calls.
- Lights on, doors locked, but watch for Blackout. Both guides say lit doors and windows stop Michael from passing through with Shape Jump, and that light drains his Bloodthirst. The catch since October 27 is that his Blackout ability now closes open escapes and locks and closes doors within its radius. If the lights go out, assume your exit just shut.
- Don’t cluster in groups of three or more. The old advice was to stick together. Since the update, Michael gets a “Group Rage” buff when three or more targets are near him: more damage, more Bloodthirst gain, more damage resistance and more status-effect resistance. Stay close enough to knock a teammate out of a grab, but don’t stand in a pile.
- Plan two escapes. Patch 1.1.0 (October 6) cut how many Bolt Cutters, Gas Cans and Escape Keys spawn, reduced Storm Cellar and Gate capacity, and made escape discovery distance grow as the match goes on. Fuses are now more common. Since October 27, escape interactions also make a noise ping, so Michael can hear you working on one.
- Use Hiding Spots to catch your breath, not to wait out the clock. Stamina now regenerates faster inside a Hiding Spot. But since 1.1.0, anyone hiding in the final 60 seconds is Stalked and visible to Michael.
- Space out your blinds. Blinding Michael again soon after has diminishing returns (since 1.0.1). The Flare Gun is now thrown away after one use, and the Pickaxe no longer Dazes.
- Don’t give up in a grab. The Pocket Knife struggle gets harder with higher Stalk tiers and Bloodthirst levels, so break line of sight early to drop your Stalk marker. Gaming.net lists knives, flares, glass, bricks and bats as ways to get free.
- Pick the Civilian for the job. Eugene’s Lurker trait speeds up stalk decay and stamina regen while he’s in stealth bushes. Michelle’s Therapeutic trait heals nearby wounded Civilians and Residents for 25% of the healing item’s amount. Thomas’ Running Back trait now has a 10-second cooldown.
Tower Farm's trailer park, one of the map's spots to break line of sight. Image: IllFonic / Compass International Pictures
Tower Farm map tips
IllFonic’s own map description is the best guide we have so far. The map is wide open, so the lit filling station at the center is your landmark. The open roads are where Civilians get caught out, and IllFonic suggests hiding in roadside ditches before you sprint across. Barns, sheds and farmhouses are your places to break line of sight. The sewer escape is new to this map, so look for it when you plan your two exits.
Halloween: The Game Michael Myers tips
- Stalk before you strike. All Things How’s Michael guide and Gaming.net’s Michael tips (October 8) both start with the same advice: stare through Killer Sense to raise a target’s Stalk tier (up to 3) before you grab. A higher tier makes the target much harder to break free. Since October 27, stalking also gives more Bloodthirst.
- Climb Bloodthirst to see the map. You no longer see target areas at Tier 0 (table above). Early stalking and quiet kills now do two jobs at once: they build your power and they reveal where the Special Targets are.
- Shape Jump only from the dark. All Things How says you can only enter Shape Jump in darkness while no Civilian is watching you. Patch 1.1.0 lowered Shape Jump’s speed at Bloodthirst 2 and below and its visibility range at 1 and below, so it’s a mid-game tool more than an opener. Since October 27, leaving Shape Jump with Reality Tear staggers Michael, so don’t use it to exit next to an armed group.
- Use Blackout on escapes. Blackout now closes open escapes and locks doors in its radius on top of killing the lights. Saving it for the moment a group is working on a gate or cellar is its strongest use.
- Take on groups now. The Group Rage buff makes fights against three or more targets less risky than they were at launch. Shadow Strike now deals damage, and the Pitchfork now causes Bleed.
- Stop the police call. All Things How’s abilities guide says to break landline phones and carry bodies to bathtubs, closets, bushes or car trunks so nobody finds them and calls the cops.
- Clean up at the end. In the last 60 seconds, and whenever you get the “Finish Off Haddonfield” objective, hidden Residents and Special Targets become Stalked and visible (Patch 1.1.0).
Civilian perk changes in the Tower Farm update
If you spend double Perk Points this weekend, check the new values first. The October 27 notes changed the values of 19 perks. Several of the cards All Things How ranked at the top in its September 11 tier list (Unwinded, Slippery) were nerfed at their top tier, while some cards were buffed. Values below are levels 1 to 5, straight from the patch notes.
| Perk | Effect | Before | After Oct 27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unwinded | All stamina use decreased | 10/15/20/25/35% | 10/15/18/20/25% |
| Slippery | Struggle minigame difficulty reduced when grabbed | 15/20/25/30/35% | 15/17/20/22/25% |
| Adrenaline | Stamina recharge speed | 8/12/20/25/35% | 8/12/20/25/30% |
| Clotting | Health regen speed | 5/10/20/33/40% | 5/10/18/25/35% |
| Thick Skin | Sharp damage resistance | 10/15/20/25/35% | 10/15/18/20/28% |
| Dying Breath | Grab escape chance at low health | 10/20/35/50/65% | 15/20/25/30/40% |
| Shield of Law | Less fear within 15 m of police | 10/20/35/50/75% | 20/25/40/60/80% |
| Wired | Fear reduction per Pop consumed | 3/7/10/12/15% | 5/10/15/20/30% |
| Voice of Reason | Your Followers receive less fear | 1.1/1.2/1.25/1.35/1.5x | 1.15/1.25/1.4/1.6/1.8x |
The trade-off: the stamina and struggle cards are still useful in every match, but they’re weaker at the top level. The buffed cards (Shield of Law, Wired, Voice of Reason) reward a support player who stays near the police or leads Followers. Brutal Cleave, Deadshot and Relentless Steel also lost value at their highest level.
Looking for more to play this weekend? See our free horror games for Halloween 2026, the Halloween event end dates for Fortnite, Dead by Daylight and more, and Halloween game deals on every store. Fans of asymmetrical horror should also note that Dead by Daylight is removing Chucky on November 24.
FAQ
When does the Halloween: The Game XP event end?
November 3, 2026 at 10:00 AM PT, which is 1:00 PM ET and 18:00 UTC. It gives 2x XP, 2x Perk Points and 2x Weapon XP. The ‘Jack’ Ghoul Goggles challenge and the Twitch Drops end at the same time.
Is the Tower Farm map free?
Yes. Tower Farm, the Scythe, the new executions and the cross-play toggles are free for everyone who owns the game. The two Michael skins, Civilian Pack 1 and the Halloween costume pack are $9.99 each.
Does Halloween: The Game have crossplay?
Yes. Patch 1.0.1 fixed cross-play parties, and the October 27 update added toggles so you can turn PC and console cross-play matchmaking on or off.
How much is Halloween: The Game and what is it on?
It launched on September 8, 2026 (after an early access weekend from September 4) and is $39.99 on Steam. The official site also sells it on PlayStation, Xbox and the Epic Games Store, and IllFonic’s patch notes cover PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Sources: IllFonic’s Steam announcements for Halloween: The Game (Halloween XP and Perk Point Event, Oct 30; Hotfix 1.2.2, Oct 30; Hotfix 1.2.1, Oct 28; Tower Farm Terror, Ghoul Goggles ‘Jack’ and A Haddonfield Halloween, Oct 27; Halloween 2026 Content Update, Oct 7; Patch Notes 1.1.0, Oct 6; launch and Patch 1.0.1, Sep 8), halloweengame.com, the Steam store page, All Things How (Sep 5, 7, 9 and 11), Gaming.net (Oct 8 and 9) and Whisper of the House (Oct 28).
Live: Follow today’s gaming news as it happens
Featured image: AI-generated illustration
