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Free Horror Games: Multiplayer and Solo Jump Scares at Its Best

Is Halloween over, or are you already in preparation again? We have something for you - a special kind of eye candy that will make your hair stand on end.

Felix Rauhut
By Felix Rauhut
Last updated:
This photo shows a burly figure from the front with his hoodie up, resting a double-barreled shotgun on his shoulder. The face is not visible under the hood due to darkness. There is some snow on its shoulders and some blurred nature in the background. More snow falls there illuminated by the evening sun. A good example of horror gaming with friends outdoors.
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Games that give you the creeps are always good. Even more so when they cost nothing. Get some inspiration with our ranking for free horror games: these are the 21 best titles for Multiplayer and Solo fun.

What do you do when you’re alone at home in the dark and you get spooked? Right, add another layer of spookiness and fight fire with more fire! Our Top 21 selection of free horror games will help you do that.

 

21. Infestation: The New Z

Are you looking for a new zombie apocalypse survival shooter that is free? Infestation: The New Z lets you explore an open, vast game world as you hunt, scavenge, kill the undead, or go to war against other groups of players. Fight competitively in 5v5 mode or battle royale in a vast open world waiting for you to discover and dominate it.

Two players are facing each other in a forest and are shooting each other with Assault Rifles in Infestation: The New Z.
Screenshot from Infestation: The New Z (Source: Fredaikis AB/OP Productions LLC)

 

Get the game for PC on Steam.

 

20. Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion

Don’t be fooled by the initially rather cute audiovisual atmosphere of the game. Behind the facade lurks a horror experience with a level that will seek and find you. Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion is one of those free horror games that doesn’t reveal its true greatness right away, and you’ll be surprised how creepy it is in the end – and yea, the name of the game says it all.

Survive a lot of rooms full of jump scares and don’t get lost. The player just catches sight of a cute ghost in the room.
Screenshot of Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion (Source: Lag Studios)

 

Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion can be played on PC for free via Steam.

 

19. Stay Out

Survive the grim post-apocalypse in this free MMO shooter from Mobile Technologies LLC. As you scour a massive desolate zone for artifacts as a”Stalker,” you can expect numerous bloodthirsty creatures lurking in the darkness. It’s best to have your weapon ready at all times. Stay Out’s setting is reminiscent of games like Rooted and might be the right title for you while you wait for Stalker 2. Last but not least, the intense co-op mode makes this post-apocalyptic early-access game a real secret among free horror games.

Run through corridors in co-op and fight against other players in Stay Out, one of the highly recommended free horror games.
Screenshot of Stay Out (Source: Mobile Technologies LLC)

 

The title is available on PC, and you can get it via Steam.

 

18. Unfortunate Spacemen

Find new friends in space, only to betray your comrades then. Unfortunate Spacemen is a free sci-fi shooter from New Blood Interactive on Steam, in which you’ll have to hunt monsters and fulfill objectives. Also, you can become a monster yourself and hunt your comrades. The game features survival modes, a co-op PvE campaign, and PvP.

Three different colored spacemen are shown in the foreground looking in different directions in a spaceship.
Screenshot of Unfortunate Spacemen (Source: Deep Field Games/New Blood Interactive)

 

Get the game for PC on Steam.

 

17. Blameless

Get ready for a shocking horror adventure that impresses you with its brilliant but scary implementation. As an architect, you wake up in a mansion after some time of total unconsciousness. To recover your way out, you’ll have to gather some tools. Rising tension, constant anxiety, and a gripping atmosphere are your constant companions in Blameless, and you find the ultimate climax at the end of the game. Although the title only has an approximate duration of 20 minutes, it is all the more exciting and, indeed, not tedious. Every second increases the tension.

In Blameless you have to puzzle together tools, as illustrated in this screenshot: we are standing in first-person in a kind of tool basement room. The room has wooden walls. On the left is a kind of tool bench, on which various pieces of wood lie in the back of the picture. The table leads from the front left to the back and makes a 90-degree bend to the right. Below it is a turquoise metal cabinet. To the right is a wooden shelf with various pots and underneath again various wooden blocks. The shelf is leaning against the back wall of the room. On the right side is a similar wooden shelf with comparable items inside. The floor consists of a bare, dusty stone floor, which is illuminated by a weak light bulb.
Blameless screenshot (Source: Vaclav Hudec/Blameless Games)

 

The title is available on macOS and PC; you can get it via Steam.

 

16. SEPTEMBER 1999

Most horror games feature a series of scary moments over an extended time. SEPTEMBER 1999 has a game duration of exactly 5 minutes and 30 seconds. But the title is exceptionally addictive and suspenseful and will be remembered as a short, sweet horror gem. It is a horror title created in a found-footage style. This title is perfect if you want a free short horror moment with style.

From a first-person perspective, we stand in a small square quite empty room with white walls and a brown parquet floor. In the back left corner, there is a small nightstand lamp on the floor that is turned towards the wall and illuminates the room somewhat. The light casts an ominous high shadow on the back wall emanating from the lamp. On the right, a dirty white bed mattress can be seen, on which lies a small blanket with a leopard print. To the left are several empty alcohol cans and wine bottles and an ashtray with many cigarette butts. At the bottom left of the picture, the time of the recorded videotape can be read in white letters "03:24" Below that, we read the date “Sep. 18, 1999” in capital letters. The game is created in found footage style and looks like a VHS tape recording, which looks frighteningly real and authentic.
Screenshot of SEPTEMBER 1999 (Source: 98DEMAKE)

 

Get the game for PC on Steam.

 

15. Wrong Floor

If you love short, concise horror, you might also enjoy Wrong Floor. This title is rather short, but you can expect a nerve-racking game that is equally fascinating in its implementation. The sound effects and camera use will keep you on your toes, and you’ll dread every next corner. So download the game, put on your headphones, and darken your room – but be prepared to want to fall asleep with the lights on for the next few nights.

In Wrong Floor, you never know what awaits you at the next corner. We see the arm of a creature at the end of the corridor.
Screenshot of Wrong Floor (Source: N4bA)

 

You can download the creepy title for PC, macOS, and Linux via itch.io.

 

14. Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft

If you’re looking for free horror games on Steam that will really captivate you, then you should check out Dagon. by H.P. Lovecraft. The developers describe the game as “a 3D narrative experience in madness” for a reason. Inspired by the work of the same name, the game is a visual novel that will provide you with a rather short, but all the more enthralling gaming experience. You can increase the immersion of this title even more by switching to VR mode. This is a particularly thankful feature that can’t be taken for granted for a free indie title.

We look in first-person at a brown antique desk, on which various written old paper pages of different colors lie. Some of them are rolled up. At the left, right and back edges of the desk are several stacks of books of different colors. On the right, there is a small brown box in the shape of a chest, and right next to it a table lamp with a white lampshade and red stars as a motif on it. We are on board a ship in a wooden room that is relatively poorly lit. A large red carpet with floral decorations can be seen in the background at the top center of the image. To the left and right of it are two wooden pillars. If you are looking for very atmospheric and addictive free horror games on Steam, we can highly recommend Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft.
Screenshot from Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft (Source: Bit Golem)

 

The title is available on PC, and you can get it via Steam.

 

13. AfterHours

AfterHours transports you as a player to a hospital, which you must explore and escape from. In the process, a creepy creature will try to prevent you from leaving this building alive. Try to keep calm and sneak through the many corridors while solving various riddles. Even though the game is a bit rough in places, it impresses even more with its oppressive scary atmosphere, the level design, and the well-thought-out soundscape.

In this screenshot from AfterHours, the player is in a dark room in a hospital. In first-person perspective, we are holding a flashlight in our right hand, which we are using to illuminate a white table in front of us, which is in the middle of the room and can be seen in the center of the image in a long shot. In front of the table at our feet is a chair with a red seat cushion. On the table are several different medicines in various glass bottles. To the left is an orange first aid kit with a cross on it and further to the left an adhesive tape. In the background are dirty walls and several metal cabinets to the right.
AfterHours screenshot (Source: Runway Studios)

 

You can play the title on PC via Steam.

 

12. Dark Deception

You’ll have to do one thing above all in this game: run. As a player, it’s your task to get through a giant maze in one piece without being caught by the fearsome monkey pages. Dark Deception plays a lot like Pac-Man in 3D and with many more thrills and chills. Instead of yellow bullets, you collect pink shards. Incredibly creepy is the knowledge that monkeys can be chasing you around every corner. You have to be constantly prepared for the worst. Dark Deception is the Pac-Man for adults on Steam and one of the most frightening free horror games, guaranteed!

Dark Deception combines the game mechanics of Pac-Man with a creepy setting, as this screenshot illustrates: on the left, in the foreground, we see a monkey in a long shot, wearing a red bellboy uniform. He has a big head with twisted eyes and his wide mouth is smeared with blue and has big black teeth. With a crazy look, he stares at us. To his right is a golden demonic headless stature with devil-like wings holding a purple glowing glass ball in the air. We are in a very ramified hotel building- with dark wooden floors and green-yellow carpets and similar-looking wallpaper on the walls. In the background, a corridor leads to the right. Play free horror games of the extra creepy kind.
Screenshot of Dark Deception (Source: Glowstick Entertainment)

 

The title is available on PC, and you can get it via Steam.

 

11. Get Stuffed!

In this asymmetric multiplayer horror title, you’ll slip into one of the three role categories Killer, Victim, or Antagonist, and you’ll have to try to deceive, escape or kill. Thus, each role has its way of winning. The game combines cute, lovable characters with terrifying horror elements, making it a grotesque scary adventure. Get Stuffed! may not be the scariest of multiplayer horror games, but it offers a lot of entertainment potential for up to 16 players online.

In this screenshot from Get-Stuffed! we are looking in first-person perspective in spectating mode at a cute cat-like character with a disproportionately large head, pointed ears, and huge wide-open eyes. He has a crowbar in his hand and is looking to the left edge of the screen. The character can be seen in a long shot in the center of the frame and is in a dark corridor with yellow stone walls, which is only somewhat illuminated by a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. At the top of the image, there are hints for the game navigation in red letters and below the player, there are three different graphics including a description, which give information about the items of the displayed player. This title is one of the multiplayer horror games, which are very entertaining besides the creepy elements.
Screenshot of Get Stuffed! (Source: FAT BOMB STUDIOS)

 

The game is available on PC, and you can get it via Steam.

 

10. SCP: Secret Laboratory

Several paranormal creatures have escaped from their cages! As a player, you either take on the role of special agent or on-site personnel to stop the anomalies, or you play as a bizarre creature yourself that must try to take revenge on and kill its captors. SCP: Secret Laboratory offers an extraordinary paranormal spectacle and is a great candidate for our multiplayer horror games ranking. Play the game with up to 34 other players online.

In SCP: Secret Laboratory you either fight the paranormal or play a paranormal creature that has broken out of its chamber. In this screenshot, we are looking in first-person at a rectangular high-edged airlock portal that is currently active, so that numerous bright turquoise lightning bolts can be seen in it. We are standing in a dark red illuminated corridor and the glistening light is reflected on the floor. Play one of the most successful paranormal-themed multiplayer horror games for free.
SCP: Secret Laboratory screenshot (Source: Northwood Studios)

 

The title is available on PC, and you can get it via Steam.

 

9. Codename CURE

Form a squad of military special forces together with your friends. Your task is to clean up an infected area, and you won’t be able to avoid a lot of bloodshed and shooting. But that will surely be in your interest as well. Choose from five classes: Assassin, Support, Technician, Pointman, and Sniper. When it comes to horror multiplayer games, Codename CURE shouldn’t be missed since it also offers a high level of strategic gameplay and possibilities for cooperation.

This screenshot shows that this free-to-play title is extremely tactical: We see our playable character in the third person at the bottom center of the image. He is wearing a red combat suit with a black bulletproof vest and a black helmet. In the lower right corner, a squad member in a green camouflage uniform and black helmet can be seen too. Both players open fire on approaching zombies, which are shown in the background in the center of the image. The players are in a forest section at night. Dark fir trees can be seen on the right and in the foreground of the image, and on the left side of the image is a large multi-story wooden house with several windows, in which light is burning and an open door. The ground right by the players is burning and flames can be seen. The sky is dark blue and a green hill with more fir trees can be seen in the background. In multiplayer horror games like Codename Cure, teamwork and collaboration are required to survive.
Screenshot from Codename Cure (Source: Hoobalugalar_X)

 

The game is available on Linux and macOS. Get it for PC on Steam.

 

8. Slender – The Eight Pages

Never go into a dark forest alone; that’s what our mothers have already tried to teach us. In this singleplayer horror game, you must find eight notes in the creepy woods, equipped only with a flashlight. However, you are running out of battery, so hurry up. But beware because the Slender-Man is lurking for you! Don’t let him get too close; you better not turn around, or you’ll be caught!

Run in Slender - The Eight Pages alone in singleplayer mode through a dark forest and search for 8 note pages, as shown here in this screenshot: The player points his flashlight in first-person perspective at a found note, which can be seen in the center of the image in long shot to on a rusty wall. The note consists of a white piece of paper, on which the following sentence is written in scribbly black capital letters: "Leave me alone". On the sheet, there is also a scribbly black drawing, which is supposed to represent either a fir tree or the Slender-Man. Beyond the cone of light, the image is completely black. Singleplayer horror games like this title really require a lot of courage to play.
Screenshot of Slender – The Eight Pages (Source: Parsec Productions)

 

The title can be played on macOS and PC, and you can download it on indiedb.com.

 

7. Zombie Panic! Source

In this fast-paced first-person shooter, you’ll play either on the side of the zombies or the humans. As a survivor, choose between various weapons and barricade yourself together with your team members to avoid being bitten to death by the zombies. Otherwise, you’ll mutate into one of them, and you’ll have to eliminate the remaining humans. As a free Co-op horror game, this is one of the most action-packed and exciting multiplayer horror games in our ranking.

From an elevated position, we look at a rectangular u-shaped red bar counter with the inscription "Candy Bar" in black capital letters. The counter is a bit more in the background relatively in the center of the image and is located in a large hall with a dark red ceiling and orange-red walls. Two columns are standing in the room. The floor is made of brown-colored tiles, on which there are three red carpets with patterns on the left, right, and in front of the bar counter. Three white ceiling lights illuminate the counter, otherwise, the room is quite dark to the sides. In front of the left side of the picture we see a red arrow pointing out of the picture to the left and below it, in the background, a neon sign is shown that reads "Cinema" in bright red capital letters. This is a cutout of a playable map from the game, which is available for free.
Map of Zombie Panic! Source (Source: Monochrome, Inc.)

 

The game is available on PC, and you can get it via Steam.

 

6. No More Room in Hell

This multiplayer game was released in 2011, fittingly on Halloween. The aging title, which is still supported by the developers and gets new updates now and then, has much entertainment potential and offers endless fun with its co-op mode for up to eight players online. In this zombie game, you’ll have to fight, shoot, and even saw (if you can find the chainsaw) your way through hordes of undead together with your teammates. A special thrill is when your ammo slowly runs out as the zombies threaten to encircle you. Despite the slightly outdated graphics, it still holds many scary moments and a lot of fun.

For example, here you can see a screenshot of No More Room in Hell, a free horror game in which you kill zombies with axes. The screenshot shows a dark alley in an oblique perspective, which runs from the front straight into the background of the picture a bit to the left. On the left side, a dark wall made of red bricks can be seen dimly, and on the right side, a white wall is covered with various posters. We look at the action from the player's first-person perspective and hold a red, bloody fire axe in our hands. In front of us, numerous zombies with bloody mouths and red eyes are rushing toward us.
No More Room in Hell (Source: Lever Games/No More Room in Hell Team)

 

The game is available on Linux, macOS, and can be downloaded for PC via Steam.

 

5. Dead By Daylight Mobile

The popular multiplayer console game Dead By Daylight takes the hide-and-seek gameplay of childhood to a horror level. Here you are, either the killer or you must hide from him. Work cooperatively with your friends to escape the horror together. Now you can even play it on your smartphone. Dead By Daylight Mobile is a free horror game for Android users and even features famous killers like Michael Myers and Ghostface that you know from slasher movies.

Multiplayer horror games like Dead by Daylight Mobile are very entertaining and exciting. Here we see a cover of the game. Centered at the bottom of the image, several playable characters in long shots in a slight bottom view and lightly staggered are shown. They are looking off into the distance with suspense as if they have noticed something. The person in front on the left is shining a flashlight in that direction. They are standing in the tall grass in the middle of the night. Behind you see a typical playable murderer with a white scarred mask and a pipe as a weapon in his hand, as he stares at us as viewers. He is shown frontally and much larger in a medium close-up. Behind him, sparks of fire are shooting up and a forest in the blurred fog can be seen. A highly recommended free horror game.
Dead by Daylight Mobile (Source: Behaviour Interactive)

 

The title can be played on Android, which you can get via the Google Play Store.

 

4. The House In The Woods

There are many free horror games out there that offer a creepy atmosphere. Still, The House In The Woods knows how to fully exploit this genre like no other game, with terrifying sound effects and intense moments, making it one of the best free horror games in this field. The game is based on the movie The Blair Witch Project and lets you explore a vast dark forest in PS1 flair; you need to get as much information as possible. A free-to-play horror title that will grab you and won’t let you go in a hurry!

One of the best free horror games is The House in the Woods. Explore a dark forest and find weird artifacts, as shown here.
Screenshot of The House in the Woods (Source: MINIGOLIATH)

 

Download The House In The Woods for PC via itch.io.

 

3. Deceit

Fans of horror games who love Among Us or Trouble in Terrorist Town will have a great time with multiplayer horror games like Deceit. In this FPS game, you wake up in a warehouse with your friends and fight for your freedom. Unfortunately, two of the six survivors are infected with a virus, and no one knows who it is…. except the infected themselves, but obviously, they have to keep it a secret. While the survivors try to escape together, the infected must try to prevent it—a race against time and pure suspense.

Try to escape from the madness together with your friends in Deceit, one of the best free horror games. In this screenshot, we can see a dark level of the game. A dark stone hall with a high ceiling is shown. On the right side, we can see a kind of square altar in the middle of the room, with two large angular pillars at its corners on the left and right. In the center of the altar is a small, angular, relic-like object that glows a bit orange and is surrounded by a white round outline serving the gameplay. The altar is illuminated by a white light coming through a window. Ivy can be seen above the altar.
Deceit (Source: World Makers, Automaton)

 

The game is available on Linux, and you can get it for PC via Steam.

 

2. Cry of Fear

This game is a total conversion of the FPS game Half-Life 1, which means that the developers didn’t use the original game’s assets or any third-party files. Cry of Fear has an extraordinarily creepy and deep but lovingly designed single-player campaign. The free horror game from 2013 still cuts an outstanding visual figure and is an absolute must for every horror fan and our insider tip! But that’s not all: Team up with three friends and play the campaign as a foursome in co-op – chronologically backward!

This screenshot shows a chainsaw killer running towards the protagonist in the middle of a dark forest at night, whose perspective we take in first person view. We hold a battery-powered lantern in our right hand and thus catch sight of the killer in front of us. The forest floor with grasses can be seen on the ground. Multiplayer horror games like Cry of Fear are a must-play.
Cry of Fear (Source: Team Psykskallar)

 

This game is available on PC and can be downloaded via Steam.

 

1. Dead Frontier 2

More and more horror games are coming onto the market, and it’s getting harder and harder to find excellent ones among them. But this title will especially convince you! Multiplayer horror games such as Dead Frontier 2 have an unexpectedly dark and oppressive atmosphere and are highly demanding. Since you’ll often run out of ammunition, you’ll have to learn to use it sparingly to avoid ending up as zombie fodder along with yours. They are guaranteed to be one of the best free horror games and the perfect game for Halloween!

In this screenshot, we see a character in the third person view with a flashlight in a narrow, dark wooden corridor, which runs from the front straight into the background of the image. On the left side we can see a barricaded window and below it a heater. On the right side we see a wooden chest of drawers in the lower right corner of the picture, on which there is a copper-colored table lamp with a yellow lampshade and bottles of different colors. In the middle ground of the picture we see two characters in the glow of the flashlight. The left person kneels, the right person stands. Both are dressed in blue and look towards the player. The corridor disappears into the darkness in the background. Warm colored lights are reflected on the ceiling. Multiplayer horror games like Dead Frontier are also extremely entertaining for horror fans.
Dead Frontier 2 (Source: Creaky Corpse Limited)

 

This game is available on PC, and you can get it via Steam.

 

If you search for more than single or multiplayer horror games

Did you find something for yourself? We have another recommendation for you: The P.T. video game, a single-player teaser for a canceled Silent Hill, and one of the scariest games we’ve played so far.

If you prefer other, less scary genres, then our list of the best free FPS games maybe better suits your taste, or have a look at our lists of the best survival games on PS4 / PS5, the best free RPG games, Souls-like games, or the best RTS games.

If you are a fan of crafting, check out Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator. Now we finally know where all the potions in role-playing games come from!

 

What makes a horror game particularly scary for you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.


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