It should be no surprise that there’s a terrifying-yet-terrific variety of high-profile essentials and indie classics available on PlayStation Plus via your PS4 and PS5. And with the spooky season upon us it’s only right to dive into some devilish delights that can turn your Halloween – and any future fangs-givings – into a night to remember. Grab a warm beverage, and make sure your blood is suitably chilled before we begin…
Silent Hill 2 (PS5) | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Tense and psychologically brutal survival horrors.
Why you should play:
As remakes go, Silent Hill 2 is among the best. It modernises elements of its gameplay and controls, and revamps the presentation of the PlayStation 2 original without losing any of its sinister atmosphere and heart-thumping challenge. If you didn’t fear getting lost in unknown mists before…well, this will change everything.
Game modes:
A taut single-player mode with multiple endings keeps you coming back to this reborn classic.
Until Dawn (PS5) | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Slasher flicks with an all-star Hollywood cast, and branching narratives where your choices really do matter.
Why you should play:
Eight friends trapped on a remote mountain retreat with a mysterious killer. If that setup isn’t enough to hook you, then Until Dawn seals the deal by forcing you to make decisions that can change the lives of the unlucky eight. If someone dies, the game continues without them, leaving you to carry the weight of your actions for the rest of the story. Ruthless? Absolutely. Utterly compelling? Always.
Game modes:
While designed as a single-player game, it’s easy to bring friends into Until Dawn by passing the DualSense wireless controller to a friend each time another character becomes the focus.
V Rising | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Gothic open worlds, where you can indulge your action-packed, aristocratic vampire fantasy.
Why you should play:
If you ever wanted to become vampire royalty, then Stunlock Studios’ engaging blend of action role-playing and empire building should satisfy that moonlit craving. It’s not just about hard fought battles of blood, and skulking in the shadows to quench your weakened vampire’s thirst, but also rebuilding and personalizing your very own castle, complete with servants, treasure, and (of course) coffins.
Game modes:
You don’t have to wander the world of Vardoran alone. A flexible and vast online multiplayer mode lets you join forces with other human-controlled vampires – or go to war with them if your blood runs a little hotter.
Alan Wake 2 | October Monthly Game (Available until Nov 3, 2025)
For fans of…
Twin Peaks-esque existential survival horror, where the meta narrative bleeds into the game’s main story.
Why you should play:
Surreal and darkly eldritch, Alan Wake 2 grabs you by the eyes and pulls you into a mind-bending adventure where reality is shaped by the horrors of our imagination. Between the dual protagonists of telepathic FBI agent Saga Anderson and trapped writer Alan Wake, you’re in for a nightmarish and gripping exploration of what it means to confront our own limitations. To say more would ruin the game’s many novel surprises.
Game modes:
With its focus on a nerve-wracking single-player, Alan Wake 2 rewards the game’s completion with a New Game Plus mode called The Final Draft, which features an expanded ending, along with a tweaked narrative, collectibles, and a new difficulty setting.
Days Gone (PS4) | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Zombie style open worlds, where overwhelming odds are the order of the day. Oh, and bikes.
Why you should play:
A wild wilderness full of feral, flesh hungry Freakers, unpredictable weather, roving human gangs, and vicious animals? That’s what awaits you in this fast-paced, post-apocalyptic action-adventure, rife with explosive weapons, big set pieces and rip-roaring motorbikes.
Game modes:
Switching things up is the more action oriented Challenge Mode, which tests you to complete objectives under different conditions, such as defeating endless hordes.
Dead by Daylight | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Terrifying yet fun multiplayer survival slasher romps.
Why you should play:
Don’t let Dead by Daylight’s seemingly simple hide and seek concept fool you – this 4vs1 asymmetrical multiplayer game captures the intense thrills of classic 80s monster movies. As four of you try to survive against one relentless killer, the procedurally generated environments ensure every run is brutally unpredictable.
Game modes:
Dead by Daylight’s bot-driven single-player is great for practicing, but its main online multiplayer is where the fun is, especially with friends. Look out for modifiers and variant modes like 2v8 and the darkness enveloping Lights Out.
Outlast 2 | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Chilling survival horror, played via a Blair Witch-style found-footage perspective.
Why you should play:
Blending elements from both classic and modern horror films, Outlast 2 increases its tension by mostly removing the ability to fight back against its cultist antagonists. Combined with video camera style first-person perspective viewpoints, jump-scares and creepy flashbacks, this is a horror fan’s dream (…or nightmare, if you prefer).
Game modes:
Outlast 2 keeps its terror up close and personal with a finely honed single-player mode.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 | Game Catalog
For fans of…
One of the most iconic series going, but also those who like a little dark laughter with their slaughter.
Why you should play:
Virtual reality lends itself perfectly to horror, and what better setting for PlayStation VR2 than the macabre and ever disturbing animatronics world of Fazebear Entertainment? Tasks like managing food in the Pizzaplex and helping robotic performers prepare for their show might not sound scary, but believe me, in Five Nights it’s something that will haunt you forever.
Game modes:
While there’s no multiplayer mode, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 consists of 40 different minigames, with a variety of them only unlocked if others are completed first.
Killer Frequency | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Puzzle-driven murder mysteries, soaked in the neon-lit 1980s.
Why you should play:
How many other games have you assume the role of a late-night radio talk-show host? But this isn’t just some drowsy dialogue with the denizens of Gallows Creek – they’re being hunted by an enigmatic killer and you’re they’re only hope. Every call can be the difference between life and death as you’re solving puzzles, gathering clues, and engaging in branching narrative with eccentric personalities.
Game modes:
The single-player mode features four different endings depending on how many callers you save and if certain characters survive, so there’s incentive for multiple playthroughs.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
For fans of…
Glossy and filmic branching narrative horror adventures.
Why you should play:
It’s not just the high quality production values which make Man of Medan so impressive. It refines the interactive drama genre into an enthralling paranormal horror where any of the five main characters can die. Your choices not only affect their fate, but their relationships, the main storyline, and how it ends, with intriguing premonitions of possible future events adding to the tension.
Game modes:
The single-player story mode is accompanied by Movie Night, a 2 to 5 player couch co-op which assigns a player to each character, and Shared Story for two online players. The Curator’s Cut also lets you see scenes through other characters’ perspectives, with new choices and scenes.
Hello Neighbor | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Mischievous yet hair-raising stealth horrors.
Why you should play:
If you’ve ever wondered what your neighbors get up to, rest assured it’s not as mysterious as Mr Peterson’s attempts to stop you from discovering what’s in his basement. It’s easy to be caught off guard by the colourful visuals, but between the smart artificial intelligence of Peterson and the game’s reflective exploration of trauma, Hello Neighbor is a decidedly different type of scare.
Game modes:
Infiltrating Mr Peterson’s basement is a solitary affair, but a Friendly Mode makes it a bit easier.
Resident Evil Director’s Cut / 2 / 3 | Premium Classics
For fans of…
Unadulterated and genre defining survival horror action.
Why you should play:
The unflinching franchise that became an instant classic. If you wanted to find out how Resident Evil began, there’s no better way than going back to the source of the fabled t-Virus. Flesh eating zombies, conspiracies and iconic characters – the first three titles of the series are fan favourites for a reason.
Game modes:
Resident Evil 2 features two single-player campaigns and several unlockable mini-game missions, such as The 4th Survivor and Tofu Survivor. Resident Evil 3 also has The Mercenaries – Operation: Mad Jackal, which is faster paced and more action heavy than the main mode.
Siren | Premium Classics
For fans of…
Deliberately paced ghost stories that will stay with you longer after you’ve finished them.
Why you should play:
Stealth goes hand in hand with survival horror, so this unnerving voyage to survive the cursed mountain village of Hanuda strongly emphasises its unique Sightjack ability to see through the eyes of the corpse-like Shibito. Observing yourself via your undead stalkers is deeply unsettling, uniquely heightening the anxiety.
Game modes:
Completing Siren earns you access to Time Attack mode, which challenges you to speed run the game, while a secret puzzle mode called Brain Cell Revival / Zuno is also unlockable by picking up the relevant in-game archive.
Crow Country | Game Catalog
For fans of…
Old school survival horrors inspired by ‘90s PlayStation classics.
Why you should play:
Taking its lead from some of the older titles on this list, Crow Country offers the best of both worlds, with its well considered and traditional sense of game design and aesthetics, dipped with options for modern controls and camera movement. The result is a challenging and suitably sinister nod to what made the genre popular in the first place.
Game modes:
In contrast to its regular Survival mode, Exploration mode removes enemies from the game. Conversely, Murder of Crows mode ramps up the difficulty.
