Just in time for Halloween, get scared silly on your Nintendo Switch!
Spooks and frights are not the first thing that come to mind when we think of Mario, Animal Crossing and Pokémon. But those looking to peel back the sweet facade will find a creepy collection of horror games with all the creeps and gore that fuel our nightmares.
Whether you’re looking for zombies, ghosts or psychological terrors, we’ve come up with a list of the best horror games on the Nintendo Switch for 2022. So pull up your blankets and experience the many scares of the Switch right now!
Luigi’s Mansion 3
A follow-up to Luigi’s Mansion on the GameCube, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon on the 3DS, this Nintendo Switch exclusive game is less terror and more candy-coloured spooks. Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees the titular Luigi scaling a haunted hotel on the hunt for a kidnapped Mario, using his trusty poltergust 3000 vacuum to suck up an infestation of spooky ghosts and ghoulies. With Pixar-quality visuals, ingenious puzzles and plenty of gooey gadgets, it’s scary how much fun you’ll have with Luigi’s Mansion 3. One of our favourite and the best Nintendo Switch horror games.
Detention
Brace yourself for a terrifying tour of history with Detention. Set in Taiwan in the 1960s, the game follows students Wei and Ray trapped inside their high school, all the while confronting the reality of their lives under martial law. An atmospheric side-scroller, at first glance you’ll be solving puzzles and chatting with other students. But as this horror game for the Switch quickly unravels, the creepy imagery and unsettling compositions help to convey the suppression and fear from this brutal period in Taiwan’s history. Detention proves that sometimes reality is more frightening than fiction, making it one of the best psychological horror games on the Switch.
Resident Evil 4
There’s plenty of classic Resident Evil frights to be had on the Switch, but if you had to pick just one, then Resident Evil 4 is a must. One of the most important horror games of all time, Resident Evil 4 has been re-released on the Switch after first terrifying us all the way back in 2005. You play as Leon Kennedy, a secret agent who must rescue a girl from a mysterious cult in a rural Spanish village. With plenty of over-the-top zombie creeps, you’re never too far away from a good fright. And with the convenience of portability, you can be scared by one of the best Switch horror games of all time on the go!
Little Nightmares
While the creatures may be small, the nightmares are certainly not. Released in 2017 by Swedish indie developer Tarsier Studios, Little Nightmares has you playing as little girl Six, where you must escape a dilapidated iron vessel filled with monstrous ghouls. With Tim Burton-esque designs reminiscent of an R-rated Nightmare Before Christmas, Little Nightmares invites you into an unsettling world that is both grotesque and captivating. Available to play now on Nintendo Switch; we must warn you: you won’t be able to get to bed after playing Little Nightmares.
Alien: Isolation
A video game adaptation from one of the best horror movies of all time, Alien: Isolation is a necessity for both fans of the film franchise and horror game aficionados alike. Alien: Isolation turns the unique sci-fi world of Alien into an unparalleled interactive horror experience as you investigate the abandoned space station Sevastopol while being hunted by vicious Xenomorphs. Originally released in 2014, this modern sci-fi horror classic has made its way to the Nintendo Switch, letting you escape the clutches of relentless enemies while waiting for the bus. Let this survival horror masterpiece face-hug your Switch this Halloween!
Amnesia: Collection
Bringing together two modern survival horror game classics — Amnesia: Dark Descent and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs — the Amnesia: Collection is the perfect treat for horror game fans. Step into the twisted Lovecraftian world of Amnesia, as you must uncover the secrets and unimaginable horrors of decaying castles and the streets of Victorian era London. Equipped with nothing but a fading lamp, there’s never a safe moment to be found in the Amnesia: Collection. One of the best horror games on Switch in 2022!
Layers of Fear: Legacy
Your curiosity will only lead you astray in Layers of Fear: Legacy, one of the best horror games for the Nintendo Switch. Peeling back the layers on this atmospheric masterwork lets the player control a psychologically disrupted painter, attempting to finish his crowning achievement while slowly learning the truth about his Victorian mansion, and ultimately himself. This definitive version for the Switch features plenty of additional features and improvements over other versions of the game, allowing you to experience a slow-burn terror unlike anything else on the system.
Inside
Few games will get under your skin like Inside. Winning multiple Game of the Year awards upon its release in 2016, Inside shows how video games, even horror games, can be truly great art. Unlike other survival horror games, Inside does not feature jump scares, monsters or ghouls. Instead, this almost completely silent game is a masterclass in atmospheric abstract storytelling, enveloping you in a world of bleak futurism and human experimentation. The game will have you solving puzzles while navigating a robot-controlled dystopia, asking you what it means to be human.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
A Japanese horror in the vein of The Grudge and The Ring, the story in Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water follows three different characters in the town of Mt. Hikami, infamous for its unusual suicides and spiritual sightings. It is up to you to uncover the secrets of this town while trying to survive the night. As the name implies, you interact with the world through your camera obscura, which allows you to fight against hostile ghosts by taking their photograph. One thing is for sure, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water will curse your Switch this Halloween!
Dead by Daylight
While many horror games are played alone, Dead by Daylight lets you share the terror with friends. This multiplayer survival horror game has one player take on the role of the killer, as the other four players must work together to escape from the killer. A homage to the slasher flicks of the 80s like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, there is plenty of bone crunching fun to be had in Dead by Daylight, one of the best multiplayer horror games on the Switch.
Once you’ve made it through our Nintendo Switch horror games list, stream your way through the Best Horror Movies to Watch on Netflix Now. Or, if you prefer page-turners, read your way through the 10 Best Terrifying Horror Novels for Halloween.
