While horror and role-playing games are often separate, some fantastic games blend both genres. With Halloween here, we’ve put together a list of the most interesting ones.
These games all include role-playing elements like turn-based battles and character progression. They also all have horror themes, ranging from mildly spooky to genuinely terrifying.
If you enjoy scary stories and games where you play a role, prepare to be frightened by our list of the best horror roleplaying games!
10. Call of Cthulhu
Tentacles of Terror
Adapting a beloved pen-and-paper RPG into a complete video game is a significant challenge. Call of Cthulhu successfully achieved this, bringing Chaosium’s classic adventure to life as a visually striking and unsettling digital experience.
What really made Call of Cthulhu stand out was its writing, which perfectly created the game’s creepy and disturbing atmosphere. Plus, you have a lot of freedom to develop detective Pierce’s skills and play the game in a way that suits your style.
If you’re hoping for scary moments, you won’t be disappointed – the game delivers plenty of unsettling scenes through its cutscenes. However, the optional side missions aren’t very exciting, and navigating the levels can sometimes be annoying.
9. Penny Blood: Hellbound
The Roaring ’20s, Indeed
| Publisher | NatsumeAtari |
|---|---|
| Platform | PC |
| Genre | ARPG, rogue-lite |
| Release Date | December 17, 2024 |
It makes sense to include Penny Blood: Hellbound on this list, even though it’s an action RPG rather than a traditional RPG. That’s because the game was created by many of the same people who made Shadow Hearts and Koudelka, and that team is known for its love of dark, supernatural adventures.
The game takes place in a historic temple during the 1920s, where a band of rebels and troublemakers are fighting for their escape – and perhaps some truth along the way. They are known as the Hellbounders, a group of unpredictable anarchists with a talent for brutal combat.
This game lets you battle demons and gain power from conflict. You’ll experience intense action and can even team up with a friend for chaotic, cooperative gameplay.
8. Koudelka
Haunted Monasteries and Ghoulish Fun
I keep finding myself mentioning Koudelka – it’s a horror game I just can’t seem to stop thinking about! It probably has something to do with the developers behind Shadow Hearts, who had a really unique approach to game design, blending horror elements with role-playing games.
Despite being an older game, Koudelka remains visually impressive with beautiful cutscenes and a unique setting for an RPG. The story unfolds in a spooky, monster-filled monastery shrouded in mystery. Adding to the atmosphere, your companions aren’t a cheerful group, creating a consistently tense and unpredictable experience.
While the fighting mechanics aren’t perfect by today’s standards, I actually appreciate the slightly clunky controls. Having played older horror games with similar controls, I think they can actually add to the feeling of fear and vulnerability.
7. World of Horror
Black & White Terror
I’ve been really struck by the game World of Horror since I first heard about it. It’s also influenced by H.P. Lovecraft, like Call of Cthulhu, but it creates a far more frightening experience.
Despite being presented in black and white, this unsettling turn-based RPG, which blends rogue-lite elements with horror, is deeply disturbing. You play as an investigator looking into strange events, occurring as the boundary between our world and the realm of ancient gods begins to break down.
As a horror fan, I’m completely hooked on World of Horror! It’s genuinely scary, and the feeling of dread just builds and builds as you play. Every encounter feels like a real risk – you’re constantly wondering if you’ll make it out okay, or if you’ll become another victim. With 14 different characters to play as and multiple ways the story can end, it’s a game that’s going to stick with me – and creep me out – for a long time.
6. Omori
Where Did the Color Go?
Initially, Omori appears to be a bright and cheerful RPG reminiscent of Earthbound. However, beneath its colorful exterior lies a surprisingly dark and unsettling story filled with despair and horror.
The game begins like a strange and enchanting adventure, but as you progress, it gradually becomes much more frightening. Without giving away too much of the story, it deals with a deeply sad and unsettling topic in a surprisingly direct way.
For now, you can have fun with the lovely visuals and strategic battles. But be warned – frightening things will happen when you’re least prepared!
5. Parasite Eve
Just Another Day in Manhattan
I personally love Parasite Eve and consider it one of the greatest games of all time – it’s stuck with me since the late 90s! However, since this list aims to be more than just my opinion, I had to place it further down.
Though not a typical horror game, the combination of devastating mutations, a compelling mystery, and a police investigation creates a unique and intense experience. You begin as Aya Brea, an ordinary officer, but as the story unfolds, she uncovers increasingly disturbing secrets about her own identity.
Fortunately, understanding these truths gives Aya the strength to fight Eve directly in a turn-based battle system. Eve uses her unique powers to transform creatures into terrifying monsters, and she can even reanimate dinosaur skeletons to attack. Parasite Eve is a brilliantly dark and unsettling adventure that really deserves to be remade for today’s gamers.
4. Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Cthulhu’s Victory
It’s no surprise to see another game drawing inspiration from the works of Lovecraft and Cthulhu – those stories are famous for their themes of madness and overwhelming cosmic horror. In Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones, you’ll journey from the familiar streets of Arkham into a terrifying, otherworldly realm to battle against ancient and powerful foes.
Similar to Penny Blood: Hellbound, Stygian is set in the 1920s and lets you create a character based on different archetypes. While it’s a 2D, turn-based game, the magic system is unique – it can be costly, potentially more so than using energy, and often has disturbing effects on those who wield it.
One of the most interesting parts of Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is its Belief system – how your character’s mental state changes the conversations you can have. Going insane can actually help you in the game’s dark world, unlocking options that a stable mind wouldn’t see. Prepare yourself for a truly disturbing, unsettling, and violent RPG experience.
3. Withering Rooms
A Victorian Nightmare
Withering Rooms stands out because it uses a distinctive 2.5D visual style and blends elements of horror, rogue-lite gameplay, and RPGs. Each time you explore Mostyn House, the experience will be different, but you’ll always face creepy ghosts and monsters.
It’s strange, but Withering Rooms feels a lot like a classic Resident Evil game, except it’s played from a side view. The monsters you encounter are aggressive and will relentlessly hunt you down.
Fortunately, death isn’t permanent, and magic offers a way to keep fighting. Prepare to explore spooky locations like shadowy corners, hedge mazes, ancient tombs, and eerie churches in this wonderfully chilling horror adventure.
2. Fear & Hunger
Dungeon Crawling Horror
Dungeon-crawling RPGs are popular, but Fear & Hunger stands out. It’s much darker than most games in the genre and tackles mature subject matter. Plus, unlike other RPGs, this one features dismemberment as a common part of battles.
Honestly, this game really grabbed me with how different each character class feels, and the random stuff happening kept me on edge the whole time – seriously, my heart was racing! Plus, the art style is gorgeous – it’s all painterly and moody, which somehow makes the scary parts even more effective. It’s a really cool look that adds a lot to the atmosphere.
As a tough survival horror game, Fear & Hunger is very challenging, so expect to die a lot while trying to win.
1. Look Outside
Just Survive Somehow
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
|---|---|
| Platform | PC |
| Genre | RPG, Survival Horror |
| Release Date | March 21, 2025 |
As a big fan of Devolver Digital, I was really looking forward to Look Outside, and it didn’t disappoint. While Devolver usually experiments with lots of different game types, they haven’t done many survival horror games. Look Outside stood out because it combined that genre with strategic, turn-based battles and genuinely disturbing visuals, making for a fantastic experience.
The game is set entirely within an apartment building, which may not sound very exciting at first. But things take a terrifying turn when you learn that anyone who looked outside was turned into monstrous creatures. Your goal is to survive until help comes.
To survive, you’ll need to constantly search for resources and build your own weapons. You might even encounter and team up with some unusual allies. But be warned: this is a really difficult and frightening role-playing game that will stay with you long after you finish playing.
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2025-11-02 22:11