Looking to scare yourself silly? If so, our list of the best free horror games will give you atmospheric survival experiences without the need to spend any money. Whether you prefer zombie-slaying action, tense survival horror, or asymmetrical multiplayer, chances are you'll find something to like in our list down below.
So join us as we take a deeper look at several horror games that you can play right now for the price of nought. We've got horror-adjacent PC hits as well as some of the most popular mobile horror games out there, giving you plenty of ways to make some horrifying new memories. Just be sure to leave a light on while you play!
Here are the best free horror games
Crossout
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+ 6First on our list is a post-apocalyptic multiplayer game that leans heavily into the dystopia and brutality of a ravaged world. Set several decades after a mysterious virus wiped out most of the population, this vehicular combat game tasks you with joining a legion of survivors and vying for supremacy. While there may not be any zombies or mutants in sight, the murky setting and quest for survival will drum up plenty of tension.
Crossout does something different with its gameplay too, blending its horror undertones with an action-packed premise. You can customise each and every part of your ride, even crafting spare parts to sell on the user marketplace. As such, you can live out your Mad Max fantasies while also occupying a world teetering on total devastation. That sounds pretty fun.
Roblox (Kampong)
click to enlarge + 6While you may associate Roblox with kid-friendly titles designed to soak up hours of playtime, the user-generated platform also houses plenty of terrifying horror games, and none are quite as memorable as Kampong. Set in the town of the same name, you play as a boy visiting his grandfather's home, discovering a demonic secret lurking within.
It plays out as a traditional first-person survival horror game, where all you have is your flashlight with a limited battery and your co-op partners. With a range of demons called Jinn stalking you throughout the town in the pitch black, it can get really atmospheric. Managing your inventory, watching your torch battery, and communicating with other players is all part of the fun, and it makes Kampong really stand out as an excellent Roblox horror game.
Neverwinter
click to enlarge + 6Neverwinter is another horror-adjacent title, this time set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. The horror here comes from the range of wild creatures you'll encounter, from necromancers to undead Harbingers. The good news for horror newbies is it never gets especially frightening because you always have the weaponry to lay waste to your enemies.
Yes, Neverwinter is very much a hack-and-slash game, with any fears you may have of the creatures immediately allayed thanks to your ability to take on practically anything. Even better, you can team up with four other friends to tackle this dark fantasy world in co-op. So if the going gets tough, you can always call in some support to take down a tricky boss. It may not be the scariest game out there, but Neverwinter certainly features some horrific monster designs.
Dead By Daylight Mobile
click to enlarge + 6Next is a free mobile version of the asymmetrical horror game that kickstarted a popular subgenre. Dead By Daylight Mobile encapsulates a new hybrid of hide and seek, with one person hunting down a group of survivors banding together. The killer always has an advantage due to their special abilities and faster movement, but smart collaboration among the survivors can turn any encounter on its head.
Even this mobile spin-off of the wildly popular console game has a bunch of features to boast about. From original killers to licensed behemoths such as Ghostface and Michael Myers, horror fans will be able to live out their slasher movie dreams when chasing down a lone survivor and pinning them to a meat hook, preventing the team from working together. It's most fun when played with a full lobby of friends, but Dead By Daylight Mobile is a versatile and engaging horror game regardless.
Deceit
click to enlarge + 6Another free multiplayer horror game, Deceit ramps up the tension by forcing you to play in first-person. It's like an original Saw trap, as your character wakes up in a decrepit warehouse, with an ominous voice sounding out through the speakers commanding you to fight to earn your freedom. The catch? Two of the six co-op survivors are infected with a virus, but nobody knows who.
As such, there's a tactical edge behind Deceit, as the healthy survivors try to ensure their safe escape, while the infected do all they can to stop them. Survivors can choose to band together or go it alone to take all the best resources for themselves. It all heats up at the end of a match, as the infected take on a demonic form where they can kill survivors for good. That's where the tension reaches a crescendo, making for some hugely memorable interactions.
Poppy Playtime
click to enlarge + 6Last on our list for now is Poppy Playtime, one of the biggest indie horror hits since Five Nights at Freddy's. Set in a cursed toy factory, your task is to simply find the required resources and escape. Of course, it's never quite as simple as that. Like an evil version of Toy Story, the inhabitants of Playtime Co. have a mind of their own, and the last thing they want is for you to see the light of day.
Cue plenty of jump scares as the toys stalk you on your quest to restore power to the factory and escape unscathed. Luckily, you have a pair of electrically wired arms called the GrabPack to help you reach circuits from afar and solve the environmental puzzles preventing you from simply walking out the front door. It can be much more atmospheric than its child-like presentation may suggest, making Poppy Playtime a must-play when it comes to free horror games.
That's it for our picks of the best free horror games to try out! From multiplayer thrills to solo forays into the dark and unknown, you'll have scares for hours to come with these picks. While you're here, feel free to also check out our list of the best free shooting games to remedy that tension with some good old-fashioned gunplay.
Elsewhere, we've also got a list of the best free multiplayer games if you fancy tackling some exciting new titles with your friends in tow. We've also got a list of the best free war games for some action-packed gameplay, as well as the best free puzzle games to wake your brain up in the morning - no coffee required!