From approach again after we used to inform scary tales across the campfire, humanity has at all times been obsessive about the issues that go bump within the evening, and our unending curiosity within the finest horror video games is a superb testomony to that reality. There’s one thing so engaging concerning the unusual and strange, and nothing can get your blood pumping fairly like a well-timed jumpscare.
Nonetheless, it can be a fairly robust style to pin down, and generally it is a problem to search out the precise spook to get your backbone tingling. Fortunately, our information to the very best and most scary horror video games to play on the go is overflowing with frights, from spooky survival horror to petrifying puzzles. However be warned, you might need to sleep with the lights on after enjoying a few of these.
One of the best horror video games on handhelds are:
1. Luigi’s Mansion 3
As an appetizer to the true terrors additional down the record, now we have to incorporate the fashionable traditional that’s Luigi’s Mansion 3. On this frightfully enjoyable 2019 entry within the iconic Luigi’s Mansion sequence, you get to take Luigi on a (not so) enjoyable getaway to Final Resort, and embark on a ghostly, gooey quest to save lots of Mario from the clutches of a haunted lodge. Principally, suppose Ghostbusters crossed with Scooby Doo that includes Mario characters, and also you’re just about there.
The fight is enjoyable, the puzzles are easy, and the vibes are on level. I notably love the truth that you may workforce up in co-op, with one participant taking management of Luigi and the opposite enjoying as an ooey-gooey slime Luigi. The workforce right here at Pocket Techniques loves enjoying this with our companions or buddies, and it will be a deal with for any mother and father with curious children who’ve a ardour for spooky settings.
Do not simply take our phrase for it, both – Luigi’s Mansion 3 gained the award for the Finest Household Sport on the 2019 Sport Awards, and Nintendo introduced that it had bought 14.5 million copies worldwide by 2024, making it one of many best-selling Change video games of all time. With heaps of creepy capers and madcap enjoyable, this spin-off Mario recreation is an accessible spookfest for the entire household, irrespective of how a lot of a scaredy cat you’re.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change
2. Resident Evil 4 Remake
The unique Resident Evil 4 is a real traditional, so I used to be totally delighted to see Capcom’s 2023 remake breathe new life into it so expertly. Following on from the organic catastrophe in Raccoon Metropolis that takes place in Resident Evil 2, our beloved Leon Kennedy tracks the president’s kidnapped daughter to a secluded European village, shortly studying that the horrors are removed from over.
I can not inform you what number of hours I’ve put into the remake since its launch, and I am going again to it each couple of months. It is simply that good. It handles the mix of motion and survival horror artfully, making certain that even when you have got an arsenal of weapons at your disposal, there’s nonetheless stress within the air. It additionally presents a heap of intriguing lore for these of you who care to search for it, whereas nonetheless providing an excellent expertise if you wish to solely give attention to butt-busting badassery. And, as a lot as Ashley could be fairly annoying at occasions, making certain her security provides an additional layer of problem all through sure sections of the sport.
Oh, and don’t be concerned if you happen to’re totally new to the sequence – you need not play Resident Evil 2 (or the equally sensible Resident Evil 2 remake) to select up the story right here, as it really works completely effectively as a self-contained expertise. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re intrigued by the world, you will be glad to know that many of the Resident Evil video games, together with the newer remakes, are absolutely Steam Deck verified and run like a dream on many Home windows handhelds. We even have affirmation that Biohazard, Village, and the extremely anticipated upcoming Requiem will probably be arriving on Nintendo Change 2 in February 2026, so it is a good time to dive in.
Verify costs: Steam Deck and Home windows handhelds
3. Detention
Initially launched in January of 2017, Detention is a fantastically haunting, side-scrolling horror recreation with deep roots in Taiwanese-Chinese language folklore and fantasy, together with the oppressive horror of the White Terror and martial legislation. Regardless of beginning with humble beginnings constructed on a Steam Greenlight demo, it has since gone on to spark a novel adaptation, a film, and even a implausible Netflix sequence that aired on December 5, 2020.
Detention is ready in Nineteen Sixties Taiwan, and focuses on two college students referred to as Wei and Ray, who discover themselves trapped of their highschool. Positioned in a distant, remoted space, they quickly discover that this is not the tutorial establishment they keep in mind. The constructing and surrounding space start to shift in unsettling methods, and the halls come alive with evil creatures often called the ‘lingered’.
As you traverse the highschool rendered in attractive but macabre 2D, you end up immersed in a world of hostile supernatural occasions, and consumed by a deep worry of the monsters inside us all. Do remember the fact that this implausible indie recreation does contact on some heavy topics and should lower near the bone for some, however if you happen to suppose you may deal with it, I extremely advocate you give it a attempt.
Verify costs: Android, iOS, Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
4. FNAF: Into the Pit
Beginning with the 2014 point-and-click survival horror recreation, FNAF has change into one of the vital iconic and influential horror franchises in current historical past, and one in every of our favourite entries within the sequence needs to be Into the Pit. Primarily based on the e-book of the identical title, this side-scrolling, 2D, horror journey recreation sees you are taking management of a kid referred to as Oswald who explores the ball pit in a rundown pizzeria and shortly finds himself caught within the horrors of the previous.
From right here, you could survive 5 nights of terror, touring between time durations and gathering clues because the threatening Spring Bonnie relentlessly pursues you. In her 9/10 FNAF: Into the Pit evaluate, deputy editor Kayleigh Partleton describes it as “the very best FNAF recreation [she’s] performed”, stating that the sequence “has by no means been so terrifying”.
In fact, any of the FNAF video games might simply take a spot on this record, and we extremely advocate checking all of them out if you have not already. However if you happen to’re on the lookout for a singular expertise that permits you to break free from the safety desk and into a very terrifying, lore-filled story, we urge you to take a dive into the pit.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
5. The Mortuary Assistant
The Mortuary Assistant is a splendidly bizarre mixture of journey, simulation, and horror recreation, wherein you play as – you guessed it – a mortuary assistant. You want a robust abdomen for this one, as a result of not solely will you be strolling by means of all the means of inspecting and embalming a corpse, however you will even be coping with a supernatural menace, too.
It seems that this morgue is a hotspot for the demonic, and it is as much as you to work out which corpse is possessed and what the demon’s title is earlier than the evening is thru, until you fancy becoming a member of them within the underworld. Alongside the way in which it’s a must to cope with plenty of unsettling apparitions, nerve-jangling jumpscares, and hints of the traumatic previous our protagonist has been by means of, all whereas getting the job finished. Discuss an expert, this gal deserves worker of the month.
This horror-infused simulation recreation is, in some methods, fairly brief. Nonetheless, you may proceed to tackle extra shifts after the primary, and, because of the randomized nature of the ‘hang-out occasions’, it is uncommon that any two nights will probably be alike. There are additionally a wide range of endings so that you can discover if you happen to fancy piecing collectively all of the completely different parts of the sport’s twisted world.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
6. World of Horror
Launched in 2023, World of Horror is a placing horror recreation impressed by the works of Junji Ito and HP Lovecraft. It combines parts of roguelite, RPG, text-based journey, and visible novel, and sees you are taking management of one in every of a number of completely different protagonists as you discover a wide range of spine-chilling tales, struggle otherworldly monsters, and try to survive the wrath of the outdated gods.
Every brief playthrough begins with the summoning of one in every of these outdated gods, which has a big impression in your run. After this, the sport duties you with investigating 5 randomly chosen mysteries, protecting all the things from rotten ramen to freaky discovered footage. In my 9/10 World of Horror evaluate, I state that its “attractive retro vibes, twisted tales, and RNG-fueled gameplay loops” make it a “morbidly moreish expertise that is onerous to place down.”
There are heaps of secrets and techniques to uncover and new options to unlock, in addition to loads of customization choices to maintain issues contemporary, that means it presents hours and hours of replayability, which is kind of spectacular for such a small indie horror recreation. The storytelling is elegant, the vibes are on level, and it really reads as a love letter to Ito’s iconic tales.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
7. Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation is a 2014 survival horror recreation set 15 years after the unique 1979 movie. You end up within the footwear of Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, who’s trapped on a desolate spacecraft. So as to survive, you could discover the house station and full mission targets, all whereas avoiding, outsmarting, and even defeating your foes.
Whereas there are many hostile human survivors and androids in your approach, the true antagonist is, in fact, the titular alien (in any other case often called ‘The Creature’). This fearsome foe is undefeatable and makes use of groundbreaking AI that permits it to hunt you primarily based on sight, sound, and your earlier actions. In our 8/10 Alien Isolation cell evaluate, deputy editor Kayleigh Partleton commends its “thick ambiance”, stating that “there is a fixed sense of dread, and the truth that you may’t at all times struggle again – particularly towards the xenomorph – has your coronary heart pumping.”
Alien: Isolation has been on the prime of many horror followers’ lists for years now, and it is easy to see why. With its claustrophobic, isolating ambiance, hostile setting, and ever-present threats, it is all the things we might have hoped for in a recreation primarily based on the enduring Alien sequence, and we’re extremely keen to listen to extra information of the long-awaited Alien Isolation 2.
Verify costs: Android, Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
8. Vlad Circus: Descend into Insanity
Vlad Circus: Descend into Insanity is a placing survival horror recreation painted in fantastically simplistic pixel graphics. Set in Twenties America, it follows the story of troubled man and former circus clown Oliver Mills as he reunites with the remainder of the Vlad Circus crew eight years after the tragic fireplace that tore them aside.
What follows is a singular and twisted expertise stuffed with mysteries and secrets and techniques to uncover, heaps of puzzles to resolve, horrific hallucinations so that you can battle, and a very tragic story certain to shake you to your core. In my 9/10 Vlad Circus evaluate, I describe it as “a deeply atmospheric survival horror recreation with a twisting story, tragic characters, and deeply hostile but claustrophobic world that sucks you proper in from the start”.
The gameplay loop is easy however fulfilling, and makes for a really efficient mix of puzzle recreation and survival horror. Nonetheless, its fantastic storytelling and deeply atmospheric temper are the place it actually shines, and its spine-tingling spooks are certain to stick with you for a very long time.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
9. Paranormasight
Paranormasight is a visible novel that pulls you into an intricately woven net of tales surrounding a bunch of characters who discover themselves within the grip of lethal curses. Uncover the Seven Mysteries of Honjo and dive deeper into the horrors of the world round you as you discover the goals, fears, and motivations of those compelling characters, all set towards a fantastically crafted backdrop of late Twentieth-century Japan.
In my Paranormasight evaluate, I name it a “masterpiece” and the “gold customary of supernaturally suspenseful visible novels”. On a private observe, I even slapped my first ever 10/10 on this dangerous boy – it genuinely made that a lot of an impression on me, and I nonetheless discover myself returning to it for an additional playthrough usually.
In fact, as a visible novel recreation, the principle factor you will be doing right here is studying, nevertheless it additionally options point-and-click parts, including additional depth to the expertise as you scan every location for any hidden particulars. Sadly, the sport does not include correct voice appearing, however, for its surprisingly low value, you get an entire lot of lore, horror, and a focus to element. I even have to offer a large shout out to its sequel which, in my Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse evaluate, I give a strong 9/10 for its intriguing spin on the lore round mermaids and ningyo, regardless of not being fairly as modern or horror-focused as its predecessor.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
10. Spirit Hunter: Dying Mark
Whereas its gameplay is an easy mixture of visible novel and level and click on, Spirit Hunter: Dying Mark has a cult following – due in no small half to its gripping story and spine-tingling art work. You play as a person referred to as Yashiki who finds himself wandering round with no reminiscences and a mysterious chew mark-like scar on his arm. Arriving in a mansion with different individuals who sport the identical scar, the group discovers that they are all cursed by spirits, and, so long as they’ve the mark on their physique, their days are numbered.
You then embark on a nerve-jangling journey, going through off towards spirits and placing them to relaxation to save lots of your self and the opposite mark bearers. Every ghost has a darkish and tragic previous, which you could unwind and resolve if you happen to hope to see one other day. Like Paranormasight, Spirit Hunter: Dying Mark does lack voice appearing, however the spooky sounds and music do plenty of heavy lifting.
For those who do get pleasure from Spirit Hunter: Dying Mark and wish to know extra about Yashiki and the Mark Bearers’ battle with the supernatural, you will be glad to know that Dying Mark II is now on Change and Steam Deck. In my 9/10 Spirit Hunter: Dying Mark II evaluate, I name it “a superb continuation of an already excellent sequence, and an actual masterclass in supernatural storytelling.”
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
11. Madison
A chilling psychological horror with a suffocating ambiance, disorientating puzzles, and an intriguing narrative, Madison is a completely frightful delight laced with an overbearing sense of dread. You’re taking management of a younger man referred to as Luca, slowly creeping round an eerie, decaying home. Armed with nothing however a Polaroid digital camera, you could piece collectively a horrific story of homicide, demons, and possession, and work out the way it all ties again to you.
In my 9/10 Madison evaluate, I describe it as an “all-out spooky vibe fest”, commending the way in which that “the sluggish, dread-filled crawl in the direction of solutions pushes and pulls you in numerous instructions as you acquire scraps of exposition from random notepads, graffiti, police radios, cassette tapes, and a bunch of different seemingly innocuous objects.”
With a palpable sense of stress, painful pacing, and a very morbid thriller beneath the floor, Madison is a kind of sensible PT-inspired horror video games that I simply cannot get sufficient of. Whereas its gameplay might be summed up as a strolling sim or level and click on recreation with extra steps, the puzzles and narrative elevate it to a brand new degree, and its use of some surprisingly efficient jumpscares makes for a very fulfilling but spooky expertise.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
12. Poppy Playtime
An episodic survival horror recreation bursting with puzzles, possessed toys, and freaky enjoyable, Poppy Playtime has change into one other cult traditional, going toe-to-toe with the likes of FNAF. You’re taking the position of a former Funtime Co. worker, returning to the now-abandoned manufacturing unit the place you used to work. As soon as inside, you face a large number of monsters, painstaking puzzles, and morbid mysteries, in search of to uncover the reality behind Funtime Co. and the haunting horrors that lie inside.
Every chapter sees you delve deeper into the manufacturing unit, edging ever-closer to the horrific fact behind this seemingly harmless toy firm, and always going through new and much more fearsome foes with each step you are taking. In my 8/10 Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 evaluate, I state that Poppy Playtime’s “distinctive artwork type, participating gameplay, intriguing idea and setting, and extra lore than you can ever hope for” has “really earned it a spot within the horror corridor of fame”.
Whereas the puzzles are nice, the true stars of the present are at all times the Poppy Playtime characters. In reality, I discover probably the most thrilling half about clocking in for every contemporary chapter is seeing what new creations you will be assembly and uncovering their tragic tales and origin tales. Admittedly, the efficiency could be a little buggy at occasions, and a few chapters are positively higher than others, however we nonetheless can not help however eagerly anticipate our subsequent alternative to return to the horrifying manufacturing unit.
Verify costs: Android, iOS, Nintendo Change, and Home windows handhelds
13. Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is a very distinctive co-op horror recreation that launched into early entry again in September 2020. Now, over 5 years later, it is constructed up a large following, spawned numerous copycats, and has scared the daylights out of aspiring paranormal investigators all all over the world.
Teaming up with as much as 4 different gamers, it sees you head off to a haunted location, utilizing a spread of ghost searching instruments to analyze and establish the entity. As you and your teammates uncover extra proof, you should utilize your journal to slender down the potential suspects, observing their behaviors and reactions as you go alongside. Nonetheless, every ghost has its personal set off, and if you happen to handle to annoy it, it should go right into a hunt, throughout which it should relentlessly pursue and remove any intruders.
With a variety of paranormal gear, a bunch of various ghost varieties primarily based on creatures and entities from varied cultures and religions, and a wide range of maps of various sizes and difficulties, Phasmophobia is a difficult deal with for any followers of the supernatural. However, in fact, the true pull is that this is likely one of the finest co-op video games to get pleasure from together with your fright-loving mates, providing heaps of hilarity and horrified hysterics. I’d know – I’ve spent round 200 hours enjoying it!
Verify costs: Steam Deck and Home windows handhelds
14. Cronos: The New Daybreak
A current addition to the survival horror world, Cronos: The New Daybreak arrived on September 5, 2025, gripping us all with its brutal vibes. Set in a grim, retro-futurist world, you are taking the position of a Traveler working for the enigmatic Collective, exploring the wastelands searching for time rifts that transport you again to Eighties Poland.
Straddling the traces between previous and future, you dive right into a hellish actuality the place a pandemic has torn by means of the land, and there are mutated monsters and harrowing horrors hidden round each nook. In our 8/10 Cronos: The New Daybreak evaluate, Kayleigh describes it as “a tense expertise that may check even probably the most seasoned survival horror veteran”.
Kayleigh additionally highlights the sport’s profitable use of darkish, eerie environments, Useless Area-esque fight, and strong implementation of survival horror mechanics, all of which add as much as make for an extremely immersive horror motion recreation, and one of the vital thrilling new horror IPs in current occasions.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change 2, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
15. Dredge
Launched in 2023, Dredge is a very distinctive horror journey RPG, the place you play as a fisherman who finds himself wrecked upon the shore of a small city. From there, you got down to repay your money owed and earn an sincere residing by taking to the treacherous seas in your rickety little boat searching for the subsequent huge catch.
Nonetheless, you quickly end up caught up in a internet of a sinister nature, dredging up more and more horrifying creatures as you enterprise additional into open waters. In my Dredge preview, I clarify “the twists and turns to the story, in addition to the just about Lovecraftian vibe to the creatures of the deep, are all delightfully darkish and otherworldly, and the warning of setting out on the ocean at evening shouldn’t be taken frivolously.”
Whereas the core gameplay is a comparatively easy mix of fishing recreation and RPG, Dredge chooses to include its horror themes as a deep and darkish undercurrent, because the very human worry of the unknown eats away at you. It drops frequent although generally delicate reminders that you just’re not alone – that one thing past your comprehension lies beneath the floor, simply ready for its second to strike. And, if you happen to actually give it some thought, is not that the scariest factor of all?
Verify costs: Android, iOS, Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
16. The Bridge Curse: Highway to Salvation
Primarily based on the 2020 Taiwanese film, The Bridge Curse: Highway to Salvation is a first-person atmospheric horror recreation, and the primary entry within the Softstar Horror-verse. Nonetheless, it isn’t a direct adaptation. As an alternative, it takes the core themes of the supply materials – that’s, city legends and curses – and expands the world with new tales and situations and, for my part, manages to surpass the film totally.
The sport follows six faculty children who take part in a braveness check difficult the well-known Bridge Curse legend, by accident awakening a horrible curse within the course of. Now, it is a race towards the clock to discover a solution to break the curse and make it out alive, all whereas avoiding the terrifying feminine ghost that has haunted Tunghu College for many years.
With a bunch of high-pressure puzzles, spine-chilling chase sequences, and a deliciously darkish story at its core, it actually appears like a traditional horror B-movie come to life. Its implausible sequel, The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication, solely steps the horror up much more, and can be completely good for any followers of Silent Hill f on the lookout for some supernatural shenanigans to discover on the go – particularly as we nonetheless haven’t got a Silent Hill 2 Change port or Steam Deck assist. General, I genuinely love each of those video games, and think about Softstar’s Horror-verse to be one of the vital promising names within the horror style.
Verify costs: Nintendo Change, Steam Deck, and Home windows handhelds
17. Dying Gentle: The Beast
2015’s Dying Gentle was fairly a juggernaut within the survival horror house, and nonetheless holds a staunch following to today. Its distinctive combination of roof-hopping parkour, open world exploration, and zombie-bashing motion was a transparent recipe for fulfillment, however, sadly, Dying Gentle 2 struggled to seize that very same essence. Nonetheless, followers of the unique (and of action-infused survival horror typically) will probably be glad to know that Dying Gentle: The Beast is an enormous step in the precise route.
You as soon as once more take the position of Kyle Crane, who was captured by the Baron and, at this level, has endured years of painful experiments. Lastly making your escape, you end up on the sting of humanity with each human and zombie DNA, and should wrestle to regulate your interior beast as you search out your revenge. And, as author Sam Comrie says in our 8/10 Dying Gentle: The Beast evaluate, “controlling Beast Mode is not straightforward”.
Sam spent most of his time with Dying Gentle: The Beast having fun with the co-op play along with his buddies on the Asus ROG Ally Z1e, and had an actual blast. The sport can also be absolutely Steam Deck verified, that means you may beast-out on most of the finest handheld consoles every time and wherever you want.
Verify costs: Steam Deck and Home windows handhelds
New horror video games
Our usually up to date lists of the most important new Change video games and new cell video games monitor all the highest titles arriving in your favourite handheld platforms, together with loads of new horror video games. At present, we’re eagerly anticipating the discharge of Resident Evil Requiem in February 2026 alongside the Change 2 ports of Resident Evil VII and VIII, in addition to the extremely anticipated Deadly Body II: Crimson Butterfly remake.
Contemplating how a lot enjoyable we had in our Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 evaluate on February 18, we’re additionally very a lot wanting ahead to the inevitable Chapter 6, and, in fact, we won’t watch for a new FNAF recreation to come back alongside, too.
We’re fairly proud of our prime picks for the very best horror video games which you could play on handhelds, however we’re at all times on the lookout for new fearsome frights to get our blood pumping. If we have missed your favourite, you should definitely hop into our group Discord and provides us a nudge. Or, if you happen to’re on the lookout for a wider breadth of experiences to discover, you should definitely try our lists of the finest Change video games, the finest Steam Deck video games, and the finest cell video games total.
