The 2022 perfect for jump scares, creepy horror games, and unsettling interactive experiences.
There's something for everyone in this year's crop of free horror games. With several fantastic Backrooms-themed titles, a solid helping of visual novels, and even some free strategy and RPG games with dark fantasy and horror themes, no one is likely to be left wanting for Halloween 2022 horror - regardless of whether they can afford to pay anything for it.
It would be impossible to list every free horror game that's come out in 2022, and even sifting through to find the best is an exercise best not entered into lightly. Scares are often a subjective thing, and everyone comes to horror for somewhat different reasons, but these free horror games are some of the best 2022 has brought, sure to make anyone's Halloween night all the more spooky.
Camp Laughter Is A Single-Player Horror Game With DbD Vibes
Camp Laughter (available on best free horror games in 2022. With a series of killers and four different zones to travel through, the game feels almost something like a single-player Dead by Daylight, with cat-and-mouse gameplay that tasks the player with achieving various objectives and solving some puzzles. The aesthetic is simple overall, but this is consistent and works in the game's favor, and it's a solid short play worth the time for anyone looking for some Halloween game fun this spooky season.
Nox Timore Remake Offers Time-Tested Free Horror Game Scares
The original Nix Timore is nearly a decade old, and while it was a fun romp, this revamp by original creator Vidas (available on Steam and dead horror game series comeback).
For Mother Matron Is A Gruesome Free Visual Novel For Halloween 2022
Free visual novels can be somewhat hit or miss, but this horror-themed outing from Velvetique Games has solid production values, voice acting, several characters, and a creepy story that should appeal to VN fans looking for something with spooky vibes to play this Halloween. It's totally linear, but a decent runtime makes it worth the on Steam or itch.io.
Late Night Mop Has Mortuary Assistant Vibes For Free Halloween Horror
This bite-sized horror experience is a perfect game for Halloween. Available from Lixian Games on The Mortuary Assistant evolved modern horror games as a concept by playing with mundane tasks combined with horror atmosphere, Late Night Mop does similarly, with an almost Viscera Cleanup Detail style of gameplay that works in some jump scares and even multiple endings. It's one of the highest-quality free horror game releases of 2022 even at its short runtime.
Video Horror Society Is Dead By Daylight With Its Own Twists
In many ways, Video Horror Society (available in early access on Steam) is exactly what one expects out of a Dead by Daylight-style multiplayer horror game, but it's got plenty of its own unique mechanics to recommend it, asking players to use more strategy and teamwork in comparison to the game from which it draws its most obvious inspiration.
Dead by Daylight DLC has introduced Resident Evil characters and killers, and it's had years now to add to its roster through original creations and crossovers. While Video Horror Society is still a little thin on the monster side of things, there's plenty of potential as updates continue, making the less grimdark, 1980's horror theme an appealing alternative. It may not differentiate itself from Dead by Daylight enough for some, but given that it's currently free to play while in early access, entrenched fans of the subgenre will likely find something new worth exploring.
Case #1472 Is Non-Traditional Horror For Free In Early Access
From developer Broken At Release, Case #1472 can be ed for free on Steam. While it's not finished and has no definitive end, and is clearly still working on building out its content (the voice actor sometimes slips out in favor of lines read by a text-reader voice), this is totally different from anything fans of free horror games are likely to play this year. Entering a spooky room with a single female figure, players can ask questions as they probe the mysteries of the game's single inhabitant.
Sinner 97: Prologue Is A Meaty, Sinister Demo Worth ing
This is technically a terrifying free demo of a full horror game (available on Steam), but it offers a beefy enough experience that's got as much substance as more free horror games. There are some bugs that Bubblegum Home Entertainment still needs to work out, but following the limited-lives, monster-fleeing format, this VHS-style horror game offers some great production values. With an interesting environment to explore (while trying to escape a chainsaw-wielding killer), fans of this one can have the full experience for only $5.
Kach Offers A Spooky Environment To Round Out Your Free Halloween 2022 Horror Games
This student project is super short, at only about 15 to 20 minutes long, but it's got a charming art style different even from many other retro-styled free horror games, and it even manages to pack in a short story with some actual resolution into its runtime. For a free one-off horror game, this one makes a perfect quick play for Halloween 2022. Available on Steam and itch.io.
The Complex: Found Footage Is One Of 2022's Best Free Horror Games
Easily one of the best free horror game releases of 2022, The Complex: Found Footage draws on the popular Backrooms creepypasta concept, an Internet meme that quickly gained traction after the original image that inspired it, which has continued to gain steam in 2022. The game is heavily inspired by The Backrooms (Found Footage) short film by 17 year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons, which has racked up over 40 million views on YouTube since it was posted in January.
The Complex: Found Footage allows players to explore some of film's creepy liminal spaces at their own pace. While there isn't much game proper, it's a high-quality free horror game experience sure to please anyone looking to creep themselves out for Halloween 2022. Its ongoing development can be followed on Steam.
The Backroom - Lost & Found Takes The Free Horror Backrooms Concept Even Further
If the terrifying Backrooms creepypasta meme appeals, one of the best takes on it released so far (and easily one of the best free horror games of 2022), The Backroom - Lost and Found offers yet another take on the concept. This one has more actual game to it, with objectives during exploration, some surprisingly dark twists depending on how players work through the game, and multiple endings based on player actions. It's a free horror game not to be missed, available on Steam.
The Haunted PS1 Spectral Mall Demo Disc Is Free Horror Game Bliss
For those looking for a mountain of free horror games for their Halloween 2022 season, Haunted PS1 has collected a number of games all under one roof. The quality of the games varies, but it's a great assortment of different ideas that combined can easily make for an entire night of Halloween horror gaming all on their own. To check out each game in the free horror Haunted PS1 Spectral Mall Demo Disc, fans need only head over to itch.io.
2022 has been an absolutely fantastic year for fans of indie and free horror games, and shows little sign of slowing down, with even more releases hitting between now and the end of the year, a number dropping on Halloween night. For those looking to make the most of their Halloween season with creepy games to play with the lights off, the options are nearly endless, and while some of those listed here are undoubtedly the best free horror games of 2022, there are still dozens more by talented indie and micro-dev teams only a quick search away.
Source: Steam (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), itch.io (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), Kane Pixels/YouTube