It's October, which means everyone is getting ready for Halloween and enjoying the "spooky season." Halloween traditions often include watching popular horror movies or Halloween-themed episodes of one's favorite TV show, as well as playing horror games. Those on PlayStation needing something appropriate to play for the Halloween season may be out of luck if they're only subscribed to PlayStation Plus, but those with PlayStation Now have a much better selection.
Subscribers have been complaining about the free PS Plus games for October 2021 ever since they were announced, for a variety of reasons. The free PS Plus games for October 2021 consist of Hell Let Loose, Mortal Kombat X, and PGA Tour 2K21, and none of those games really fit the Halloween season. This is one of the reasons why PS Plus subscribers have expressed discontent with the free PS Plus games for October 2021, as they were expecting at least one horror game as part of the lineup.
Sony has often included a horror game or two as part of the free PS Plus game offerings in October, so it makes sense that some fans expected the same from the October 2021 offerings. Those who still want to play horror games to get in the Halloween spirit but don't want to buy a brand new game may want to consider looking into PlayStation Now instead, as Sony's PlayStation Now subscription service is doing a much better job of celebrating Halloween this year.
New PlayStation Now Games for October 2021
- Amnesia Collection
- Desperados 3
- Fallout 76
- Final Fantasy 8 Remastered
- The Last of Us 2 (available until January 3, 2022)
- Victor Vran: Overkill Edition
- Yet Another Zombie Defense HD
Sony added seven new games to the PlayStation Now lineup for October 2021, and at least four of those games could potentially fit the bill for Halloween. Amnesia Collection, for example, is a collection of games that are considered by many to be some of the scariest ever made, whereas The Last of Us 2 is Sony's award-winning survival-horror/adventure game that broke records when it released last year. Victor Vran: Overkill Edition and Yet Another Zombie Defense HD may not be quite as popular as Amnesia or The Last of Us 2, but they still are games that fit the Halloween season.
And these are just the new games that Sony added to PlayStation Now for October 2021. PlayStation Now consists of hundreds of games for subscribers to choose from, including other horror titles that subscribers may want to check out this Halloween.
PlayStation Now Horror Games
- Bloodborne
- Little Nightmares
- Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
- Resident Evil 4
- Resident Evil 5
- Silent Hill HD Collection
- Slender: The Arrival
- Until Dawn
There are a variety of horror games available on PlayStation Now. The above list is not an exhaustive representation of every horror game that PlayStation Now subscribers can check out, but rather a curated sampling of games that they may want to consider when looking for something to play this Halloween. PlayStation Now subscribers have some real classics to check out, including Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica, not to mention Silent Hill HD Collection.
Granted, Silent Hill HD Collection is not the best way to experience Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3, but it's the most convenient way to play the games on modern platforms. As far as newer games go, PlayStation Now also features the narrative-driven horror game Until Dawn along with the platformer/horror game Little Nightmares.
Bloodborne may not be explicitly a "horror" game in that it's not really trying ot scare the player, but it's drenched in Lovecraftian and Gothic horror themes, still making it a great choice for anyone looking for something to play this Halloween. Then again, there are rumors that a Bloodborne PS5 remake or remaster could be in the works, so it may be best for anyone interested in the game to hold off until that version comes out.
Free PS Plus Games for October 2021
- Hell Let Loose
- Mortal Kombat X
- PGA Tour 2K213
Comparing the PlayStation Now offerings to the current PlayStation Plus lineup, it's clear that horror fans will get a lot more value of PS Now. The free PS Plus games for October 2021 simply don't have any Halloween or horror-themed games, with the closest it comes being Mortal Kombat X guest fighters like Jason Voorhees.
To be fair, those on PS5 do have a bit better selection, as they also have access to the PS Plus Collection games. This gives them access to titles like Bloodborne, Days Gone, The Last of Us: Remastered, Resident Evil 7, and Until Dawn. A good chunk of those games are already available through PlayStation Now, though, so the PlayStation Now subscription service still gives horror fans more bang for their buck this Halloween than a PlayStation Plus membership does.