Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service features a huge selection of games that span a wide variety of genres. Since it's October, it makes sense that Xbox Game Pass subscribers may be particularly interested in playing horror games, or games that otherwise fit the Halloween spirit. Luckily, Xbox Game Pass subscribers have plenty of games to choose from that fit the bill, including some new arrivals that have given the service a significant boost for the Halloween season.
The first half of October 2022 saw a number of solid games to play for Halloween added to the Xbox Game Pass lineup. The first additions were The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season and The Walking Dead: Season Two, which have been available on vanilla Game Pass for some time, but are now up for grabs on PC Game Pass as well. For those unfamiliar with the games, The Walking Dead episodic adventure games were made by Telltale and are supposed to share continuity with the comic books as opposed to the AMC TV series.
In The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season, players experience the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. They take on the role of Lee, who finds himself caring for a young girl named Clementine. The emotionally-charged narrative was enough to win The Walking Dead Game of the Year awards, even in the face of stiff competition. The Walking Dead: Season Two continues the story, but to go into details would be to spoil what happens, so Game Pass subscribers should check them out for themselves.
New Xbox Game Pass Games to Play for Halloween
- The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (PC) - Available now
- The Walking Dead: Season Two (PC) - Available now
- Costume Quest - Available now
- Scorn - Available now
- A Plague Tale: Requiem - Available now
- Amnesia Collection - October 20
- Amnesia Rebirth - October 20
- Soma - October 20
- Signalis - October 27
Most of the new Xbox Game Pass games for October 2022 that are good to try for Halloween are horror-centric, but there's at least one game that fits the Halloween theme and is still family-friendly. Costume Quest from Double Fine was released more than a decade ago, serving as a love letter to the Halloween holiday. Playing like a classic turn-based RPG, the kids in Costume Quest can embody the powers of the costumes they're wearing while Trick-or-Treating, which lends itself well to interesting battle mechanics and gameplay situations. It uses the Halloween theme to perfection, and is definitely something worth checking out on Game Pass.
Those looking for something more horrific will want to try first-person horror game Scorn, which is available to those with a powerful PC and those that have an Xbox Series X handy. One of the few next-gen only games on the market, Scorn is an H.R. Giger-inspired game where players explore a creepy alien ship, solving puzzles and fighting off deadly monstrosities. Scorn earned mixed reviews from critics, but it's on Game Pass, so horror fans can check it out without making any kind of big financial commitment.
Another new day one Xbox Game Pass game that would be good to play for Halloween is the recently-released A Plague Tale: Requiem. The sequel to the celebrated A Plague Tale: Innocence, A Plague Tale: Requiem sees Amicia and Hugo continuing their journey in search of a cure for the latter's fatal disease. A Plague Tale: Requiem doesn't fully embrace horror elements in the same way Innocence did, but it still has plenty of horrific moments, from brutally violent encounters with guards to hundreds of thousands of rats consuming and destroying everything in their path.
The aforementioned games are available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to try now, but there's even more to look forward to in the days ahead. October 20 should prove to be an especially exciting day for Xbox Game Pass subscribers that are wanting horror games to play, as that's the day that Amnesia Collection, Amnesia: Rebirth, and Soma all hit the service. Amnesia Collection consists of the original Amnesia: The Dark Descent game, its Justine expansion pack, and the sequel Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.
Amnesia: Rebirth is a direct sequel to The Dark Descent story-wise, and its addition to the Xbox Game Pass lineup is especially significant. To date, Amnesia: Rebirth has only been available on PC and PlayStation, so the game is making its Xbox debut as a day one Xbox Game Pass game. This is great news for Xbox fans needing a solid horror game to play, as Amnesia: Rebirth earned mostly positive reviews and is generally considered a worthy follow-up to its predecessor.
And finally, Soma is from the same developers as the Amnesia games, and it should scratch a similar itch gameplay-wise. One key difference though is Soma's use of sci-fi horror, whereas the Amnesia games go for more of a medieval vibe. Like the other titles from Frictional Games, Soma was well-received by critics, and so horror game fans should definitely check it out once it joins Xbox Game Pass on October 20 alongside the Amnesia games.
The last new horror game set to join the Xbox Game Pass lineup in October 2022 is Signalis, yet another day one Xbox Game Pass game. Signalis uses a retro art style and takes its cues from classic survival-horror games. It looks like it could be a surprise hit when it joins Game Pass on October 27, so it will definitely be interesting to see if it lives up to expectations.