The Exorcist: Believer is out just in time for the spookiest of seasons. A direct sequel to 1973’s The Exorcist, the film flings a whole new family into the horrors of demonic possession and all of the frightening moments that come with it. And while you can totally watch another horror movie after seeing The Exorcist: Believer to keep the creepy mood going, there’s really no better time to sit down with a scary game either.
To help you keep the scares coming, we have a list of horror games that bring plenty of Exorcist-like paranormal frights to the table that will see you through to Halloween. From hunting down ghosts and ghouls to you being the hunted, play them … if you dare.
Phasmophobia
Released in 2020, Phasmophobia is an online co-op game perfect for anyone looking to live out their ghost hunter dreams (or nightmares, depending on how you play). The game sets up to four players in a variety of different haunted locations, ranging from suburban houses to a campsite and high school. Players have free reign to set up and use a variety of ghost-hunting equipment, such as spirit boxes, EMF readers, and night vision cameras, in an effort to capture any kind of paranormal activity that they can. It’s up to you to figure out what kind of ghost is haunting each location based on the evidence you capture.
Each round starts off relatively harmless, with the ghostly activity being pretty basic until things start to pick up. The ghosts start to get scarier, messing with players by cutting their power and hunting them down. A word of advice: it’s always best to find a good hiding spot when you and your friends start a new game.
The Exorcist: Legion VR
Would a The Exorcist-inspired list really be complete without a game based on the movie? The Exorcist: Legion VR is an episodic VR title that takes place in the world of The Exorcist franchise. Comprising five episodes total, players are placed right into the role of a detective who’s been tasked with looking into a series of murders — all of which have ties to the occult.
Each episode serves up a different horrifying murder in a new location, with chapters taking place in classic horror locations like a church, a family home, and a hospital. Players will find classic exorcism tools throughout each chapter, including crucifixes and holy water, and plenty of sinister, unexplained horrors to face as they work to solve each case.
Dead by Daylight
It’s fair to say that Dead by Daylight is one of the most popular horror games around at the moment. Players are thrust into an asymmetrical 4 vs. 1 game where one player is placed into the role of the killer while the other four players are left to fight to escape as survivors. As survivors, the main goal during each game is to escape the killing ground that each match takes place in. Players can choose to work together, which can help increase chances of survival, or you go the independent route and try to outplay the killer on your own.
For players who take on the killer role, the primary objective is to hunt down, catch, and kill the other players. Dead by Daylight features a cast of their own original, terrifying killers like the Nurse and the Wraith, but the game also features plenty of iconic horror names to play like Ghostface (Scream) and Michael Myers (Halloween). Among that list is definitely space for a possessed Regan MacNeil, right? Some projectile vomiting powers are sure to spice up matches.
Oxenfree
In classic horror style, a group of teens find themselves facing a supernatural turn of events in Oxenfree. Praised for its stunning animation and its realistic teen dialogue, Oxenfree has you play as Alex, a teen who brings her new stepbrother and some friends to a party on an old military island. The group of five teens is all there to hang out, party, and explore. But as so often happens in the horror genre, what starts out as an innocent enough time quickly takes a spooky turn once the group decides to investigate the mysterious happenings on the island — including an urban legend about a ghostly radio station.
With a walk-and-talk gameplay mechanic, players are prompted to make choices that impact how the story ultimately plays out — such as who they choose to look for first after the group is separated and whether or not they want to close the distance between Alex and her stepbrother. Once you’re done with that, make sure to check out its sequel, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, if you’re looking for more supernatural radio waves to chase after.
Until Dawn
If you’re looking to really feel like you’re in a horror movie, Until Dawn is a great choice to follow The Exorcist: Believer up with. Released in 2015, Until Dawn is an interactive horror story game that immediately became a massive hit, even going on to win a British Academy Games Award for Original Property. The premise starts out simple enough: Eight friends find themselves trapped in a remote mountain retreat a year after a heavy snowstorm sets in. Each character fits into classic horror movie archetypes, like the nerd, the jock, and the final girl, and it’s up to you to play through an increasingly terrifying story where each decision impacts the outcome of each playthrough. Make the wrong choice, and someone might end up dead in the very next moment.
Until Dawn is perfect for horror movie and game fans alike who are looking for a game that can be scary and brutal in equal measure. And if you want more teen slashers like it, check out developer Supermassive Games’ The Quarry.
