Happy spooky season 👻 ! Halloween is my favorite holiday, especially for the costumes. In our house, family video game costumes are a regular thing:

If you need more costume inspiration, here are some of our top video game costumes this Halloween.

OUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN VIDEO GAMES TO GET YOU INTO THE MOOD

🎃 BARELY SCARY, BUT HIGHLY FESTIVE

Costume Quest 1 & 2 - The most iconic Halloween games IMO. Take control of trick or treating kids and battle monsters in this delightful RPG. Very kid friendly. Rated E10+.

Luigi’s Mansion Series - Not a ton of Halloween vibes but there are ghosts and a haunted mansion. Rated E for Everyone.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors - The classic Super Nintendo game is refreshed for the Switch. Up to 2 players battle through tons of levels of fun and horror movie tropes. Rated E10+.

🧟 A MIX OF SCARY & SPOOKY FUN

Five Nights at Freddy’s - Did you ever go to Chuck E. Cheese or ShowBiz Pizza and have nightmares about the robots coming to life? Well, this is that game. It’s been popular with kids for a long time. Rated T for Teen.

Little Nightmares - A third-person puzzle stealth horror game where players control a young girl navigating a terrifying world filled with childhood monster archetypes. Rated T for Teen.

Pumpkin Jack - A 3D action platformer set in a spooky, Halloween-themed world where you play as Jack, a trickster reincarnated into a pumpkin. Rated E10+.

🧛 HALLOWEEN GAMES FOR THE OLDER CROWD

Dead by Daylight - A modern, multiplayer horror game featuring one killer vs a group of survivors. Tons of fun and loaded with classic horror movie villains (Freddy, Chucky, Scream). Rated M.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Play as Dracula’s son Alucard to explore Dracula's castle, uncover the mysteries behind its return, and face the baddies inside. Rated T for Teen.

Left 4 Dead / Left 4 Dead 2 - If you have some friends, you have to play these. They are the best co-op zombie shooters. Absolute gems. Rated M.

• 🎃 Looking for stencils for pumpkin carving? We’ve got you covered:

  • Pokemon Stencils from 2015-2024

  • Bowser & Villains & Goomba

  • Overwatch

  • Minecraft

• 🛍️The cool house on the block isn’t giving out king size candy bars, it’s all about trading cards on Halloween:

  • Pokemon Trick or Trade Booster Bundles

  • NBA Haunted Hoops

  • NFL Score-A-Treat

• ⏱️ Fortnite will now allow you to set time limits and more through parental controls - no more having to unplug the console (my parents would have loved this feature 😆 )

• ✅ Having trouble staying on task or getting your kids to do their chores? Maybe turning to-do’s into an RPG where you can earn items and pets will help!

Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight (DbD) is a 4v1 multiplayer action survival horror game where one player assumes the role of the Killer, and the other four players take on the roles of Survivors. The Survivors must work together to repair a number of generators scattered across the map, while evading the Killer, to escape. The Killer's objective is to hunt down the survivors. It features loads of movie and TV villains.

Platforms: PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), Xbox One, PS4/5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S

Pricing: $19.99 - $29.99 (also included in PS+ & Xbox GamePass)

Here’s what you’ll be seeing on screen from a Survivor’s POV:

1. End Game Collapse Timer: The match is reaching its grand finale! The exit gates are wide open, and survivors have 2 minutes to dash for freedom before the map collapses in a fiery mess. Anyone still inside? Well… better luck next time!

2. Exit Gate Switch: Once all the generators are repaired, it’s time to flip the switch! Just keep in mind, powering up the exit gate takes a few seconds, and you’re still vulnerable to the killer’s lurking wrath during that time. No pressure!

3. End Game Visual Elements: Things are heating up– literally! The ground gets a dramatic, lava-like makeover during the endgame, making everything feel even more intense.

4. Survivor Status Icons: Keep an eye on this area to see how everyone’s holding up. Skulls mean a player’s met their unfortunate demise, and red scratch marks mean they’re hurt but still kicking (for now).

5. Inventory / Current Item: This handy display shows what your survivor is carrying– a trusty flashlight to fend off the killer with some cool attachments to go with it!

6. Survivor: Meet your in-game persona! This third-person model is your survivor, sneaking around, staying vigilant, and looking for the quickest way out.

7. Perk Loadout: Here's where your special abilities shine. Each perk icon represents a unique skill to help you outwit the killer. Cooldowns and effects are shown here, so you'll know exactly when you can pull off your next clever move!

Here’s what you’ll be seeing on screen from a Killer’s POV:

1. End Game Collapse Timer: The clock is ticking! The exit gates are open, and you’ve got 2 minutes to still devour any survivors before the map does it for you or they escape from your grasp!

2. Survivor in the distance: Look! Someone’s making a run for it!

3. Hit/Evasion Notifications: These handy notifications show off the killer’s skills. In this case, the killer dodged a flashlight stun and delivered a hit to a survivor.

4. Survivor Status Icons: This section shows how each survivor is doing. “Stars” is limping around injured, "Milhander" has successfully escaped, Feng Min is unfortunately hooked, and "Naga1246" is, well... no longer with us.

5. Survivor nearby: Oh no! “Stars” is crouching nearby, injured and hoping to sneak away from the killer.

6. Power Gauge: Michael Myers’ “Evil Within” meter is filling up! The more he stalks survivors, the scarier and faster he becomes. Once it’s maxed out, he can instantly take down anyone in his way!

7. Killer’s Ability: This shows off the killer’s special power– in this case, Michael’s “Evil Within.” Right now, it’s sitting at level 1, but that could change quickly.

8. Ability Prompt: The killer’s special ability is locked, loaded, and ready to go! Time to strike fear into the hearts of survivors!

9. Killer Perks: Each perk icon represents a unique skill to help you finish off survivors.

Sidequest: (noun) - In gaming, this is a fun adventure that provides a new experience and rewards but doesn’t advance the main story. In real life, people use this to talk about an unexpected adventure, something done in addition to a primary objective, or a departure from their normal routine/career.

“Snoop Dogg is just out here completing sidequests: first cooking with Martha Stewart, then the WWE, and now trying out every Olympic event.”

Have any great video game themed Halloween costumes? Share them with us at [email protected] and we may feature some in our 10/31 newsletter!

GLHF,

Chris