Scary games are often at their best when played alone – in the dark. But they can also be fun when played alongside friends. Here are some of the best multiplayer horror games on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation in 2024.
While most horror titles, especially survival horror games, are designed to be played alone – and in the dark, while you huddle behind you’re controller in terror, many gamers enjoy some co-op or competitive spookiness. So, while we’ve already gathered a list of some of the scariest horror games you can play alone, we’ll now examine some of the best multiplayer horror games you can play with friends.
The below games can be enjoyed as single-player horror adventures in many cases, but some are designed to be played with others or have features where multiplayer actually enhances the experience. Here are some of the best multiplayer horror games to play with friends.
The Quarry
The Quarry is the spiritual successor to Until Dawn and also features a group of teens about to have a very rough night. This unfortunate group decides to spend one final night at summer camp before something starts picking them off in the darkness – and brutally.
The game is a narrative adventure where different players can control different characters to guide the story in different directions, leading to various endings – a lot like the Dark Pictures Anthology. One player may be adept at guiding a character to safety, whereas others may accidentally lead them to a gruesome death.
While the outcome of the game can be more easily controlled when played solo, its unpredictability is what makes it so much fun as a multiplayer horror game. Just when you thought your charges were safe, another player’s bloodlust can change everything.
Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood is the spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series of online zombie games and shares many ideas with that multiplayer horror game series. Four players can team up to work through the campaign blasting zombies and working together as they progress. Each character offers unique perks and attributes that aid the team in battle.
Those who enjoyed Left 4 Dead will adore Back 4 Blood and the title hasn’t strayed far from the original concept, offering a fully next-gen iteration of that classic arcade zombie blasting formula. In many ways, this is the Left 4 Dead 3 fans always asked for. It can actually be pretty scary and atmospheric in parts too, much like its Xbox 360 forbears. While the game is a team-based action shooter, survival horror fans will also be well-catered for.
Hunt: Showdown
While Hunt: Showdown may not be the scariest game on our list, it’s by far the zaniest. Imagine Destiny if it was a horror game and every player was out for themselves. You’re out there to hunt and shoot monsters, however, they won’t go down easy. There is lore of course, but Hunt: Showdown shelves this for the most part, asking players to suspend their disbelief so that they can enjoy the experience more.
Other players can swoop in and steal your kill at any time, if you get in their way, then you’re looking at an intense battle to the death. The maps within the game feature an ample amount of gloom, but there are also a lot of weapons for players to experiment with. Like Back 4 Blood, Hunt: Showdown will please survival horror fans, but this is mostly a backdrop for some fast-paced monster-blasting action.
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You can team up with other players, but watch your back – this whole game wants you dead, including those you may call allies.
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia reminds us of Konami’s PT, but with friends. However, having friends with you doesn’t make this ghostly game any less terrifying. The premise is that you and three friends venture into a haunted house, where you’ll be tasked with finding out what type of ghost is living inside.
This is when the horror begins. You’ll need to explore, examine clues, and try to survive the malevolent spirits that haunt your every step. Some of them don’t want you to solve the mystery and are happy for you to join their ranks. The game is also coming to consoles soon.
The game borrows from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Outlast, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and also reminds us of Viasage. However, its multiplayer components make it unique. If you enjoy these spooky games, but find them too scary to play alone, than Phasmophobia is for you.
Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is the gift that keeps on giving for horror fans and has turned into one of the best multiplayer horror games ever made. The premise is essentially one big game of hide and seek, but one of you is a powerful supernatural killer, and the rest of the players are lambs to the slaughter.
The killer needs to hunt their prey using a range of fun but nasty abilities, while the others need to run, hide, and pray they’ll survive the round. The game is constantly evolving and adding more content from classic horror franchises and can be absolutely thrilling at times.
As the world of horror cinema, TV, books, and games churns away, more and more violent delights are added to the Dead by Daylight universe, making it the ultimate horror multiplayer game.
Check out some more lists when it comes to the best horror multiplayer games and more:
Best MMORPGs and MMOs in 2024 | Best PS5 RPGs coming in 2024 and beyond | Best horror games you should play in 2024
