Cozy Halloween Horror: 13 Bite-size Games to Play Now

WHO:

Kotaku - The article recommends 13 short horror games for players looking for Halloween gaming.

Kotaku - The Children of Clay was made by Balazs Ronyai; Paratopic was made by Jessica Harvey; Anatomy was made by Kitty Horrorshow.

Kotaku - Devotion was created by Red Candle Games and follows the Du family, including a daughter who enters a singing contest.

Kotaku - Stories Untold was developed by No Code, now called Screen Burn.

Kotaku - Clock Tower was made by Human Entertainment; its 2024 remaster was released by WayForward.

Kotaku - Darkness Under My Bed, Water Womb World, Home Safety Hotline, Ecstatica, Horse Master, Inside, and The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival are also included.

Kotaku - The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival was created by Adam Robinson-Yu, creator of A Short Hike, and supports multiplayer with up to 20 people.

WHAT:

Kotaku - The Children of Clay has players study an uncanny figurine and use notes to uncover its secrets as shadows approach.

Kotaku - Paratopic shifts among a hired killer, a smuggler, and a birdwatcher; its remake/remix, Overdub, was released the previous month.

Kotaku - Anatomy places players in a dark, empty house with recordings and white noise, and features a changing environment and a basement.

Kotaku - Devotion is about family disappointment, superstition, and a household’s turn to a cult; it was removed from Steam over imagery believed to slight Xi Jinping and is available on the developer’s website.

Kotaku - Stories Untold bundles “The House Abandon,” a retro text adventure, with other screen-based stories.

Kotaku - Clock Tower follows four orphans trapped at the Barrows estate, where players must uncover secrets, save friends, and evade Scissorman.

Kotaku - Darkness Under My Bed has players guide a drone through a boy’s maze of dolls, dioramas, and dust bunnies.

Kotaku - Water Womb World casts players as a religious scientist searching the seabed for angels.

Kotaku - Home Safety Hotline has players answer calls about unusual circumstances and consult an index of strange threats.

Kotaku - Ecstatica is a survival-horror game about a medieval village under attack by werewolves and trolls; it includes combat and puzzles.

Kotaku - Horse Master is a Twine game about breeding, raising, riding, and mastering horses.

Kotaku - Inside follows a boy navigating hostile locals, pale creatures, and mind-control experiments in a grim world.

Kotaku - The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival is a multiplayer pumpkin-carving simulator featuring a pumpkin patch, haunted hay ride, and autumnal secrets.

WHERE:

Kotaku - The Children of Clay is set in a dim parlor; Anatomy takes place in a house; Clock Tower is set at the Barrows estate.

Kotaku - Water Womb World takes place on the seabed and in a trench; The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival depicts a pumpkin patch and haunted hay ride.

WHEN:

Kotaku - The listed games span release years 1994–2025: Ecstatica (1994), Clock Tower (1995), Horse Master (2013), Anatomy and Inside (2016), Paratopic (2018), Devotion (2019), Stories Untold, Water Womb World, and The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival (2020), Darkness Under My Bed (2021), Home Safety Hotline (2024), and The Children of Clay (2025).

Kotaku - The article describes the games as lasting from about 20 minutes to three hours.

Kotaku - The article says modern ports of Ecstatica and its sequel will be released “tomorrow”; the festival game’s servers operate only during its season.

WHY:

Kotaku - The article presents short horror games as suitable last-minute Halloween plays, noting that the genre can reward a well-timed exit.

HOW:

Kotaku - Clock Tower was inspired by Dario Argento films Phenomena and Deep Red; the article says a faithful remaster was released in 2024.

Screen Rant - The article describes cozy games as combining spooky vibes with autumn charm and recommends them for Halloween gaming nights.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 02:16 UTC)

Looking for a quick Halloween scare, players have 13 short horror games to choose from, with experiences lasting roughly 20 minutes to three hours. The lineup ranges from *Ecstatica*, a medieval survival-horror game, to *The Children of Clay*, where players investigate an uncanny figurine as shadows close in. Other picks include *Anatomy*, set in a house that changes as players listen to recordings, and *Devotion*, about a family drawn into superstition and a cult. Removed from Steam over imagery believed to slight Xi Jinping, *Devotion* is available on its developer’s website. *Clock Tower* traps four orphans at the Barrows estate, where they must evade the Scissorman. For a lighter seasonal option, *The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival* offers pumpkin carving, a haunted hay ride, and multiplayer for up to 20 people. The games span releases from 1994 through 2025, and modern ports of *Ecstatica* and its sequel are due tomorrow.