Best Horror Games On The Nintendo Switch

Sometimes, you just need a good way to scare yourself. You might have exhausted your scary movie queue on Netflix, but there’s still a whole world of horror available to you through the Nintendo Switch eShop, which has the widest selection of games on any Nintendo console.

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The Nintendo Switch has dominated since its launch in 2017, and now we have a vast selection of fantastic games to take on the go.

Despite the Switch’s family-friendly reputation, its game library is more than just Mario and Zelda. From classic horror series, including Resident Evil and Five Nights at Freddy’s, to several nightmare-inducing hidden gems, the console is home to many spooky games waiting to scare you silly.

Updated on February 1, 2025, by PJ Molloy: The Nintendo Switch 2 is right around the corner, so now is the perfect time to catch up on all the spooky horror goodness you missed out on. Our new recommendations, in particular, are perfect for giving you goosebumps.

25

Slay The Princess – The Pristine Cut

Nothing Is What It Seems

Slay the Princess is a Lovecraftian visual novel with mind-melting psychological horror. You start in front of a lonely cabin in the woods. A disembodied voice says there’s a princess inside who will end the world unless you kill her. Little do you know that something far scarier awaits in the basement.

The goal is to relive the same scenario multiple times, make different decisions, and try to unravel the cabin’s nightmarish mystery. The uncanny body horror, existential themes, and devilish mind games combine to create a truly unsettling experience.

24

Inside

Get Lost In A Dystopian Society

From the creators of Limbo, Inside is a spooky puzzle platformer about surviving a dystopian world. Take control of a lost boy trapped in a bizarre city filled with mindless zombies, bloodthirsty parasites, and grotesque science experiments. With little direction to guide you, it’s up to you to explore the world and figure things out on your own.

Inside is famous for its eerie monochromatic world, head-scratching puzzles, and thought-provoking story, which will keep you theorizing about the game’s meaning long after the credits roll. Give it a try if you want to really get the gears turning.

23

Crow Country

A Love Letter To PS1-Era Horror Games

Crow Country

Systems

Released

May 9, 2024

Developer(s)

SFB Games

Publisher(s)

SFB Games

ESRB

m

If you grew up playing ’90s horror games, you’ll feel right at home with Crow Country. You control investigator Mara Forest as she explores an abandoned theme park in search of its missing owner. After discovering the park is infested with monsters, you must use a mix of resource management, puzzle-solving, and third-person shooting to survive.

Crow Country takes inspiration from various PS1-era horror games, including Resident Evil and Silent Hill. It truly feels like playing a spooky retro game, only with modern quality-of-life updates such as better controls and a much more intuitive camera system. Don’t sleep on this indie gem.

22

Fran Bow

Delve Into A World Of Psychological Horror

If you like psychological horror, Fran Bow is right up your alley. This spine-tingling point-and-click game follows a girl named Fran, who escapes from Oswald Asylum after witnessing her parents’ murder. Now lost in the monster-infested woods, Fran must find a way back home while surviving the dangers lurking behind the trees.

Not only does Fran Bow deliver bizarre and otherworldly frights, but it also provides a touching story about dealing with grief, abuse, and trauma. Throw in some clever puzzles, and Fran Bow is the perfect game to make you think and shudder.

21

Limbo

An Iconic Horror Platformer

Limbo is among the most beloved horror puzzle games, and it feels perfect on the Nintendo Switch. The game drops you in a dark, foggy forest on a journey to find your lost sister. Using your wits and platforming skills, you must escape from several nightmarish creatures and solve a slew of head-scratching puzzles.

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Where Limbo excels the most, however, is its bone-chilling atmosphere. The monochromatic art style and flesh-crawling animations create a truly terrifying and immersive environment. This game is undoubtedly best played with headphones in a dark room.

20

Ib

An Otherworldly Horror RPG

Ib made a big splash among indie horror fans when it launched in 2012. The Switch remake faithfully preserves the frightening experience with updated visuals and new puzzles. The plot follows a young girl named Ib, whose parents disappear at an art gallery. While searching for them, she winds up in a bizarre supernatural realm and must survive its many horrors.

The game strays from RPG conventions by substituting combat for a heavier focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and storytelling. Scary, emotional, and full of clever brain teasers, Ib is just as terrifying and thought-provoking as it was when it first debuted

19

Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water

A Remaster Of A Terrifying Wii U Gem

Initially launched for Wii U, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Blackwater brings the spooky ghost-hunting gameplay to Nintendo Switch. When three strangers – Yuri Kozukata, Ren Hojo, and Miu Hinasaki – travel to the haunted Mt. Hikami, they must unravel the dark mystery surrounding the many ghosts that lurk in its shadows.

As you explore the mountains, your only method of defense is the Camera Obscura, which allows you to trap spirits in photographs. Once you defeat a ghost, you can use the Glance ability to receive a vision of their backstory. That is, if you can survive long enough to see it.

18

Amnesia Collection

Three Indie Horror Classics In One Bundle

The Amnesia series is famous for helping spark the indie horror game revolution. Its first entry, the Dark Descent, introduced the concept of being completely defenseless, creating a terrifying experience where all you can do is run and hide from the monsters.

This gameplay style was expanded upon in the game’s Justine DLC and its sequel, A Machine For Pigs. Thanks to the Amnesia Collection for Switch, you can revisit these bone-chilling classics on the go. Any fan of horror should experience these titles at least once.

17

The Letter

A Supernatural Visual Novel Inspired By The Ring

The Letter is a terrifying visual novel inspired by the films The Grudge and The Ring. The story begins with real estate agent Isabella Santos, who is tasked with selling the haunted Ermengarde Mansion. When she finds a centuries-old chain letter written in blood, she and her friends are hunted by a vicious ghost until they can unravel the tragedy that started the curse.

The perspective swaps between seven characters, each with fleshed-out backstories and relatable motivations. Every choice you make significantly impacts the story, meaning you can replay the game dozens of times and get a fresh experience. The gripping mystery and well-written characters make this visual novel hard to put down until you’ve uncovered all the mansion’s secrets.

16

Signalis

Classic Survival Horror Gameplay Mixed With Lovecraftian Frights

Signalis takes the gameplay from the classic Resident Evil games and translates it into a top-down perspective. Set in a dystopian future, you play as a space-traveling android named Elster, who is shipwrecked on a bizarre planet and must survive its dangers.

The gameplay involves classic survival horror mechanics, such as resource management, third-person shooter combat, and puzzle solving. The frights rely heavily on Lovecraftian psychological horror, and thanks to the game’s multiple endings, you can revisit this strange world several times and get a different outcome.

15

Tormented Souls

A Beautifully Spooky Nod To The Classics

Abstract Digitals’ Tormented Souls puts a modern spin on classic survival horror elements. The fixed camera angles, puzzles, and inventory system echo the UI and gameplay of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. What makes it unique is the mirror mechanic, which plays with dual realities.

You play as Caroline Walker, who explores an abandoned mansion-turned-hospital named Winterlake in search of missing twins. Upon arrival, she finds herself surrounded by vicious ghouls and monsters. The mystery and suspense create an eerie atmosphere bound to send chills up your spine.

14

Alan Wake Remastered

A Fresh Look At A Narrative Thriller

In 2021, the Switch received a remastered version of the 2010 horror shooter Alan Wake. This game was Remedy’s first new IP since the Max Payne series, providing a mind-bending, episodic story about a struggling author whose writing seemingly comes to life.

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Alan is caught between Bright Falls and a parallel world of nightmarish darkness, which affects the environment and sends shadowy foes his way. The gameplay involves collecting manuscript pages and surviving waves of the “Taken” with help from light sources, such as his trusty flashlight.

13

Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

A Free-Roam Stealth Game In The FNAF Series

FNAF Security Breach changes the survival horror formula from the original games. Rather than being trapped in a control room checking cameras for creepy animatronics, you can now move freely around the environment, which has been upgraded to a more vast Mega Pizzaplex establishment.

The intense jump scares and twisted animatronic designs are as abundant as ever. The protagonist is also a switch-up from the previous games. Instead of a security guard, you play as a boy named Gregory, who must survive the terrors with the help of an unlikely ally – Freddy Fazbear.

12

Alien: Isolation

A Terrifying Take On An Incredible Film

No matter the platform you play on, Alien: Isolation remains one of the best sci-fi horror games. The story follows Amanda Ripley, who has newly-found hope her mother could still be alive, thanks to the Nostromo’s flight recorder being recovered on Sevastopol Station.

There’s just one problem—the terrifying Xenomorph has breached the station. You have a motion tracker and an array of weapons to use against the Working Joe androids, hostile humans, and the titular alien who chases you through the claustrophobic corridors and rooms.

11

Madison

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Scares

Similar to the Fatal Frame series, Madison is a first-person survival horror that arms you with only a camera. You can use your Polaroid to solve puzzles and illuminate dark areas. Since there are many effective jump scares, you might want to play with the lights off.

The story is an eerie mystery about Luca, who is under the control of the titular demon and forced to commit violent acts against his will. The sound design and graphics make it all the more terrifying and immersive.

10

Outlast

An Iconic Spooky Game Everyone Should Play Once

Red Barrels’ Outlast quickly became a horror classic when it launched for PC in 2013. It hit the Switch in 2018, and if you haven’t played it before, it’s well worth your time.

The plot follows investigative journalist Miles Upshur, who follows up on a tip about Mount Massive Asylum. He quickly becomes embroiled in a dangerous situation with nightmarish creatures. The game was praised for its visceral first-person gameplay, in which Miles is unable to fight off the people pursuing him.

9

Darkwood

A Lovecraftian Game That Will Keep You Up At Night

Darkwood is a 2017 top-down survival horror game focusing heavily on defending your meager fortifications from bloodthirsty monsters. It’s set in Poland in the late 1980s, inside a forest that suddenly occupied a large amount of land and continues to expand outward.

The main character can explore a semi-open world, gather supplies, and talk to NPCs during the day. It’s imperative to fortify your hideout and build traps because the monsters will try to get in at night. The game doesn’t rely on jump scares and instead focuses on creating a pervasive sense of dread to keep you on your toes.

8

Little Nightmares

Tiny Characters, Big Frights

Little Nightmares is a strange, dreamlike game with an incredible atmosphere. You play Six, a tiny starving child in a yellow raincoat making her way through the bowels of a dangerous vessel called the Maw. The world is filled with massive, powerful beings intent on capturing and eating you.

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You need to find a safe way through the cluttered labyrinth to escape. The sometimes clumsy mechanics don’t take away from the beautifully gruesome imagery and suspenseful experience of being a tiny child in the throat of a monstrous beast.

7

Dead By Daylight

Monsters Are Scarier When Another Person Controls Them

Developed as an asymmetric multiplayer survival horror game, Dead by Daylight has attracted a devoted following with its uniquely tense gameplay. Four people assume the role of survivors trying desperately to escape the clutches of a killer controlled by a fifth player.

The killer’s goal is to catch and sacrifice all the others. Meanwhile, the survivors struggle to turn on generators to unlock an escape route. The roster of villains has been steadily expanding since the game’s launch, including monsters from Saw, Evil Dead, and Stranger Things.

6

Detention

Horror Can Come From Monsters And Political Powers Alike

Detention

Systems

Platform(s)

PC, PS4, Switch

Released

January 12, 2017

Developer

RedCandleGames

Publisher

Coconut Island Games, RedCandleGames

ESRB

m

Detention is set in 1960s Taiwan during the White Terror, a period of martial law and suppression of political dissidents that lasted 38 years. Two students, Wei and Ray, are trapped in Greenwood High School and stalked by evil creatures called “the lingered.”

They must hide from the monsters while making their way through the school, uncovering terrible secrets along the way. The terrifying atmosphere and constant sense of dread make this game one of the scariest in recent memory.