13 Spooky VR Games to Celebrate Friday the 13th
No matter what time of year it is, Friday the 13th is a creepy day. That generalized spookiness has made the date a big moment in popular culture, and thanks to the film series of the same name, it brings a horror vibe to any month in which it falls. But you’ll need something a little more immersive to take advantage of the ambient creepiness on a wintery Friday — and that’s why we’ve compiled 13 spooky games to help you get into the Friday the 13th spirit.
From funny and strange to gory and action-packed, no matter what kind of scares you’re in the mood for, this list has you covered. And if you’re looking for something a little more lovey-dovey this weekend, check out our list of great titles to play with that special someone on Valentine’s Day.
Without further ado, let’s get to the scares.
Ghost Town
Dispelling hauntings is your day job in Ghost Town, in which you play paranormal detective Edith — a woman who uses her supernatural abilities to help the dead let go of their attachments and move on. But when Edith’s brother goes missing, she heads to an island off the coast of Scotland to track down a lead and find out what happened to him. Ghost Town is an excellent option if you like your ghost stories fascinating but not necessarily frightening. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
Resident Evil 4
A beloved action-horror classic, Resident Evil 4 helped redefine how games approach scares and action in a way that’s had a huge influence across the entire industry. All those famous moments make their way to your Meta Quest headset, taking the original’s third-person gameplay and reimagining it in VR. Your goal as Secret Service Agent Leon S. Kennedy is to venture to an Eastern European village as you try to locate the president’s kidnapped daughter, stumble upon a frightening cult, and fight all sorts of horrific creatures. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Set in the world of Robert Kirkman’s expansive comic series that tells the story of a zombie apocalypse, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners sends you to a New Orleans overrun with the undead. But deadly walkers aren’t the only thing you have to deal with — the city is also home to other survivors, some friendly and some decidedly less so. Navigating the world of The Walking Dead isn’t just about scavenging for tools and supplies: It’s about making tough choices that can mean the difference between life and death — and not just for you. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife
In Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife, you are the supernatural entity at the heart of the story, but you’re not the only one. When a séance gives you a chance to solve your own murder, you find that you’re not the only thing haunting the halls of Barclay Manor. You’ll need to search the house for information using your ghostly powers, all while avoiding more dangerous spirits. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
Lies Beneath
If your fight-or-flight response swings toward fight, Lies Beneath is probably for you. It follows the story of college student Mae, who has to battle through monstrous creatures in her Alaskan hometown as she tries to save her father. Lies Beneath can conjure up plenty of scares, but it also provides you with a host of melee and ranged weapons with which to battle the horrors. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
There’s more work to be done at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. In Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, you take on the role of a new hire at a restaurant where the animatronic animals can be a bit ... aggressive. You’ll do a few different jobs at Freddy’s, like repairing the air ducts, working on the animatronic animals, and taking on night security guard duties. Like in the other games in the FNaF series, the work is never dull. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
Dreadhalls
Trapped in a massive dungeon and armed with a faint light, your only hope of survival in Dreadhalls is to keep yourself hidden. A survival horror game inspired by roguelikes, its labyrinthine halls shift and randomize between runs, so each time you venture into the darkness, you have to find a new way to escape. But you’re not alone — monstrous creatures stalk the halls around you, so you’ll need to slink through the shadows as you search for an escape. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
Propagation: Paradise Hotel
An abandoned hotel is a classic setting for a horror story, and the Paradise Hotel of Propagation is infested with hideous frights. After an unknown disease turns the hotel’s patrons into vicious monsters, you venture into the grounds as Emily, a woman searching for her missing twin sister. To stay alive, you’ll need to use whatever weapons you can scrounge together, along with your wits and your ability to stay hidden. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3, 2, and Pro.
Alien: Rogue Incursion
On the distant, uncharted planet of Purdan, scientists are studying the most deadly creature humanity has ever encountered: the xenomorph. Ex-Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks and her synthetic companion, Davis-01, make it their mission to expose these deadly experiments — but when they arrive at Purdan, they find it overrun by aliens and have to fight their way through the facility. Alien: Rogue Incursion tells an original story in the canon of the Alien franchise, handing you a pulse rifle and pitting you against a horde of frighteningly lethal creatures. Available on Meta Quest 3 and 3S.
Deep Cuts
In Deep Cuts, you play a filmmaker who descends into a strange world inspired by your own films. That world is full of creepy, deprecated cartoon characters, but you’ve got plenty of means to deal with them, from melee weapons to intense physics interactions. Deep Cuts tells a deep story that links to developer Scythe Studios’ other horror games, so if you’re looking for something a little more surreal for your Friday the 13th, look no further. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
Scared by Squares
The Cube — a digital prison made up of nothing but perfect cubes. It’s into this strange space that you must venture in Scared by Squares, which builds a frightening and oppressive atmosphere with a minimalist presentation. To make it back out, you’ll have to solve puzzles and hunt anomalies, all while it becomes increasingly clear that the cubes don’t want you there. For a horror experience that’s big on liminal creepiness, check this one out. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
MEMOREUM
Sci-fi survival-horror game MEMOREUM puts you into a favorite setting of the genre — a spaceship filled with monsters — and lets you loose with a variety of different weapons to fight the Ichor Infection, a strange disease turning everyone into horrific, twisted creatures. Working to unravel the mystery of what happened and how to stop the Ichor is only part of the story. The rest is dealing with your fractured mind as you lose your grip on reality. Is what you’re seeing real, and are you losing it because of the horrors you witnessed — or because that’s a symptom of the disease? Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, and 2.
Killer Frequency
The people of Gallows Creek are being stalked by a masked killer. No, they’re not sporting a hockey goalie mask. Yes, they are slashing their way through town, and it’s up to you to help the people of Gallows Creek survive the night. Killer Frequency is a horror comedy that sends up exactly the kind of ’80s slasher movies that have become synonymous with this particular date. You play a local radio DJ whom people keep calling as they try to evade the killer. You’ll use maps, manuals, and anything else on-hand to help your listeners as they try to make it to the end of the story. Available on Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro.
