Come autumn, there are several titles that use cozy and creepy backdrops that can help put avid gamers into a more autumnal mood. Within the transition to winter, players can take advantage of several games that will no doubt help them feel the slight chill in the air as apple cider and Halloween rolls into season and the leaves begin to fall off of trees.
This selection of wholesome games will feel like a nice warm pumpkin spice latte or send chills down the spine through slasher horror. Whatever the mood is for autumn, there are several games that are sure to help players along in feeling the seasonal spirit.
10 Cozy Grove
In a delightful mixture of coziness and the supernatural Cozy Grove from developers Spry Fox LLC is a game about camping on an island haunted by ghosts. The players pilot a Spirit Scout who wanders and explores the ever-changing island and questing to help out the neighboring ghosts.
This title is synced to real-world time, and thus provides new tasks and quests that players can adventure through daily. Featuring hand-drawn landscapes and a delightfully adorable-creepy host of spirits, players can farm and forage in this wonderful game just in time for autumn.
9 Demonologist
To take advantage of any excuse to incorporate more spooky games come Halloween, Demonologist is a single player & co-op game that takes ghost hunting and exorcizing spirits seriously. From developers Clock Wizard Games, this atmospheric horror has extraordinary levels and scares that will send shivers down the spines of players.
This game features unique voice interaction within the game that is used to uncover secrets within each level environment. This is combined with extremely eerie atmospheric sound effects and high quality graphics that will have a team of players immersed in the horrifying ghost hunting experience.
8 Costume Quest
Also in line with Halloween, Costume Quest and its sequel Costume Quest 2 from Double Fine Productions follows a group of kids fighting to save Halloween when candy-grubbing enemies threaten it. In this RPG adventure, players go around collecting costume materials that will give them exciting superpowers when battling enemies and different stamps that allow them power ups.
Of course, players are also tasked with collecting as much candy as possible when trick-or-treating their way towards saving their spooky and adventurous night out. Gamers will be sure to satisfy their sweet tooth with this game, perfect for autumn enthusiasts.
7 Lake
Players can also take this opportunity to slow down with the reflective game Lake, which follows forty-something Meredith Weiss as she returns from the city to her quiet hometown for a short stay. From the developers Gamious, Lake is a story-rich walking sim following Meredith as she becomes a fill-in mail carrier and interacts with the locals and reflects on her fast-moving life back in the city. Players can experience the beautifully unplugged town of Providence Oaks as autumn just begins to fall into place in the deeply beautiful and insightful Lake.
6 We Were Here Too
In line with the creepiness autumn allows gamers to lean into, We Were Here Too is a part of the We Were Here series that relies on co-op communication and exploration to escape a castle that is riddled with puzzles that players must work on together in order to solve.
Within this installment of the franchise, two players rely on a walkie-talkie feature in order to communicate as they are trapped in different parts of an ominous castle and find that each player has clues to the other’s puzzles in this thrilling tale of escape in We Were Here Too.
5 Wytchwood
Wytchwood from developers Alientrap is perfect for those looking for something a bit more witchy with the autumn weather. Set within the backdrop of gothic fairy tales and fables, Wytchwood is an adventure crafting game where the player becomes an old witch in the woods.
Taking on this role, they collect strange ingredients for potions, concoct spells, uncover the colorful personalities of the town nearby, and defeat the odd monsters within the forest. Players can enjoy the allegorical nature of Wytchwood while experiencing the beautiful autumnal backdrop of the game’s visuals.
4 Night In The Woods
Night In The Woods from Infinite Fall is another explorative, deeply reflective title set during autumn. Players take control of Mae Borowski as she returns to her town of Possum Springs after she dropped out of college. As the seasons begin to change in the town, Mae also weathers a new season in store for her as she investigates the strange occurrences happening around town. Night In The Woods has dynamic character building and immersive adventuring that is perfect just in time for the leaves to change colors.
3 Labyrinthine
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Labyrinthine is an early access title from developers Valko Game Studios that takes on the co-op horror genre and combines it with intriguing story and brain-scratching puzzles. This game can be enjoyed with one to four people as gamers follow Joan, a mysterious fairground worker, as the team tries to solve their way through an abandoned hedge maze while something sinister lurks in the shadows.
Players can also tackle procedural mode, which randomly generates the maze, spawn new and useful items, and creates stimulating puzzles for endless replayability. The hedge maze and what lies within is a uniquely chilling experience, perfect for players looking for a shiver down their spine.
2 Strange Horticulture
An occult puzzle game, Strange Horticulture blends harvesting new plants and mystery of the covens and cults surrounding the town of Undermere where the player becomes a horticulturist. Equal parts plant cataloging, exploration, and an intriguing narrative about the people seeking the horticulturist’s services, Strange Horticulture is just spooky enough for the autumn season.
Players have the option to help certain parties over others, using the plant-based services in order to spin the occult mystery surrounding Undermere. This game is also complete with an adorable black cat that lives within the shop that players can pet, adding to the spirit of Halloween.
1 Little Misfortune
Little Misfortune from Killmonday Games is a short, but impactful narrative experience following a little girl named Misfortune as she follows a disembodied Mr. Voice in order to seek Eternal Happiness to gift to her mother. All is not what it seems in this unsettling and witty interactive narrative where Misfortune tries to find friends in very unlikely places and throw glitter wherever she can until she is met with inevitable bouts of bad luck.
Little Misfortune features very immersive narrative choices, an intriguing plot line, and plenty of outlandish dark humor that will have players laughing and grimacing, all within the backdrop of autumn.