Multiplayer games have become one of the most popular categories of games since the internet became more common in homes, opening up amazing new opportunities to play with friends or even make new friends inside the in-game lobbies. Nearly every genre of game began to dabble in multiplayer, including horror.
Multiplayer horror games are by no means niche, with games such as Dead by Daylight being in the consciousness of many gamers and other asymmetrical horror games vying for a bit of its success, as well as a whole plethora of original horror games that invite players to bring their friends to share in the horrors within.
10 Propnight
Many games have tried to cash in on the success of one prolific asymmetrical horror game, with perhaps the most successful one being Propnight. Combining the fun shape-shifting gameplay of Prop Hunt that allows players to turn into props with the added caveat the players must repair all prop machines in order to escape the game. One player takes on the role of a killer who must hunt and kill the survivors.
Games like Propnight are made to enjoy with friends as they can more easily coordinate their efforts to escape and allows them to delegate tasks to one another, such as telling another player to go for the rescue as they are in chase. Also playing with friends simply makes it all the more fun, though does nothing to dilute the terror a pursuing killer brings.
9 Escape The Backrooms
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The Backrooms have become one of the most popular creepypastas, in which people can find themselves 'no-clipping' through reality and falling into maze-like structures, the most common of which is a labyrinth of moist yellow carpet, where monsters are purported to stalk and devour any victims who find themselves there. Escape the Backrooms sees a group of friends taking on the dangers that lurk there.
The tense ambiance and terrifying entities that stalk the unique maps undoubtedly challenge the bravery of any who play this game, and with an optional VR mode, Escape the Backrooms has the potential to be elevated to new heights of horror.
8 Home Sweet Home: Online
Based on the single-player indie horror game of the same name, Home Sweet Home: Online brings the terror and monsters of that world to an online platform, allowing players to team up with their friends to face off against the entities that are determined to stalk the survivors down and kill them before they can complete the necessary rituals to banish them.
With a roster of terrifying creatures to choose from, including the infamous scissor woman from Home Sweet Home, this survival game is sure to strike fear into the hearts of any who play it. But as the players have the means to defend themselves, this does prevent Home Sweet Home: Online from being too terrifying to play.
7 Ghost Watchers
Ghost Watchers is a cooperative ghost-hunting game that shows a lot of promise, still in Early Access but already scaring players. Like most other cooperative horror games, up to four players bust out their ghost-detecting tools to infiltrate haunted locations, collect evidence and try to survive.
With almost ten different ghost types to identify, the game may get stale once overplayed, but the first few games are certain to terrify with the scary ghosts that players must confront so that they can study them to determine what type of ghost they are, their age and their mood, and attempt to capture them. Once fully released, Ghost Watchers has the potential to be the scariest multiplayer cooperative game.
6 Forewarned
Forewarned invites players to bring 2 to 3 friends with them as they delve into ancient ruins sunken into the sands, said to hold great treasure within their walls, but the trepidatious explorers are sure to find more than they bargained for. Traps, strange phenomena, dangerous creatures like snakes, and more evil, supernatural entities dwell in these tombs, acting as obstacles between the players and the loot.
Players must work together, making use of the in-game chat to report traps, any pieces of lore they find, or if they witness any odd occurrences such as a large mass of black smoke appearing to try and piece together what creature haunts these ruins. If they incorrectly identify this creature, they risk falling to it when it manifests to prevent their escape. With a multitude of terrifying beasts that could potentially lurk in the dark shadows, Forewarned is sure to scare even the bravest of gamers, even when their friends have their back.
5 Sons Of The Forest
After The Forest comes a follow-up game set in the same universe but with a multiplayer twist. Alone or with friends, players find themselves embarking on a mysterious island as they search for a missing billionaire, only to find it overran by mutated cannibals. Players must use whatever resources they can scavenge from the island to craft the means of their survival.
Continuing the open-world exploration style of the original TheForest game, players can explore the island to see what secrets it hides, including the dark and terrifying underground world where terrifying creatures lie in wait.
4 The Outlast Trials
Following Red Barrel's successful Outlast series with two games that brought terrifying hide-and-seek gameplay and thrilling chase sequences, naturally, they branched into cooperative horror next with The Outlast Trials. In this game, players find themselves as guinea pigs of Murkoff to test their brand new brain-bending tech and survive the trials in order to be released from the facility.
In typical Outlast fashion, players must hide and distract the enemies that pursue them, using tools and cooperative gameplay in order for everyone to survive. With multiple types of ex-pops and some truly chilling antagonists, Outlast Trials will definitely test gamers' nerves.
3 In Silence
For players who want to take on the role of a monster to hunt down their other friends, look no further than In Silence. In this game, one player will take on the role of a truly horrifying monster, and the others as the group of unlucky survivors who must gather the resources they need to escape the forest and the clutches of the monster.
The in-game voice chat is implemented in order to help guide the creature to its prey, as the monster is almost completely blind and must rely on its hearing more than its sight. This means players must really have nerves of steel, as they must be silent when the monster draws near which is certainly not as easy as it seems.
2 Devour
This multiplayer ghost game comes with a twist, as members of a cult have become possessed by evil spirits and are determined to drag their victims into hell. Players must scour the map they find themselves thrust into and find the scattered items they need to reverse the ritual and free the cultists from the clutches of demons.
With an elevating difficulty as the entities grow stronger and more aggressive the longer a game lasts, the sense of tension and fear also rises, forcing players to grow more desperate as they search for the items to banish the demon. Devour is for sure one of the more challenging and terrifying cooperative horror experiences, even for horror game veterans.
1 Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is a similar game to Forewarned, tasking a group of up to 4 players to infiltrate a haunted building and use the ghost-hunting tools at their disposal to identify the entity. The difference is, in Phasmophobia players investigate mundane buildings such as homes or schools instead of ancient ruins that are all soaked in darkness and atmosphere. With over 20 different ghost types, players must coordinate their efforts to correctly identify the spirit before it kills them all.
Phasmophobia manages to ensure every ghost type is still terrifying to players especially when they enter hunting mode, and with an optional VR mode, players can challenge themselves to a new and more personal level of horror if they are brave enough to don a headset.