10 Cute Halloween Games to Play This Season

As you might imagine from someone who goes by the nickname Spooky, I freaking love Halloween; I start thinking about it by the time it's June! Unfortunately, whenever my favourite part of the year rolls around, I am disappointed by the lack of themed games (not counting the horror ones released yearly). Thankfully, earlier this year, I found the itch.io platform for the first time and accidentally stumbled upon one of the best places to scratch my Halloween itch (hah, get it?)! From simple and retro to adventure and metroidvania, I bring you guys all kinds of Halloween-flavoured games!

One thing I would like to mention is that, although these games might not give you hundreds (or even dozens) of hours, they're still pretty cute, fun, and someone's passion project. So, even if they're all free, I highly encourage you to consider giving a little tip to the devs who brought you some Halloween spirit! Let's beat Christmas in the giving this year! 

#1 — Hallowed Candy

We start off with one of the first ones I tried and one of the coolest names on the list: Hallowed Candy. This one is quite simple in concept but the gameplay is actually quite fun! Especially if you're into arcade games. All you need to do is jump around the platforms, avoid the flying bat, kill zombies, and collect candies and keys. That's it! Of course, the enemies become stronger as the levels progress, and you're always welcome to try and beat your last high score. 

Genre: Arcade, retro, platformer
Controller support: Yes!
Link: Click here to play it! 

#2 — Witch - A Special Delivery

This one was a ton of fun! Not only does it totally nail the cute Halloween aesthetic in every way, but the gameplay is really fun and clever. Although the fighting is a bit awkward at times, the platforming and abilities are pretty fun, and the bosses are quite challenging! 

Genre: Metroidvania, exploration, pixel art
Controller Support: No
Link: Click here to play it! 

#3 — Gorf Saves Halloween

Gorf is a pretty cute game with straightforward gameplay as it's a Game Boy-style title. And whilst there's not much of a story or dialogue, you'll still get about 30 minutes or so of walking around a cute town, collecting candy, and saving Halloween! The missions are mostly fetch quests, and there's only one battle — but there's quite a bit of strange humour. All in all, I quite enjoyed it! 

Genre: Retro, adventure
Controller Support: Yes!
Link: Click here to play it! 

#4 — HorrorVale

In HorrorVale, you play as Alice and journey through the Underworld on a quest to save her dog (a zombie dog, might I add). Since it's a traditional RPG adventure game, you'll meet a lovely cast of friends that will tag along, and — of course — you'll get a bunch of witty lines as you inspect the areas you visit, not to mention the fantastic amount of references. Although it isn't finished yet, I think it's definitely worth the play! And, if you do try it and you love it, be sure to support the devs so they may finish the game! 

Genre: RPG, 
Controller Support: Yes!
Link: Click here to play it (or here for Steam)!

#5 — Pumpking

This next one is a platformer game through and through! Retro-looking and deliciously Halloween-themed, there's no reason to not at least give it a try during this spooky season! And, if you like the game, you might even consider buying the HD upgrade for just $3. I had a ton of fun with this one despite the lack of controller support, making it a bit tough! The music and graphics are super charming. 

Genre: Retro, platformer 
Controller Support: No
Link: Click here to play it! 

#6 — Blackout

I really love point & click adventures, and this one definitely lived up to my hopes and dreams! Aside from having gorgeous graphics and a fantastic soundtrack, Blackout is challenging and funny (and you get to play as a witch). I would like to warn everyone, though: if you're not into any sort of jumpscares, maybe skip this one! But I promise it's not too scary, as I'm a certified coward and wouldn't lie to you if it was.

Genre: Point-and-click, pixelated
Controller Support: N/A
Link: Click here to play it! 

#7 — Pumpkin Kid

We go back to simple-looking games with this one, but I promise you, it's tougher than it looks! It starts off easy, but you'll eventually find yourself surrounded by enemies. The gameplay centres around killing enemies with your two weapons (melee and ranged) and collecting candy from the jack-o-lanterns you light up! While simple in gameplay, I got quite addicted to it; my singular quarrel was the lack of controller support.

Genre: Retro, arcade, survival
Controller Support: No
Link: Click here to play it! 

#8 — The Starlit Escape

Another one of my favourites! I thought the developer did a fantastic job with the comedy in this game — everything was on point, from the facial expressions to the sass! Additionally, I think the gameplay is phenomenal, but I might be biased because I like metroidvanias so much! Besides, I really appreciated the mix of sci-fi and Halloween; I never knew I needed it. I do want to give a friendly warning to everyone that might play it: don't forget to save often! 

Genre: Metrodvania, retro 
Controller Support: No
Link: Click here to play it! 

#9 — Campfire Spooky Stories

This particular game is a bit different from the rest... okay, by that, I mean it's really just about sitting around the campfire and reading spooky stories. Whilst that might not sound fun to everyone, I was very charmed by the unique idea! It has a total of 30 short stories and creepypastas to read!

Genre: Stories
Controller Support: N/A
Link: Click here to play it! 

#10 — Hauntsfield

This last title I have for you today is a retro adventure about getting your pumpkins back just in time for the Hauntsfield festival! Although it's a bit of a fetch quest type, it doesn't really feel so, as it has a nice story and charming characters. It's short — like all the other games on this list — but I really had a lot of fun with it! 

Genre: Adventure, retro
Controller support: Yes!
Link: Click here to play it! 

Bonus: Cafecadabra

I couldn't not give you guys Cafecadabra as a bonus game — it's just so cute! It's simple and relaxing, as all you do is run a cafe, collect ingredients, and get to meet the citizens of this adorable little town! I highly recommend anyone that is a fan of cosy games to check this one out.

Genre: Cosy, 3D, casual
Controller support: No
Link: Click here to play it! 

That’s it for the list! I hope this year you’ll be able to really kick into full Halloween drive. I had a lot of fun playing all these cute games, and I hope you do too!