🎃 Top Scariest Nintendo Switch Games to Play in 2025
- MJ
- Sep 23, 2025
- 9 min read
October is right around the corner, which means Halloween is almost here. If you’re like me and love scary games (even if it takes a lot to actually scare you), this list is for you. Whether you’re curled up at home or gaming on the go with your Switch, these are the titles that will make you jump, scream, or at least feel the chills.
Below is my personal ranking of the scariest Nintendo Switch games in 2025, from the most terrifying to the least. The ones I personally like are marked with a ⭐.
1. MADiSON ⭐
A first-person psychological horror on Nintendo Switch where Luca uses a cursed instant camera to reveal hidden clues and restless spirits while unraveling a decades-old ritual; exploration and puzzle-solving drive the terror more than combat, and in my playthrough the oppressive audio, pitch-black corridors, and statues looming in the distance felt like childhood “afraid of the dark” nightmares—this one had my heart racing from the opening minutes and kept scaring me even when I backtracked through areas I thought were safe. Buy on Amazon
Recommended if you like: PT, Visage.
2. The Mortuary Assistant ⭐
You’re Rebecca Owens, a mortuary assistant tasked with embalming bodies at night—but one of them is possessed. This first-person horror blends realistic embalming tasks with supernatural hauntings, forcing you to identify the demon and perform exorcisms before it’s too late, and while it starts quietly, the sudden blackouts, whispered voices, and possessed corpses made me yelp more than once; it genuinely nails that Exorcist-style dread where the ordinary turns terrifying.
Recommended if you like: Exorcist films, Phasmophobia
3. Tormented Souls ⭐
A love letter to classic survival horror, you play Caroline exploring a mansion-hospital with fixed camera angles, scarce ammo, and brainy environmental puzzles, and I enjoyed it so much I finished it four times; the disturbing music kept me on edge, the mirror-world mechanics were clever, and the game delivered several honest jump scares alongside that old-school Resident Evil vibe I adore.
Recommended if you like: Resident Evil 1–3, Silent Hill
4. The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication ⭐
Rooted in Taiwanese campus legends, this first-person stealth/puzzle horror shifts viewpoints as you sneak through Wen Hua University, solve ritual clues, and survive chases; for me it started spooky right away and didn’t let up—safe rooms that weren’t truly “safe,” frantic hides, and puzzles under pressure had me dying (and laughing at myself) repeatedly, making it perfect if you like folklore, jump scares, and story.
Buy on Amazon
Recommended if you like: The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation, White Day: A Labyrinth Named School
5. Layers of Fear 2 ⭐
Layers of Fear 2 is a psychological horror game set on a creepy ocean liner where the ship itself keeps changing around you. You play as an actor following a mysterious director’s orders, exploring shifting rooms, solving film-inspired puzzles, and facing a nightmare-like monster that feels straight out of Silent Hill. It starts off slow, but the deeper you go, the more disturbing and surreal it becomes—perfect if you enjoy story-driven horror focused on exploration and atmosphere instead of combat.
Recommended if you like: Layers of Fear 1, Madison, Visage
6. Layers of Fear 1 ⭐
Explore the mansion of a troubled painter, uncovering memories, guilt, and hallucinations as rooms twist and change around you. This combat-free psychological horror relies on atmosphere, shifting environments, and disturbing visuals instead of combat, and while I found Part 2 scarier overall, this one is still unsettling with its guilt-soaked story and ever-changing hallways.
Recommended if you like: Layers of Fear 2, Madison, Visage
7. Signalis ⭐
Signalis is a retro-style sci-fi survival horror where you play as Elster, exploring a decaying facility filled with eerie, human-like machine enemies. The gameplay focuses on exploration, solving puzzles, and managing scarce resources, since enemies don’t always stay down and ammo is limited. The story can be mysterious and hard to follow, but the haunting music, unsettling atmosphere, and backtracking through dark corridors gave me the same survival-horror thrill as classic Resident Evil—only with a cold, retro futuristic twist.
Recommended if you like: Resident Evil, Silent Hill, sci-fi horror
8. The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation ⭐
Set on a haunted Taiwanese campus, this first-person stealth horror leans on hiding spots, clue gathering, and urban-legend puzzles; I spent a lot of time sprinting to lockers and choosing hideouts on instinct, and if you hesitate or pick wrong the ghost will catch you—same spooky music and folklore chills as the sequel and plenty of “did that shadow just move?” moments.
Recommended if you like: The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication, White Day: A Labyrinth Named School
9. Detention ⭐
A 2D, atmospheric adventure-horror in 1960s Taiwan under martial law where you explore a haunted school, solve point-and-click puzzles, and avoid patrolling spirits by holding your breath; despite its side-scrolling look it’s truly creepy—sticking my hand into a dark hole for an item had my pulse spiking—and the political backstory, deaths, and memories you uncover make it short but powerful.
Recommended if you like: Story-driven horror, Cat Lady.
10. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water ⭐
On Mt. Hikami you exorcise ghosts with the Camera Obscura while navigating shrines, forests, and water-soaked rituals; for me the series is more creepy than outright scary, but the audio design and fatal snapshots deliver steady tension, and I enjoyed solving environmental puzzles and lining up shots instead of relying on weapons.
Recommended if you like: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, the Bridge Curse, Japanese folklore
11. Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse ⭐
This remastered entry returns to Rogetsu Isle with multiple protagonists, camera-based ghost combat, and a mystery about lost memories; like Fatal Frame Maiden of Black Water, I found it unsettling rather than terrifying—great environmental music, folklore-rich spaces, and satisfying spirit photography that kept me alert as I explored.
Recommended if you like: Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, the Bridge Curse
12. Paper Dolls Original ⭐
A Chinese folklore haunted-mansion game about a father searching for his daughter; expect note-hunting, trap puzzles, and moments where you must hide rather than fight, I’d rank this game higher if it wasn't because I haven’t finished it yet. The attention to puzzle detail is strong and sometimes objects you grab turns out to be a ghost encounter instead, I'm loving this game.
Recommended if you like: The Bridge Curse 1 & 2, Fatal Frame
13. White Day: A Labyrinth Named School ⭐
This cult Korean horror stealth game strands you in a haunted high school with no weapons, minimal supplies, multiple endings, and lore to piece together; it wasn’t super scary for me but still had legit surprise moments, and the hide-and-seek tension plus puzzle solving kept me engaged to the end.
Recommended if you like: The Bridge Curse 1 & 2, Paper Dolls
14. Outlast
Mount Massive Asylum turns you into a no-combat survivor armed only with a camcorder and night vision, forcing stealth, hiding, and quick routing; personally it felt more stressful than scary—limited batteries and pitch darkness sometimes left me stuck without good visibility—and while tons of players love it, this one didn’t click for me (maybe I’ll give it another chance).
Recommended if you like: Alien Isolation, Shadow Corridor 2
15. Yomawari: Lost in the Dark
Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is an isometric survival horror adventure on Nintendo Switch where you play a young girl who wakes in a dark forest with no memories and must explore a haunted town at night, evade twisted ghosts, solve puzzles, hide or shut your eyes to escape danger, and unravel a curse by recovering lost memories. I thought the cute, almost storybook graphics made it seem not scary at first—but don’t be fooled: the sudden ghost appearances around corners had me jumping more than once, and playing in the dark felt like reading a chilling horror tale come alive.
Recommended if you like: Alien Isolation, Shadow Corridor 2
16. Alien: Isolation
In Alien: Isolation, you play Amanda Ripley, trapped on a space station while being stalked by a deadly Xenomorph. The alien’s advanced AI learns from your actions, so every encounter feels different and unpredictable. Instead of fighting, you’ll survive by hiding, crafting items, and using distractions to stay one step ahead. I didn’t find it the scariest game, but the constant tension of not being caught and the faithful connection to the Alien movies make it a must-play for sci-fi horror fans.
Recommended if you like: Alien movies, Dead Space, Outlast
17. BioShock The Collection ⭐
Part of the collection on Switch, these are narrative shooters with horror vibes: Rapture’s art-deco ruins, plasmid powers, hacking, and exploration; for me they’re creepy more than scary (no real jump scares now), but I still love the worldbuilding, moral choices, and upgrade paths—great if you want action-horror atmosphere rather than pure terror.
Recommended if you like: Dead Space,Close to the sun
18. Resident Evil 4 ⭐
Leon’s mission to rescue the President’s daughter mixes over-the-shoulder combat, inventory Tetris, puzzles, and grotesque cult encounters; it terrified me when I first played it on PS2 at 16 (I literally crept through rooms), but now I replay it for the thrills—newcomers will still find plenty of scares alongside the series’ tight action design.
Recommended if you like: Action-horror, RE remakes
19. Resident Evil Origins Collection ⭐
RE0 and the 2002 remake deliver true survival horror with fixed angles, key-hunts, limited ammo, and switchable characters in RE0; after RE4 I dove into these classics and loved the ominous door-opening transitions, tricky puzzles, sudden surprises (that train sequence got me!), and moody music—I’ve finished them multiple times.
Recommended if you like: Classic RE, retro horror
20. Poppy Playtime
An episodic toy-factory horror where your GrabPack powers puzzles, circuit connects, and traversal as you evade living mascots like Huggy Wuggy; the creepy-cute setup and industrial gloom work well, and while it’s more about jumps and puzzle beats than deep terror, the premise kept me curious to see what the next chapter threw at me.
Buy on Amazon
Recommended if you like: Five Nights at Freddy’s, Bendy
21. Resident Evil Revelations Collection
Two entries that bridge RE lore with survival-action pacing, optional motion aiming, and co-op Raid Mode; not as scary as the earliest RE games (I found RER1 creepier than RER2), but they’re fun, polished, and packed with eerie corridors and resource pressure for fans who like a faster tempo.
Recommended if you like: RE spin-offs, action-horror
22. Shadow Corridor 2
A procedural escape horror where yokai stalk you through randomized mazes, pushing stealth, tool use, and mission objectives; it reminds me a bit of Outlast but with more options—alternative light sources, some defensive tools, and multiple routes—so while it’s not my absolute favorite, I kept playing because every run felt fresh and tense.
Recommended if you like: The Bridge Curse 1 & 2, Outlast, Japanese horror
23. Oxide Room 104
This is body-horror meets escape room in a rotting motel where a ruthless scientist and a creature hunt you as you improvise solutions; it’s puzzle-heavy with nasty surprises, and I liked how it forces quick thinking under pressure as you try to chart a path out of Room 104 alive.
Recommended if you like: Escape-room games, Tormented Souls
24. Yonesawara Hospital
A first-person exploration horror in an abandoned Japanese clinic that leans on clues, spectral sightings, and puzzle progression; it gave me light Fatal Frame vibes (minus the camera), and while I didn’t get big jump scares, the wandering ghosts, occasional hiding, and slow-burn atmosphere made it a creepy, fun stroll through the unknown.
Recommended if you like: Fatal Frame, The Bridge Curse 1 & 2
25. Amnesia: The Dark Descent ⭐
A no-combat, sanity-driven castle crawl where you manage light sources, solve physics-tinged puzzles, and hide from monsters as you piece together your past; it isn’t scary to me personally anymore, but it’s still incredibly fun and absorbing—I’ll play for hours just exploring and inching deeper into Brennenburg.
Recommended if you like: Layers of Fear 1 & 2
26. Little Nightmares II ⭐
A puzzle-platform horror where Mono and Six traverse a world warped by a signal tower, relying on stealth, timing, and environmental logic; I see it more as creepy puzzle adventure than pure horror, but I really enjoy the eerie set pieces and the sensation of solving your way through a dark fairy tale.
Recommended if you like: Inside, Limbo, Little Nightmares I
👻 Final Thoughts
These are my personal picks for the scariest Switch games right now. Even though it’s hard for me to get scared, these definitely gave me jumps, chills, and sometimes full-on screams. If you’re a horror fan, you’ll find something here to keep you on edge this Halloween.
💬 Now I want to hear from you: Which of these games scared you the most? Or do you know another Nintendo Switch horror game that belongs on this list? Drop a comment — I’d love to check it out!
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