Sometimes you’re in the mood for a scare but don’t have hours on end to devote to a proper gaming session. So many spooky games are set out to be marathons and there’s always going to be a place in our heart for those, but right now we’re going to celebrate the superfast spooks. These games can either be completed in three hours or less, or lend themselves to those moments where you’ve only got five or ten minutes to hand. Some are for PC, some for console, and others you can play right away in your browser, so there really is no excuse for not signing in and giving yourself a fright.
IMSCARED
This game is a favourite amongst YouTubers and Twitch streamers alike. It takes the form of an escape room game, but it soon becomes far more than that. It can only be played on PC, as the game has a terrifying extra ability: it can add files to your computer. There’s nothing scarier than a game that transcends the boundaries of what a PC game usually is. Flicking through your folders on a Monday morning at work to find something truly terrifying that you definitely didn’t put there takes IMSCARED to the gold standard of spook as far as we’re concerned. The puzzles are tricky with plenty of twists and the frequent appearances of White Face are enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned the chilling soundtrack yet.
Devil’s Delight
There are so many options for people who want to play slots in US, but the Devil’s Delight game makes the list of the very best slots not just because of its creepy theme, but also because it offers one of the best return-to-player ratios out there. This game requires you to match symbols across a single line, making it super simple to pick up and play. The symbols include all of the spooky classics, such as the Grim Reaper, a spooky skeleton and, of course, the devil himself in multiple different disguises. Whilst it isn’t the scariest game on this list, it’s the Hallowe’en kind of scary that is suitable for play before bedtime if you still want a good night’s sleep.
Anatomy
This game will command your attention for much more than five minutes, but it can be played all the way through in well under an hour, which is why it makes the list. Anatomy was created by Kitty Horrorshow and is exactly the kind of old school horror that we love. You start off in an abandoned house with only the crackling sound of a cassette tape for company. The tapes can give you clues on how to proceed, but they don’t make for comfortable listening. If jumpscares and psychological trickery are your kind of thing, then you’ll love this multifaceted game. There are also multiple different endings available to players which means that, even though the game’s total runtime isn’t very long, you can play through again and get a different ending to the story.