If you’re looking for a strong horror game for your phone just in time for Halloween, look no further than this short list of the best scary free mobile games currently available on iOS or Android. Sure, you can bring along a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck as a portable console, but you may not want to lug something that heavy or expensive around.
Also, it’s important to note that this list will only contain games that have actually released within the last 12 months. There are many similar listicles out there that include horror games that have been around for a long time now. And while titles like Dead by Daylight Mobile, Limbo, and Five Nights at Freddy’s are always going to be solid picks, you’ve probably heard about them at least a few times before. We figure that you’re on the lookout for something new to scare the bejesus out of you.
Endless Nightmare 2: Hospital
Download Link: Google Play and App Store
Developer 707 Interactive has been busy with the Endless Nightmare series. This second episode follows a patient named Jake who finds himself waking up in a hospital (surprise, surprise) while investigating why people are going missing in Oak Town. You’ll need to collect items to solve puzzles and take out a knife or a gun to defeat creepy ghosts. If you don’t have any weapons on hand, though, you will need to hide in a cabinet or anyplace else to avoid the ghosts entirely. Luckily, there are other episodes available to download as well too, with the series having a total of four episodes.
Horror Tale 1: Kidnapper
Download Link: Google Play and App Store
While not as well known on iOS as it is on Android, Horror Tale 1: Kidnapper is a promising first episode of a mini-series by Euphoria Horror Games. The game has you explore Lakewatch and solve the mystery of why children have gone missing. You’ll need to complete tricky puzzles and fortify your treehouse while staving off a scary kidnapper with a creepy rabbit face mask. Rated E10+ and already garnering over 500K+ downloads, the game has a surprisingly high average score of 4.6 stars out of 5 in the Google Play store. If you enjoy this first episode, you can pre-register for the second episode called Samantha.
The Baby in Yellow
Download Link: Google Play and App Store
Okay, so we’re cheating a little bit with this one since this spooky simulation game was released in March 2021, but developer Team Terrible has updated it with an appropriate Halloween update called Bedtime Stories. Originally made within two days at a game jam, The Baby in Yellow has you play a babysitter who has to deal with some unruly children, to say the least. With over 50 million downloads so far, this cute but really not-so-cute game features puzzles, plenty of jump scares, five chapters of content, and ragdoll physics. The Bedtime Stories update adds new decorations for the house and a new pumpkin outfit for the baby, as if it needs to be any creepier.
Mr. Meat 2: Prison Break
Download Link: Google Play and App Store
Last but not least is this sequel to the original Mr. Meat: Horror Escape Room from 2018, where you had to escape from a butcher (named Mr. Meat of course) infected by a zombie virus. In this follow-up, you instead play as Rebecca, Mr. Meat’s daughter, who visits her father during his day of execution at the state prison. As you might expect, things go awry and you’ll need to escape as quickly as possible from the jail. With over 1 million downloads through the Google Play store alone, the game features multiple endings, narrative cinematics, and several difficulty settings.
