Even a decade after its spine-chilling debut, Dead by Daylight remains a titan in the multiplayer horror arena, consistently drawing tens of thousands of players into its foggy realms. The secret sauce? That heart-pounding, asymmetric formula where you can embody iconic slashers like Michael Myers or fight desperately for survival. But let's be real, the Entity's realm isn't the only place to get your cooperative frights fix. The genre has exploded, offering everything from chaotic team scrambles to social deduction nightmares where your best friend might just be the monster. Buckle up, because we're diving into the top horror games that are perfect for bringing your squad together... or tearing them apart.
10. Evil Dead: The Game
Asymmetrical Antics With A Formidable Demon
Ash Williams might be a familiar face from the Fog, but in Evil Dead: The Game, he's back where he belongs—kicking Deadite butt with his boomstick and iconic chainsaw hand. This game is a gore-soaked love letter to the franchise, letting you and three friends battle across iconic locations to banish a powerful Demon player. And oh man, playing as the Demon is a blast! You're not just one killer; you're a puppeteer of chaos, spawning hordes of Deadites, setting traps, and even possessing survivors to turn them against their friends. It's way more action-packed than a typical cat-and-mouse chase, making every match a hilarious, messy thrill ride. They even threw in a battle royale mode for when you really want to crank the chaos to eleven.
9. Lethal Company
The Scariest Job You'll Ever Have
Forget survivors vs. killer; in Lethal Company, it's you and your crew versus a terrifying quota and the monstrous employees of the month you're disturbing. Your job is simple: land on a desolate moon, loot abandoned facilities for scrap, and get out before… well, before something gets you. The tension here is next-level. You're not being hunted by one predictable killer, but by a whole menagerie of grotesque creatures, each with their own horrifying behaviors. The real kicker? The true terror isn't always the monster in the dark—it's the dread of not meeting your profit quota. Let's just say 'The Company' has very… final… solutions for underperformers. Working together is the only way to make it back to the ship in one piece, assuming your friends don't accidentally lock you outside with the thing that's clicking in the vents.
8. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed
A Haunting Asymmetrical Battle With Spiritual Hijinks
Who you gonna call? Your friends, obviously! Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed takes the asymmetric template and gives it a delightfully silly, proton-powered twist. As a team of four rookie Ghostbusters, you'll work to calm haunted locations and capture a ghost player who's causing all sorts of ectoplasmic mischief. Playing as the ghost is an absolute riot—you can possess objects, slam doors, and terrorize civilians to raise the haunting level. It's less about brutal murder and more about causing enough paranormal pandemonium to claim the building. The vibe is pure 80s comedy-horror, making it a perfect, less-intense alternative for when you want spooks and laughs in equal measure.
7. White Noise 2
Light Is The Key To Salvation
This one flips the script a bit. In White Noise 2, you're not survivors; you're investigators trying to stop a cosmic evil from awakening. The hide-and-seek tension is still absolutely there, but with a brilliant twist: light is your weapon. As investigators, you must find clues and items while staying in the light to ward off the creature. Play as the monster, and you become a creature of shadow, hunting by sound and fear, but utterly vulnerable to the beam of a flashlight. It creates this amazing dynamic where managing your light sources becomes a tense, strategic mini-game. Do you stick together for safety, or split up to cover more ground and risk being picked off in the dark?
6. Phasmophobia
A Stressful Dive Into The World Of Ghost Hunting
If slow-burn, investigative terror is your jam, Phasmophobia is still the king in 2026. There's no designated killer player here—the threat is the unpredictable, malevolent ghost you're trying to identify. You and your team enter a haunted location with an array of equipment (EMF readers, spirit boxes, UV lights) to gather evidence and determine the ghost type before it decides you are the evidence. The atmosphere is unbearably thick. Hearing a door slam shut behind you, seeing your flashlight flicker, or listening to a ghost whisper your name through the spirit box… it's the kind of fear that sticks with you. The post-launch support has been phenomenal, adding new maps, ghosts, and equipment that keep the mystery fresh and terrifying.
5. Devour
Try Not To Get Dragged To Your Doom
Devour is pure, unadulterated cult horror. You and your friends play as former cult members trying to perform a ritual to banish a demon you once worshiped. The catch? The demon has possessed your old cult buddies, and they are now sprinting, crawling, and teleporting around the map to drag you to hell. The panic sets in fast. You need to find specific ritual items, but they're never in the same place twice, and the AI-controlled cultists get faster and angrier as the timer ticks down. It's a frantic, chaotic scramble where communication is key—screaming "SHE'S ON ME!" into your mic is practically part of the gameplay loop. The randomness ensures no two playthroughs are ever the same.
4. In Silence
Noise Is The Ultimate Killer In This Asymmetrical Experience
This game takes the "be quiet" rule from horror movies and makes it the entire game. In In Silence, a group of survivors must repair vehicles to escape while being hunted by the Rake, a blind monster that can only "see" through sound. The kicker? The game uses proximity chat. That means the monster player can hear you if you're close, and you can hear your panicked friends whispering (or screaming) elsewhere on the map. It leads to moments of pure genius and pure panic. Do you risk talking to coordinate a repair, or stay silent and hope your friend figures out the plan? As the monster, listening to the distant footsteps and muffled voices to pinpoint your prey is a uniquely tense and satisfying power trip.
3. Deceit
Lying Has Never Been Deadlier
Think Among Us but with fangs and a heavy dose of horror. Deceit is a social deduction nightmare. At the start of each round, a few players are secretly infected and will transform into monsters when the lights go out. The catch? Nobody knows who. As an innocent survivor, you're working with the group to complete objectives and escape, all while side-eyeing your buddies. Is Steve lagging behind because he's solving a puzzle, or because he's waiting for the lights to cut? As the infected, it's a game of deception, sabotaging objectives and picking off the team one by one when darkness falls. The paranoia it breeds is absolutely delicious. Trust no one, not even the person you came in with.
2. Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game
A New Level Of Clown Phobia Awaits
Inspired by the wonderfully zany 80s cult film, this game is a cotton candy-colored nightmare. Three players take on the roles of the Killer Klowns, armed with ridiculous weapons like popcorn guns and cotton candy cocoons, hunting down a team of human survivors. It shares DNA with Dead by Daylight (Klowns can hook survivors), but with a crucial difference: humans can fight back. Finding a bat or even a gun can turn the tables, letting you temporarily stun a Klown and make a run for it. The atmosphere is a perfect blend of silly and sinister, capturing the film's tone perfectly. It's over-the-top, chaotic, and a total blast with a full group.
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
A Return To Slasher Cult Classics With An Iconic Killer
For fans of pure, gritty slasher horror, this game is the ultimate love letter. Stepping into the worn boots of the Slaughter Family (Leatherface, Cook, and Hitchhiker) is a uniquely oppressive experience. You're not just one killer; you're a terrifying trio working together to corral and slaughter a group of desperate victims. For the survivors, it's a brutally tense game of stealth and opportunity. You can't just run and hide forever—you need to find tools, unlock exits, and use unique character abilities (like a well-timed shoulder charge or a blinding poison cloud) to create openings. The maps are sprawling recreations from the films, and the sound design—the buzz of Leatherface's chainsaw in the distance—is absolutely masterful. It's a game where cooperation, on both sides, isn't just helpful; it's everything.
So, there you have it. Whether you want to bust ghosts, outrun a profit-driven nightmare, or lie through your teeth to your friends, the world of multiplayer horror in 2026 is richer and more varied than ever. Just remember to keep the lights on... and maybe think twice before trusting the friend who's being a little too quiet.
Leave a Comment