That time of year is upon us again. The traditions of reaching out to and celebrating the lives of loved ones passed are now peppered with Fall seasonal festivities and a focus on the horrific. Aside from the various activities that come along with Autumn, such as Halloween parties and decoration, pumpkin carving, apple picking, etc., we tend to really take this time of year to emphasize the horror aspects of pop culture. From telling scary stories and binge-watching marathons of the creepy and graphic films, this time of year truly lifts the terrifying to a place of note.

The question here is where are the horror games to titillate and terrify us this season? It is no question that 2017 has already been a great year for horror games. We have been given the absolutely stunning pivot to the franchise in Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, a return to the real survival of horror with Outlast 2, and a properly balanced and playable asymmetric battle arena game with heavy horror influence in Friday the 13th: The Game. All in all, this year has been good to fans of the horror genre. But with the month of horror prominence upon us, what does the year still have in stock?

AGONY

Q4 of 2017

Developed by Madmind Studio and published by PlayWay, Agony is a different take on the traditional horror that gamers are used to. The major change is that instead of a “Hell on Earth” setting, Agony plunges you straight into Hell. This survival horror game takes place through the circles of Hell as explained in Dante’s Inferno from the Divine Comedy. This creates some of the most vibrantly terrifying scenery in modern memory with plenty of room for story development. There is no definitive release date, but as of this posting, Agony is still slated for some time before the end of the year.

THE EVIL WITHIN 2

October 13, 2017

The sequel to the 2014 psychological, survival horror hit The Evil Within comes to us from Tango Gameworks and Bethesda Softworks. Resuming the role of detective Sebastian Castellanos, you seek to find you missing daughter Lily. From what has been shown thus far, The Evil Within 2 seems to offer the same horrific imagery and moments of tormenting reflection as its predecessor. It has also been stated that The Evil Within 2 will provide much larger maps than the first with optional side quests and additional areas to explore outside of the main story itself.

GHOST THEORY

Q4 of 2017

Another game with no definite release date on the books but still promising PS4 availability sometime this year is Ghost Theory. Developed and published by Dreadlocks Ltd, Ghost Theory is a first-person adventure style horror game that takes the player on wild ghost hunts. Using a variety of equipment, you are sent to different locations based on real-life, reportedly haunted places, and go on paranormal investigations. Each location seems to have its own mini-story that feeds into the overall sensation of actual ghost hunting.

THE INPATIENT

November 21, 2017

The Inpatient is the unexpected prequel that horror fans did not realize how badly they wanted. Developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, The Inpatient is slated as a PSVR experience that takes fans of Until Dawn back 60 years prior to the events of that game to endure the haunting Blackwood Sanitorium back in its prime.

Aside from these four titles, there are a handful of other truly inspired horror games with conflicting release dates circling around the internet. Regardless, these seem like some fantastic frights to fill out the rest of 2017; as if our gaming schedules were not already splitting at the seams. Though this may feel like a lacking list as far as quantity, reflect on the diverse quality of them. Rejoice in the fact that these games are so vastly different.

The traumas of traversing hell itself and the psychological torment of facing horrors around your everyday life, first-person experiences tracking the supernatural, and virtual reality emergence into classic horrors are all covered. The last quarter of this year is one of the most packed in recent years, but make sure to carve out some time for what is sure to be some fantastic horror titles. Aside from the great, terrifying games, we have already gotten, the terrors of 2017 are still yet to come.