The era of the Halloween-themed cartoon and sitcom episode has been replaced by the seasonal Halloween gaming event. Whether you like battle royales or car soccer, sci-fi shooting or life sim-ing, there’s plenty of scary game updates to partake in this year. If you’ve already picked up the best candy for trick-or-treaters, pulled together a last-minute costume, and binged on some great horror movies, then here are some of our favorite spooky seasonal game modes for Halloween 2024.
Dates: October 11 through November 2
The battle royale’s spooky celebration returns with Fortnitemares 2024. Fortnite’s Halloween event tends to be a good time, but this year’s festivities seem even more involved than usual. There are ridable chainsaws and Boom Billy tricycles you can launch at opponents to blow them up. Jigsaw Challenges at monitors scattered across the map let players dual one another wherever they are. And, of course, Horde Rush has returned alongside new costumes for Edward Scissorhands, Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, She-Venom and Agony, and Disney villains Maleficent, Captain Hook, and Cruella de Vil. — Ethan Gach
Dates: October 3 through early November
For many years now, GTA Online has celebrated Halloween October. Throughout the month, players can run into deadly killers, creepy cars, scary ghosts, and UFOs hovering around the map. This year, Rockstar added a brand new zombie survival mode that sees players fighting off waves of the undead. It’s one of the biggest Halloweens in GTA Online in a few years. Millions of players logged in to kill a ton of zombies and earn rewards. Adding a brand new zombies mode a decade after launch is yet more evidence that while GTA 6 is the future, Rockstar isn’t abandoning GTA Online anytime soon, even if many fans on social media want to move on. — Zack Zwiezen
Dates: October 17 through October 30
Playing any of Overwatch 2's PvE events feels bad in light of the various mode cancelations Blizzard has rolled out over the past few years, but Junkenstein’s Revenge remains a Halloween staple in this house. Though Blizzard has released several variations of its annual spooky event, the original Junkenstein’s Revenge was one of the earliest examples of the potential lurking beneath the competitive surface. It has such a good concept: Reinhardt gathering folks around for a spooky story starring alternate versions of Overwatch heroes in a fight to survive the night. The vibes are immaculate, the actual event is a blast to play with friends, and Blizzard has rolled out some reasonably challenging spins on it over the years. Just don’t think about it too hard or you’ll remember this game was supposed to have a PvE story mode. — Kenneth Shepard
Dates: October 8 through November 5
Halo Infinite is still around and going strong. A mode called One Shot Slayer was introduced last month and now Helljumpers, a play on Helldivers 2's PvE bug smashing, also just rolled out. For Halloween specifically, Halo Studios (formerly known as 343 Industries) rolled out a new mode called Survive the Infection. The wave-based Infection-style gameplay includes perks, an overhauled weapon vending machine, and more. The Operation Pass for the event includes the Spartanstein armor set and a Pestilent Winds armor effect for those who buy the premium pass. — Ethan Gach
Dates: October 18 through November 4
Rocket League’s annual Haunted Hallows event is chockfull of stuff. There’s the Spooky Cube and Haunted Heatseeker limited-time modes. There’s a creepier night-time version of the Drift Woods Arena. Spider-Gwen, Classic Spider-Man, and Spider-Man Symbiote Suit Fennec Octane Decals. There’s also comic book toppers, Mysterio wheels, and Venom boost trails, as well as my personal favorite, the Venom goal explosion. — Ethan Gach
Dates: September 29 until forever
The Sims 4 Halloween festivities aren’t a free event but rather a paid DLC pack. The Spooky Stuff add-on, normally $10 and currently just $7, includes everything you need to throw a cool Monster Mash inside The Sims. It includes all-new Pumpkin Carving Stations, Spooky Candy Bowls, Eyeball Cheese Plates, and glowing tombstones, as well as new costumes and make-up for players’ Sims to go out in. It all leads up to the new $40 Life and Death expansion that launches on October 31, complete with all sorts of other haunted and spooky features. — Ethan Gach
Dates: October 29 through November 5
Diablo IV is already the perfect Halloween game, but things are about to get even creepier. In addition to spider-infested villages and other decorative flourishes, the Macabre Celebration will give away free spooky cosmetics and include trick-or-treat shrines in dungeons. In the spirit of the Butcher, their rewards are called meat-or-treat, with the chance both for riches or terrible afflictions to ensue when activated. — Ethan Gach
Dates: October 23 through November 6
No Man’s Sky’s 16th expedition teases a limited-time descent into otherworldly mystery and cosmic horror. The Cursed takes place in the twilight realm where interstellar travel is replaced by an ancient network of portals. The realm is full of haunting voices and spectral anomalies. A series of potions will help players survive the journey, discovering new truths and, of course, more blueprints along the way. — Ethan Gach
Dates: October 29 through November 12
Destiny 2's annual Festival of the Lost remains one of my favorite in-game Halloween events. The free update has players wearing masks of various characters, monsters, and memes, and lets them collect bags full of candy that can be exchanged for rewards. This year’s paid armor is a fittingly Hocus Pocus-themed witch set, and the new weapon players unlock is the Arcane Embrace arc shotgun. The Mechabre sniper rifle, Jurassic Green pulse rifle, Braytech Werewolf auto rifle, and Acosmic grenade launcher have all received refreshed perks as well. The only bummer is that this year’s festival is taking place almost entirely after Halloween. — Ethan Gach
