If you’re looking for a good thrill but are short on time, check out these five horror games on Itch.io without spending a dime! I’ve personally played through each of them from start to end so I know they’re definitely worth your time. And considering how many games there are on Itch.io, it can be hard to find the good ones. That’s part of why I put together this list.
1. September 1999
Let’s kick off with a five-minute game called September 1999. As the name clearly states, it takes place in September of 1999, which isn’t super important to the game itself. However, you awake in an apartment littered with bottles and garbage with no context really. The developer 98DEMAKE takes you for a ride in those five minutes, letting you explore this constantly changing apartment, and telling a short story. It gives off a bit of a P.T. vibe for those who miss what we never got.
September 1999 is available on Itch.io and is coming to Steam. Playable on Windows and Mac.
2. Midnight Scenes: The Highway
Midnight Scenes: The Highway is a point-and-click adventure game that starts with a simple problem veering off into an odd direction. As a woman driving along the highway, you eventually see a downed pole across the road with electricity running through it.
In an attempt to get around it through mini-puzzles, the story begins to get a bit darker. If you’re looking for a quick story, even if you’re not big on point-and-click games, this one is still worth playing!
Developed by Octavi Navarro.
Midnight Scenes: The Highway is available on Itch.io for Windows and Mac.
3. Perfection
Perfection starts with the player creating a simple character profile giving some personality traits to start messing with you. Or in their perspective, to help create your perfect self and get rid of all those nasty anxieties. Based on the decisions you make, you’ll get a neat analysis at the end of your playthrough. Get ready for your new and improved self where nothing can possibly go wrong!
Developed by Yasmin Curren, Tiffany Derbyshire, Tabitha Beresford-Owen, @MerrellFacets, and James Aldous.
Perfection is available on Itch.io for Windows.
4. Tape
Tape is short but has a unique feature I’d love to see more of if development continues. Starting out with a camera, in the beginning, the player obtains the power to control time. Depending on the situation, you might have to rewind time to get obstacles out of the way or fast forward to open new doors. It almost makes me think of Monsters, Inc. with the number of doors you unlock that each have their own world awaiting. Also, there are definitely similarities to Layers of Fear in how this game messes with your mind.
Developed by BlackChiliGoat Studio.
Tape is available on Itch.io for Windows. (Currently an alpha demo)
5. Miss Eyesore
Miss Eyesore acts similarly to games like Five Nights at Freddy’s or Slenderman vibe. Without a strong story, you’re in an underground bunker and have to keep generators running until you can escape. While repairing generators to keep the lights on warding off Miss Eyesore, you’re frantically running about hoping she doesn’t catch you from the shadows.
Developed by Filip Bergkvist, Julia Lundman, Daniel Björk, and Simon Kåks. They’re currently developing a story and setting for a full game around it.
Miss Eyesore is available on Itch.io for Windows and Mac.
That wraps up this quick list of 5 free quick horror games on Itch.io to check out. Hopefully you get a chance to try some of them even if you don’t run through the entire list. As someone who likes a lot of different games, I was a fan of these ones.
Jeff is a journalist with over 10 years of experience writing, streaming, and making content about video games. With an associate degree in journalism, he’s a sucker for RPGs, survival games, roguelikes, and more.