There are plenty of options when it comes to games that will scare you for the Halloween season. That said, some of us have more specific tastes and want to seek out spooky games with particular characters on offer.
If vampires are your supernatural being of choice, these ten games will let you step into their immortal shoes to stalk the streets at night. We combine some older classic vampire games with newer additions so you can find the right fit for your spooky season gaming needs.
Related: Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Jack’s Halloween Event Guide 2023
Castlevania
We’ll start with a classic and perhaps the most well-known vampire-centered video game. The Castlevania series centers on Dracula himself and is largely set within his castle. There are an overwhelming number of games in this series, which began in 1986 and has continued through 2016, sparking spin-off manga and anime.
Of the more recent installments to the series, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has the highest ranking and is a good offering if you’re looking for a solid Dracula-style vampire video game. This game does revamp some of the older lore from the series, so if you prefer a classic Castlevania story, it may not be your best pick.
Vampire: The Masquerade
There are a number of games in the Vampire: The Masquerade series, including the TTRPG and several spin-off video games based on it. This RPG lets you enter the complex social hierarchy of vampires, working to avoid being discovered by humans as you fight to survive. We recommend circling up to play the TTRPG for a fun, in-person vampire experience, but if vampire roleplay gets too weird for you, there’s always the video game route.
The most recent video game installment to the franchise is Vampire: the Masquerade: Swansong, which has received middling reviews. For this reason, our pick for Vampire: The Masquerade video game would be the earlier, better-received 2004 release, Bloodlines.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard
Who can forget their first encounter with the mysterious vampire Serana? With the Dawnguard DLC, Skyrim added a ton of playability around its vampiric inhabitants, including the ability to become one yourself.
Rather than defeat the vampire lord, you can join him and transform into a vampire in the game. You’ll gain vampiric abilities and take damage from the sun as you continue your quest around the open world of Skyrim.
Darkwatch
If you’re a first-person shooter fan who still wants a vampire twist, Darkwatch might fit the bill for your October gameplay.
This is an older game with a 2005 release date, but it combines steampunk, Western, and horror elements for a relatively unique twist on the vampire angle that makes it worthwhile even now. You play as a sort of duel human/vampire character in that your vampiric powers are available only after dark, and you have to make do as a boring human during the day.
V Rising
In V Rising, which is still in Early Access, you play as a vampire fighting to survive.
This game focuses on the mechanics of making it to the next night as a hungry vampire, hunting in nearby villages, and avoiding the sun’s bright light. There are also castle-building mechanics as you explore the game’s open world, so it’s a good fit if you want to focus on building a vampiric empire.
Vampyr
This game plays with the morality of vampirism by casting you as a doctor who has been turned into a vampire.
In Vampyr, you play Dr. Jonathan Reid, a doctor trying to find a cure for the flu. But he’s just been turned into a vampire and must navigate the need to feed on the people he swore an oath to help. If you’re looking for a solid story-driven vampire tale this Halloween, Vampyr might fit the bill.
Vampire’s Fall: Origins
This 2D open-world game considers itself a “tribute to classic RPGs.”
You’ll play as a recruit to the village’s militia, trying to protect it from the dark magic afoot. However, not all goes to plan, and you soon find yourself with a dark and dangerous secret. This game lets you make decisions that impact the village’s story and future while engaging in tactical combat. And yes, you’ll become a vampire and wrestle with what that means for your military career.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
This is an older game, but a classic addition to the vampire video game genre and well worth revisiting if you’re a Buffy fan.
Chaos Bleeds allows you to play Buffy Summers from the beloved TV series and other members of the Scooby Gang as you navigate a storyline loosely set in the show’s fifth season. You’ll fight a variety of monsters in this action-adventure game, in which you can spend time as bad boy vampire Spike.
A Vampyre Story
If you’re looking for a vampire game with a slice-of-life feel, A Vampyre Story might be right up your alley.
Play as opera singer-turned-vampire Mona De Lafitte as you try to escape the vampire who turned you and get back to Paris. This is a point-and-click story-driven game in which you travel across Draxsylvania, meeting strange characters and encountering complex challenges along the way.
The Sims 4: Vampires
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the fact that you can create vampires in The Sims 4 with the Vampires game pack DLC.
If you want to live daily life as a denizen of the night, honing your vampiric powers while also trying to hold down the mundane realities of life, this is the game for you. Vampires is The Sims 4 are a bit less spooky and gory than some other renditions, but you can still use special powers and drink the blood of your fellow Sims.
With this list of options, we know you’ll find the right fit for your vampire gameplay aspirations this spooky season and beyond.
