For almost a decade, Five Nights at Freddy’s has been giving gamers nightmares with its animatronic jump scares across multiple sequels and spin-off titles. Now, there’s even a Five Nights at Freddy’s feature film in theaters and on Peacock out this weekend. Even though the film has been met with less than enthusiastic reviews, it’s hard for a franchise to get much bigger than that.
Those who are itching to get more of the game’s universe can do so when Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 hits consoles and PC this December, but that’s a long way away if you’re simply looking for a good Halloween fright. If you can’t wait that long for some fresh scares from Freddy and his fiendish friends but still want to grab some similar scary vibes before the month is up, these five games are the perfect way to follow up Five Nights at Freddy’s. And if none of these are your speed, you can always just replay the FNAF series.
Alien: Isolation
You may have some Five Nights at Freddy’s flashbacks when you play Alien: Isolation, especially when you’re hiding from Xenomorphs. Compared to those aliens, Freddy and his friends are pretty tame! The survival horror classic puts players in control of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley from the movies. And unlike the protagonist in Five Nights at Freddy’s, Amanda is never helpless. But it’s still not a good idea to take on the Xenomorphs one-on-one, because they will kill you far more often than you can turn the tables on them. This is a perfect choice for anyone looking for jump scares, as it delivers those in abundance.
Emily Wants To Play
Since Emily Wants to Play came out a year after Five Nights at Freddy’s, it’s pretty safe to assume that the makers of the game were inspired by its predecessor. Whereas the player in Five Nights at Freddy’s has to make it through multiple nights, the main character in Emily Wants to Play is a hapless pizza delivery guy who has to survive a single night in a haunted house. The titular ghost is Emily Withers, a girl who died at a young age, and she clearly wants to play with her prey. The problem is that her evil dolls also want to play … and by play, we mean tear you apart. In this case, death isn’t the end for Emily, but it will be for your character if you can’t figure out a way to stay alive.
Outlast
If you want some real scares, then Outlast is the game for you. This first-person horror title puts players in the role of a journalist named Miles Upshur as he investigates a mental hospital. Miles gets way more than he bargained for when he discovers that the facility has already been overrun by murderous inmates. The thing that makes this game such a horror classic is that you can’t fight back. Miles is simply not that kind of video game hero. Thankfully, he can run and hide, and you’ll need to use your best stealth tactics to stay alive. That arguably makes getting through this game an even bigger challenge than most of the others on this list. Tackle it if you dare.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
After Outlast, you may feel some relief to know that you won’t go through the first-person horrors of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood unarmed. However, you are pretty much stuck on hellish carnival rides until you make your way through the entire game. There is actually a direct connection to the original Until Dawn, one of our favorite horror games from the Playstation 4 era. But it’s something that doesn’t come up until late in the game. All you need to know going in is that your life is in your own hands, and you’d better be prepared to fight for it.
Silent Hill 3
If the Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro-produced Silent Hills had come to fruition, it would have been the perfect way to end this list. Even the lone Playable Teaser is a classic in the genre. Silent Hill 4: The Room does have some first-person view elements in the game, but the installment that reminds us the most of Five Nights at Freddy’s is Silent Hill 3. The Lakeside Amusement Park is a prominent location within the sequel, as Heather Mason is forced to go through locations that are so creepy that even the animatronics from Five Guys at Freddy’s would be scared of them. This isn’t a first-person game, but it is one of the best survival horror titles from the Playstation 2 era. And it’s long overdue for a remake, much like the one that Silent Hill 2 is already getting.
Five Nights at Freddy’s, the movie, is in theaters and streaming on Peacock now.
