The Nintendo Switch library includes a strong selection of horror games across styles—from survival horror and psychological thrillers to tense puzzle-platformers—making it a solid platform for fans of the genre. Below are eight notable titles available for the Switch, including remasters and definitive editions.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water — camera-based ghost hunting
Originally released for the Wii U, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water reached the Switch as a remastered edition with improved visuals and gameplay tweaks. The series’ signature mechanic returns: the Camera Obscura, which damages and exorcises hostile spirits when the player photographs them.
Players must time shots precisely; correctly framed images deal greater damage through so-called “Fatal Frames.” The story follows three protagonists drawn to Mount Hikami, a site of old rituals where they confront a malevolent force.
Outlast 2 — found-footage survival in a rural cult setting
Outlast 2 is a first-person survival horror that leans on a found-footage aesthetic inspired by films like The Blair Witch Project. You play a cameraman searching for his wife after a helicopter crash in the Arizona desert and encounter a fanatical religious cult.
There are no weapons or direct combat: survival depends on running, hiding, and using a camera equipped with night vision, zoom, and audio recording. The title is a standalone story within the same universe as the original Outlast, so playing the first game is not required to follow its plot.
Layers of Fear: Legacy — a shifting mansion and creative madness
Layers of Fear: Legacy is the Switch version of the psychological horror adventure, presented as a definitive edition that supports Joy-Con features, touchscreen input, and HD Rumble. It also includes the “Inheritance” DLC.
The game places you inside a Victorian mansion that continuously changes form while you explore. You control a mentally unstable painter obsessed with finishing his masterpiece, and progress depends on solving environmental puzzles amid unsettling alterations to the surroundings.
Darkwood — top-down survival in an uncanny forest
Darkwood offers a survival horror experience from a top-down perspective, set in a bizarre, monster-infested forest in the Soviet bloc. You play the Stranger, trapped in this area and forced to survive a deadly plague while trying to escape.
Daytime is for exploration, scavenging, interacting with other survivors, and fortifying your shelter; nights bring relentless invaders. The game features a skill system where each chosen benefit has a drawback, and player decisions shape relationships and influence the ending.
Little Nightmares II — puzzle-platforming through a twisted world
Little Nightmares II shifts from survival horror toward puzzle-platforming with horror elements. The game presents 3D platform levels filled with puzzles and disturbing set pieces rather than direct combat.
You control Mono, aided by Six (the yellow-hooded protagonist from the first game), as they traverse a dark, distorted world. The narrative is self-contained, so prior experience with Little Nightmares is not necessary to understand this sequel.
Inside — minimalist atmosphere and unsettling puzzles
Inside is a largely monochromatic puzzle-platformer that creates tension through environment, sound, and realistic character deaths. You control a boy who must run, jump, manipulate objects, and occasionally control other bodies to solve puzzles and progress.
The game’s sparse sound design and stark visuals amplify its eerie tone, making its short but intense experience a standout on the Switch.
Alan Wake Remastered — narrative-driven action-horror
Alan Wake, first released in 2010, was praised for its episodic, suspense-driven narrative. The remastered Switch edition preserves the full story and both DLC episodes while updating the visuals.
Players assume the role of Alan Wake, a writer confronting shadowy enemies that are weakened by light. Gameplay mixes exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat that emphasizes using flashlights and weapons to dispel darkness as Wake searches for his missing wife while events from his own manuscript begin to bleed into reality.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 — family-friendly scares in a haunted hotel
Luigi’s Mansion 3 brings a lighter, more playful take on haunted-house gameplay while still offering spooky atmosphere. You guide Luigi through a luxurious, ghost-filled hotel, solving puzzles and locating elevator buttons hidden across floors.
The game features platforming and puzzle elements and introduces Gooigi, a slime version of Luigi capable of passing through grates and pipes, enabling local two-player cooperative play.
