Season 4 of Stranger Things reminded us all how amazing the show really is. The small town mystery, an alternate dimension full of creepy creatures, the nostalgic ’80s vibes, and best of all, the good group of friends banding together to save each other and their town. While we await a fifth and final season, instead of rewatching old episodes for the third time, try one of these games. We’ve compiled a list of ten games that have those Stranger Things vibes, from ’80s horror to alternate dimensions, for when you are missing the show.
#10 Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game
Just like how Stranger Things have revived some popular ’80s media, the upcoming Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is bringing back the hit horror movie. In this asymmetrical multiplayer game, it’s three against seven in the fight to end or save humanity. Three players will choose their clowns, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, as they try to capture and kill the humans. Seven players will pick from a roster of humans to best build a team that can first survive, then defeat, the killer clown invasion. The map layout is randomly generated, and players are able to switch up their character choices between rounds, so the possibilities for strategy and fun gameplay are endless. Published by Good Shepard Entertainment and developed by Teravision Games, Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game will be available in early 2023 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
#9 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
From the first time we meet our heroes all the way to Season 4’s Hellfire Club, Stranger Things is a love letter to Dungeons & Dragons. Naturally, any themed list to give you Stranger Things vibes will include at least one fantasy RPG. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is a single-player RPG that will take players on an epic journey that would make the Hellfire Club proud. Captain your ship as you chase down a rogue god across the archipelago called Deadfire. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is based on classic Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, including customizable characters, world exploration, and stories and relationships largely determined by your choices. This RPG is a little more pirate themed than the Stranger Things version, and it’s a single-player game. But as you and your ship hop from island to island, you’ll have to choose your companions and even take on a dragon.
#8 The Quarry
Why is it always the kids and teens that find themselves taking on evil? The Quarry is a narrative-driven horror game that pits a group of nine teenage camp counselors against an unspeakable evil for a night. As the counselors of Hackett’s Quarry hang around post-summer camp for one last night of partying, they find themselves in life-or-death scenarios. Every choice you make has an impact and drives the story. Who lives and who dies is determined by those choices, and you may not always see the consequences coming.
Much like how the Stranger Things crew has separate but converging adventures, the characters in The Quarry each have the potential to make it all the way through or die a gruesome death. You can play a co-op version of this game too, where each of you makes decisions for the different counselors to get an even more unique ending. Supermassive Games is well known for creating terrifying and intricately detailed horror games, so if you’re looking for a spooky adventure to take with your friends, give this one a try.
#7 The Last Case of Benedict Fox
Stranger Things made the idea of a parallel world with nightmarish creatures mainstream. It’s interesting to imagine monsters all around you, just on the other side of a dimensional veil. The Last Case of Benedict Fox runs with that idea and adds the intrigue of a Gothic murder mystery. Benedict Fox is a private investigator, but not in the most official sense. Along with a demon companion that is intertwined with his own soul, Benedict enters an enormous mansion to solve a murder. He has the advantage of being able to move into an alternate dimension called Limbo, and he can explore the deceased person’s memories. Along the way, he and his demon will have to fight Lovecraftian creatures in an eerie alternate world. This upcoming Metroidvania-style game will combine the dark with the lovely and take players through a creepy mystery between worlds. It will be available to play in 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X|S, so keep a lookout for it!
#6 Video Horror Society
Fans will remember fondly the video rental store Robin and Steve worked together in for the last couple of seasons. Imagine if the monsters from the ’80s VHS tapes suddenly escaped into reality? That would be just their luck. It is also the main plot of Video Horror Society, a 4v1 multiplayer game where the monster tries to take out four teens. Classic horror movie monsters chase the teens around cinematic labyrinths, using whatever their particular strength is to frighten the other players as much as possible. Maybe a giant, hairy werewolf will be hot on their tail full of teeth and claws. Or the Doll Master will be waiting with a trap. The teens aren’t helpless by any means! They have the full ’80s horror movie playbook at their disposal, ready to Purify, Burn, Shock, and Curse their way to victory. If you’re looking to join your friends to take down a monster, give this game a try.
#5 Redfall
Redfall is a double whammy for Stranger Things vibes: a group of friends taking on evil forces in a small town. In this upcoming co-op first-person shooter game, Redfall, Massachusetts is in trouble. A rogue group of vampires has figured out how to block the sun over the island town, leaving it in perpetual night. As the vampires treat the town like a buffet, you get to be one of the survivors willing and able to fight back. You can play alone or with your friends as you form a small squad of humans with talents of your own to solve the mystery of the vampires’ origins and put an end to their control over the sunlight.
The available characters all have gifts and abilities that the Stranger Things crew would drool over. You can play a cryptozoologist who is also an inventor we bet Dustin would be a fan of, or there’s a biomedical engineering student who was given telekinetic abilities in a freak research facility accident who El could resonate with. Redfall is coming to consoles and PC in 2023. Published by Bethesda Softworks and developed by Arkane Austin, this is one game to keep an eye out for.
#4 Life is Strange 2
One of the sweetest relationships in Stranger Things is the brotherly love between Jonathan Byers and his little brother, Will. Jonathan goes to great lengths to keep his brother safe, and Will seems to have a deep, psychic connection to the Upside Down. Life Is Strange 2 has a similar dynamic between Sean and his little brother Daniel. The two must travel along the U.S. West Coast after they discover that Daniel has telekinetic powers, and they encounter plenty of trouble along the way. Though there are moments where the psychic powers factor into the story, most of the game is played as Sean, who has basically adopted Daniel on their journey. He has to make decisions that will have direct consequences on the outcome of the game and their lives. The art style and episodic structure of the game will pull you in, and the story will fill that brotherly void you’ve been missing since the Season 4 Stranger Things finale.
#3 Divinity: Original Sin 2
Okay, this list need two Dungeons & Dragons themed games. It’s that important! And Divinity: Original Sin 2 is exactly what D&D fans need when they want to plug in for a while. This RPG is critically acclaimed and rated as Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam. With the Divine dead and the Void approaching, choose your character and your crew to save Divinity. Character creation is one of the most exciting parts of Dungeons & Dragons, and while we don’t have the option to be Lady Applejack, there are plenty of cool options. We were sold at “a flesh-eating Elf,” but there are six origin characters for you to choose from if you aren’t feeling creative. Choose your character wisely though.
The combat is turn-based and tactical, so you can even use the environment around you to your advantage. There are over 200 skills to learn and use in battle. Also, you can go anywhere! There’s complete freedom to chat up everyone, including ghosts and animals, or kill any NPC that you want. Finally, there is a Game Master Mode that Eddie Munson would be all over. Craft your own stories in this mode to make your most metal campaign yet.
#2 Silent Hill
Silent Hill is a household name for any horror fan out there, including The Duffer Brothers. They mentioned this game as a direct influence on some of the aesthetics for the Upside Down, the alternate dimension the Stranger Things heroes encounter. Even with that knowledge aside, Silent Hill is an excellent game to play when you miss those creepy Stranger Things moments. Harry Mason arrives in the town of Silent Hill just to immediately crash to avoid a young girl in the road. When he awakens, his young daughter, Cheryl, is missing, and Harry must venture into town looking for her. But the fog is thick, and snow is falling in the summer. He finds a town full of horrifying creatures, cultists, and a disturbing mystery centering around his daughter and an evil deity. Much like in Hawkins vs the Upside Down, Silent Hill differentiates between the safe and the dangerous with the appearance of fog and features some creatures we would definitely not be happy to meet in real life. It’s a must-play horror game.
#1 Night in the Woods
Night in the Woods is a fantastic story-driven adventure game. Mae comes back to the small town of Possum Springs after dropping out of college. Her home may look charming, with autumn leaves fluttering on the streets and neighbors chatting, but something is off. A freak weather event has construction blocking parts of town, her friend is missing, and there is something about the woods. Mae, the girl with “nightmare eyes,” explores the tiny town, piecing together how her friends have grown and changed by chatting with them and sorting through her missing memories. The game is funny, sweet, the perfect amount of creepy, and all about a friend group uncovering a dark mystery in their small town. Sounds familiar, right?
Night in the Woods is a 2D platformer game with some interactive gameplay, but the game is heavily narrative-driven. There will be choices to start conversations and even to continue conversations. Walking away too soon may mean missing out on important info. But you can also follow the squirrels to get ideas for where you can jump. Hop up onto the powerlines to discover more places and more information. Just a hint, look for the open window to find the vermin babies. You really need to play this game!
