Summary
- Some incredible ghost games aren't horror, with certain dating sims and detective thrillers being prime examples.
- Gamers can explore ghost management titles or solve puzzles as ghosts themselves.
- Ghost games like Love, Ghostie and Spiritfarer offer emotional experiences of managing spirits and matchmaking.
The majority of ghost games that gamers have experienced tend to come from the horror genre, where the player is either examining the paranormal activity of a haunted location or fighting for their life against a vengeful spirit. However, while the majority of ghost games are like this, there are a few incredible titles that include ghosts that don't fit into the horror genre.
Best Ghost Horror Games
Those brave enough to confront ghosts in video games are certain to appreciate what these horror titles have to offer.
From adorable management titles that task gamers with helping spirits pass over to games where the player is a ghost themselves who is solving crimes, there is a vast assortment of incredible ghost games that aren't horror, with these being some of the best.
8 Speed Dating For Ghosts
Meet Ghosts, Date, And Fall In Love
- Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch
- Released: 2018-02-13
- Developer: Copychaser Games
- Genre: Simulator
Starting off with an incredibly lighthearted game, Speed Dating for Ghosts is exactly about what a gamer would suspect. In this hand drawn title, the player goes on various dates with an assortment of ghosts that they are likely to fall in love with while also getting lost in the ridiculous humor of a dating simulator.
Everyone is looking for love, and with 12 eligible ghosts for the player to meet, there is sure to be one that is incredibly memorable. The branching dialog options also give plenty of outcomes to look forward to.
7 Haunt The House: Terrortown
Possess Furniture And Scare Guests While Solving Puzzles
- Platform: PC, PlayStation Vita, Android, and IOS
- Released: 2013-01-09
- Developer: SFB Games
- Genres: Action, Puzzle
While many horror titles focus on gamers being haunted, Haunt the House: Terrortown allows the player to be the one doing the haunting instead. The player's main goal of this adorable puzzle title is to find out how they can scare the guests out of the various locations of the town and keep the places to their ghostly self.
Players are sure to be laughing with joy as the adorable ghost they control possesses various objects to give the residents of a museum, hospital, theater, and a cruise ship a fright that they won't forget.
6 Murdered: Soul Suspect
A Supernatural Detective Thriller Where The Player Is Dead
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Murdered: Soul Suspect is an incredible ghost game that allows players to experience a dark detective thriller with a supernatural twist to it. In this action-adventure, the player takes control of a detective that has recently been murdered and is now stuck in the town of Salem as a ghost.
Luigi’s Mansion: Most Annoying Ghosts, Ranked
Most of the ghosts in Luigi's Mansion are frustrating to deal with, but some of them rank much higher than the rest in terms of obnoxiousness.
While solving the mystery of their own murder and finding out who the killer is, the player is also likely to encounter plenty of other ghosts that they can help out by completing side quests.
5 The Outbound Ghost
Battle The Past To Help Ghosts Ascend To The Afterlife
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5
- Released: 2022-09-20
- Developer: Conradical Games
- Genres: RPG, Adventure
RPGs are another genre that has seen a few ghost-themed games grace it, with one of the better examples being The Outbound Ghost. In this adventure RPG, players are once again tasked with helping various ghosts pass over to the afterlife, but this can only be done by battling the past by using figments of the player's personality.
Exploring a ghost town that is quite literally filled with ghosts, it is up to the player to deal with their various issues from back on earth to finally help these spirits leave the town known as Outbound.
4 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Another Great Ghost Story About Solving One's Own Death
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
- Released
- June 19, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, PC
Another great detective title with a similar story to Murdered: Soul Suspect is Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. Like the previously mentioned title, the game begins with the protagonist discovering that they have died.
However, Sissel – the character the player controls – wakes up from their death as a ghost with no memory of who they are, who killed them, or why. By solving various puzzles and possessing objects, the player can finally get to the end of the mystery in a detective tale full of quirky humor.
3 Love, Ghostie
Become An Adorable Ghost Matchmaker Of The Manor
Love, Ghostie
- Released
- August 14, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Janbeh Games
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Dating Sim, Visual Novel
Gamers can become the matchmaker of various adorable creatures in a manor in Love, Ghostie. It is down to the player to discover a variety of adorable romances that each have their own unique story for the player to uncover as they attempt to find the perfect lover for each resident.
Games That Let You Play As A Ghost
Players won't want the Ghostbusters on the case when it comes to these games, as they'll be taking on the role of a ghost.
Being a ghost that isn't scaring people but is instead attempting to bring others together is an interesting concept that many lovers of dating simulators are certain to enjoy with Love, Ghostie.
2 Spiritfarer
Help Ghosts Passover To The Afterlife
Spiritfarer
Besides the assortment of humorous ghost titles, there are some incredibly emotional games that include ghosts, too. Spiritfarer is a management simulator developed by Thunder Lotus Games where the player is tasked with helping various spirits pass over to the afterlife. Before this can be done, however, said spirits must come to terms with the life they had before.
In this title, the ghosts don't look like the player's typical white sheet spirit. Instead, they embody various animals that symbolize what they were like as a person. In the end, every ghost's journey on the boat in Spiritfarer must come to an end with them saying their final goodbye and hugging the player before they pass on.
1 Luigi's Mansion 3
Explore And Hunt Ghosts In A Haunted Hotel
Luigi's Mansion 3
- Released
- October 31, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Next Level Games
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
One of the best ghost games that players have enjoyed in recent years that isn't a horror experience is Luigi's Mansion 3. Hunting ghosts is one of Luigi's specialties, and no matter how frightened he is of the ghosts within the mansion, he is sure to put those fears behind him in order to save his friends.
While the game may play similarly to a horror title, with players exploring a haunted hotel, the style of this Nintendo title as an action-adventure has players freely exploring the different floors of the hotel, each of which has a different theme.
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Are you looking for the best Ghostbusters games? Here's a list full of nostalgia that'll surely fulfill your needs. Happy ghost hunting!