Evil Dead: The Game

Evil Dead: The Game is what I'd hand to a group that loves Dead by Daylight's structure but wants Sam Raimi's loud, splattery chaos instead of slasher dread. Four survivors against one Deadite-possessed player. Chainsaws included. The tone leans comedic-horror rather than genuinely frightening, which makes it a decent gateway for groups intimidated by Dead by Daylight's steeper learning curve. The developer has moved on to other projects, so don't expect fresh content, but private matches still run fine today. Worth a weekend for the fan service alone if anyone in your group grew up on the films.

Evil Dead: The Game was a lot of fun back when it launched, though I hadn't touched it in over a year before revisiting it for this list. The servers are still live, which is more than you can say for some of its horror-license peers. Survivors versus a possessing Deadite plays like a lighter, funnier cousin of Dead by Daylight, heavy on franchise callbacks and one-liners instead of dread. Crossplay covers PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, though matchmaking outside peak hours can leave you waiting. The population has thinned noticeably since launch. If you catch a full lobby, it's genuinely funny in a way most asymmetrical horror doesn't bother trying to be. Just don't expect it to be busy on a random Tuesday afternoon.