10 Paranormal Games That Will Freak You Out

Tired of playing the usual, boring games? Want to do something challenging and thrilling? Why not delve into the paranormal and see what’s in store for you? You don’t have to be a skeptic or a believer to play these games—just be a thrill-seeking enthusiast and you’re good to go. Whether this list would encourage you to explore the supernatural dimension or convince you to avoid it would be up to you. Just a warning, though. Those who’ve tried these vowed to never try them again. It’s all fun and games till you realize you’re playing with a demon or an evil entity and life would never be the same again. Probably.

This game became popular after FableForge posted about it on a subreddit called nosleep. It is said that this game enables the player to gain access to another dimension. You’ll have to play this game in a large room, preferably a basement, without a single flash of light coming through. Also, you’ll be needing a pack of candles, two large mirrors, three chairs, and an object from your childhood.

One you’re done setting everything up, leave the door of the basement open, go to your bedroom, and set the alarm clock for exactly 3:30AM before you snooze off. If the alarm goes off at exactly 3:30AM and the things inside the basement remained as they are, then you can proceed with the game. You need to be seated at your throne at exactly 3:33AM with your lighted candle in hand. Do not let the candle go out and protect it from the fan behind you using your body. Once seated, look straight ahead into the darkness and never look into the mirrors nor the candle.

At this point, you’ll start to feel and hear a presence. Some accounts stated that it felt like having a conversation with your conscience, or an entity that manifests as a part of you. It will talk to you about your past and your unresolved issues. Some have claimed that this ritual is some kind of psychological experiment that puts you in a lucid dream. Whether you believe you’re talking to an entity from another dimension or it’s nothing but a psychological effect would be up to your judgment.

The objective of the Closet Game is to summon not just a spirit or a ghost, but a demon. Basically, all you need to do is step inside a pitch-black closet, hold up an unlighted match, and say “Show me the light or leave me in darkness.” Once you being to hear any whispering, light the match immediately. In the event that you fail to light the match right away after hearing the whisper, it is said that something will grab you from behind and drag you to eternal darkness. The same thing would happen if you get curious enough to turn around and see what’s behind you.

If you didn’t do any of those mistakes, open the closet door with your lit match in hand and slowly step outside. From then on, you must always make sure to have the lights on whenever you look inside your closet since it is now permanently haunted by a demon.

Bloody Mary is a folklore-legend and is believed to be the vengeful spirit of a witch. In order to summon her, you’ll have to chant “Bloody Mary” three times in front of a mirror while holding up a lighted candle. After that, what’s left for you to do is wait for a woman covered in blood to appear before you. Some have stated that participants of this game may have to endure Bloody Mary’s wrath which included getting strangled, cursed, or getting their souls taken.

There are numerous accounts of people sharing their experiences, with a few expressing their disappointments with the lack of thrilling occurrences and others expressing their horror upon encountering the infamous spirit. Bloody Mary is quite popular, with a few movie adaptations floating around.

This game originated from Korea and performing it supposedly takes you to a different world via an elevator. All you have to do is find a building with at least ten floors and has an elevator. Make sure there’d be no one else riding the elevator aside from you before you proceed with the ritual.

Once you step inside, you’ll have to do a 4-2-6-2-10-5 combo on the elevator’s buttons. On the fifth floor, a woman would enter, but you should never look at her nor should you speak to her. Afterwards, press the button for the first floor. At this point, the elevator would begin ascending to the tenth floor instead of going down to the first. Upon arriving at the tenth floor, you may get off the elevator to explore this different world.

The woman would ask “Where are you going?” but you should never answer. After walking around, you may return to the real world by going inside the same elevator and using the same 4-2-6-2-10-5 combo. In the event that you pass out during the game, you’d most likely find yourself waking up inside your own home. But make sure to look around, since it may not be the same home anymore.

The Hooded Man ritual is quite similar to the Elevator ritual, in the sense that it takes you to a world different from ours. This one requires you to perform a cleansing ritual prior to starting the game, like burning a sage and spreading salt on your front door.

When night comes, go to a room where there’s a telephone. Detailed instructions can be found online, but you’d basically be making a call for a cab. If you have succeeded, you’ll be seeing a black cab parked outside your house. Exit the building, climb into the cab’s empty back seat, lock the door behind you, and go to sleep. If you awaken and your watch reads exactly 3:30AM, then you’ll find yourself falling asleep for the second time. Once you wake up, the cab will be on an unfamiliar highway and you’ll notice the Hooded Man behind the wheels. Some accounts have stated that other passengers may get inside the cab and sit with you, but you should never pay attention to them.

If you want to end your ride, just lean closer towards the Hooded Man’s ear and whisper “I have reached my destination.” You’ll fall asleep and wake up in your house, after which you’ll have to go to the telephone, dial a number, and say “Thank you for the ride.” Do another cleansing ritual afterwards. Regarding the cab ride, it’s up to you whether you want to continue the ride for a longer period of time, but many have advised against it since the world gets more absurd as the ride goes on and the worst-case-scenario is that you might not be able to escape that world anymore.

One-Man Hide and Seek, which originated from Japan and called Hitori Kakurenbo, is a paranormal games wherein you’ll be playing a game of hide and seek against a spirit-possessed doll. What you’ll need to do is take a stuffed doll, remove all its stuffing and replace it with rice along with a piece of your fingernail. Sew the doll’s opening with a red thread and wrap the remaining thread around the doll.

You’ll have to give the doll a name, place it in a tub filled with water, and proceed to your hiding place. Turn off all the lights and switch the television on. Take a mouthful of saltwater, but don’t swallow it. Get out of your hiding place and start looking for the doll, which is probably not in the tub anymore.

Once you find the doll, pour saltwater over it, allow it to dry, then burn it and discard the remains. Also, take note of the static in the television during the game, since it would warn you about potential, unwanted visitors wandering around.

Similar to Hitori Kakurenbo, Dry Bones is a ritual wherein you’d be playing a game of hide and seek. But instead of a doll, you’d be playing with a demon. Playing with a demon doesn’t sound like a good idea, but thrill-seekers are in it for the hopes that their wishes will be fulfilled once they win the game.

What you’ll need for this game is a bathroom with a mirror, a candle, and some matches. Begin the game at exactly 12:01AM, after ensuring that you are alone and you’ve closed all the doors and windows of your home. Go to the bathroom and stare at your reflection in the mirror while listening to your surroundings. If you hear anything, get out of the house immediately since it means that the demon’s already there. If it’s completely silent, then you may proceed by thinking of something you really want as a prize. Make sure that your wish is not harmful to anyone.

Light the candle with the match, but don’t blow out the match yourself. Wait for it to burn out on its own, then lie down on the floor and say “I am aware of your presence and I welcome you into my home. Come now.” After that, go to the largest room in your house and wait for a moaning house, which would indicate that the hide-and-seek has begun. If you manage to hide from the demon until 3:00AM, then you win. You must say “Thank you for playing, but please leave now. You are no longer welcome.” The demon will leave once you hear a groan. Expect the prize outside your front door the next morning. Sure, getting a prize is great, but you might not want to risk playing this game once you figure out the consequences of losing.

Daruma-san or the Bath Game is another ritual originating from Japan. It involves summoning a ghost which will most likely follow you all day long to try and catch you. In order to summon said ghost, go to your bathroom before bedtime, strip yourself naked, fill the tub with water, and turn off the lights. Climb inside the tub and position yourself in front of the faucet. Close your eyes and begin washing your hair while chanting the words “Daruma-san fell down” over and over.

You will see a mental image of a Japanese woman standing in front of a bathtub before she falls on a rusty tap which impales her through the eye. Continue the chant until you finish washing your hair. Once you feel a presence near you, ask out loud “Why did you fall in the bathtub?” Don’t wait for an answer. With your eyes kept shut, carefully stand up, get a towel, exit the bathroom, and close the door behind you. Leave the bath water overnight and get some sleep because the real game will begin the next day.

You’ll be feeling a presence constantly following you. Do not allow her to catch you by putting some distance between you and her. In order to capture her, gaze over your right shoulder and shout “Kitta!” while doing a karate chopping motion with your hand. If you don’t do this properly or if you fail to catch her before midnight, expect her to follow you into your dreams.

You might be familiar with the popular children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, but have you tried playing the game named after it? In this game, you’ll be calling for the spirit of Charlotte Webster—a little girl from the 1400s whose mother has been accused as a witch and burned at the stake. If you dislike the idea of playing paranormal games by yourself, then this might be the game for you, since it requires two players.

You and your partner has to go to a dark room with a large mirror. Bring a flashlight and a toy, preferably one that a little girl would like. Set up two chairs in front of the mirror and a table behind the chairs. Place the toy on top of the table. Make sure the toy’s reflection can be seen in the mirror. You should both take your seats and make sure no other light comes through the room except the ones coming from your flashlights. Say the words “We want to play Charlotte’s Web” in unison.

Wait for Charlotte as she appears in the mirror to take the toy. You may now converse with her or ask her questions. Once you’re done, say “Goodbye, Charlotte” with your partner, and that’s it. Those who’ve tried this game claimed that Charlotte can be a sweetheart, especially if you get on her good side or if she likes the toy you offered. Don’t play this game in an attempt to try and piss her off, though, because accounts say that Charlotte throwing a tantrum would be the last thing you’d ever want to see.

The Midnight Game is probably the most popular game on the list. If you find the other paranormal games unchallenging and you want to go to the extremes, then this dangerous game might just be the one for you. The Midnight Game was believed to be an old Pagan ritual used as a punishment to those who disobeyed the religion.

The instructions on how to play this game can easily be found online, but the gist is that you have to summon the Midnight Man and walk around your house while making sure you don’t get caught by him. If you manage to avoid the Midnight Man until 3:33AM, then you have won the game.

The game is not that complicated since the procedures are clear and easy enough to follow. What’s more is that, this can be played by more than one person so if you’re too scared to do it alone but still want to do it anyway, you can just ask your friends to share the misery with you. Just keep in mind that most of the people who have played this game included a warning to NEVER try this game. Some have experienced hallucinations and some were even left with permanent, mental scars. This game was so popular that it was even adapted into a film.