The Nintendo GameCube is home to some of the most fun family-friendly games including the original release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Super Mario Sunshine. However, for those who are more inclined towards a spooky, horror-filled good time, the GameCube still managed to crank out some good titles. The GameCube is an underrated system, and although it didn't release as many games as the OG Xbox or PS2, it still delivered some quality games.
While not every game on this list is a complete survival horror-type experience, they all manage to at least provide some darker or more macabre overtones and presentational aspects. If you want to dust off your GameCube to try any of these out, then just know you are in for a real treat.
Updated on August 20, 2023, by Cameron Miller: While there aren’t exactly hundreds of horror games on the Nintendo GameCube, it definitely is the case that there are quality horror games. The console is home to some of the best horror titles of all time, so it’s never a bad thing to highlight a few more for you to try
18 Monster House
You might not think that a game adaptation of a 2006 family film would provide many frights or spooky moments. However, you would be wrong because Monster House for GameCube, while family-friendly on the surface, still provided many tense and creepy moments.
For the uninitiated, Monster House (the videogame) stars the same characters from the film; DJ, Chowder, and Jenny. Our three hapless misfits love Halloween and decide to "explore" the seemingly haunted house in their neighborhood. As you might imagine, the house is an actual living, breathing monster.
That setup may not sound all that scary to horror genre veterans but make no mistake about it, the film and its videogame adaptation still provided some nice nuggets of cartoony horror goodness. Playing out as a pretty standard third-person action-adventure game, much of your time in Monster House is spent fighting off baddies, exploring new locations, and finding collectibles.
17 Geist
Geist is a highly unique first-person shooter game that blends action with supernatural abilities. In Geist, you take on the role of John Raimi, a member of a group that works to stop threats and nefarious plots around the world. What makes this semi-horror game so engaging is that you, as John, can possess many different people in the game to take over their bodies, weapons, and abilities.
Geist is one of those underrated horror-adjacent gems from the GameCube that never quite picked up in the gaming discourse as something like Timesplitters did. The ability to play this game as a traditional FPS while still using the supernatural elements the game throws your way makes it wholly unique and endlessly engaging.
16 Second Sight
Have you heard of Second Sight? This 2004 action-adventure and stealth game flew under the radar for many people, especially the GameCube version. For the uninitiated, Second Sight, as you might guess from the game's title, tasks you to play as John Vattic, a parapsychologist who is thrust into an adventure filled with psychic powers.
This game is truly unique due to the way it blends simple puzzles, gunplay, stealth scenarios, and the use of John's psychic powers. These powers can help John escape tough situations, to heal himself, or to defeat foes. Plus, the game's cartoon-like graphics gave it a more lighthearted tone, albeit, with a healthy dose of dark ambiance and style.
15 Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
An often-forgotten mainline Resident Evil game is Resident Evil Code: Veronica X. This adventure features the fan-favorite Claire Redfield on her continued search for her brother.
She does find him in this game, but it brings a whole ton of conflict, including the return of Albert Wesker. This game can be brutally difficult if you don’t know what is coming up, making it one of the more difficult games in the series without any kind of guide. However, it is still an absolute blast.
14 Blood Omen 2
Blood Omen 2 is one of the entries in the revered yet underrated Legacy of Kain series. In Blood Omen 2 you play as Kain, a vampire who opted out of sacrificing himself to the Pillars of Nosgoth which subsequently pushed the realm into chaos and suffering in the original game. Here, in Blood Omen 2, Kain is now awakened in Meridian but remembers very little.
Blood Omen 2 is a fantastic action-adventure game with strong horror-tinged elements. Kain has to drink the blood of helpless humans throughout his exploration of the city. It's clear Kain is an unlikeable character but his evil persona makes for a terrifying adventure.
13 Bloodrayne
Bloodrayne is a visceral hack-and-slash, action-adventure game starring Rhayne, a dhampir who will kill any who confronts her on her lust for blood and vengeance. Rayne is a member of the Brimstone Society and is sent out on all sorts of globe-trotting adventures.
Bloodrayne is steeped in supernatural goodness, all wrapped up in a nice action-adventure gameplay loop. This isn't a game for the faint of heart because her attacks are intense and the story and setting are brimming with macabre details.
12 Resident Evil Zero
While the Resident Evil series is famous, Resident Evil Zero could be said to be one of the more ignored titles. The unique swing for the series is actually a prequel to the original title and follows Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen around.
Rather than picking and only controlling one character, you get to control both of your characters at your leisure. Surprisingly, this doesn’t make the game any easier, and while it is fun to play it does come with a bit of a ridiculous plot and some less-than-stellar mechanics.
11 Hunter The Reckoning
Hunter The Reckoning is a solo or multiplayer hack-and-slash adventure game that features terrifying creatures for you to hunt down with an arsenal of weapons and magic-based attacks. The story centers around a team of hunters who must defeat vengeful wraiths that are sourced from dead inmates at the local penitentiary.
Set in The World of Darkness' prison town of Ashcroft, monsters live right alongside their human counterparts. This game features strong occult imagery and is filled with monsters from your nightmares.
10 Spirits And Spells
Spirits and Spells is likely a game that you haven't heard of but bares to be mentioned due to its whimsical Halloween vibes. While Spirits and Spells is most certainly not a horror game in the traditional sense, it brings to the table the perfect fall time, Halloween feeling replete with ghosts, monsters, and demons.
Spirits and Spells is a traditional 3d platformer starring Alicia and Greg who are out looking for a mansion filled with goodies. Taking place across a diverse and spooky set of locations, you must jump and attack the creatures of the night that get in your way, all for the love of Halloween candy.
9 The Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion game which happens to be inspired by the movie of the same name which was in turn inspired by the Disneyland and Disneyworld ride is a fun family-friendly take on a haunted house game. While the game is aimed at a younger audience, there are plenty of ghosts and ghouls roaming the halls to bring a small fright your way.
In The Haunted Mansion game, you play as Zeke, a lanky and misunderstood character who happens to find himself locked in the titular mansion. During your time playing you must uncover and release the 999 trapped souls who reside there in order to make it out yourself. It's a more lighthearted affair but filled with plenty of spooky goodness.
8 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
There isn’t much that anyone can say about Resident Evil 3: Nemesis that hasn’t already been said. It’s a bonafide classic of the horror genre thanks to the great setting of Raccoon City, the villain in Nemesis, and the unforgettable protagonist in Jill Valentine.
This entry brought a lot more action into the series, but definitely not in a bad way. The dodge mechanic may be a bit iffy at times, but the thought of being trapped in a city filled with zombies will never get old.
7 Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Just saying Buffy the Vampire Slayer instantly conjures up thoughts of all things that go bump in the night. Chaos Bleeds was the sequel to the original Buffy game this time tasking you to stop Ethan Rayne and an evil presence known as the First. The First is literally the first evil that the world has known so it's up to Buffy and her pals to stop this chaos.
What makes Chaos Bleeds such a wonderful horror-type game is that you are constantly battling vampires, monsters, and demons. This game stood out because it featured a fun multiplayer mode so you could take on the creepy creatures with a friend or two in tow.
6 Resident Evil 2
You might feel like Resident Evil 2 is still the best game in the series and no one could blame you for that. This classic horror game combines action, horror, and puzzle-solving into a beautiful package to create a seriously tense experience.
Whether you choose to play as Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield for your first playthrough, you’ll soon be selecting the opposite character to see what they were up to while the other was surviving. This game is quintessential survival horror that may never be touched in some people’s eyes.
5 Scooby-Doo: Night Of 100 Frights
While most game generations have been graced with a Scooby-Doo game of sorts, Night of 100 Frights might just be the best at bringing a horror feel to the otherwise family-friendly affair. In this action-adventure game, Scooby and the gang must explore a haunted mansion, derelict docks, a spooky hedge maze, and much more.
Night of 100 Frights isn't a revolutionary experience, instead, focusing on a platformer-type experience with plenty of Scooby snacks and goodies to collect. The locations are music are what stand out in this game making it feel like a light-hearted, yet often creepy Scooby adventure.
4 Resident Evil (Remake)
This 2002 remake of the groundbreaking original PS1 Resident Evil provided such a much-needed overhaul to a game that, while still very scary, looked, played, and felt a bit dated by early 2000s standards. Enter the RE Remake, a completely new feeling horror game that retained the scares, B-movie charm, and even humor from the original game. The GameCube might have seemed like an unlikely place for this game but because of the system's graphical prowess, it made the game stand out even more.
The core story, gameplay, and puzzles remained the same for the most part in this GameCube iteration. However, it can't be overstated just how remarkable the leap from PS1 to GameCube made this game feel. The third-person gameplay now felt more refined and enjoyable which meant that each new encounter with a zombie was that much more terrifying to experience.
3 Luigi's Mansion
The Nintendo GameCube and Luigi's Mansion go hand-in-hand. Like any good Luigi-themed adventure, our titular hero must seek out and rescue his brother, Mario, in a dark and spooky haunted mansion. While the game spawned multiple fun sequels, it's the original that shines due to superb stage design, excellent puzzles, and creepy ambiance.
Luigi's Mansion features all sorts of ghouls and ghosts. Luigi is armed with the Poltergust, a Ghostbuster-inspired vacuum weapon that quite literally sucks up the ghosts who are then turned over to Professor E. Gadd in order to study their supernatural shenanigans.
2 Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 is seemingly available on every platform currently, consistently being rereleased over and over again. This is for good reason because this fourth mainline entry in the series did away with the more traditional fixed camera and zombies, instead, pushing the envelope with an over-the-shoulder camera and a whole new host of baddies to face.
Resident Evil 4 is genuinely terrifying, mostly down to the locations that Leon Kennedy must explore. Easily the creepiest location in the game has to be the derelict church replete with a spooky graveyard. This location was featured a lot in the lead-up to the game's original release due to its sheer oppressive nature.
1 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
The quintessential GameCube horror game has to be Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. One of the only Nintendo-published M-rated horror games, Eternal Darkness set the bar for what survival horror could be. This game stood out for its impeccably told story, its scary locations, and most importantly, its sanity system.
This sanity system quite literally affected how you experienced the game. As your sanity meter filled up different sanity events such as the volume on your TV turning down, your save file being deleted, and even your character losing her head. To this day, Eternal Darkness remains a talk-about horror game since it innovated on many fronts.