As someone who adores the fall, spooky vibes, and Halloween, when I played Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival, I fell instantly in love with it. This free online Halloween-themed mini-MMO features pumpkin carving, spooky places to explore, and much more. And it’s available to play now on PC and Mac. But don’t wait too long, as the servers shut off shortly after Halloween.
Developed by Adam “adamgryu” Robinson-Yu, the creator behind cozy indie game A Short Hike, Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival has become an annual tradition. Each year, in the middle of October, adamgryu reopens Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival for a few weeks and players flood in, filling the spooky streets and hills of the game with jack-o-lanterns as far as the eye can see. And each year, the indie developer has expanded the online pumpkin-carving MMO with new places to explore. This year, players can watch public domain horror films in the newly opened theater. There’s also a haunted hay ride, a creepy mansion to explore, a corn maze, and many secrets to discover either alone or alongside other players, who appear as cute ghosts.
I simply adore Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival. So often, when Halloween rolls around, devs and publishers release scary horror games. And while I enjoy those, I often wish we got more games that let you experience the immaculate vibes of a cool night during October. A night with carved pumpkins dotting the landscape and campy Halloween decorations everywhere you look. And Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival nails those vibes perfectly.
Even better, the jack-o-lanterns you see in the game were carved and placed by real people using the MMO’s fantastic, intuitive, and flexible pumpkin carving tool. Pick a pumpkin, spin it around, and start carving into it. You can also scrape spots of the pumpkin away, giving you more options for shading and decoration. Some people do simple faces or funny jokes, and others create elaborate pieces of art. All of these pumpkins can be liked, and once a day, you can award a medal to your favorite.
I’ve spent the past few days logging into Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival for half an hour or so to see all the new carved pumpkins, give my favorites a like, and then just chill in the cozy-creepy vibes of the festival and the surrounding city and hills. If you love Halloween or have small kids who enjoy spooky stuff, I highly recommend downloading Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival ASAP. If you want, you can even pay to download the game and unlock exclusive cosmetic items. Either way, Halloween fans are in for a treat.
