Check out these Halloween pumpkins with a nerdy twist

I’m not much of a pumpkin-carver myself, but one of the my favoriteHalloweenactivities is seeing everyone post their cool jack-o’-lanterns online. It’s all of the fun of a time-honored tradition with none of the work or mess, so that’s a win-win in my book. While there are some pretty impressive carvings out there, obviously the best ones are the gaming-themed gourds, and there are plenty of them out there. This year, I scoured Reddit in search of the best pumpkins so you don’t have to, and I have to say that I’m pretty pleased with the selection this year.

Cult of the Lamb

Starting off strong with one of my favorite games of the year, this pumpkin features the titular character ofCult of the Lamb, the adorably twisted roguelike/management sim. This carving is complete with bleeding eyes and his little hat, but the best part is that the back of the pumpkin is carved with the symbols of all four heretic prophets. Major points for the attention to detail!

Pac-Man

Pac-Manis one of the most well-loved games of all time, so it’s only natural it would pop up on this list more than once. This jack-o’-lantern in particular features one of the game’s four ghosts, and has the bottom of the pumpkin carved out to make the little guy look like he’s floating. I have no idea how they managed to suspend the light inside, but it looks awesome.

Pac-man Ghost made for a work pumpkin contest.byu/KiwiLeeScipioingaming

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Resident Evil Village

It wouldn’t be Halloween with aResident Evil-themed pumpkin, and this one features the giantess that broke the internet: Lady Dimitrescu. I’m honestly surprised at how well her likeness transferred onto a seasonal fruit, but sure enough, it’s unmistakably her. Couldn’t miss her with that cleavage and that hat.

Lady Dimitrescu pumpkin I carved this year.byu/arceusroxingaming

Indie game collage of Blue Prince, KARMA, and The Midnight Walk

Fallout

This next one isn’t so much a pumpkin carving as it is a pumpkin painting, but it’s definitely in the spirit of things, so I’m including it. AFalloutfan painted his pumpkin so that it depicted the Vault Boy in his classic thumbs up pose, and he even has the matching t-shirt to boot. A painted design looks like a great alternative for someone who doesn’t want to spend half the night mopping up pumpkin guts, so I might have to follow suit next year.

Portal

Okay, thisPortalpumpkin has to be my favorite of the year. Not only is it from one of my favorite game series of all time, but this turret pumpkin carving has to be one of the most creative jack-o’-lantern designs I’ve ever seen. The creator actually 3D printed all of the plastic pieces featured (andprovided the plansfor anyone who wants to replicate it), and actually posted avideo of the build. This is a triumph, huge success.

I made my pumpkin into a Portal Turret for Halloween this yearbyu/RealWorldJunkieingaming

Dead as Disco screenshot

I carved link into a pumpkinbyu/MooseMaandoingaming

It’s great to see another classic game series represented, and this pumpkin was carved with all of the elegance the series deserves. It may be a bit simple compared to some of the other jack-o’-lanterns on this list, but it’s got to be one of the cleanest. The simple, cartoony depiction ofBreath of the WildLink is so well carved, I can’t imagine how much time it took to refine.

Three games to play for father’s day, including mario driving in mario kart world, may and cody standing close together in it takes two, and two characters flying in minecraft

Half-Life, Pac-Man,andChess

What’s better than a jack-o’-lantern? Four jack-o’-lanterns! An entire family carved their pumpkins together to depict their favorite games, featuring theHalf-Lifelogo, a depiction ofPac-Manchasing a ghost, and what was going to be a chess board, the poster clarified in the comments, but ended up being a cool-looking geometric design. There’s also a little mini pumpkin in the mix, and while I don’t think the owl is a nod to any game in particular, it is absolutely adorable.

Check out my family’s pumpkins! Mine is the Half-life pumpkin.byu/LordTreeblatingaming

3 game collage pictured left to right: Hollow Knight, Look Outside, and The Stanley Parable

MinecraftandAmong Us

Pretty much all of the Halloween pumpkin carvings on this list look like they could have been done by a professional, but these pumpkins actually were — theMinecraftandAmong Uspumpkins are part of an event calledCarvedat the Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, California. The meticulously detailed jack-o’-lanterns are some of the best I’ve ever seen, and I understand why people would pay money to see gardens full of pumpkins like these.

Luigi’s Mansion

Luigi’s Mansionis a perfect game to represent on a Halloween pumpkin, because what could be more Halloween-y than a big spooky house full of ghosts. Not only does the front have a classically-terrified Luigi mid-scream, but also features a boo carved into the back, which illuminates the wall behind with its spooky silhouette. Great idea, even better execution!

My jack o’lantern this yearbyingaming

3 image collage pictured left to right: SCP Containment Breach, FAITH, and SOMA

Well, that’s our list of the best gaming Halloween pumpkins of the year. Are there any we missed? Do you carve your own gaming jack-o’-lanterns? What’s your favorite game you’d want to see carved into the side of a gourd? Let us know in the comments below!

RE4 Remake Leon aiming gun

Dovahkiin in Skyrim

chess checkers and backgammon table set best board game tables

Mega Gyarados, Mega Garchomp, and Mega Ampharos.