With the advent of Halloween comes the unearthly desire to freak ourselves out. From haunted houses to scary movies, people will do practically anything for an excuse to soil themselves. Whatever your jam, Halloween board games are always thematically appropriate to bust out any time in October (and any other month, for that matter).
There are Halloween board games for kids, casual gamers, as well as for those with a great deal of experience playing a wide variety of games and difficulty. While the following 13 games (because 13 is thematically appropriate for the holiday) are fun for all types of gamers and age ranges, each game listed will have at least one of those qualifiers on it (kid, casual, and experienced) to distinguish which audience is best for these games. So just because a game doesn’t have “experienced” attached to it, that doesn’t mean fans of more complex games won’t enjoy these.
At any rate, I wrote this after having written one for Board Game Atlas, and realized there were a lot more games I would personally like to add to this list. So, I made a bigger list! Without further ado, I give you 13 Halloween board games!
Note that BGI gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Also note that this does not change the opinions on any of these games mentioned.
Techno Witches -Kids/Casual
Techno Witches is all about moving your vacuum-riding witch along the designated course using movement templates. It may not be big on strategy, but it’s an engaging race around the table, moving around other characters and obstacles. If you plan ahead well, you can lay down a bunch of movement templates in one turn, giving you a massive boost! But if you miscalculated a move, you might hit a wall and be out of luck!
The Phantom Society – Kids/Casual
The ghosts are destroying the rooms of a Scottish hotel, and it’s up to you, the daring ghost hunters, to stop them. The players controlling the ghosts have a goal to do £45,000 in damage—and that’s with the help of the hunters! You see, the ghost hunters are good at their job, but don’t give much regard to the belongings of others.
Throughout the game, the ghosts will destroy rooms (each room of a specific value), and the ghost hunters will also destroy rooms in an attempt to capture the pesky ghosts. So the ghost hunters need to take care not to destroy too much as they hunt, otherwise the ghosts will win. But the ghosts must follow certain guidelines when destroying property, giving the hunters clues as to where they might be hiding under the tiles.
Escape from the Hidden Castle – Kids
Escape from the Hidden Castle—known as Midnight Party when I was growing up—is a roll-and-move game in which guests promenade around a balcony as Hugo the ghost ascends from the cellar and starts capturing party guests. Players must move their guests into available rooms (no sharing!), trying to avoid being captured, thereby losing a great deal of points.
The ghost moves on specific die results, and the guests on every other result, so you’re at the whim of the die. Still, it’s a game that even young kids can play and enjoy without having to worry too much about strategy. It was a go-to game in our home when I was a kid, and my kids now enjoy playing it.
Betrayal at House on the Hill – Casual/Experienced
Perhaps one of the most thematic games around, Betrayal at House on the Hill has players exploring a mansion together, building it as they go by laying tiles. After a certain point in the game, a haunt will start, and one player will become a traitor! The players will be given objectives to complete, and it’s either the traitor or the others.
Betrayal at House on the Hill utilizes storytelling and elements of RPGs, providing an adventure that would make the Halloween spirits proud. Some of the scenarios include ghosts (even trying to avoid marrying a disgruntled one), a giant bird lifting the house into the air (leaving only one parachute for the players to fight over), and other thematically appropriate situations.
Ghost Stories – Experienced
Do you like to lose your cooperative games? If so, Ghost Stories was practically made for you! This difficult game has players (as Taoist monks) fighting off Wu-Feng, lord of hell. There are many ways to lose the game, but only one way to win—by defeating Wu-Feng, who shows up at the end of the game.
Ghost Stories puts your abilities to the test in a creepy world where ghosts roam and haunt the village. Your job is to keep the village from being haunted and defeat Wu-Feng. Another wildly thematic board game, Ghost Stories is practically a Halloween staple.
FunkoVerse: The Nightmare Before Christmas – Kids/Casual
Don’t worry, it’s not actually about Christmas. Based on the movie of the same name, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a light strategy game where you control characters from the movie. Make your way around the map (double-sided board!), challenge opponents, and gain points by completing specific tasks as per the current scenario. The game plays 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, or up to 4-player free-for-all.
If ever there was a game that screamed Halloween, it’s this. Yes, this is, indeed, Halloween.
Horrified – Casual/Experienced
Don’t be frightened off because of the name; let the monsters do it! Horrified is a cooperative game in which players are trying to rid their town of seven famous monsters—Dracula, Wolfman, The Mummy, and more. Each monster is defeated in a unique way (as is customary for monsters), so a wide blend of strategies is essential. Perhaps best of all, these monsters are all from their own classic movies, so connoisseurs of old horror movies will get a kick of nostalgia from Horrified. Just…good luck hunting down The Invisible Man…
Nemesis – Experienced
OK hear me out. No, it’s not Halloween themed, nor does it have witches or pumpkins or candy. What it does have is a heart-thumping narrative in which players are trying to accomplish personal objectives—at all costs—while being stalked by horrifying aliens that come bounding at any sound of noise. It’s a thrilling horror game where players work together to stay alive, but might also be working against each other for their own personal gain.
As the game progresses, the aliens come in more abundance until there’s practically nowhere to run, and certainly no time to hide. After all, some hooligan set the ship to self destruct, the escape pods are being taken, and you’re still checking on the engines to make sure you’re actually moving toward the destination your comrades claim you’re headed.
While Nemesis might not be themed for Halloween in the traditional sense, it is more than a competitor for top horror game. And that’s what Halloween is all about—being scared out of your wits, all in the name of fun.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf – Kids/Casual
Werewolf is, perhaps, one of the most well-known hidden-identity games of our age. One person narrates while others take on roles within the village—the Seer, a Troublemaker, and, of course, werewolves (just to name a few). The villagers all have special abilities they can use to find the werewolf…but are they actually who they claim to be? Players must learn to trust each other—and learn when one of their fellow villagers is lying—in order to discover the werewolf and win the day!
Disney Hocus Pocus: The Game – Kids/Casual
For whatever reason, Disney’s Hocus Pocus is a movie with a dedicated following. True, it’s not one I’d watch daily (yet I know some who do, so I won’t judge), but it’s undeniably a Halloween classic. With the Hocus Pocus board game, players work together to thwart the Sanderson sisters (no relation to Brandon, or so I’m told) from making their potion.
The game is thematic, quick to play (at least, according to BGG–I haven’t played this one yet), and a go-to Halloween board game for Hocus Pocus super-fans, and is probably one of the most thematic Halloween board games around (thanks to the movie).
Carnival of Monsters – Casual/Experienced
This ain’t your average carnival. Nope! Instead, players use card drafting to capture monsters and display them for all to see. While there may not be clowns or cotton candy, the chance to see the likes of a wyvern, cave trolls, and other creatures is one you won’t want to miss.
The game has similar elements to Magic: The Gathering (it’s designed by the same person, after all), but is a highly approachable drafting and set-collection game. If you’re looking for fantastic beasts this Halloween, Carnival of Monsters is where to find them.
King of Tokyo: Halloween Expansion – Kids/Casual
King of Tokyo is, by all accounts, a modern classic. Add the Halloween expansion to that and you’ve got yourself a theme to remember! The King of Tokyo: Halloween expansion comes with two new monsters—Pumpkin Jack and Boogie Woogie. Plus, it comes with six orange Halloween dice, adding to the game’s aura even more. It’s not Halloween if a murderous jack-o-lantern isn’t involved!
Shadow Hunters – Casual/Experienced
Bluff your way to victory in this horror-themed game that plays up to eight players (the player count is enough to warrant a good look!). The hunters try to eliminate the shadows, and the civilians are stuck in the middle. It’s a fairly simple deduction game with dice-rolling elements, and it can play up to eight, which is always appreciated. The theme fits right in with halloween, and the artwork itself is dark, dreary, and everything else you look for in Halloween.
Check out my article on Board Game Atlas for more Halloween board games!
Of course, there are plenty of great games that fit the Halloween theme. What are some of your favorite Halloween board games?
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