Best Halloween Board Games

I absolutely love Halloween! Being a big fan of all things horror it’s a holiday that feels like it’s made with the likes of me in mind. It’s fun, scary, atmospheric, and one of the few times in the year where eating a coma-inducing amount of sugar is acceptable. Looking back, some of my fondest memories as a kid were watching Halloween specials on TV paired with the likes of ‘Are you Afraid of the Dark?” and intentionally scaring myself to an inconsolable degree. Even though I’m old enough now to know that the things that go bump in the dark are normally mundane rather than sinister, seeing my daughters dress up and go trick-or-treating gives me a new sense of enjoyment come October 31st. The spooky season is perfect for enjoying Halloween-themed board games.

As with most things, there is a selection of board games that are horror or Halloween-themed that perfectly complement the holiday. These vary greatly in theme, ranging from traditional monsters like vampires and werewolves, to otherworldly or extra-dimensional horrors. Likewise, you can find Halloween-like games that come in all shapes and sizes, and appeal to a variety of play styles and experience levels.

Below are a handful of games that would fit in perfectly at any Halloween gaming night and everyone should try at least once.

Introduction to Halloween Board Games

Halloween is a time for spooky fun, and what better way to celebrate than with a Halloween-themed board game? Whether you’re a fan of horror movies, haunted houses, or just looking for a fun and spooky way to spend time with friends and family, there’s a Halloween board game out there for you. From eerie adventures in haunted mansions to thrilling encounters with classic monsters, these games offer a variety of themes and experiences that cater to all ages and preferences. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best Halloween board games available, from family-friendly options to more intense and scary games for adults. So, gather your loved ones, dim the lights, and get ready for a night of spine-chilling fun!

Fury of Dracula

Published by: Fantasy Flight    Ages: 14+    Players: 2-5    Time: up to 3 hours

Starting with a game featuring one of the patriarchs of the horror genre, “Fury of Dracula” revolves around vampire hunters chasing the titular creature of the night to try and save Europe from his evil. Dracula will use deception and try to mislead the hunters whilst trying to widen the reach of his influence. Hunters will chase the father of all vampires down day and night, but will they succeed in sending him to the grave?

“Fury of Dracula” puts one player in the shoes of Dracula himself, whilst the others take on roles of different characters from the Bram Stoker novel, such as Van Helsing and John Seward. The vampire hunter’s goal is obvious, hunt down and defeat Dracula by dealing 15 points of damage to him. Dracula meanwhile must advance his influence track up to 13. Gameplay is divided into a hunter and a Dracula phase. Hunters will have their turn split into both day and night and can take various actions like move around the board to visit different European cities, recover health, find items, trade items with other players, or search a location for Dracula.

Hunters are more powerful in the day and have less actions available at night, which is of course when Dracula is at his most powerful. Dracula’s phase takes place at night as he sleeps in the day. He’ll carry out various actions via encounter cards which are used to set traps for the hunters and play out various scenarios that will help him with eluding and attacking the hunters.  As time goes on, through a mix of strategy and the luck of the cards, hunters will periodically engage Dracula in battle and use item cards to try and do as much damage as possible before he escapes to try and spread his influence across different parts of Europe.

An immersive and tense game where no two playthroughs are ever the same. Hunters have the advantage of numbers but Dracula can utilise his encounter cards to level the playing field. It can take 2-3 hours to complete the game on average, but where it offers a great combination of strategy, cooperation, and teamwork, it’s a worthwhile experience and investment of your time.

Final Girl

Published by: Van Ryder Games    Ages: 14+    Players: 1    Time: 20-60 mins

For anyone thats ever believed they’d be able to survive a slasher film, Final Girl puts players in the thick of the action as the last girl standing of a horror movie. Players must do their best to save victims of a horrific killers rampage, escape his wrath, and survive.

Final Girl is a single player action game that is played in a serial like format, combining the base game rules with individual ‘feature film’ boxes, each with their own unique story, location, and killer. The game mechanics remain the same between each story, but each experience is new and leaves the player feeling like they’re watching and experiencing something different every time. As the Final Girl, players will work their way around the story map trying to rescue potential victims and find items to help defend themselves. They will have to try and avoid the killer where possible and only confront them when they feel ready.

Meanwhile, the killer will continually make their way around the location towards viable targets and attack them, their bloodlust increasing as they do so and inciting panic amongst the other survivors. The goal of the game is kill or be killed, with the player stockpiling items and action cards until they’re ready for the finale, and the killer trying to take out everyone possible.

Final Girl offers an entertaining and cinematic experience. The only solo-player game on the list, there are many different adventures or ‘videos’ a player can go take on, and whilst the gameplay at times may feel somewhat ‘samey’, the stories are unique enough to leave players feeling satisfied.

Nemesis

Published by: Awaken Realms    Ages: 12+    Players: 1-5    Time: up to 3 hours

If you ever wondered how well you would hold up in one of the “Alien” movies, Nemesis, which plays with 1-5 players, gives you a chance to see just how long and if you would survive an encounter with deadly creatures from another world. This Sci-fi survival horror game offers a tense cinematic experience full of bells and whistles set in the cold reaches of space, where of course, nobody can hear you scream!

Nemesis is a semi-cooperative game in which players take on the role of a ships crew member and must complete certain objectives and escape their run-down ship to win the game. Some objectives will benefit the crew as a whole whilst others will benefit the player who specifically chose that goal. Sometimes goals will conflict with each other and the game can end up as a bit of a free-for-all as players try to destroy one of the ship’s engines whilst others try to repair it.

Whichever objective is selected, players must find their way around the ship and use cards to perform actions as well as their character-specific skills to aid them in completing their mission as quickly and quietly as possible. Too much noise will disturb the hostile organisms hiding within the ship that act as the primary antagonists in the game. Players will find items as they explore to help them dispatch the intruders but certain players are more naturally equipped to deal with the otherworldly threat (you would want to be playing as the soldier over the scientist any day when cornered by xenomorph-esque creature three times your size!).

Along with the game’s incredible models and components, Nemesis delivers a thrilling, tense, and atmospheric experience that can’t be beat. Needless to say, fans of the “Alien” movies will get the most out of it, but everyone should enjoy the game regardless as each playthrough offers boundless levels of exploration and things to do and each character class provides a unique gameplay experience.

Horrified

Published by: Ravensburger    Ages: 10+    Players: 1-5    Time: 60 Minutes

A true treat for fans of monster movies, especially the Universal classics, ‘Horrified’ is the perfect Halloween game! In this cooperative game, players come together to try and defend their town against some of the most iconic monsters of all time. Each monster must be dispatched slightly differently so it’s up to players to work together and plan their approach carefully in order to successfully fend off the undead fiends and stop the town from being destroyed.

In Horrified, players will need to work together to defeat famous monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf-man before the town they’re terrorizing is overrun completely. The game’s difficulty is scalable and those wanting a more challenging experience can add more monsters to the playthrough. Each monster has a unique set of instructions for how to set them up, how they act during the game, and how to dispatch them. This is great for replay value as there are quite a few different combinations you can have and will provide plenty of new experiences.

Players take a series of actions each turn like moving to different locations, taking or sharing items, moving villagers around the board, or performing unique character actions. As play advances and villagers are saved, players will receive perk cards and items to provide them with useful bonuses and buffs to aid them with defeating monsters. Monsters meanwhile will draw cards and resolve various actions like moving around the board and attacking players or villagers. If enough villagers or players are beaten, the terror rating increases. When this reaches a certain level, the players lose.

Gameplay is fairly simple and each playthrough shouldn’t take more than an hour, which means Horrified provides a more accessible experience for non-hardcore gamers when compared to some other games on this list. That said, Horrified offers a unique experience with a variety of player characters, perk cards, and the monsters themselves, no two playthroughs are ever the same. For those that want an alternative to the core game, there are plenty of other versions out there with new monsters to try and eliminate

Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

Published by: Plaid Hat Games    Ages: 13+    Players: 2-5    Time: 60-120 Minutes

One of the spooky games perfect for enhancing a game night atmosphere, Dead of Winter focuses on cooperative gameplay and survival as players try to complete one shared objective. Although the emphasis of the game is to work together, everyone will also have their own personal objectives, some of which could put everyone else in serious danger.

Dead of Winter centres on a group of survivors trying to work together to stay alive in a world that’s been savaged by Zombies. In a world where most of humanity is either dead, dying, or a monster, the players group must do their best to survive through crises and challenges from both outside and inside their camp. A story-centric game, players will have to work through difficulties like running low on food and supplies whilst trying to keep everybody’s morale high.

Amongst the many possible characters that make up the colony, there will be shared and individual objectives to complete, some being betrayal based. This means whilst everyone will need to trust each-other, they will need to keep their wits about them and be wary of psychological manipulation. Each turn brings with it a new crisis that players must try and resolve and will occasionally bring players to a scenario where they must make a decision that could have significant consequences. Although there will always be a significant risk of a zombie attack, sometimes the threats inside the colony are just as dangerous as those outside.

Dead of Winter offers a great blend of action, psychological, and cooperative gameplay. Not a typical zombie game, there’s plenty going on and it offers a blend of terror on a number of levels.

These are our picks for some of the best games to play at Halloween. If you have any that didn’t make the list we’d love to hear your thoughts and why you like them so much!

Family-Friendly Halloween Games

If you’re looking for a Halloween board game that’s suitable for the whole family, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion – This cooperative game is perfect for families with kids, as players work together to solve puzzles and escape a haunted mansion. With its engaging storyline and familiar characters, it’s a hit for Scooby-Doo fans of all ages.

• Disney’s The Haunted Mansion – Call of the Spirits Game – This game is a fun and spooky take on the classic Disney attraction, and is suitable for kids aged 8 and up. Players explore the haunted mansion, collecting ghost cards and avoiding the hitchhiking ghosts in a race to gather the most points.

• Munchkin Scooby-Doo – This game is a fun and lighthearted take on the classic Munchkin game, with a Scooby-Doo twist. Players team up to find weapons, defeat monsters, and collect treasure, all while paying attention to the hilarious and spooky theme.

Halloween Board Games for Kids

If you’re looking for a Halloween board game that’s specifically designed for kids, here are a few options to consider:

• Don’t Go in There – This game is a fun and spooky take on the classic “don’t go in there” trope, and is suitable for kids aged 6 and up. Players must navigate through a haunted house, avoiding traps and collecting treasures, all while trying to escape the clutches of the ghostly inhabitants.

• Ghost Stories – This cooperative game is perfect for kids who love a good ghost story, as players work together to defeat ghosts and save the day. With its engaging gameplay and spooky theme, it’s sure to be a hit with young ghost hunters.

• Horrified – This cooperative game is a fun and spooky take on the classic monster movies, and is suitable for kids aged 8 and up. Players team up to defeat famous monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein, using strategy and teamwork to save their town from destruction.

Also Read: Best Educational Board Games For Kids

Party Games for a Spooky Night

If you’re looking for a Halloween board game that’s perfect for a party or game night, here are a few options to consider:

• One Night Ultimate Werewolf – This social deduction game is a great way to get a group of people laughing and having fun, as players try to figure out who among them is a werewolf. With its fast-paced gameplay and hidden role mechanics, it’s perfect for a spooky night of deception and intrigue.

• Monster Fluxx – This game is a fun and fast-paced take on the classic Fluxx game, with a monster theme that’s perfect for Halloween. Players must adapt to ever-changing rules and goals, all while trying to outsmart their opponents and collect the most monster cards.

• Scream The Board Game – This game is a fun and spooky take on the classic horror movie franchise, and is suitable for players aged 10 and up. Players must navigate through a series of challenges and puzzles, all while trying to survive the night and escape the clutches of the infamous Ghostface.

Choosing the Right Halloween Board Game

With so many Halloween board games to choose from, it can be hard to know which one to pick. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a Halloween board game:

• Age range – Make sure the game is suitable for the age range of the players. Family-friendly games are great for younger kids, while more intense games may be better suited for teens and adults.

• Number of players – Make sure the game is designed for the number of players you have. Some games are perfect for large groups, while others are better suited for smaller gatherings.

• Level of scariness – If you’re looking for a game that’s not too scary, consider a family-friendly option. If you’re looking for a game that’s more intense, consider a game designed for adults with a higher level of suspense and horror.

• Playtime – Make sure the game is the right length for your game night or party. Some games are quick and easy to play, while others may take a few hours to complete.

By considering these factors, you can choose a Halloween board game that’s perfect for your needs and preferences. Happy gaming!

FAQ: Halloween Board Games