Scooby-Doo has firmly established its place in popular culture, with a theme that has captivated generation after generation. And if you love watching the adventures of a group of meddling kids investigating mysterious happenings, alongside a snack-loving dog, why wouldn’t you want to try your hand at facing your fears as you unmask specters, monsters, and ghouls alongside Fred, Velma, Daphne, and Shaggy with your friends.
Mystery and adventure games are such a popular genre that it’s no wonder the board game community has brought this beloved crew to life several times on the tabletop.
Okay Scoob. Grab some snacks and board the Mystery Machine as we explore the best Scooby-Doo board games for you to enjoy.
What is Scooby-Doo?
But first, a quick introduction. Scooby-Doo launched in 1969 with Scooby-Doo, Where are You! produced by the legends of cartoons, Hanna-Barbera (founded by William Hannah and Joseph Barbera), who were responsible for the likes of Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Top Cat and more. The team – Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo investigate mysteries, that are usually monsters from local legends and stories, which inevitably turn out to be someone exploiting them for their own means. Although the original series only ran for three seasons, it had numerous later series using the same characters with slight adjustments or new cartoon animation techniques, standalone movies, and more.
What are the Best Scooby-Doo Board Games?
Scooby-Doo! The Board Game
By: CMON
Players: 1-5
Time: 30 minutes
Zoinks Scoob! you’ve got to try Scooby-Doo! The Board Game
First on the list of the best Scooby-Doo board game is the inventively named, Scooby-Doo! The Board Game. The game was published by Cool Mini or Not (CMON), which is relevant as they’re huge names in board gaming – with unrivalled Kickstarter success, and frequently working on huge franchise releases, such as Marvel Zombicide. CMON are especially known for games containing a huge range of impressive miniatures, and when they announced the license for Scooby-Doo – and indeed, Looney Tunes and Teen Titans Go! – everyone expected big things.
Well, they toned it down a little in comparison to some of their more big-box games, but what remained was a fantastic Scooby-Doo game that captured the feel of the cartoons, as well as how we felt when we watched– plus, some lovely miniatures for Mystery Gang. The game is for 1-5 players but is cooperative, making for a perfect family game. Each player selects a character to play as from the gang themselves and will be trying to move around the board to gain resources, which will in turn set a trap to catch the monsters.
All the while, the monsters are moving around the board, removing innocent bystanders to make an area haunted – too many of those, and you’ve lost the game! With different cards offering different actions, and each character having their own bonuses, playing with different characters can make a difference to the game, ultimately making it replayable too. While there are a few ways to lose the game, each round follows a similar pattern, which makes it perfect for a family game.
There’s also something to be said for how satisfying the miniatures are, seeing your favorite characters and monsters brought to life in tabletop. Whilst the standard versions come unpainted, it’s worth keeping an eye out for the availability of the deluxe or Kickstarter boxes, which contain pre-painted miniatures that give you the real feel from the second you open the box.
Betrayal at Mystery Mansion
By: Avalon Hill
Players: 3-5
Time: 25-50 minutes
What will you discover?
An incredibly popular mystery game in the board game industry is Betrayal at House on The Hill. It’s designed to be a game full of paranormal panic, where players explore the house by uncovering it tile by tile, leading to a completely random map and layout. After a specific trigger event occurs, one player receives one set of instructions, turning into the bad guy of the piece, and the other players must then scramble to stop them. It’s thematic, varied, and you never quite know what’s going to happen…
It’s a perfect basis for a more family friendly version with Scooby-Doo! Players take the role of one of Mystery Incorporated and can play from different mysteries of different difficulty levels. Each player has different abilities in Speed, Might, Courage, and Brains, and each also has a special ability. As players uncover each room, there’s a card to unveil related to the icon that you find there, so in some instances you may trigger some fun events, or you may find clues. They may also find items that they can use later in the game, or against the spooky happenings that will later emerge.
This is prompted by the number of clues you have and the roll of a dice. When triggered, unlike the original game, the haunting player isn’t required to be the one that triggered the haunt, which is more of a bonus than you might think – as now children who are unsure of reading new rules and instantly adopting them, no longer must. Whichever player is chosen, their character finds themselves locked in a cupboard, and they assume a whole new role. Much the same though, is that there are then two separate objectives, one player against all the others, to win the game.
It’s a game that a Scooby-Doo variant makes perfect for families. We’re all familiar with Scooby-Doo episodes in ‘haunted’ houses and towns, exploring room to room to figure out who the ghost or monster is that’s terrorizing the inhabitants, and this element of exploration is perfect. Even down to the player who takes a new role having their character locked in a cupboard – it feels very thematically Scooby-Doo. Not only is it a great Scooby-Doo game though, but a great game in its own right, which is fantastic for teaching kids to explore, to enjoy a quick change in circumstances and adapt, and to not be afraid of the monsters after all.
Scooby-Doo! Escape from the Haunted Mansion
By: The Op, also known as OP Games
Players: 1+
Time: 60 minutes
Can you escape the Haunted Mansion in this escape-room esque board game?
Scooby-Doo! Escape from the Haunted Mansion is a fantastic Scooby-Doo game that focuses on the investigation element. It’s a Coded Chronicles Game – which simply means, it’s part of a series of this style, with others in its family carrying other franchise based but usually more adult themes. It’s a perfect Scooby-Doo board game for those who love the mystery part of it. It’s a little more like an escape room than a traditional board game, but without the same pressure, and what that means is that it’s incredibly tactile – whilst there’s no board, you’ll be opening envelopes and flicking through information to find out what you need to know – all with the hope of escaping at the end!
Every player gets a game book (with lower play counts, the additional ones are just distributed to the existing players), and these have number bands on them – Fred is from 5,000 to 6,999 for example, where Daphne has 3,000 to 3,999, though players are not that specific character. Instead, everyone cooperatively controls all the characters, because each of them has different skills, and on their standee, is a number. You’ll place a character on a map tile (which you’ll discover more of and expand outwards as you find out more) next to the numbers there are on the tile. You’ll combine these to get a number that you can then search for within your game book (and you can even add items to this number to help you), hoping that the skill being used will give you a clue as to what to do next!
That might include laying out more map tiles, it might prompt you to open one of the many envelopes to see what clues await you. You measure how well you’re doing by how many Scooby Snacks you’ve got left, but ultimately, you’re trying to get to the end successfully, which will mean you’ve solved the mystery. It’s a game that will challenge you – in no way is it impossible or should this put you off, but it doesn’t hand you the answers. Your victory will be earned, and that makes it all the better.
The game rather impressively captures the humor and fun of the Scooby-Doo series, with the game text making sure to capture the feel of the characters. This makes it one of the best board games for Scooby-Doo, and one that adults can enjoy as much as the kids do.
What are some Scooby-Doo Themed Versions of Popular Board Games?
It’s impossible to ignore the fact that Scooby-Doo has been on a huge number of existing mass market board games too! Whilst they don’t tend to offer original content so much, they are perfect for letting gamers enjoy familiarity with nostalgia.
Munchkin: Scooby-Doo
Players: 3-6
Time: 60 minutes
Get the gang together and get playing Munchkin!
Munchkin is a card game that has delved into many other franchises for its theming, and Scooby-Doo is no different. Much like traditional Munchkin, it’s about trying to reach Level 10 in order to win the game, but of course, this version adds more mystery and Scooby-Doo references!
The game sees you playing as one of the detective team, but with items that match those of the TV series – maybe you’ll pick up a chefs apron, or a treasure map. You’ll head from location to location, with the likes of the Crystal Cove Caves, or the Drive In Movie Theatre,
in search of those classic monsters like the Green Ghost, capturing them in order to level up, and utilising the likes of the Mystery Machine to do your travelling with.
Munchkin games are renown for offering fun twists and turns in game play – you can never be sure what your fellow players are holding, nor how a single card of theirs might upend your plans in a single turn. Adding in Scooby Doo to this is like mixing nostalgia and an excuse to have a fun evening in with friends. Plus this is the only game on this list that includes Scrappy Doo, meaning it expanded further than that very first Scooby-Doo series!
Clue: Scooby-Doo
By: The Op
Players: 3-6
Time: 60 minutes
You can’t go wrong with suggesting Clue, but Scooby-Doo makes it even better!
Scooby-Doo has had more than one Clue variant, but the recent changes to Scooby-Doo-ify it involve adding in an additional character – Mrs. White – themed weapon cards like the Witch Doctor’s Staff, or Frankenstein’s Monster’s Chain, slightly altered locations to now include a graveyard, and single use personality cards. Clue is a great game that’s stood the test of time, and with an investigative theme like that which Scooby-Doo offers, it was bound to be a perfect match. The excitement of capturing a loose monster causing chaos and frightening the townspeople adds urgency and stakes to the game.
Jenga: Scooby-Doo Edition
By: The Op
Players: 1+
Time: 5 minutes
You may not have expected Jenga to have a Scooby-Doo link, but it does!
Scooby-Doo Jenga does not purport to be a marvel of investigation, the spirit of which all the aforementioned games tap into, but instead a recreation of an epic, Scooby-Doo worthy sandwich. You’ll need to roll the dice to find out which element of the sandwich you’ll need to draw from the tower, but as always in this classic dexterity game, you don’t want to let it topple!
Monopoly: Scooby-Doo 50th Anniversary Edition
By: The Op
Players: 2-6
Time: 60 minutes
The classic, mixed with the classic
On the anniversary of Scooby-Doo, Monopoly saw fit to add our favorite hound to the game, retheming the board to iconic Scooby-Doo moments and locations. Instead of Chance and Community cards, you have Ruh-Oh and Zoinks! cards. Instead of railway spaces, you have classic vehicles – like the Mystery Machine! And each space is themed to some of the true classic monsters. You can pick up Redbeard’s Lagoon for a mere $240, or the Wolfman’s swamp for $180. All whilst playing as one of the gang in tiny player tokens – with a Mystery Machine one to bring it up to six players. It’s a cute dedication to both Monopoly, and Scooby-Doo.
Conclusion
There’s plenty Scooby-Doo has to offer a fan, with some brilliant board game releases in recent years that tap into the originality and fun of the original series. These lay the foundations for even more board games in future, with designers taking note of the theme’s huge family appeal – with up to three generations having been exposed to Scooby-Doo in youth, the nostalgia is real. As board games become more popular again in the public sphere, we anticipate more and more use of the license, hopefully to as good an effect as the Scooby-Doo board games listed here.
Check out our list of the Best Mystery Board Games for more picks in this genre.
FAQ
What age group is suitable for Scooby-Doo themed board games?
Most Scooby-Doo themed board games are designed for players aged 8 and above, making them suitable for both children and adults. However, it’s always a good idea to check the age recommendations on the game box.
How many players can join a Scooby-Doo themed game?
The number of players can vary by game. For example, Munchkin: Scooby-Doo accommodates 3-6 players, while Jenga: Scooby-Doo Edition can support solo play or more participants, depending on the setup.
Are the rules vastly different from the original games?
While the core mechanics of each game remain true to their original versions, the Scooby-Doo editions often introduce themed elements, such as special cards and character abilities, to enhance the experience and incorporate iconic references from the show.
Where can I purchase Scooby-Doo themed board games?
Scooby-Doo themed board games can typically be found at major retailers, online stores such as Amazon, or specialty game shops. Always check for availability, as some editions may be limited or released for special anniversaries.