The best scary board games for Halloween
The best scary board games for Halloween
Halloween is a time when we embrace the ethereal, take a stride toward the horrifying, and take a step toward the frightening. Kendra and I like to celebrate most holidays by playing the best horror board games, and this is the perfect opportunity to get dressed up and into character without getting too many strange looks.
Our best selections for the best horror board games
Are you in a hurry? Check out our favorites below.
The best social deduction
- HUNTING IS INCLUDED: In Salem in 1692, the witch hunt is heating up. WHO ...
- AIRCRAFT TREATMENT: Blame your friends for witchcraft using ...
- DARK MAGIC: This original game is intended for 4-12 players and lasts ...
The best zombies
Best overall
To collaborate in the spirit of Halloween, we’ve put together a list of some of the best Halloween board games we can play at this terrifying festival. We rated each game on a scary ghost scale: 1 ghost is kind of scary and 5 ghosts is scary !
Here are some of our favorite Halloween board games.
1. Salem 1692
The year 1692 is in Salem Massachusetts. Immerse yourself in a world of paranoia, accusations, witchcraft and murder. Can you survive and eradicate the evil witches who plague your village? Will you fall victim to the mass hysteria of the people? Or are you really a witch sowing discord?
A mechanic of horror board games
Each player takes on the role of a Salem villager. Each player gets multiple role cards, some of which could contain a witch. The task of the whole village is to accuse, set up an "experiment" and execute all the witches. As with the real witch trials in Salem, this will not be so easy and you will probably accuse and kill many innocent people along the way.
Salem 1692 is a social deduction game in the Werewolf Vein or Mafia, but has been described as a werewolf for people who hate werewolves. Often in similar games, players have no idea who the traitors are, and sometimes they have to blindly accuse, which takes a lot of skill out of the game.
Salem’s play solves this problem by using roles and test cards. Instead of players being chosen with pure luck, they have to break the potential witch with evidence before they can make a decision. As the game progresses, it will become clearer who the real villagers are and who can engage in the dark arts.
The game is much more terrifying if you also know the background of the witch trials in Salem, in which 20 people were executed for witchcraft and sorcery. Despite popular science, there was no burning. Of the accused, 19 women were hanged and 1 tortured to death by being slowly crushed by rocks.
Why we like it
I think deduction games are a fantastic way to spend time with family and friends. It’s an easy way to introduce newbies to games (with relatively simple game mechanics) and a great way to make new friends. Because honestly, if lying to strangers and accusing each other of witchcraft doesn’t break the ice, I really don’t know what will.
- HUNTING IS INCLUDED: In Salem in 1692, the witch hunt is heating up. WHO ...
- AIRCRAFT TREATMENT: Blame your friends for witchcraft using ...
- DARK MAGIC: This original game is intended for 4-12 players and lasts ...
Terrible rating (out of 5): 
Perfect for entering the character and even dressing up.
Social deductions are great for large groups of people and we found this to be a great way to meet new people. It’s always good to know if your new friend is a great liar.
2. Dark Souls: A board game
If you haven't played a video game yet or don't know anything about it Dark Souls well then ...
Get ready to die!
The board game Dark Souls has been faithfully recreated, so the board version is surprisingly similar to a board game. As a cooperative group or alone , the players will explore a random area of the dark world of dark souls.
You will encounter heavy monsters and demons and you can push yourself even deeper into the dungeons or return to safety by the fire and upgrade your characters and rest. However, be warned if the dungeon is reset and every monster you just killed returns, so it’s only a heroic feat in itself to get to the final boss.
Dark Souls is hard. You will die. You will be punished for impatience and carelessness. But for those who participate, formulate strategies and think, you will be rewarded.
Seriously, this is the slogan of the game.
A mechanic of horror board games
The world of Dark Souls, as the name suggests, is very dark. The glorious heroic days of the kingdom are long gone and only a twisted version is left, corrupted by demons and dark magic. The mechanics of the game impose a sense of urgency, where every monster is potentially deadly, and over-stretching the fun can leave you in front of the boss in an extremely weakened state.
The miniatures that come with the game add a fantasy theme set where you will fight demons, dragons and corrupt warriors.
Why we like it
The atmosphere and the ever-present danger of death make this the perfect game you can bring to your table. Its nature of cooperation will unite your party against the committee, while still offering a high level of competitiveness. Video game players will easily recognize many of the game's mechanics, but noobs in the game will still be able to quickly pick up the rules and jump straight.
The designers at Steamforged Games have done an amazing job of bringing players into the game without too much effort, but once you enter, there is no way out ... (* cue scary music *)
- Enter the space of Dark Souls: view the desktop transformation ...
- Challenges ahead: Dark Souls: The board game is about quick setup ...
- Play as iconic characters: take on the role of a knight, warrior, ...
Terrible rating (out of 5):
Dark Souls has beautiful artwork and beautiful mini-mini that will bring you to a very themed and truly dark fantasy environment.
Play to your audience. If you know that players don’t know tactics and strategies, they will die ... a lot. This game is suitable for smaller groups ( 2-4 players ) who like serious strategy in their games.
Variations and extensions
Dark Souls has some amazing extensions. Check out our list of the best here !
3. Edition at the House on the Hill
Take a deep breath before entering.
Are you ready for some classic horror? Direct your inner Scooby Doo and step into the Betrayal House on the Hill where every classic creepy troop you can think of awaits. You may find yourself being chased by an angry poltergeist zombies crawling out of walls, chasing a mad Calico Jack ax killer, or fighting an awakened ancient evil trying to swallow the world.
Two games are never the same and your friends may not turn out to be who you think they are.
A mechanic of horror board games
Every game starts the same, but each has a completely unique ending.
The game begins in co-op mode and all players start exploring the house, opening rooms and collecting items. Some tiles in the room (marked with a raven) will give the player a strong object and trigger Haunt’s scroll. If (and when) the roll refuses, the real game begins.
There are about 50 different scenarios in the edition that come with the game. The room and object chosen when Haunt begins determine the script that everyone plays. They also find out who changes the traitor and tries to kill the other players. So your best friend, whom you just helped before Haunt started, eventually became a traitor and tried to kill you the very next turn.
Here are some things to look for:
- Chaser killer ax
- Demon possession
- Cannibals
- Zombies
- Crazy ladies cats (seriously in there)
Why we like it
This is our first choice for a fun board game for Halloween (or any time of year)! Because of the repeatability of this game, it’s a lot of fun. The scenarios you will encounter are almost endless. If you find that you have already played a certain scenario, then you can simply draw a random card to shuffle it a bit. If there ever was a completely themed Halloween game, this is it.
Sometimes the scenarios seem pretty one-sided and some players have complained that they always become a traitor (you know who you are ...), but I still think this game is amazing.
For me, it’s about telling stories together and heroic moments of the game. We’re still talking about games where Kendra sacrificed herself to buy enough time to kill the Zombie Lord, or how her uncle stabbed me in the back to steal my stuff. (I’m not bitter at all.) Check out our full review of the issue at the house on the hill for more creepy goodness.
- Tile after tile, terror after terror, build your mansion with scary houses ...
- With 50 blood clotting scenarios, every trip to the house on ...
- Players must work together to survive the nightmare.
Terrible rating (out of 5):
Great for 3-6 casual players and those looking for high in-game repeatability. We played this game all day.
Variations and extensions
4. Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game
The world is flooded. Civilization has failed. We've already lost. All that's left is to survive ... and winter is here.
Dead winter or you have control over a group of survivors trying to survive in your fortified building. Each player controls a heroic hero with skills from the old world such as firefighter, police officer, engineer, etc. To survive successfully, you will need to work together to feed your people and avoid rebellion (and frostbite).
Be warned! One of you may not be what you seem.
Each survivor has their own specific goal that they are trying to achieve, and someone may be trying to sabotage the group for their own benefit.
A mechanic of horror board games
Despite the horror of seeing your beloved character bitten and slowly dying a horrible death, there are always threats that friends will allow zombie hordes into your home, sabotaging all of your hard work that keeps everyone alive.
Why we like it
I really like that this is not an easy game of hidden traitors. You can potentially play a game where everyone is striving for the greater good, so that individual goals continue to be guessed by everyone. If you’re interested, check out the full review of the book Dead of Winter here .
Perfect for a spooky night game! If you love zombies (and even if you don’t). the survival and hidden traitor aspect really makes this game really special.
- SURVIVAL GAME: Dead of Winter Crossroads game is an experience ...
- STRATEGY: Players often have to make difficult decisions ...
- COOPERATIVE GAME: While the survivors are all engaged in their ...
Terrible rating (out of 5):
Since everything is already happening against the survivors, the fact that one of you could be working against the group really increases the tension and keeps everyone suspicious and paranoid.
Great theme and great for fun role playing night.
Variations and extensions
5. Last Night on Earth: A zombie game
I know I’m already a zombie game , but this one is my personal favorite.
Get ready to enter and take part in your own horror film B. Two teams are battling attempts to meet goals or eat the brains of the competition. Goals can range from surviving the night, sucking up an old truck to escaping or defending a mansion until help arrives.
A mechanic of horror board games
Zombie players will relentlessly attack human players and can destroy their ability to meet targets by closing sections of the board and launching them into corners that need to be devoured. Each player who is then killed comes under the control of a zombie team and becomes a super zombie, stronger and faster than the garden variety.
Human heroes are not powerless. They will have to exterminate their weapons and abilities to survive the night, they will have to take care of themselves so that they are not overwhelmed by a horde of longing undead.
This is a classic zombie game . Zombie players are constantly spawning zombies that are slowly sneaking up on survivors. People are faster and have access to weapons and cards to help them stay ahead, and sometimes there are too many of them to escape.
Why we like it
The game pays homage to the zombie movie genre and the gameplay reflects that. The artwork is amazing (all photo), so each actor character has a photo of the actual person, which only adds an extra touch to the game. He is so fantastically camped.
It reminds me of when I was growing up and watching Night of the Living Dead with my brother and there’s even a similar script in the game, similar to a classic movie where you have to defend the house from zombies.
- For 2-6 players
- It takes 60-90 minutes
- Modular game boards
Terrible rating (out of 5):
It’s about as scary as horror B, which means this game isn’t taken too seriously and you’ll have a lot of fun. There’s even a card in the game that forces two heroic heroes to stop everything they’re doing and end their turns because it’s their “last night on Earth” and they have better things to do ...
We played with 2-4 players and it’s fun every time. It is very themed and great for before or after the George A. Romero Film Marathon.
Variations and extensions
6. Arkham Horror (Third Edition)
Step straight to the HP Lovecraft page in Arkham City, where the horrors of eldrich are awakening and the only thing between you and complete madness is your group of fellow investigators. Choose your favorite explorer straight from Lovecraftian lore and dive straight.
A mechanic of horror board games
Every Arkham investigator is attracted to some rumor or event in life that pushes him to search and source and ends the horror. During the investigation of the city of Arkham, doors will open to other areas and monsters will spill into the city. For all the gates that remain unchecked, you risk a monster that will exponentially create more monsters throughout the game.
There are many ways to lose this game, and not many to win. You have to close the door fast enough, otherwise the Ancient One will wake up and force you into the final showdown. If not, you (and Arkhama) are devoured.
Why we like it
This is one of the truly collaborative big games on the market. You have to work together to present a united front against the ancient. They all win or lose together. If you have a group of highly competitive players and there have been disagreements or the Monopoly Table is overturning , then this is a great game to put it all together.
- SUSTAINABLE GAME OF SPACE HORROR: Dark shadow grows in the city ...
- SCARY STRATEGY GAME: Players take on the role of Arkham ...
- COOPERATIVE MYSTERIOUS GAME: Players work as a team to collect clues, ...
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