Are you getting ready for the spooky season and are preparing a scary board game night? Then you are in the right place as we’ll take a look at some of our best picks among Halloween board games for 2024.
Our Top Halloween Board Game Picks
- Cthulhu Death May Die
- Mansions of Madness: Second Edition
- Horrified
- Among Cultists
- Blood on the Clocktower
- Tiny Epic Zombies
- Fury of Dracula
- Betrayal at House on the Hill: 3rd Edition
- Mysterium
- Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein
Spooky Closer Look at the Best Scary Board Games
Here are our quick thoughts on what these Halloween board games offer. As the holiday is all about dressing up, classic horror movies, and having fun, we bring you games with a lot of character, and a big fun factor, which is all that matters for a memorable Halloween board game night.
1. Cthulhu Death May Die
Number of players: | 1 to 5 |
Playing time: | 90 – 120 minutes |
Age: | 14+ |
Unlike in most games based on Lovecraft’s mythos, you’re not trying to prevent one of the Elder Gods from manifesting; rather, you are trying to summon and destroy one of them. The base game comes with Cthulhu (of course) and Hastur.
We love that you are going to try to keep just enough of your sanity (yeah, this Lovecraftian board game also features it), to advance to various scenarios and be kept at the edge of your seat throughout the whole session.
We really like that Cthulhu Death May Die also has great-looking miniatures and lovely player boards that will just help to create an even better atmosphere and immersion during the game.
Highlights
- One of the best Cthulhu games out there
- Great replayability with different scenarios
- Atmosphere
2. Horrified
Number of players: | 1 to 5 |
Playing time: | 60 minutes |
Age: | 10+ |
Horrified is a fantastic pick for a Halloween night, and best of all, it’s incredibly easy to teach. It’s simple: you are trying to defeat classic horror movie monsters that are terrorizing the village. Monsters like Frankenstein, his bride, Wolf Man, Dracula, Mummy, the Invisible Man, or the Creature from the Black Lagoon will present a unique challenge.
The Frankensteins will stop bothering villagers when they learn what it means to be human, Mummy needs to be driven back to his tomb, Wolf Man needs to be cured, and so on. Each game can be as challenging as you like by picking anywhere from two to four monsters to play against.
If you want to play something easy for beginners, or you want to play a game that just screams “classic black and white movie horror,” you won’t make a mistake with Horrified.
Highlights
- Easy to teach and play several games in one night
- Classy pick for Halloween
- Variety of monsters to choose from
3. Among Cultists
Number of players: | 4 to 8 |
Playing time: | 45 – 90 minutes |
Age: | 14+ |
Among Cultists is a rare gem in adapting the very popular Among Us game, which itself was inspired by the hidden role tabletop game Werewolf. If you liked playing Among Us and you like hidden traitor games with social deduction, this should be your first pick for Halloween.
This is our first choice when we want to entertain a bigger crowd during a board game night. Up to eight players can debate among themselves and discuss who is the hidden cultist, while the seer (a player who knows who the cultists are) will try to stay alive and guide others to the right choice.
Another feature that we like is that Among Cultists doesn’t have player elimination. You can still play as a ghost, which is really appropriate for Halloween! On top of that, there’s no need for one person to act as the “Game Master,” but rather all players can directly participate.
Highlights
- Great for players that love social deduction games
- No player elimination
- Unique adaptation of Among Us/Werewolf
4. Blood on the Clocktower
Number of players: | 6 to 21 |
Playing time: | 30 – 120 minutes |
Age: | 15+ |
If you are planning to host a large gathering of players who, on top of that, love to roleplay, you’ll find that Blood on the Clocktower is an enticing offer that’s hard to pass on. While it’s based on Werewolf, you can expect far more from it.
In a nutshell, Blood on the Clocktower is a bluffing game of good vs evil. Demon and his minions want to eliminate innocent townsfolk, while they are trying to deduce behind whose face the evil is lurking. The game is run by a storyteller who will oversee the sheer variety of player roles, and this gem is promising that no playthrough will be the same.
We especially like how the game handles player elimination which is present in Werewolf games, so you don’t have to worry that you’ll spend the night sitting on your hands if you are targeted by the Imp, early on in the game.
Highlights
- Screams Halloween
- Great for people who like role-playing games
- The storyteller gets to have fun in this game as he is not just an arbiter
5. Mansions of Madness: Second Edition
Number of players: | 1 to 5 |
Playing time: | 120 – 180 minutes |
Age: | 14+ |
Another interesting pick for Cthulhu fans, as Mansions of Madness 2nd edition is a mix of a digital and analog game. You take on the role of an investigator in a Lovecraftian story, and you’ll try to unravel the mystery of a cosmic horror that you’ll try to prevent from manifesting.
In order to do so easily and quickly, you’ll use the app that will act as your guide throughout the game. Initial setup is a breeze for a Cthulhu game, and you quickly can jump in solving the mystery in one of many scenarios that you picked.
So what are you waiting for? Arkham awaits.
Highlights
- Perfect for Lovecraft fans
- Great app that speeds up the setup process
- Good replayability with a variety of scenarios to pick from
6. Tiny Epic Zombies
Number of players: | 1 to 5 |
Playing time: | 30 – 45 minutes |
Age: | 14+ |
If you are a fan of zombie movies like we are, we can say for sure that you’ll like Tiny Epic Zombies. Like all Gamelyn Games, you get plenty of fun in a small package.
In Tiny Epic Zombies, you’ll get different play modes: cooperative, competitive, or one vs many. The game sets you in a classic zombie-movie trope, where you are sieged by zombies in a shopping mall, and you are doing your best to arm yourself. You’ll even get to arm your meeples by attaching chainsaws, guns, and other weapons to your minis.
Like all Tiny Epic games, you get great production value all neatly packed in a box that you can fit in your pocket. So if you are attending a Halloween board game night, you can easily fit it along with your spooky costume and be ready for ghoulish fun.
Highlights
- Gorgeous meeples
- Multiple game modes
- Great zombie game
7. Fury of Dracula
Number of players: | 2 to 5 |
Playing time: | 120 – 180 minutes |
Age: | 14+ |
Fury of Dracula is a classic board game by this point. This game of gothic horror directly takes inspiration from Bram Stoker’s novel and has fun with it.
You’ll either play as the main protagonists/hunters from the novel, trying to catch Dracula in his travels across Europe, or you’ll play as Dracula and win the game if you spread your vampiric influence across the continent.
Fury of Dracula had its fourth edition released a few years ago, and still, it’s a great pick for players who are looking to get into board games or are looking for the best games for Halloween.
Highlights
- Classic one vs many board game
- Great choice as the scariest board game for Halloween
- Easy to learn
8. Betrayal at House on the Hill: 3rd Edition
Number of players: | 3 to 6 |
Playing time: | 60 minutes |
Age: | 12+ |
If you haven’t dared walk up the steps of the House on the Hill, Halloween might be the right time to gather your fearless friends and discover what dark secrets this abandoned building hides.
We at Boar Gamer have seen plenty of people jumping on the board gaming train after playing Betrayal at House on the Hill, and there’s plenty to like. Each time you explore the house, you’ll get a different layout. When you start playing, you don’t know what horror will befall you, or which player will be the betrayer. With multiple scenarios, you’ll get plenty of replay value from this lovely game.
Highlights
- Looking great when the board is set up
- Tense game that’s easy to play
- Great pick for Halloween, as you can play multiple scenarios in a single night
9. Mysterium
Number of players: | 2 to 7 |
Playing time: | 42 minutes |
Age: | 10+ |
If you are looking for a spooky Dixit-like game for Halloween, you’ll find that Mysterium is a fantastic choice.
You and your fellow players are mediums trying to solve the murder of an amnesiac ghost that haunts the halls of a newly purchased house of Mr. MacDowell. Therefore, you take it upon yourself and make a trip to lovely Scotland to help the ghost find their peace by finding out what happened to them.
You’ll play either as mediums who are trying to interpret gorgeous-looking dream cards that the ghost will send you, or you’ll take the role of the geist itself and send cryptic messages to other players who have to interpret what your ethereal being wanted to say.
The game is approachable for younger audiences as it only mentions ghost’s untimely demise only once in the introduction.
Highlights
- Lovely-looking components, especially dream cards
- Perfect for fans of deduction games
- Ouija board has nothing on Mysterium
10. Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein
Number of players: | 2 to 4 |
Playing time: | 90 – 180 minutes |
Age: | 14+ |
If we at Boar Gamer wanted to plan a Halloween board game night for players looking for a challenging game that will take most of your evening, we’d pick Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein.
In this game, all the players are taking the roles of renowned scientists who are trying to unlock the secret of life, which is basically, you’re racing to build the newest Frankenstein’s monster.
The game is unique in what it offers, as you’ll have to balance your resources, your humanity, your reputation, and more, as all is on the line in your quest for greatness.
Just keep in mind that this game is more for a mature audience, as some game components can be a bit gory.
Highlights:
- Keep an eye on age restrictions
- Crunchy monster building eurogame
- Aimed at more mature and experienced board game players