halloween themed board games

halloween themed board games

These five spooky board games are perfect for a Halloween-themed family game night. It’s officially fall and time for all things Halloween! Whether you prefer tricks or treats, the kids will love playing one of these ‘spooktacular’ games.

It can be a lot of fun to plan a spooky game night. You can serve a variety of Halloween party food, decorate, and even dress up while playing one (or more) of these titles. Check out the following recommendations for family-friendly games that feature ghosts, hauntings, and curses that are sure to brew a good time.

halloween themed board games

Shaky Manor

Shaky Manor, from Blue Orange Games, is a fun dexterity game for one to four players, ages 6 and up. Each player has a tray with six different color rooms. There is a wall grid inserted into each tray, separating the rooms. For each round, a card is drawn showing which items need to be in a specific color room.

The player adds items, such as a spider, an eyeball, a ghost, or a snake, along with their adventurer meeple and little golden treasure cubes. Players must shake and jiggle their tray to move the game pieces through the doorways until only the listed items are in the designated room.

I love that you can adjust the difficulty depending on the player. For example, the adults can have additional items added to their trays, which makes it more difficult to isolate the ones you need. Sometimes, we don’t even keep track of points and just have fun with it.

halloween themed board games

Ghost Fighting Treasure Hunters

Ghost Fighting Treasure Hunters is a fun, cooperative board game for kids, from Mattel, for two to four people. Players enter an old, haunted house in search of treasure. Everyone works together in order to collect the treasures and escape the house to win the game. Be careful of what you roll and where you go, or you may have to fight a ghost!

halloween themed board games

Haunt the House

Haunt the House, from Kids Table Board Gaming, is another great family game for two to five players. Do you like giving people a good scare? In this game, you are the ghosts in the house attempting to scare away ghost hunters. Each player is competing to see who can collect the most valuable set of gear dropped by the frightened ghost hunters. It’s a clever card game with fun, spooky art that’s perfect for kids.

halloween themed board games

Escape: Curse of the Temple

Escape: The Curse of the Temple, from Queen Games, is a real-time cooperative game. This means everyone is playing simultaneously. Since there isn’t any turn-taking, it’s full of fast-paced action. Players are adventurers trying to recover gems from a cursed temple.

The music soundtrack, which is also a timer, can make the game feel more intense and sound a bit scary at times. Everyone is working together, but there isn’t a lot of time to stop and discuss what you are doing. We enjoy playing it, and you can watch us play through Escape: Curse of the Temple with our daughter.

There is also a zombie version of the game, which would be an excellent pick for gaming on Halloween.

halloween themed board games

Betrayal at House on the Hill

Betrayal at House on the Hill, from Avalon Games, is by far the spookiest title on this list. It is a three- to six-player game and a great choice to play with tweens, teens, or adults. This game is quite unique because there are several different haunt scenarios that could be triggered as you and the other players explore a creepy old mansion that you build room by room.

The game is mostly cooperative. Everyone works together in the beginning, and one player secretly betrays the rest of the group. The anticipation quickly builds because you know the chance of triggering the haunt is greater with each turn. The rooms of the house (and this game in general) have scarier elements to them, which is why we recommend it for older kids.

If you enjoy playing this one, there is also an expansion you could try, the Betrayal Legacy game, which explores what happened to the family that previously lived in that house.

We hope you have a ghoulishly good time playing one of these spooky board games for Halloween. If these games aren’t up your alley, then check out these not-so-scary, fall-themed board games.

About the author

Darcy Zalewski

Darcy Zalewski

Darcy Zalewski is an avid gamer who believes gaming is an excellent family activity. Happily raising two little geeklings with her equally geeky husband in the land of cheese, aka Wisconsin. Darcy loves both video and board games, as they provide infinite family bonding opportunities. When she’s not gaming, she’s crafting, reading dystopian novels, or discussing one of her many fandoms. Her writing has also been featured on Babble, CafeMom, and Mom.me. Connect with her on Twitter at @darcyzalewski.

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