When the moon is full and the night is alive with the rustling of autumn leaves and things that go bump in the night, there’s no better time to gather around the table for a spook-tacular session of board gaming! Yes, dear readers, Halloween is not just for trick-or-treating and costume contests; it’s also the prime time for board game enthusiasts to bring out their most chilling, thrilling, and kill… I mean, skill-testing games. Yes, the spooky month is upon us, a time for ghosts and ghouls to gather for a board game bonanza!
So, let’s dive into the cauldron and stir up some ideas for making your Halloween board game night an affair to dismember… sorry, I mean remember!
First things first, you’ll need to set the scene. Halloween fun wouldn’t be fun with 100w bulbs lighting up every room in the house like an airport runway. Dim the lights and let the flickering glow of jack-o’-lanterns guide the fiends (aka your family and friends) to the gaming table. Cobwebs are a must – and if they’re real, even better! A playlist of eerie tunes will add to the ambiance, and don’t forget a sudden, unexplained draft to make everyone’s spine tingle.
Next up, is the food and snacks. No board gaming evening is complete without something to nibble on. Imagine a platter of devilled eggs, but these aren’t your grandma’s recipe – no, these have been taken over by tiny spiders made of olives, lurking atop the paprika-dusted egg whites. Or picture a dip that’s not just any dip, but a creepy, crawly, puking pumpkin dip, with guacamole oozing out in the most disgustingly delightful way. And let’s not forget about the mini doughnut eyeballs that just love watching you eat. Severed finger hot dogs, anyone? For those with a sweet tooth, there are the Oreo ghost truffles, which look so adorably petrifying, you’d almost feel bad for eating them… almost. And for a show-stopping centrepiece, a Hocus Pocus-themed popcorn mix, complete with a spellbinding array of sweets and treats that would make even the Sanderson sisters pause their nefarious plans for a snack break. Or you could just play it safe and get in a variety of the various Halloween-themed gummy sweets that are available this time of year such as my favourites Swizzels Squashies Squeletons or Scary Eyeballs!
As it’s Halloween, it’s the perfect excuse to dress up. No, not your finest suits and dresses but those fun costumes. Encourage your guests to come dressed as their favourite board game character. Whether it’s Miss Scarlet from ‘Clue’ with her candlestick or a roving bandit from ‘Catan’, costumes add an extra layer of fun and mayhem to the festivities.
Now for the most important bit, the pièce de resistance, the reason why everybody is dressed up and nibbling on strange dishes, the games!
Well, it’s Halloween! The spooky time of year where everybody loves spooky scary, and even frightful fun. Choose games that have a hint of horror, a touch of the macabre, or at least a black cat on the box. Classics like Betrayal at House on the Hill will have players exploring a haunted mansion with a twist – one of you will betray the rest! Or perhaps Mysterium, where you solve a ghostly murder with nothing but your wits and some very cryptic picture cards.
For those with a love for the undead, Zombie Dice is a no-brainer (pun intended). Roll the dice and hope for brains, not shotgun blasts. And let’s not forget One Night Ultimate Werewolf, where you have mere minutes to deduce who among you transforms under the full moon.
Here are some of the games they we have been playing and enjoyed:
Ghosted – The Game of Boo-Dunnit
Ghosted is a family board game of deduction with a twist – rather than a game of WHO-dunnit, it is more of a game of BOO-dunnit! More comedy than horror, and lots of fun for the entire family.
Ghosted is a family-friendly game of deduction that is suitable for 3-6 players, aged 10+. It has a playing time of around 30 minutes. It is a game that I would describe as a mash-up of Cluedo and Guess Who, two classic games that everybody loves.
Ghosted is a game of boo-dunnit, which means to find who did it, something must have happened. And it certainly did! A murder has been committed and you have come to an untimely end, been offed, put to rest, kicked the bucket, been fatally finished, been transported from your human body to the spirit world. Unfortunately, you’ve been GHOSTED! But your restless spirit won’t be calm until you solve your own demise … from the great beyond. In Ghosted, the BOO-dunnit board game, each player plays as a ghost and must identify which suspect had it in for them, what wacky weapon they used, and why they wanted you out of the picture. Players must solve a murder-mystery from beyond the grave and be the first to figure it out in this spirited game of Boo-Dunnit!
In this spirited spooky fun detective game, all players take on the role of a spirited ghost and must solve their own murder through a process of deduction and elimination, asking questions and gathering evidence, what their motive was, and the murder weapon used – with the aim to be first to solve their own murder. A perfect game to get kids and families into the Halloween ‘spirit’. Click here to read our full review.
Great Halloween Escape – Print at Home Escape Room
The Great Halloween Escape is an immersive adventure puzzle game for 2 or more players, aged 8-12 years old. Players are invited to the Manor House of the Spooks family and find themselves trapped in a room, they have just 60 minutes to find and solve clues to escape – before the full moon rises! Can you escape, or be trapped forever with the Spooks?
Click here to read our full review.
Great Zombie Escape – Print at Home Escape Room
Just like the Great Halloween Escape, the Great Zombie Escaoe is an immersive adventure puzzle game for 2 or more players, aged 8-12 years old. This time, players find themselves covered in goo (not real goo, unless you decide to really immerse the kids in all aspects of the game), and trapped in the secret lab of Dr Zoom with zombies! They have just 60 minutes to find and solve clues to escape – before they become zombies themselves (although that could make for extremely authentic Trick or Treat costumes).
Read our full review here.
Twisted History
Twisted History is an award-winning laugh-out-loud, conversation-starting party trivia game for teens and adults that takes you on a journey through the seven twisted eras of history, where life and death were weird and rather gruesome.
Stay ahead of the executioner while you answer multiple-choice questions on life and (lots of) death as you journey through the world’s seven eras of twisted history.
It’s quirky, gruesome and definitely not what you were taught in school.
Can you outwit mortality while circumnavigating the past few thousand years?
It’s wickedly funny. Frequently fatal. Can you make it out alive? It’s history, but not as you know it.
We found Twisted History to be an excellent game; it draws you in with the promise of gruesome, gory and painful death, engages the players, thoroughly entertains and educates players with the worst parts of human history. But it is certainly not a game for the timid or squeamish, and the 14+ age rating is probably spot on. Click here to read our full review.
Halloween Bingo
Boo! Did you hear that? That’s the sound of Halloween Bingo creeping up to spook your socks off! This isn’t your grandma’s bingo; it’s a ghoulish game that promises to be the life (or should I say ‘afterlife’?) of any Halloween party.
The traditional Bingo Game just became very mysterious in this fun, spooky Halloween edition. With 20 double sided bingo cards this wonderful game can be played many times for up to 20 players and is sure to create fun and laughter over the Halloween period.
Can you get a full house of spooks, monsters, ghouls and scares?
Click here to read our full review of Halloween Bingo.
Halloween Charades
Charades is a timeless party game, a classic game of mimicry and guesswork, that has entertained people for centuries. Originating in 18th-century France, the word ‘charade’ comes from the French term for ‘conversation’ or ‘chatter’. The game has evolved from its literary origins to become a popular group activity that transcends language barriers.
The essence of charades is simple: players must guess a word or phrase without the use of spoken language. Instead, participants act out each syllable and the phrase as a whole through mime and gesture. This creates a lively and often humorous interaction between players as they attempt to convey and interpret each other’s silent clues.
Halloween Charades is like the classic game of charades but with a pumpkin-spiced twist. Instead of pantomiming ‘Gone with the Wind,’ you’re acting out ‘Dracula in a Windstorm’ – which, by the way, is not an official charade card, but feel free to use it. The game is simple: act out a word or phrase without uttering a single sound, while your team tries to guess what on earth (or in the underworld) you’re mimicking. Click here to read our full review.
Ghost Castle
Ghost Castle is an excellent game for the Halloween season, with a perfect setting. The game board is a three-dimensional castle that looks like it came straight out of a Scooby-Doo episode. The walls are adorned with classic horror tropes: cobwebs, creepy portraits, and the occasional bat. It’s like someone took the haunted house experience and flattened it into a board game, but in 3D!
The objective of Ghost Castle is simple: escape the haunted castle! Players are paranormal investigators that have woken a vengeful ghost and must make their way through the castle without getting scared silly by the resident ghost. But beware, this ghost has a sense of humour and a penchant for jump scares. One minute you’re confidently striding through the dungeon, and the next, a hidden mechanism triggers a ‘BOO!’ that has you jumping out of your skin – and possibly out of your seat.
Ghost Castle is a board game for 2-6 players, aged 6+, with a playing time of 25-40 minutes. Can you avoid the traps and escape the castle? Click here to read our full review.
In conclusion, playing board games throughout the spooky month of October and on Halloween itself is a fantastic way to celebrate the season of spooks. It’s a night where strategy meets superstition, and where every roll of the dice feels like a step deeper into Dracula’s castle. So, dust off those boxes, summon your most competitive spirits, and get ready for a night of frightful delight.
Happy Haunting – I mean, gaming! And let us know in the comments below what your favourite Halloween games are.