The Halloween season is upon us and we just can’t wait for the evenings to get a little darker to set the mood. The leaves are falling, and rain is rolling in time to cozy up with a bowl of candy, and a spoooooky game? Make it extra special and dress up in costume for the occasion. We’ve been up in our rooftop laboratory brewing up some ideas for spooky games that will be fun for the whole family. Keep reading to see our top picks for the best spooky games for all ages!
Spooky board games for younger children
There are many excellent board games for younger kids that balance themes of ghosts, monsters, and witches without being too scary. Our top picks are so fun they will want to play them over and over again and you don’t have to worry about any nightmares. Here are our favorite games for 3-7 year olds with monster themes!
Go Away Monster
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Age: 3+
Game Duration: 15 mins
Player Count: 2-4
In this puzzle game, you’re tasked with trying to grab the right pieces from a bag to decorate your bedroom tile. The player must find pieces to match the blank spaces on their board while trying to avoid grabbing a monster tile. If the player grabs a monster tile they have must say “Go Away Monster!” and they can get rid of it. Because monsters have no business being in our bedrooms. This is a game for very small children and helps to empower them to conquer their fears of monsters that may be hiding in closets or under beds. This is also a great way to develop pattern recognition and have a fun time with your little ones.
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Shaky Manor
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Age: 6+
Game Duration: 15 mins
Player Count: 2-4 Players
Shaky Manor is a fun dexterity game for up to four players. The fun thing is, the game box is the actual game itself! When you open it up you’ll see that it is divided into sections that make rooms with holes for doorways. The goal of the game is to move through the manor collecting treasure and delivering it to the correct rooms. How do you move through the rooms? By shaking and tilting the box! The first player to get all those pieces into the correct room without having any ghosts, snakes or eyeballs in there wins the round. This is a great way to develop fine motor skills for younger ones and can prove to be a challenge.
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No Thank You, EVIL!
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Age: 5+
Game Duration: 30 mins
Player Count: 2-5 Players
No Thank You, EVIL is one of the best intro RPG games out there for children. This game is geared specifically at younger children and doesn’t get bogged down with complicated systems and math. No Thank You, EVIL! gives children access to the magical world of Storia, a place filled with knights, dragons, robots, and monsters. A very forgiving dice system helps keep the game moving and makes sure that if players work together, they will likely succeed. We recommend the third premade scenario set in a cursed Theme Park for a Halloween experience!
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Ghoulish games for teens and young adults
Time to step it up a little and take a look at the best spooky board games for teens! These games increase the level of complexity and fright-factor, additionally, they play relatively quickly and keep the action moving.
Horrified
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Age: 10+
Game Duration: 60 mins
Player Count: 1-5 Players
This is a cooperative game for the classic horror movie lovers, Horrified. Based in that universe, Horrified pits the players against the most beloved horror movie icons of all time. Think The Mummy, Dracula, The Wolf Man, and more. Players move around the board collecting items such as darts and completing tasks like smashing coffins. Working together they must prepare to fight and defeat the monsters plaguing the town. With three difficulty levels, this is a great game for beginners, but you can ramp up the difficulty if you want more of a challenge.
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Dread
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Age: 13+
Game Duration: 4 hrs
Player Count: 4-5 Players
Dread is a roleplaying game for those who like suspense and horror themes but instead of rolling dice players will determine their fate by pulling blocks from a Jenga tower. If your knock of the tower, it’s safe to say things are likely not going to go your way. A unique character creation system allows you to jump into the game quickly having fleshed out characters with their own fears and motivations. Geared towards adults and young adults, this is a great choice for those who want to run a scary roleplaying game for their friends and family.
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One Night Ultimate Super Villains
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Age: 8+
Game Duration: 10 mins
Player Count: 3-10 Players
In this fast-paced hidden identity game, Heroes have to figure out who among them is a supervillain. Each player assumes a secret role of a superhero (or villain) each with their own superpowers. During the game the players must figure out who among them is a supervillain trying to blend in with the fine folks of Shady Grove. This version of One Night Ultimate Werewolf gives players more powers and ways to interact with each other. We recommend this game for groups that like games with high interaction, secret information, and bluffing.
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Scary games for the whole family
It can be really difficult to find games for the whole family to play together. Often games for younger kids are just too simple and quick for grown-ups, but more advanced games leave the younger kids confused. We have come up with a list of perfect games for the whole family to play together, better yet, they’re great for Halloween! These games are engaging enough to keep your teenager’s attention and simple enough that younger children aren’t going to feel left out or require much assistance.
Betrayal at Mystery Mansion
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Age: 8+
Game Duration:25-50 mins
Player Count: 3-5 Players
Think Betrayal at House on the Hill but add Scooby Doo and you get Betrayal and Mystery Mansion! Players assume the roles of your favorite gang of meddling kids as they explore a creepy mansion and solve a mystery. With 25 different scenarios, you’ll have plenty of fun trying to defeat classic Scooby Doo monsters based on your favorite episodes. This is the perfect choice for those who love Betrayal and want to make it more accessible to kids. If you like semi-cooperative games and are a fan of Scooby Doo, this game was made for you.
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King of Tokyo: Dark Edition
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Age: 8+
Game Duration:30 mins
Player Count: 2-6 Players
Which giant monster will reign supreme and be crowned the King of Tokyo? Find out in this competitive dice rolling game where you take on the role of massive monsters fighting it out over the streets of Tokyo. The Dark Edition has all the same great elements you love from the original game, but with a sinister makeover. Not only have the components been upgraded, but the art style has a much darker and grittier feel. Simple dice mechanics and rules will allow everyone to play together in this fast-moving fun game.
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Potion Explosion
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Age: 8+
Game Duration:30-45 mins
Player Count: 2-4 Players
It’s time to take your final exam for Potions class! In this game, you create potions by combining marbles of different colors. The really fun part? When you remove a marble others roll down to fill its place, kind of like Candy Crush. Once you have completed a potion you can drink it to gain magical powers that give you more benefits in the game. Make the most impressive batch of potions to become Student of the Year and win the game. This game is super tactile, for Halloween we suggest everyone put on their witches hats and robes for a thematic game night.
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The best horror games for Halloween
These games bring solid horror themes alongside some rich gameplay. If you’re trying to find some great games to play after dark with some friends, we’ve got you covered. These titles should have you on the edge of your seat in tension and suspense.
Betrayal at House on the Hill
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Age: 12+
Game Duration:60 mins
Player Count: 2-6 Players
An absolute favorite for many, this horror game has you exploring a mysterious old house. A fun feature of the game is that you build the game board as you explore the house by adding on the rooms you discover. The first half of the game is all about working together, exploring the house, and discovery until all omens are collected and a Betrayer is revealed. This kickstarts the second half of the game where it changes from cooperative to 1 v the rest of the players. The game includes 50 different scenarios offering a lot of replayability.
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Dark Souls
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Age: 14+
Game Duration:90-120 mins
Player Count: 1-4 Players
If you’re familiar with this legendary video game series, then you know what you’re getting yourself into with this game. Dark Souls the video game is known for its unforgiving nature and extremely disconcerting look and feel. Dark Souls the board game is a challenging dungeon crawler that throws you into a dark and scary world filled with deadly monsters. Pick your class and build your character up as you fight your way through several scenarios. If you’re looking for the full Dark Souls experience, check out some of their expansions that add bosses and more character classes.
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Nyctophobia
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Age: 9+
Game Duration:30-45 mins
Player Count: 3-5 Players
In this asymmetrical game, players have to escape from an axe murderer chasing them in the woods at night. One player assumes the role of the axe murderer and the others are being chased. Players being chased wear blackout glasses and cannot see anything for the entire game. Players have to rely on the sense of touch to feel around the board and navigate their way to safety. To add a little bit more of a challenge, the player who is trying to hunt them down can manipulate the board to confuse the would-be survivors. This is a fun twist on survival games and really makes you feel like you’re stumbling through some dark woods trying to escape.
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Mox is your home for horror games
We love Halloween at Mox, it’s a time to play our favorite games, dress up, watch scary movies, and eat all the candy. We love scary games so much we chose Chaosium Inc. our Publisher Spotlight for October. So come on down and we’ll help you plan your perfect Halloween game night at home. Or celebrate at Mox with a delicious meal. There are countless excellent spooky games so there is a game for everyone. If you’re not sure about which game is right for you our expert staff is on hand to pair the perfect game to you and your group.
-Happy Halloween from Mox
