Are you a fan of horror and suspense?
Perhaps you are looking for a horror-themed board game to play with your family or friends?
For the dedicated board gamer (or any kind of gamer, for that matter), horror-themed games can be as thrilling and suspenseful as movies and books. Plus, playing board games can provide a lot of benefits to your mind and body.
So instead of the usual movie marathon, why not have a scary game night with horror-themed board games?
In this post, we share with you the 9 best horror board games that you can play alone, with your family, or with your friends. If you are looking for something new to try on game night, then this might just be the ticket.
Let’s check them out!
Best Horror Board Games to Play at Night
1. Mysterium
Mysterium is the perfect horror board game for those who like solving mysteries that deal with supernatural.
The goal of the game is to reveal who among the suspects committed the horrible murder of the ghost in Warwick Manor.
Before playing the game, the players have to choose who should take the role of the ghost. This is very important, as the investigation revolves around helping the spirit remember who killed him or her. The ghost must communicate with the psychic investigators (the rest of the players) through visions to help solve the case.
The players must work hand-in-hand to discover who committed the crime, where it happened, and which weapon was used.
Once a majority of the mediums or investigators successfully determine the answers, the game is over and the whole team wins. Otherwise, the ghost weakens and disappears, and everyone gets defeated.
Mysterium may be quite simple and easy, but it still provides lots of suspense. This is probably why most board game fanatics recommend it as one of the best horror board games. If you are looking to enjoy a spooky bonding night with your family, then this board game is an excellent choice.
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2. Betrayal at House on the Hill
Betrayal at House on the Hill is where all your suspense-seeking, thrill-probing, and horror-hunting board games desires can be satisfied.
It is an excellent choice for those who like playing deception-based board games, and for those who find joy in striving for survival.
This game allows you to build a haunted house of your own design. You combine dangerous rooms and creepy tiles, then figure out a way to escape alive. This is a cooperative board game, so everyone has to work together to overcome all encounters and win.
It is important to note, however, that one player must take the role of the traitor, whose job is to betray everyone and keep them from leaving the house. In addition to defeating the monsters and escaping alive, the innocent characters must work together to find who the traitor is, and thwart his plans.
The game offers around 50 scenarios you can choose from, which means there is always something new to experience. If you are looking for a board game that is suspenseful and highly replayable, then check this one out.
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3. Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Arkham Horror is the best board game for those who love horror, history, and mystery.
It is a role playing board game based on Cthulhu Mythos, a shared fictional universe created by American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The game is set in London in the year 1920.
In this game, your goal is to prevent dark entities called “Ancient Ones” from taking control of the world. There are 16 cards that represent the roles of various investigators, and you and your co-players choose who should take which.
You have to be careful in picking your characters, however, as this strategy plays a part in winning or losing the game.
The game starts once an Ancient One has been chosen for the investigators to find and defeat. Since each investigator has his unique capabilities, it helps if you and your teammates create a plan to capitalize on your skills. You may also upgrade your characters by obtaining new skills, earning items, and completing missions.
Arkham Horror is designed for one to two players only; for larger groups, forming “teams” is highly recommended. It is a game developed either for solo-play or cooperative gaming. Either way, strategy amongst members (or individual strategy for solo players) is a must if you want to win.
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4. One Night Ultimate Werewolf
If you ever dreamed of having the supernatural powers of a werewolf, then we recommend you try this board game.
This fast, 10-minute horror game is a perfect fit for overnight parties with friends or game night with the family.
There are many characters in this game, and everyone has a chance to take different roles. Some of the most important characters include the seer, troublemaker, robber, werewolf, minion, and tanner. All of the other roles are significant, too, as each possesses a unique and special ability.
The game is composed of two phases: a night phase and a day phase. During the night phase, several players perform night actions.
Other players (e.g., villagers, tanner, and hunter) are not supposed to do anything during the night. During the day, the players must discuss among themselves who they think the werewolves are.
The rules of the game are pretty simple and easy to understand. Even if it is your first time, you won’t have a hard time getting used to the setup. There is a free app as well that you can use to play the game. It is available for iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire users.
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5. Mansions of Madness
Mansions of Madness is another Lovecraftian-themed mystery horror board game, and an excellent fit for those who find joy in solving suspenseful puzzles and mysteries.
This cooperative and app-driven board game takes you to a different level of horror as you face dreadful deeds and catastrophes. If you want to survive, you need to plan a strategy with your teammates that will help you search for clues, accumulate tools and weapons, and discover new information.
You have to annihilate monsters, solve several different puzzles, keep yourself sane, and avoid being killed. This game takes more than bravery—you also have to have unique, effective strategies to survive.
This is a cooperative and app-driven board game designed for one to five players. You can play it on your own or with a group, and you have to use the immersive app to achieve your goal. The app is available for Android, iOS, Mac, and PC users.
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6. Dead of Winter
If you are fond of watching zombie apocalypse films and you often wonder what you would do if you were in that situation, then you might want to try this game.
It is a “survival of the fittest” game that traps you inside a world of flesh-craving monsters, where humanity has nearly gone extinct.
There are two goals you need to accomplish in this game. First, you have to work with your teammates to carry out a certain common objective that leads to victory. Second, you have to create a strategy in pursuit of a secret personal goal. You have to be careful, however, as the team is not supposed to know about this goal.
Your secret objective can be a wide variety of things—it may be harmful to the team, or it may not. For all you know, you could be putting the team at risk or betraying one of your teammates.
The Dead of Winter is popular because there are tons of different endings. Everyone could end up winning in some instances, or everyone could end up losing. There are also times when only one person or a few people can win. Ultimately, this game is a test of skill, values, and abilities.
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7. Eldritch Horror
If you feel like the Arkham Horror setting is too small for you and you want a bigger world to investigate, try its upgraded version: Eldritch Horror.
Instead of roaming around the streets of London, your job is to search the whole world to find the Ancient Ones.
Eldritch Horror has the same rules as Arkham Horror. The only difference is that Eldritch is broader, with more locations around the world and more features. Moreover, the monsters are stronger, the missions are more challenging, and there are times when you have to travel to other worlds to prevent the Ancient Ones from awakening.
There are four different Ancient Ones in this game, and it includes hundreds of potential encounters. This means that it is highly replayable, and every game offers a fresh, new, unique adventure.
The game is designed for one to eight players, ages 14 years old and up. It has two to four hours of gameplay. If you are looking for an Arkham Horror adventure, but with bigger twists, then you should consider trying this game.
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8. Fury of Dracula
Fury of Dracula doesn’t just give you the creeps—it also tests your deductive skills. The story revolves around the return of Count Dracula he was put to sleep for a time. Now that he has risen, it is your duty to put him down again.
In this game, you can play as a hunter and track down the infamous count before he turns most of Europe into vampires, or you can be Count Dracula and try to defeat the hunters before they reach you. The game is both a cooperative one (among the hunters) and a competitive one (against Dracula).
As a hunter, your goal is to collect items and resources to defeat the vampire. You will need a working team strategy and a little bit of luck. If you are playing as Count Dracula, all you need is a deceptive mind and effective tricks.
If the hunters successfully stop Dracula, they win. If Dracula extends his influence over Europe while suffering only limited damage, he wins.
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9. Zombicide: Black Plague
This is another interesting horror board game for the zombie apocalypse fanatics out there.
If you are looking for a game that thrills and horrifies, this could be the answer. It has tons of features, including highly detailed miniatures.
You have three simple goals in this game: complete the quest, kill as many zombies as you can, and avoid dying. You have to fight against runners, fatties, abomination, and necromancers. You need to gather your friends, cast spells, and search for loot as well.
Black Plague is appropriate for one to six players. This means that it can be played solo, with your partner, with the kids, or with a group of friends. It has around one hour of gameplay, and is suitable for players who are 14 years old and above.
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Final Thoughts on Horror Board Games
All the products we listed above are top picks of board game players on Amazon and several other sites.
We hope that we were able to help you choose one that best fits your tastes when it comes to playing horror board games. Hopefully you and your friends will have a scary yet fun night of gaming!
Have you already played one or more of the board games above? If so, we’d like to know which one! Share a thought or two in the comment field below and tell us your experience.
And if you're looking for more board games, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 17 Best Mystery Board Games for a Fun Game Night
- 9 Best Party Board Games to Play with Adults
- 9 Best RPG (Role Playing) Board Games to Play
