Horror-themed board games have been around for a while, offering a spooky experience for players who enjoy a thrill, whether it’s around Halloween or just facing off against monsters, zombies, or villains. While complex games with many pieces can sometimes seem daunting, finding the right horror board game can be incredibly engaging, especially when it requires teamwork to overcome seemingly impossible challenges.
Many horror board games require players to cooperate, but they also cleverly challenge how much they trust each other. Some games even require players to betray one another, or have unexpected events that turn players into the villains.
Betrayal At House On The Hill
Become The Architect Of The Haunted House To Escape From
| Publisher | Avalon Hill |
|---|---|
| Release Date | November 9, 2018 |
If you’re looking for a classic haunted house feel with a twist, try Betrayal at House on the Hill. Instead of a pre-made house, players explore and essentially build it as they go. Each room is revealed randomly and might contain items, events, or omens – each with its own set of instructions. The key is the Omen card; if you fail to meet its requirements, the “Haunt” begins, and that’s when the real scares start!
Each game of Betrayal at House on the Hill features a “traitor” and a group of “survivors,” both with specific rules and goals. With over 50 different scenarios – involving creatures like vampires, ghosts, and zombies – and the ever-changing layout of the house itself, no two games are ever quite the same. While some scenarios can feel unbalanced, it’s this unpredictability that truly makes the game scary and exciting.
Hako Onna
Horror Where The Villain Has As Much Fun As The Players
| Publisher | WizKids |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 2019 |
I’m really excited about Hako Onna! It’s a board game that leans into the classic Japanese haunted house trope, which is perfect for horror fans like me. It reminds me a bit of Betrayal – we play as survivors trying to uncover secrets and find a way to defeat the Hako Onna. The really clever part is that one of us is the Hako Onna, secretly moving around and trying to stop us, making it super tense! It’s a lot of fun trying to figure out who it is and avoid attracting her attention.
The game quickly becomes similar to Phasmophobia, focusing on avoiding the Hako Onna while trying to discover how to defeat her. Time is critical, as the Hako Onna instantly kills anyone in the same room, and failing skill checks brings her closer to the characters.
Ten Candles
Perfect For Players Who Love Tragic Horror
| Creator | Stephen Dewey |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Cavalry Games |
| Release Date | December 2015 |
As a huge fan, I have to say Stephen Dewey’s Ten Candles is still one of the best horror board games out there. What really sets it apart is how it focuses on the emotional weight of a tragic situation – it’s not about if your character dies, but how they spend their last moments. It’s a really unique, collaborative experience. All you need to play is ten candles, some dice, and index cards! We create our characters with those index cards, and can even trade them for extra dice rolls when things get tough. Throughout the game, we describe the terrifying ‘Them’ – the enemies hunting us – and uncover ‘Truths’ that change the story forever. It’s incredibly immersive and heartbreakingly beautiful.
The game revolves around ten candles, each symbolizing a different part of the story. The game ends if all the characters die, or if all the candles go out. However, it’s the candles being extinguished that create the tension, because any action could blow them out and end that part of the story – even something unexpected happening. Crucially, the game is designed so the player can’t win; if a character survives to the end, a terrifying threat will close in and ultimately kill them.
Dread
Fate Lies In A Jenga Tower
| Creators | Epidiah Ravachol, Nathaniel Barmore |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The Impossible Dream |
| Release Date | 2006 |
If you’re looking for a truly terrifying game experience, consider Dread, which uses a Jenga tower as a central game mechanic. Created by Epidiah Ravachol and Nathaniel Barmore in 2005, this independent game won three ENNIE Awards (for Innovation, Best Game, and Best Rules) thanks to its unique gameplay. The basic idea is simple: the Host asks questions to determine each player’s character archetype – like the Best Friend, Nerd, or Cheerleader – and then sets up the Jenga tower.
As a huge horror fan, I found the way this game uses Jenga to create tension absolutely brilliant. Basically, whenever your character tries to do something – anything, really – you have to successfully pull a block from a Jenga tower. And if you know Jenga, you know that tower gets increasingly unstable with each pull. If the tower falls? Your character fails, and that usually means they die. Honestly, knowing how Jenga works, you just expect everyone to fall to their doom. It creates this really grim atmosphere where survival feels impossible, and I love it!
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Blood On The Clocktower
A Mafia Variant Made More Horrifying With More Roles
| Publisher | The Pandemonium Institute |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 2022 |
If you’ve played games like Mafia or Werewolf, you’ll quickly understand Blood on the Clocktower, released in 2022. The game divides players into three groups: the Townsfolk (the good guys), the Outsiders and Minions (who complicate things), and the Demon (who eliminates players). Similar to Mafia, the game alternates between a night phase where the Demon secretly removes a player, and a day phase where the Townsfolk try to identify and eliminate who they believe is the Demon.
Similar to the original game, a game of Clocktower ends when the Demon is defeated (resulting in a good outcome) or only two players are still alive (a bad outcome). What makes Clocktower so engaging is that even players who have been eliminated can still cast one vote for the rest of the game. The addition of special statuses that can spread false information, and the presence of the neutral Outsider roles, can really challenge friendships when playing with larger groups – over 20 players!
Dead Of Winter: A Cross Roads Game
Where Surviving Winter Is Secondary To Personal Stakes
| Publisher | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Plaid Hat Games |
Post-apocalyptic stories often become complicated when individual goals conflict, and Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game is a prime example. Players lead survivors in a zombie-infested colony, trying to keep everyone alive. However, each character also has a hidden personal objective they’re secretly trying to achieve, which can create tension and challenge the group’s efforts.
Dead of Winter is easy to pick up and play. On each turn, players control survivors who can gather supplies, fight zombies (or other players!), and build defenses. But every action you take makes things tougher for the next player – using resources and attracting more zombies. This steadily increases the difficulty of each round, and players also have to secretly work towards their own individual goals.
This War Of Mine: The Board Game
Become Survivors Of A Raging Invasion
| Designers | Michal Oracz and Jakub Wisniewski |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Awaken Realms |
| Release Date | November 2015 |
Fans of the video game This War of Mine can now experience it as a cooperative board game. Released in 2017, the board game captures the same dark atmosphere, story, and gameplay as the original. Players take on the roles of civilians struggling to survive in a besieged city, managing an abandoned building and hoping to last until a ceasefire. Be warned: survival is rare.
The board game features day and night phases, and your choices during each one impact the vital resources your characters rely on. Each game session uses a ‘Book of Scripts’ to guide the story, outlining three chapters with specific goals and consequences. Random events are also introduced through cards. Similar to the video game it’s based on, This War of Mine is designed to be thought-provoking and educational rather than purely entertaining. However, if you prefer a realistic and intense horror experience, This War of Mine is definitely worth playing.
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2026-02-25 04:39