Whether you want jump scares or that level of persistent terror that comes with a thriller, there’s nothing like playing a horror game. Even better if it’s a horror board game, so you can sit around a table with friends or family and bond over being scared together.
If you want to get really into spooky season (hello, Halloween!) or horror just happens to be your go-to choice year-round, we’re here to make your life a little easier by rounding up some of the best horror board games you can buy right now. And if you really want to get into the mood, use candles as your only source of light — you can thank us later.
There’s a reason we can’t stop recommending Betrayal Legacy. The follow-up to Betrayal at House on the Hill is a masterpiece of storytelling, which sees you and your fellow players taking on the role of family members across generations to shape the house’s origin story. Every decision you make becomes part of the house’s terrifying history.
If you’re looking for a social deduction game that is perfect for big groups and can be played in quick rounds, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is for you. Each player is given a secret role with its own abilities, and must rely on their deduction skills — or work together — to figure out who is a werewolf. This version also comes with a free app to moderate the game on your behalf.
Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is a co-op detective-style board game set in the same universe as Arkham Horror: Third Edition (and many more). In it, you must explore Arkham’s cursed mansions and the streets of Innsmouth to solve puzzles, search for clues, and battle evil. The game uses a free app to play, and features four campaigns that vary in difficulty.
A mix of investigation, deduction, and cooperation, Mysterium will see you and your fellow players take on the role of mediums to help an amnesiac ghost at Warwick Manor figure out who killed them. Similar to Clue, you must figure out who committed the crime, where it took place, and which weapon they used — this time by piecing together the vision cards the ghost hands you each turn.
This twist on the classic Clue game is perfect for lovers of the Goosebumps franchise. Horrorland monsters have been unleashed on the town thanks to the ventriloquist dummy Slappy. Your job is to figure out where Slappy is hiding, which monster is helping him, and what traps they have laid.
If you’re a big fan of the classic film Alien, then this co-op strategy game will be a hit of nostalgia as well as an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller. Playing as the Nostromo crew members, you and your fellow players must evade the Alien while gathering supplies and crafting items in order to complete objectives such as patching the ship. Once the objectives are complete, you have to take on a final mission to win the game.
Another take on a classic, Taboo: Horror sees you picking one of 900 words from across the horror genre — everything from locations to objects — and trying to get your teammates to guess the word without actually saying it (or the listed words that relate to it). If you say the Taboo word, your opponent pushes a buzzer that screams. This party game can apparently be played with up to 99 people, perfect for family gatherings or getting your witch coven together.
Yet another co-op detective game (are we sensing a pattern here?), Eldritch Horror will see you taking on an “Ancient One” who wants to destroy the planet. You and your fellow players will assume the roles of investigators who travel around the world to gather clues, battle creatures, and solve mysteries to avoid global destruction.
