Horror Board Games For Halloween

This is a game of two halves - first, uncover and place new rooms to build up the floorplan of your haunted house. Will it have a ballroom, laundry chute or ritual room? How about a mystic elevator that arrives at a different place depending on a roll of the dice? Different rooms have different properties, so no two games are ever the same. 

Then the Haunt begins. One player is designated to be a monster of some kind, and the others have to work together to outsmart them. Use the key provided to discover exactly what you will be up against: with over 50 different scenarios, each with their own supernatural challenges to beat in order to win, this game has endless variations.

Puzzles HQ pointer: “Betrayal at House on the Hill has to be approached with a sense of adventure — and a taste for silliness. The ‘monsters’ are not particularly scary, and can at times be downright hilarious and off-the-wall. Paired with the variability of the house setup, strategising can be difficult at times, so just go along with it and enjoy the ride! The two sides each have their own secret rule book to play by during the Haunt, so it’s often hard to tell exactly what the other side is trying to achieve, and what they have to do to win. This game can change rapidly in just a few turns, so be prepared for anything!” Rebecca

In Horrified you'll come face to face with some classic creepy characters. They’re all here: Frankenstein’s Monster, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Join with your fellow players to rid the town of these Halloween mainstays, before it’s too late...

You may need to prepare yourself for a nostalgia hit. The game that originally came with a VHS tape, and then made the move to DVD, is now back with an app.

Atmosfear players are tasked with collecting a key from each of the six regions of the board before making their way to the ‘Well of Fears’, from which they must select their own fear to win the game. With a time limit of 49 minutes it’s sure to create an added element of tension, which won’t be helped by frequent appearances from The Gatekeeper.

Puzzles HQ pointer: “Finding out that Atmosfear’s Gatekeeper can now communicate via phone app is the sort of reverse-ghosting I’ve been dreaming of. A figure that is half-sass, half-spectre, I still have a head-teacher type fear of him catching me on the forbidden Inner Ring track. For those returning (or new) to Atmosfear, I’d say why not take your chances on this forbidden shortcut to the Well of Fears? And if he catches you... this conversation never happened.” Jade

The year is 1913. The steamship SS Atlantica is two days out from port on its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Its unsuspecting passengers fully anticipated a calm journey to Boston, Massachusetts, with nothing out of the ordinary to look forward to. However, strange nightmares plague the minds of the people aboard the ship every night. Then, a body is discovered... Can you determine who is friend and who is foe?

You awaken in the dark, your skin cold, your mind blank. You have nothing but your fear, a flickering candle, and a question: How long will your light last?

That’s how we’re introduced to The Night Cage, a co-operative tile-placement game which requires players to find a route out of the labyrinth in which they find themselves.

In Mansions of Madness you are an investigator exploring the haunted Arkham mansions and the eerie streets of Innsmouth. As you play, be prepared to uncover secrets and battle otherworldly foes.

With four campaigns of varying difficulty, you’ll need your wits about you to solve puzzles and conquer the evil forces tormenting the town.

Like Mansions of Madness, Cthulhu: Death May Die is inspired by the works of the author H P Lovecraft. Players are investigators looking to defeat an Elder God that is being summoned to Earth. They are running late, as the summoning ritual is already underway. But if they can collect enough clues to find a weakness, or alter the ritual just enough to cause one, they can blast the god away before it gets a foothold. Working together, players will fight cultists, search for answers, and try to keep their already-broken minds from warping even further.

Mysterium manor is haunted by a ghost. The circumstances of its death are shrouded in mystery. Psychics (the game players) gather to reconstruct the events of the crime. They won’t make it without the ghost’s help, whose visions are the only clues they have to discover the truth. The clock is ticking: at dawn, the ghost will disappear!

Puzzles HQ pointer: “This is a great game to play with long-time friends. The more you know about the way they think and the kinds of associations they’re likely to make, the greater your chance of being able to communicate without words.” Kaylie

A sequel to the original Nemesis game, Nemesis: Lockdown is a space survival horror. Players will be faced with a multi-level board representing a secret base on Mars. You will gather items, explore different rooms and fight other species. There are also will secret individual objectives which will grant victory, sometimes at the expense of the team...

Another H P Lovecraft-inspired experience, Arkham Horror asks you and your friends to investigate mysteries and uncover evil. A blend of card game and role play, you will be required to defend the town of Arkham as portals to other dimensions pop up all over the place, bringing with them alien entities known as ‘Ancient Ones’.