Spooky but social: board games for a Halloween game night

At the end of October, many game tables get a little darker. A Halloween game night doesn't need elaborate decorations, but it does need a few games that fit the mood. The most important point: the theme alone doesn't make a good evening. A horror game that needs three hours of rules explanation won't work at a party with ten guests. So instead of sorting by scare factor, we've sorted by group.

For a big group

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is the fast take on the werewolf idea: three to ten people, a single night, and after about ten minutes everyone votes on who the werewolf is. Nobody is eliminated early and left sitting out for half an hour, which makes it so pleasant at parties. The Spiel des Jahres jury put it on its recommendation list in 2015. playnexi.com/en/games/one-night-ultimate-werewolf

Mysterium is set in a haunted house. One person plays the ghost and can't speak, giving clues only through dreamlike picture cards. Everyone else works together to work out who killed the ghost, where, and with what. Up to seven players, ages ten and up, winner of the French As d'Or in 2016. playnexi.com/en/games/mysterium

Zombie Dice is the opposite of elaborate: a cup of dice, a few minutes of rules, any number of players. You roll for brains and hope the shotguns don't get you. A good filler while guests are still arriving. playnexi.com/en/games/zombie-dice

For family night

Spooky Stairs (Geistertreppe in German) has been a classic for the youngest players for years: a ghost covers the pawns, and suddenly nobody knows which one is theirs. Ages four and up, about a quarter of an hour, Kinderspiel des Jahres (Germany's Children's Game of the Year) 2004. playnexi.com/en/games/spooky-stairs

Schloss Schlotterstein by Kai Haferkamp and Markus Nikisch is a memory game for up to six children aged five and up. It won the Deutscher Kinderspielepreis, the German Children's Game Prize, in 2003. playnexi.com/en/games/schloss-schlotterstein

For slightly older kids, try Zombie Kidz Evolution: everyone defends the school against zombies together, and new rules and abilities unlock from game to game. Ages seven and up, about 15 minutes per game. playnexi.com/en/games/zombie-kidz-evolution

Teaming up against the monsters

In Horrified, up to five players join forces to save a village from classic movie monsters such as Dracula or Frankenstein's monster. Each monster is defeated in its own way, yet the rules are quick to explain. About an hour, ages ten and up. playnexi.com/en/games/horrified

Ghost Stories by Antoine Bauza is the tougher pick: monks defend a village against waves of ghosts, and the group often loses. If you like cooperative games with a real challenge, this one will push you. playnexi.com/en/games/ghost-stories

When someone at the table is lying

Betrayal at House on the Hill starts with everyone exploring a haunted house together. At some point the game flips: an event triggers the haunt, and often one player turns traitor. Three to six players, about an hour. playnexi.com/en/games/betrayal-at-house-on-the-hill

Dead of Winter is longer and grimmer. A group of survivors has to make it through a winter full of zombies, but everyone has a secret objective, and not everyone is playing for the team. About two hours, for two to five players. playnexi.com/en/games/dead-of-winter-a-crossroads-game

For two, or on your own

Good & Bad Ghosts by Alex Randolph is a bluffing game for two: each side has good and bad ghosts, and only you know which are which. It made the Spiel des Jahres recommendation list in 1982. playnexi.com/en/games/good-bad-ghosts

If you play alone, Final Girl is a horror movie you play yourself: you guide the last survivor against a killer. It won the Golden Geek for best solo game in 2021. playnexi.com/en/games/final-girl

Practical tips for the evening

If you have several games to choose from, let your guests vote beforehand on what hits the table. That way the host doesn't have to guess how scary it's allowed to get: playnexi.com/en/spieleabstimmung. And if children are coming, plan two rounds: a family game first, then something spookier once the little ones are in bed.

Which game will hit your table this Halloween?

This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed editorially.