It’s never a bad time to play a horror board game. Zombies, ghosts, werewolves, and other nightmares have something perfect for gathering around the table with friends. The horror genre is full of great games. We’ve collected some of the best below.
Each game represents a different mechanic, but atmosphere is important in the horror genre because jump scares are nearly impossible in board games. Gather your friends, dim the lights and get ready to experience the kind of horror only a good board game can offer. These are the best horror-themed board games to play in 2023.
TL;DR: Best Horror Board Game
Unparalleled: Cobblestones and Fog
Unmatched is a game series that combines mythological and pop culture figures into tactical battles, but it might not sound like a horror game. But Cobble and Fogg take action in the streets of Victorian London with figures like Dracula, Invisible Man, and Jekyll and Hyde. Each has its own deck of cards leveraging his framework of simple rules with flavorful and fun special effects. Between them, the four characters here weave in a real gothic horror vibe, with Cobble and Fog being the best set in his entire Unmatched series and a great introduction to its broader appeal. Check out our review of Unmatched: Cobble and Fog for more details.
The Bloody Inn
- number of players: 1-4
- play time: 45-60 minutes
This bloody inn boasts one of the strangest themes in all of board games. In practice, this is done by recruiting or killing guests with other cards from your hand, or by building an annex to the inn where the bodies are buried. It’s a classic case of conflicting priorities, where everything requires a prerequisite to do something else, and it’s heavily fueled by terrifying concepts and sinister art. There are more strategies than initially apparent, such as annexes and recruited guests offering discounts on future action payments.
Australia
- number of players: 1-4
- play time: 30-120 minutes
Real-world Australians may resent that their home is portrayed as a monster-infested island, but it’s a fascinating horror game. Players build a railroad network across the continent in the early stages of the game, defeating Lovecraftian monsters along the way to reach valuable resources and build farms. When monsters start fighting back midway through, the pace picks up a notch, infrastructure can be destroyed, and humanity can be wiped out completely, and all players can suffer losses. It’s an odd combination, but it works well, offering fun themes, exciting combat, strategic routes, and combo building all at the same time, making the game broadly appealing.
unfathomable
- number of players: 3-6
- play time: 2-4 hours
A few years ago there was a really nice board game based on the Battlestar Galactica TV show. In this game, the player took on a hidden role and the group had to try out traitors while leading a spaceship to Earth. It has been reborn with a horror theme of being attacked by Lovecraftian monsters as the steamship crosses the sea. Players are either passengers who must work together to save the ship, or secret cultists who must silently sabotage their efforts to avert the crisis that unfolds each turn. The show features players placing cards face down in a pile to boost or undermine an attempt to stem the disaster, leaving the group with pieces of information to guess who is the cuckoo in the nest. The great production values we’ve come to expect from the publisher’s Fantasy Flight also help a lot. See our unfathomable review for more details.
Zombicide: Black Death
Originally released in 2012, Zombicide lets you play as a survivor hoping to survive a modern-day zombie apocalypse. Black Plague changes the formula by transporting you to a fantastical medieval world of magic, dragons, and zombies, where characters such as a paladin, knight, and magician must fight against the death magic of an evil necromancer. operate on the type of This fantasy version of the typical zombie story is fresh and novel, with lots of expansions available that add new scenarios, players his characters, locations, items, and more. If you want more similar options, check out our picks for the best co-op board games.
Scary: Universal Monsters
It’s a world of monsters and we just live in it. In Horrified, it’s your job to thwart the nefarious plans of one of the most famous movie monsters of all time. Battle Frankenstein and his bride, Werewolf, Dracula, Mummy, Invisible Man, and Black his lagoon creatures in this easy-to-learn co-op game. Out on the streets of a small village threatened by monsters, you must take on the role of him as one of several heroes. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to fighting monsters. If you’re looking to face off against horror’s most iconic monsters, Horror Fid is the game for you.
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
- Number of Players: 1-2 (1-4 for 2 core sets)
- Play time: 10-120 minutes
If you’re looking for a more Lovecraftian flavor, Arkham Horror: The Card Game is for you. The base game contains a handful of scenarios that take you directly into the mysteries of space. You can use the suggested starter decks or build a custom his deck around your chosen investigator’s special abilities. The gameplay involves moving from place to place looking for clues to advance the story while trying to sabotage his lethal Mythos deck. Arkham Horror: The Card Game is one of the most themed on this list, as your investigator will inevitably take damage and gain weaknesses over time, which can affect future games in the campaign. It will be one of those games. Also check out our list of the best deckbuilding games.
dead of winter
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 45-210 minutes
Dead of Winter is like a board game version of The Walking Dead. The game is described as a “meta-cooperative psychological survival game”. So while it’s cooperative, there’s an element of competition throughout the game. Each player controls a group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse and must all work together to accomplish a shared goal. Moreover, you will be striving towards your own hidden goals. In some cases, that means stocking up on the most meds or stockpiling the most ammo. However, thanks to group politics and interpersonal drama, there’s no way to trust anyone at the table Dead of Winter brings.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
The game that popularized the entire “secret role” mechanic now common in the party game scene, One Night Ultimate Werewolf sees groups throw accusations and insults around the table. The goal is to find out who the werewolves are and expose them, but that’s easier said than done. There are other characters that can switch roles, and you can even see which roles aren’t being played that round. Because you can’t, each game is a chaotic succession of accusations and desperate defenses that always end with a good time. Short rounds and easy setup with a free phone app make One Night the ideal party game.
last night on earth
- Number of Players: 2-6
- Play time: 60-90 minutes
An homage to gritty B-movie horror, Last Night on Earth unfolds like an early Romero flick. You and your friends control characters who fall into classic horror archetypes, such as cool high school jocks and weird nerdy kids. Each scenario presents different goals, from escaping town in a truck to killing a certain number of zombies. As you explore buildings, you can scavenge for items and weapons that are used to defeat your enemies. Last Night on Earth has proven to be very popular, spawning other genre parodies such as: old school sci-fi When high adventureIf you’re a fan of campy horror, you can’t miss Last Night on Earth.
mansion of madness
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 120 minutes
Mansions of Madness incorporates dungeon crawling and asymmetric gameplay. descent When Star wars: Imperial assault Transports you to the spooky world of HP Lovecraft. One player assumes the role of the keeper and guides the other players through his one of several pre-made scenarios. As players make their way through the mansion, their actions and choices can affect the monsters they encounter. There are several expansion scenarios available to help increase the value of your investment. However, Mansions requires at least a little attention, so if you set aside some time, it’s the perfect game for a dedicated group of horror fans.
legacy of betrayal
- Number of Players: 3-5
- Play time: 45-90 minutes
In the original House on the Hill betrayal, players explore the haunted house room by room, until the titular betrayal is triggered when an unsuspecting player turns on the rest of the party. In Betrayal Legacy, this formula is extended to a prologue and campaign-length legacy game spanning 13 chapters. The story spans decades, with players playing generations of a family who are all victims of haunted houses, his Betray Legacy, a haunted house simulator concept in every sense of the word. is as novel as it is eerie.
wrath of dracula
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 120-180 minutes
The Fury of Dracula is an asymmetric game where one player assumes the role of Dracula and all other players are hunters trying to end his reign of terror. Dracula players covertly travel across Europe each turn, using their influence to build new vampire armies. A hunter must deduce Dracula’s location and get him out before his army gets too big. Although combat is involved, Dracula’s Wrath is mostly a battle of wits. How well can Dracula evade the Hunter? How well can the Hunter decipher Dracula’s whereabouts? This is an infinitely replayable thrilling cat-and-mouse game.
