13 Fun Halloween Board Games for Kids of All Ages

Because you want to do something before and after Trick or Treating… why not pick up one of these Halloween Board Games for kids?? We’ve always had a Family Game Night at our house, and usually around a holiday or special day, we like to include games that fit in with a theme. There are so many Halloween board games to choose from… and not all of them are scary Zombie Undead games.

Halloween Board Games for Kids

I’ve broken down the list by age/abilities… from the youngest Board Game Players (around 3-6) through early counters and readers (4-7) and up to more confident players (7 and up). I know there is some overlap there. Some kids start playing board games early, others come to it a bit later. Don’t just look at the age number, think about your kid, what they like to do (and what YOU like to play with them). I’m certain you will find a few gems for your Board Game night!!

Halloween Board Games for Very Young Players

These games require no reading and little to no counting. Primarily they are color matching or shape sorting. Still, they are a fabulous introduction to gaming, and teach skills like taking turns, and winning/losing with grace.

Go Away Monster

Go away Monster has been a family favorite for years, and I’m delighted to see that it is back in print after a few year’s absence from store shelves. In Go Away Monster, each player is given a game board with a bedroom scene. Players take turns reaching into a bag of shapes to find one that matches outlines in the bedroom. If you accidentally pull a monster shape, you get to yell, “GO AWAY MONSTER”!! (The yelling is the most fun).

Go Away Monster Board Game

Lucky Sock Dip Card Game

My kids got Lucky Sock Dip from German relatives (under the name Socken Zocken). The box comes with a monster, some clothes pins, and a lot of cards depicting SOCKS! You start by placing a monster figure onto the table. Then surround the monster with all of the playing cards. At the world go, everyone tries to match pairs of socks. The first player to find 5 pairs must grab the monster. The winner of each round gets a clothes pin… win 3 times, and you win the game. (I find that you can play the home laundry version of the game by surrounding your kids with socks that need sorting.)

HABA Lucky Sock Dip – A Monstrously Quick Matching Game (Made in Germany)

There is even an ACTIVE kids version! You play this by sorting the socks in to different corners of the room.

HABA Socken Zocken Active Kids – A monstrously Quick Movement Game for Ages 5+ (Made in Germany)

Halloween Games for Slightly Older Kids

These games require observation skills, but not a lot of reading. The ability to count and take turns is important.

Monster Chase

I do love a cooperative game (especially for the younger ones). Monster Chase is a memory type cooperative game where everyone takes turn hunting for the toy that the monster fears most from some face down cards. Find the toy, and the monster is banished to the closet. If after 3 attempts the toy isn’t found, the monster stays by the bed. The game ends when the pile of monsters have been banished, or (UH OH!!) the bed is surrounded!!

Monster Chase Board Game

Monster Bake

Monster Bake is a color matching game with a bit of dexterity involved. A lot of colored marbles are put into the box… each player is given a spoon. A card from the stack is flipped, showing what the ingredients are for a specific monster cake. Monster go! Everyone digs around with their spoon trying to be the first to put all the ingredients in their bowl. MONSTER STOP! Yes, sometimes spoon battles break out….But it’s fun!

HABA Monster Bake – A Monstrously Fast Game of Skill for Ages 5 and Up (Made in Germany)

Halloween Games for Kids who have Started School

These games are starting to use a bit more reasoning. If your kids is comfortable counting, and dealing with slightly more complex rules, then you might check out these games.

Ghost Blitz

No counting, but some deductive reasoning is important for Ghost Blitz. Using card clues, players have to grab at one of 5 objects of a certain color. It’s not always easy… objects on the cards could be the right color, or wrong color… and what you grab depends on how quickly you figure it out. First person to grab the card keeps it. The one with the most cards after the cards are gone, wins.

Ghost Blitz Board Game

I Spy Spooky Mansion

Based on the famous I Spy books, in In Spy Spooky mansion, players must go from room to room, and then find specific objects depicted on cards. Find the object? Collect a key and head for the door! This is a perfect game for kids who LOVE to find hidden objects…(mine would even play alone).

I Spy Spooky Mansion

The Secret Door

What I love about The Secret Door is that it is a co-operative game… everyone works together to solve a mystery (sort of like Scooby Doo). Think of it as a hybrid of clue and the memory game. 3 Cards are removed from the stack, and the rest are placed around the board. Working together, players flip cards to find pairs. If you find a clock, the time is running out. Find 12, and you have to stop. By looking at pairs collected, and at cards remembered, the team needs to figure out what cards were missing. Parents can play along with this one (without losing their minds).

Family Pastimes Secret Door – An Award Winning Co-operative Mystery Game

Vampires of the Night

Vampires of the Night is another dexterity game, only you are using MAGNETS. Added bonus, the pieces glow in the dark! The game board has a load of holes in it…and pieces of garlic on it. Using the Magic wand with a glowing bat, you shift around the pieces of garlic hoping to avoid the holes. If one falls in, the turn passes to the next player. Winner is the player with the most removed garlic pieces. This is a Spiel des Jahres Kinderspiel winner… so you can depend on its quality and re-playability. Also… the glowing bat magnet is cool!

Vampires of The Night Board Game

Shaky Manor Game

Remember those little games where you had to try to shake a tiny ball into a hole? Or work it through a maze? Shaky Manor is a bigger, and much more fun, version of that game. Each player is given a box (the Manor) that is divided into “rooms”, and each room has a few doorways. Into the box goes your guy, some treasure chests, and a whole bunch of “scary” objects (eyeballs, ghosts…). A card is flipped indicating what room you need to move your guy and the treasure into. By sliding and shaking the box, you move the stuff from room to room. But, be careful, the ghosts and eyeballs will try to follow! First to get the stuff in the room without the baddies, wins the card. 5 cards wins the game!

Blue Orange Games 05600 Shaky Manor Family Game

Ghost Blaster

Ghost Blaster is another Cooperative game combined with a Memory game. It reminds me a bit of a very light Forbidden Island. Cards with ghost symbols are placed upside down in a grid. Three Monster hunters are put onto the board. Players take turns rolling a die and moving one of the hunters that many spaces. You flip up the card you are on. When all three of the same ghost are revealed, you get to slime them. If time runs out before that, you lose…

HABA Ghost Blaster – A Cooperative Memory Game for Ages 5 and Up (Made in Germany)

Halloween Games for Kids who Are Good at Games

These Halloween games for kids all require a little more reading or counting as well as rule following. We introduced my youngest to some of these as young as 6 or 7. Most of these are perfect for family game night, where multiple ages can be involved.

Clumsy Witch

Clumsy Witch is a wonderful game for family night, because it can be played on multiple levels, even while playing as a group. This Haba Game (can you tell I like Haba?), so you know the quality is high. In this game there are 12 cauldrons loaded with ingredients. If you play the basic, you just roll a die, look, cover it, then calculate in your head where the witch moves, and determine which potion ingredient is missing. To make it more difficult, other dice can be added… one moves the witch it clockwise or counterclockwise direction, one determines if the witch looks in front or behind her, and there is also a Fox who might come into play. This one can be played for years with increasing difficulty. The game comes with German Packaging, but contains English Instructions.

Clumsy Witch (German Packaging)

Frog Juice

Frog Juice is a game of collecting cards to make potions and casting spells. You need to capture cards by matching their value, or find the missing ingredients to your potion to collect points. You can play spells, witches (that allow you to sweep up all the cards) or even black cats! This game is a bit more complex, but once learned, is fairly straightforward.

Frog Juice

Ghooost

Ghooost (yup, 3 o’s) is a fairly light card game that reminds me a little of Uno meets Pig Pile. Fun spooky cards have different number values, and some have special abilities (like reversing the order of play). The object of the game is to try to clear your hand by adding cards to a center pile. Your card must have a value equal to or greater than the one before it. What makes this game fun is the silly and creepy artwork. It’s easy enough to teach in minutes, and the box is also the game board, which means it’s very portable.

Ghooost Card Game

King Of Tokyo – Plus Halloween Expansion

King of Tokyo is not just a Halloween Board Game for Kids, this is one we play at Grown-Up game night to. It is a fast moving dice and card game developed by Richard Garfield (of Magic the Gathering Fame). Everyone plays a scary monster and uses dice to attack fellow players, gain energy points or heal. Take over Tokyo to do maximum damage to fellow players… but be warned, you can’t heal there…and once your take too many hits, you die. Special cards can be bought with energy points to give extra powers. The Halloween Expansion (which CAN NOT BE PLAYED WITHOUT THE CORE GAME) adds new dice, new fun cards, costumes and special powers.

King of Tokyo Board Game King of Tokyo Halloween Expansion Board Game