Although it’s a niche and relatively expensive hobby, board gaming has gained quite a bit of traction in the past few years, as companies have tried their hand at capitalizing on the popularity of tabletop RPGs and uniquely in-depth board game systems. Some of the more popular examples of this trend include theDark Soulsboard game, which accrued quite a bit of funding through Steamforged’s Kickstarter campaign, andBetrayal at House on the Hillcreated by Wizards of the Coast to appeal to a more horror-centric audience than their typical fantasy settings.
RELATED:Best Movies About Board Games
The horror genre seems to have grown quite a bit from this trend, considering the difficulty of translating tension from a visual-based setting to a slower-paced tabletop one. Alongside the ever-growing library of homebrewDungeons & Dragonsscenarios, there have also been dozens of attempts at capturing a haunting atmosphere through other mixtures of cards, boards, and dice, several of which have been hugely popular with a hungry audience looking for new experiences with their friends.
Updated July 15, 2025 by Jack Pursey:Like many indoor hobbies, the board gaming industry spiked in popularity when lockdowns were enforced worldwide due to the pandemic. Many people have retained the hobby going into 2022 but are still overwhelmed by the huge range of choices when searching for games to play.
To give horror fans a better idea of what board game to buy next, we’ve updated this list ofhorror board gamesto include useful information, such as each game’s playing time and player count.
10Betrayal At House On The Hill
Perhaps the most popular horror board game of all time, Wizards of the Coast’sBetrayal at House on the Hillis an absolute pleasure for anyone with a remote interest in the genre.
Betrayalis one of those games that might be hard to pick up and go with the family, but after a couple of sessions, it all becomesworth the trouble. Players will find themselves immersed in the procedural nature of the mansion, as every room could contain a game-changing secret, and every turn piles more and more tension onto the inevitable arrival of a Lovecraftian terror. The base game contains enough content to last players hundreds of games, if not more, and a handful ofexpansion packsare also available to add layers to the mansion and its inhabitants.
9Bloodborne: The Board Game
Soon after the release of theDark Soulsboard game adaptation,Bloodbornefollowed suit, proving itself a worthy successor after receiving higher ratings from fans. Players take control of a handful of Hunters, who must work together through the duration of the game to uncover the secrets of the town of Yharnam.
RELATED:Top Board Games Based On Gaming Franchises
The game features a unique approach to combat, using a card-based system to deploy various weapons and maneuvers. After organizing their stats, players will set out to explore the streets of Yharnam, pulling cards to traverse the environment to discover new equipment and randomized events that keep the story going.
8Eldritch Horror
Taking a fairly direct approach to the Lovecraftian style of horror storytelling,Eldritch Horrorhas players teaming up on a global expedition to uncover horrific mysteries and keep an ancient terror at bay, with the fate of the world on the line. The game features several different Ancient Ones that drive the story along, each with their own deck of corresponding event cards that layout their respective lore and clues as to how to prevent their arrival.
The global travel system means there’s quite a lot to experience here, with every location hosting its own miniature encounters, each of which can have devastating consequences on failure. Each sub-scenario can make or break the party by the endgame, as broken bones and otherworldly pacts can be hefty inconveniences in the battle against the Ancient Ones.
7Horrified
This entry appeases more to the fans of classical horror than anything, playing out almost like an episode ofScooby-DoomeetsAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
The interesting part of this approach is thatallthe monsters are on the board from the start, meaning Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster and a motley crew of others will be working in unison to chase the players. To make this system more interesting, all of these monsters act differently on the board, and every player must use their turns strategically to successfully avoid and eventually defeat them.
6Cthulhu: Death May Die
Another Lovecraft-themed piece,Cthulhu: Death May Dieis a much more oppositional take on the genre thanEldritch Horror, in which players are attempting to summon the Elder Gods in order to destroy them once and for all, instead of preventing their arrival outright. This means a more tense gameplay loop, as players begin the game insane, and progress through it with make-or-break dice rolls that may be edged into the latter by a character’s mental status.
RELATED:FF7 Monopoly & Other Final Fantasy Board Games You Had No Idea Existed
The game is segmented into an episodic format, occurring before and after the Elder One is summoned.Death May Dieis stunningly arranged, with multiple story boxes, a variety of characters, and gorgeously crafted miniatures to boot.
5The Thing: Infection At Outpost 31
BeforeAmong Us,there wasThe Thing, and beforeThe Thing,there were board games. Mondo’s release ofThe Thing: Infection at Outpost 31is a seamless combination of every one of these pieces, combining the group-based fun of alien betrayal with the actual film’s setting on a beautifully detailed board with miniatures.
The game plays out exactly like the film, with players taking control of NSF researchers in the middle of the Antarctic as their base is overrun by a hostile extraterrestrial life form.
4Alien: The Roleplaying Game
This is the officialadaptation of the film universeinto a tabletop format, and it adapts itwell.TheAlienRPG, set a few years after the events ofAlien 3,provides ample set-pieces to craft a believable story in the cinematic universe. With rising political tension surrounding Weyland-Yutani, and opportunities for gameplay in several various colonies, space stations, and ships, the scope of theAlien RPGis vast, to say the least.
The core game pack comes with a fully illustrated setting book, quick rule overviews, and two versions of the game to accommodate any party. Cinematic Play presents tense pre-made scenarios akin to those of the films, designed to be played in one sitting with a small group, and Campaign Play allows for a more free-reign look at the universe, akin to homebrewD&Dcampaigns.
3Mansions Of Madness (Second Edition)
Taking place in the same universe asEldritch Horror,Mansions of Madnessis anothercooperative puzzleboard game, this time leading players through a smaller-scale adventure taking place in the town of Arkham.
RELATED:Virtual Board Games To Try If You Enjoyed Wingspan
This app-assisted experience guides players through several distinct scenarios, each with unique maps, puzzles, and encounters. The first edition got middling reviews for some clunky gameplay decisions, but the second edition completely overhauls these problems and makes the game a much smoother experience, replacing the traditional game master position with an app and randomizing more aspects of the game.
2Nemesis
Much likeAlien,Nemesisintroduces its players to a survival-horror thrillfest in which characters must work together to escape a ship overrun by hostile alien organisms. Each character has different traits that allow them to be more or less useful in various circumstances, and the players are set on a tense time track as the creatures grow stronger over time.
Nemesisprides itself on being a tense, climactic game, and the player base agrees in its satisfaction with those promises. Expensive as it may be, hundreds of reviews recommend it as more than worth the price, and it’s hard to argue with the intricately crafted design.
1Dread
Dreadmay be one of thebest roleplaying gamesof all time, with its innovative systems for building tension and establishing horror without explicit imagery or even a fixed setting.
Winner of several awards upon release,Dreadis a horror RPG that implements aJengatower into its gameplay loop, providing players with more tense consequences than just numbers on a sheet, as they must pull blocks from the tower throughout the game and risk death. The game can be played in a variety of one-shot horror settings, generally citingBeneath A Full MoonandBeneath the Maskas good representations of a gameplay loop.
MORE:PC Games To Play If You Love Board Games
