Tabletop games have many different themes. They can be anything from epic sci-fi battles to exploring the wild west as outlaws and marshals. For fans of all things creepy and scary, many horror-themed board games are available. These games feature monsters, haunted mansions, and of course sometimes zombies.
Horror games have been a popular genre of board games for a long time and more are released each year. With the wide scope of horror, many game designers and publishers have found fresh and creative ways to get under a player's skin. Some games are even being made today with the sole goal of scaring gamers.
10 Zombicide Its Zombie-Fighting Mayhem
Zombicide was one of the most successful board games on Kickstarter. It raised millions of dollars from tons of gamers who were anxious to dive into this zombie-ridden world. In the game, players work together to fight off the horde while using powerful items, weapons, and special abilities. The game has been so popular that it has become an entire series of games, sometimes attached to pop culture franchises such as Evil Dead and even Marvel. Zombicide continues to be one of the most popular game series in the hobby.
9 Legendary Encounters: Alien Makes Players Fight Xenomorphs
Legendary is a very popular series of deck-building games that has been around for years. The game has had many different versions including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Big Trouble in Little China, and Marvel to name a few. The game released an Alien-themed version in 2014 which garnered a lot of attention from gamers at the time.
Thankfully, the game turned out to be an excellent and engaging game that simulates the feel of the film in a great way. The Alien version of the game was so well regarded that it also got expansions.
8 Elder Sign Uses Dice To Explore A Dark Story
In Elder Sign, players take on the role of investigators as they explore a museum with an underlying terror. Each round, players choose a section of the museum to explore or monsters to fight off to keep the ancient one from awakening and destroying the world. To do this, players roll and re-roll dice to get symbols that match the current objective. Powerful items, spells, and more are discoverable in the creepy museum. The game also has multiple expansions that change up the game and give it a full storyline.
7 Unfathomable Brings Lying To The Terrors Of The Sea
Unfathomable is the long-awaited revival of a classic board game. In 2008, Fantasy Flight Games released Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game which received extremely positive reviews and has been highly regarded ever since it first came out. Due to licensing and other reasons behind the scenes, the game was not reprinted for a very long time. However, in 2021 Fantasy Flight released Unfathomable, a reimagining of the classic game with a new horror theme. The game has received great reviews and many consider it to be a worthy alternative.
6 Arkham Horror: The Card Games Is A Living Card Game
Arkham Horror: The Card Game is one of the most beloved games in the hobby. In the game, players use cards to fight off monsters, and complete actions. The game features many different settings for players to explore, all of which are eerie and unsettling. The game can be a lot for players to wrap their heads around at first with all of the available content, the deck customizations, and other elements of the game but many gamers feel that the learning hurdle is well worth the experience that the game has to offer.
5 Fury Of Dracula Lets Players Hunt The Classic Vampire
In Fury of Dracula, one player will act as Dracula while the other players attempt to track him down and destroy him before he completes his evil deed. In the game, players do not know where Dracula is unless they can reveal him.
The player controlling Dracula secretly moves around the board, completing tasks and furthering his influence, without other players knowing how close he may be to them. Fury of Dracula has been a very highly regarded game for many years which has led it to now being on its fourth edition.
4 Dead Of Winter Makes Players Suspect Each Other As They Survive A Zombie Invasion
In Dead of Winter, players control characters that are all part of the same colony, attempting to survive a zombie outbreak. However, one of the players at the table may be a traitor which makes all players suspicious from the get-go. Each player must cooperate to keep the horde of hungry zombies at bay while completing the winning condition and making sure other survivors at the colony do not starve. Each player also has their own goal which further raises suspicion and tenseness in the room.
3 Nemesis Is Inspired By A Sci-fi Horror Classic
Nemesis is inspired by the classic sci-fi horror film, Alien. In the game, players must attempt to survive an alien-infested ship while watching out for other players and their hidden agendas. The entire game plays out like a movie with highs and lows, intense moments, and climactic ends. While some gamers feel the game is a bit fragile and it can have an underwhelming conclusion, many feel it is exciting the whole way through which has led it to be one of the highest-rated board games ever made.
2 Eldritch Horror Is Lovecraft Monsters On A Global Scale
In Eldritch Horror, players roam the globe as brave adventurers, searching for clues, fighting off evil monsters, and putting an end to the ancient one's evil plans. Unlike many other board games inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, Eldritch Horror does not take place in a creepy town, a museum, or a mansion.
Instead, the game is set across the entire world where players take trains and ships to get to different continents and cities. The game comes alive thanks to its encounter system which provides a lot of variety for the players.
1 Mansions Of Madness Combines Technology And Horror Games
Mansions of Madness (first edition) was released in 2011. In the game, one player controlled all of the monsters and dangers of the mansion while others took on the role of investigators, attempting to rid it of evil. In Mansions of Madness (second edition), the game uses an app to control all of the monsters and events, replacing the need for that player. Now all players work together, adventuring through scenarios, fighting monsters, and investigating their surroundings. The game is highly regarded as one of the best uses of an app in a board game ever.