18 Halloween Party Games for Kids, Teens and Adults

The best games to play for Halloween are the ones that need almost nothing: a phone, some paper, toilet paper for mummies and a few pumpkins. Below are 18 Halloween party games sorted by group, each with the player count, what you need and how to play, so you can pick three or four and be ready in ten minutes.

All 18 Halloween games at a glance

1. Halloween imposter game
2. Spooky charades
3. Halloween would you rather
4. Murder in the dark
5. Ghost story chain
6. Two truths and a lie: scary edition
7. Monster freeze dance
8. Mummy wrap race
9. Pumpkin bowling
10. Witch hat ring toss
11. Bobbing for apples (dry version)
12. Spider web scavenger hunt
13. Guess the candy
14. Monster mash pictionary
15. Costume contest with silly categories
16. Halloween trivia showdown
17. Who’s most likely to: Halloween edition
18. Flashlight hide and seek

Games for any age group

Halloween imposter game

One phone, secret words, one liar. Everyone gets the same Halloween word (like “Cauldron” or “Werewolf”) except the imposter, who has to bluff through the clue round.

Players: 3 to 20. You need: one phone.

Pass the phone around so each player sees their word, then go around the circle and give one-word clues. After two rounds, everyone points at the player they suspect. You can play it for free in the browser with our imposter game, and the Hoot app has a full Halloween category with hints for the imposter.

Spooky charades

Act out Halloween things without speaking: a zombie walk, carving a pumpkin, a vampire who just saw garlic.

Players: 4 or more in two teams. You need: slips of paper or a phone.

One player acts, their team guesses before the minute is up. Write your own Halloween words or use our charades generator for random prompts and a built-in timer.

Halloween would you rather

Would you rather live in a haunted house or a house full of spiders? Questions like that start the best arguments of the night.

Players: 2 or more. You need: nothing.

Read a question, everyone picks a side and defends it. Our would you rather generator has a big list for warming up, and there are 70 Halloween would you rather questions with spooky ones only.

Ghost story chain

Players: 4 or more. You need: a flashlight.

Sit in a circle with the lights off. One player starts a ghost story with one sentence, holding the flashlight under their chin, then passes the flashlight on. Each player adds exactly one sentence. The story usually gets funnier than it gets scary.

Games for kids

Monster freeze dance

Players: any number. You need: music.

Play spooky music and let everyone dance like a monster. When the music stops, everyone freezes in a monster pose. Anyone who moves becomes a “ghost judge” and helps catch the next wiggler.

Mummy wrap race

Players: teams of two or three. You need: one roll of toilet paper per team.

One player is the mummy, the others wrap them from shoes to shoulders. The first team to use up the roll, or the best-wrapped mummy after two minutes, wins. Leave the face free.

Pumpkin bowling

Players: any number. You need: a small pumpkin and 6 to 10 plastic bottles or toilet paper rolls.

Set up the bottles like bowling pins and roll the pumpkin from a few steps away. Small pumpkins with a short stem roll best. Decorate the pins as ghosts with a marker for extra points.

Witch hat ring toss

Players: any number. You need: a witch hat or a cone and a few rings (glow sticks bent into circles work great).

Players take turns throwing three rings onto the hat. Glow stick rings make it a perfect game for after dark.

Bobbing for apples (dry version)

Players: any number. You need: apples or donuts on strings.

Hang apples or donuts from a string at face height. Hands behind your back, players try to take the first bite. It is less messy than water and easier to share safely.

Spider web scavenger hunt

Players: any number. You need: yarn and small prizes.

Tie a different color of yarn to each prize and weave the strings through a room like a giant web. Each child follows their color to the end without letting go. Older kids can get a tangled web, younger ones a simple one.

Games for teens and adults

Murder in the dark

Players: 6 or more. You need: a dark room and a deck of cards.

Deal one card per player in secret: the ace of spades is the murderer, the king is the detective. Lights go out, the murderer tags a victim on the shoulder, who screams dramatically. Lights on, and the detective questions everyone to find the murderer. Keep the room clear of anything people could trip over.

Two truths and a lie: scary edition

Players: 3 or more. You need: nothing.

Each player tells three short spooky stories about themselves: a strange noise at night, the scariest movie they have seen, a weird thing that happened on Halloween. Two are true, one is invented. The group votes on the lie.

Monster mash pictionary

Players: 4 or more in teams. You need: paper and pens.

Draw Halloween things for your team to guess within a minute: a black cat, a haunted house, a witch’s broom. For ideas and a timer, use the pictionary generator.

Costume contest with silly categories

Players: anyone in costume. You need: small prizes or paper medals.

Instead of one winner, give out categories so more people win: scariest, funniest, best homemade, best group costume, most likely to win an Oscar. Guests vote by putting candy in a cup next to each name.

Halloween trivia showdown

Players: 4 or more in teams. You need: a list of questions.

Prepare 15 to 20 questions about Halloween traditions, classic monsters and famous scary movies, then read them out in rounds. The team with the most right answers picks the next movie.

Who’s most likely to: Halloween edition

Players: 4 or more. You need: nothing.

Ask questions like “Who is most likely to scream at a jump scare?” or “Who is most likely to survive a zombie movie?”. On three, everyone points at someone. It is quick, funny and needs no setup.

Guess the candy

Players: any number. You need: a blindfold and a few different candies.

Blindfold a player and give them one small piece of candy. They have to guess the brand or flavor. Ask about allergies before the party and keep the candy simple.

Flashlight hide and seek

Players: 4 or more. You need: a flashlight and a safe, dark space.

The seeker counts to 30 with a flashlight, everyone else hides. When the seeker spots someone with the light, that player is found. The last player found becomes the next seeker.

How to plan the game part of your party

Pick one game for each phase of the party. Start with something quiet while guests arrive, like the imposter game or would you rather, so late arrivals can join easily. Play one loud, physical game when energy is high, then wind down with a guessing game or a ghost story chain.

A few tips that make the difference:

• Prepare all props before the first guest arrives.
• Keep teams mixed, so friends who already know each other’s tricks are split up.
• Small prizes like candy or glow sticks are more fun than one big prize.
• Have one no-prop game ready as a backup for when something takes longer than planned.

If you want more ideas after Halloween, our imposter game works for any party, and all our games run in the browser without sign-up.