halloween

13 Halloween Games for Adults to Play at Parties This Spooky Season

published Sep 29, 2023
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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Sure, you can do the same-old, same-old Halloween party games like costume contests and seeing who can carve the best pumpkin. But how about something a little more unique — and a little more fun? Try these 13 Halloween games for adults at your next bash.

1. Trick or Drink

Set up drink stations around your home, each one for a different color drink. Mix up the drinks at each station so some are delicious and some are, well, horrifying. Then send your guests around to each station. Will they get a drink? Or a trick?

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2. Horror Charades

Take regular charades, but make it spooky. Horror-themed categories only!

3. Haunted House Competition

This game works best if you live near a bunch of friends who can all decorate their homes. Challenge everyone to create the spookiest haunted house using just decorations or one you walk through with jump scares — you decide. Everyone votes on the scariest. 

4. Midnight Hide and Seek

Who says hide and seek is just for kids? When it’s fully dark out, have everyone dress in black and scatter into the yard. The host of the party tries to find all the guests. Some important rules for this one, though: Stay away from roads or anything dangerous, and stay on the property. 

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5. Witch’s Brew Contest

It’s a cocktail and mocktail making contest! Blood orange bourbon smash, anyone? Whoever can make the most delicious drink wins. Add some spooky decorations for people to embellish their drinks with, and award another prize for the best decorated beverage. 

6. Speak No Evil

Write a bunch of Halloween-themed words on slips of paper, and put them in a candy bucket. As each guest comes in, they draw a word from the bucket and pin it to their shirt. They are no longer allowed to use that word for the rest of the party. If they do, come up with some fun and silly consequence!

7. Movie Mimic

Dust off those acting chops, because in this game, guests compete as teams to act out scenes from different horror movies. Amp up the fun with costumes and impromptu set design, too! Whichever team does the best job wins. 

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8. Guess the Villain

Write the names of horror movie villains on cards. When each guest arrives, tape one of the cards to their forehead and make sure they don’t see what it says! The first guest who guesses their villain wins.

9. Macabre Makeup Contest

This is what it sounds like. Split your guests into teams of two, one makeup artist and one model. Each makeup artist should try to create the scariest Halloween makeup on their model. 

10. Costumes in the Closet

You’ve got two options for this game. One, have two guests go into a closet or small room and give them three minutes to swap costumes completely. Or two, open every closet in the house, set a limit of 10 minutes, and see who can create the spookiest costume from what’s in the closets. 

Woman is reading Tarot cards on the table in cafe

11. Spooky Soothsaying

Hire a fortune teller to come over and read the fortunes of your party guests. It could be tarot, tea leaves, or even cheese reading. (Hey, it’s a thing! That this writer does!) There’s no “winner” here, but really everyone wins because they’re having fun. 

12. Zombies Rising

Designate one partygoer to be the zombie hunter. Everyone else is down on the ground. The zombie hunter has to keep an eye on all the undead. You can move when they’re not looking at you — but if they are, you have to be motionless. The goal is to stand all the way up and be the first to reach the zombie hunter so you can get them before they get you.

13. Heads on a Platter

Break your crew up into teams and give each team a balloon, markers, and a paper plate. First, every team should decorate their balloon and plate to look as much like a severed head on a platter as possible. Then, the relay starts! Have each team member do a lap around a course you set up. The goal is to keep your severed head on the platter — but remember, you can only hold the plate.