The best Halloween games are the simple ones that get everyone laughing, from a bucket of apples on the kitchen floor to a candle-lit round of Wink Murder once the little ones are in bed. Whether you are hosting a children's party, a teen sleepover or a grown-up game night, the right mix of spooky activities turns a room full of guests into a proper Halloween party. Below you will find tried-and-tested games split by age, with everything you need to run them and zero stress. Pull on a costume, dim the lights, cue the creepy playlist and let the games begin.
Some games are Halloween for a reason. Apple bobbing is the one nearly every British household remembers: fill a large tub or bucket about three-quarters full of water, drop in a handful of apples, and players try to grab one using only their mouth, no hands allowed. Set a 30-second timer, keep towels close by, and carve little jack-o'-lantern faces into the apples for extra atmosphere. For a drier, sweeter twist, hide wrapped sweets in a tray of flour and have players dig them out with their teeth.
Apple bobbing has genuine roots. The game travelled to Britain with Roman traditions and became tied to courtship folklore, where the first person to bite an apple would supposedly be the next to marry. According to the history of apple bobbing, it has been a Halloween fixture for centuries, which is exactly why it still earns its spot at the top of the list.
Cosy costumes that make the dress-up games even better
1Kids' Grey Teddy Bear Onesie – warm, soft and perfect for little monsters bouncing through freeze dance and musical statues.
The other two classics worth setting up early are Pin the Tail on the Zombie (a spooky take on Pin the Tail on the Donkey, with a blindfold, a spin and a paper tail to stick on a poster) and Wrap the Mummy, where teams race to wrap one volunteer head to toe in loo roll. Use recycled rolls where you can, take a few photos of the finished mummies, then collect the paper for the recycling afterwards.
Halloween games for kids
Younger guests want movement, noise and a small prize at the end. These are the games that reliably deliver all three.
Costume sorted
Men's Grey Teddy Bear Onesie
Men's Grey Teddy Bear Onesie is just the right amount of creepy, cosy and fun for the big night.
Monster freeze dance: play a spooky playlist and have everyone dance like a zombie, witch or ghost. When the music stops, freeze like a gargoyle. Anyone who moves is out, and the last monster standing wins. A onesie or costume makes the dancing twice as silly, which is half the fun.
Witches' hat ring toss: stand three or four witches' hats at different distances and let players toss rings to land them on top. Closer hats score less, far hats score more.
Bowling for ghosts: draw ghost faces on empty kitchen rolls, stack them in a pyramid, and knock them down with a small ball or a wonky pumpkin. Crafty, cheap and endlessly repeatable.
Eyeball and spoon race: the trusty egg-and-spoon race, only now everyone balances a plastic eyeball (or a ping-pong ball with eyes drawn on) from start to finish.
Skeleton scavenger hunt: take a plastic skeleton apart, hide the pieces around the house or garden, and send the children off with a checklist to find every bone and rebuild it.
When the games wind down and it is time for a film, the comfy wear edit keeps everyone warm and snug for the rest of the night.
For a calmer breather between the boisterous ones, a haunted hunt works beautifully: split guests into teams, hand each a cauldron, and send them searching for spooky items like plastic spiders, fake bones, chocolate eyeballs and glow sticks.
Spooky group games for teens and adults
This is the part most Halloween game lists skip, and it is where the evening really comes alive once the younger guests have gone to bed. Grown-up Halloween games need nothing more than a dark room, a few willing players and a sense of the dramatic.
Wink Murder: everyone draws a slip of paper and the one marked with a cross is the secret murderer. They kill by catching a player's eye and winking. Victims must "die" as theatrically as possible, while the survivors try to name the killer before they are picked off. Perfect with the lights low.
Murder in the Dark: the bolder cousin of Wink Murder. Deal cards to assign a murderer and a detective, turn the lights off, and the murderer taps a victim on the shoulder. When the lights come back on, the detective has three guesses to crack the case.
Sardines: reverse hide-and-seek. One person hides, and as each searcher finds them they squeeze silently into the same hiding spot until everyone is crammed in like sardines. Played in a half-dark house, it is genuinely tense.
Are You There, Moriarty?: two blindfolded players lie head to head, call "Are you there, Moriarty?" and try to bop each other with a rolled-up newspaper while rolling clear. Chaotic, harmless and very funny to watch.
Two truths and a tale of terror: each guest shares three Halloween or horror stories, two true and one invented, and the group votes on the lie. A gentle icebreaker that suits a mixed crowd.
If you would rather sit down with a drink, the modern wave of horror-themed board games is excellent for an adult game night. Cooperative titles where players team up against the house, fast-paced "outrun the killer" games and spooky trivia decks all keep a group of six entertained for an hour or more without any setup beyond shuffling a deck.
How to plan a Halloween party that runs itself
A few small decisions make the difference between a smooth party and a frazzled one. Match the games to your guests: lively, physical games for little ones, and slower, suspense-driven games for teens and adults. Keep a mix of indoor and outdoor options ready in case British weather does what British weather does. Run each game short and snappy so nobody loses focus, and have a small prize, a sweet or a chocolate, on hand for every winner so there are no tears.
Costume is part of the fun, not separate from it. A cosy onesie or fancy-dress layer makes the dressing-up games land harder and keeps everyone comfortable for an evening of stomping, hopping and freezing on the spot. Browse the full Halloween collection for ready-to-wear ideas, or the onesies range if you want matching looks for the whole family.
Frequently asked questions about Halloween games
The most-loved Halloween games tend to be the traditional ones: apple bobbing, mummy wrapping, musical statues and a good scavenger hunt for kids, with Wink Murder, Murder in the Dark and Sardines carrying the night for older guests. Pick three or four, scale them to your crowd, and you have a party that practically runs itself. Happy Halloween.
Did you know?
Apple bobbing reached Britain through Roman tradition and became tied to courtship folklore, where the first to bite an apple would be next to marry.
Wrap the Mummy uses recycled loo roll, so it costs almost nothing and the paper can go straight to the recycling afterwards.
Monster freeze dance, Sardines and Wink Murder need no supplies at all, just a dark room and a spooky playlist.
Witches' hat ring toss and bowling for ghosts can both be made at home from things you already own.
Pin the Tail on the Zombie is simply a Halloween version of the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey, with a blindfold and a spin.
Frequently asked questions about Halloween Games: 20+ Ideas for Kids & Adults
Classic Halloween games include apple bobbing, mummy wrapping with loo roll, monster freeze dance and a skeleton scavenger hunt for kids. For teens and adults, Wink Murder, Murder in the Dark and Sardines played in a half-dark house keep the spooky fun going.
Apple bobbing is the best-known traditional UK Halloween game, with roots in old courtship folklore. Other long-standing favourites are Pin the Tail on the Zombie, musical statues and Wink Murder, all of which need very little to set up.
Grown-up Halloween games work best in a dark room with a few willing players. Try Wink Murder, Murder in the Dark, Sardines and Are You There Moriarty, or sit down with a horror-themed cooperative board game for a relaxed game night.
Plenty of Halloween games need nothing at all. Monster freeze dance, Sardines, Wink Murder and Zombie Says (a spooky Simon Says) all run with just a group of players, a dark room and a creepy playlist.
Match games to your guests, lively physical games for little ones and slower suspense games for adults. Keep a mix of indoor and outdoor options for the weather, run each game short and snappy, and have a small treat ready for every winner.
