Fun Halloween Party Games and Activities

Halloween is, without a doubt, one of my family’s favorite times of year. The costumes, candy, and spooky decorations are all rolled into one fun event. The highlight for us is the Halloween party games! We look forward to getting dressed up in fun costumes, eating good food, and busting out our best zombie moves on the dance floor. 

To really make a Halloween party unforgettable, you’ve got to throw in some Halloween party games. I’m here with a list of spooktacular games you can try.

Whether it’s a classic tried and tested game with a Halloween twist like Pin the Eye on the Zombie or something new like an escape room, you’ll find games that cater to different age groups and interests. So, grab your notebook and jot down all the fun ideas you want to try for your next Halloween party.

Fun Halloween Party Games

Hosting a Halloween party for kids means making sure every little ghoul and goblin leaves with a smile. Engaging games are the key to keeping the fun alive. Here are some easy-to-set-up and super fun Halloween party games that will be the highlight of your spooky bash.

• Pumpkin Bowling: Use small pumpkins (fake ones if you don’t want smashed pumpkin innards everywhere) as bowling balls and plastic bottles as pins.
• Skull Bowling: Use fake skulls as bowling balls and bottles as pins.
• Mummy Wrap: Team up with a partner and race to wrap them up as quickly as possible, just like a mummy. I like to use white crepe paper instead of toilet paper.
• Halloween Jar Guessing Game: Guess how many candies are in a jar. Use any sweets you like, candy corn and zombie eyeball gumballs work well for this. It’s a good idea to play this game as you wait for all your guests to arrive. As guest arrive have them write down their guess on a piece of paper. The winner takes home the jar of candy,
• Witch Hat Ring Toss: Grab an assortment of witch hats and place them on the floor. Players take turns to throw rings at them. Want to make it more fun, have hats of different sizes and place them at different distances. Assign each hat a different point. The player or team with the most points wins!

• Pin the Hat on the Witch: Blindfolded players try to pin a paper hat on a witch poster. It is just like the classic pin-the-tail on the donkey but with a Halloween twist.
• Monster Freeze Dance: Set up a playlist of Halloween songs and then dance to until the music stops. Everyone must freeze anyone moving is out.
• Eyeball Pong: Play the classic beer pong, but use eyeball ping-pong balls instead.
• Scavenger Hunt: Another classic game. Create a list of Halloween-themed items for kids to find. Play as individuals or in teams.
• Spider Web Obstacle Course: Use white crepe paper or wool to create a web for players to navigate through. This works well to set up in a hallway. Be careful not to break the web!
• Glow Stick Tag: Play tag in the dark with glow sticks. Head on outside for some friendly competition.
• Bobbing for Apples: Halloween isn’t complete without this classic game. Fish for apples with your mouth. Step it up a notch and have a sticker with a number attached to each apple. Each apple is worth points the player with the highest wins a prize. 
• Pumpkin Rolling Race: Roll pumpkins across a finish line. 
• Zombie Tag: The “zombie” tags others to turn them into zombies. All players must walk around like zombies, though no running is allowed!
• Donut Eating Race: OK, so it’s not really Halloween-themed, but this is a family favorite. Hang donuts in a line on a string and try to eat them without using your hands.

Halloween Escape Room

You guessed it at the top of my list when it comes to epic party games is a Halloween escape room. I love them. Choose a theme that the kids would love, like being trapped in a witch’s house or escaping a zombie outbreak. Escape rooms are a great team activity, and really get everyone in the mood for Halloween. If you’ve never played an escape room, in essence, it is a series of puzzles and challenges that, as a group, you work together to solve. They are a lot of fun.

If you feel intimidated by the idea of creating your own Halloween escape room from scratch, why not grab one of my ready-made kits? Fin out more about some of my games.

• Witches Escape Room – Can you escape the witches house, a great game for ages 8+
• Zombie Escape Room – Family-friendly escape room for tweens and adults.
• Nevermore – A Wednesday Adams-inspired game that is great for teens and adults.

Secret Code Halloween Treasure Hunt

I love treasure hunts. I also love secret codes. So combine the two together and you get a secret code treasure hunt. Take some regular treasure hunt clues but convert the text into a secret code or cipher. This adds a fun twist and extra challenge to your regular game.

Kids love treasure hunts, why not throw a Halloween version into your party game mix, it keeps the kids busy for a while and they are rewarded with something fun at the end.

Puzzle Treasure Hunt

If you want the fun of a Halloween escape room but the ease of setting up a treasure hunt this has the best of both worlds. I love escape rooms, and I love going all out with my escape rooms, adding in locks and really going to town with props and sound effects. BUT, sometimes I want to set up a game that has the fun of solving puzzles and clues with the ease of hosting a treasure hunt.

At each location instead of a regular clue, I place a puzzle to solve, some are easier than others. I love how easy they are to set up, and if you want to throw in a lock or two you can. I have a couple of ready-made Halloween puzzle hunts. A zombie puzzle hunt that is great for teenagers and a regular Halloween themed game which would work well for players age 7-8 and up.

Halloween Candy Dice

Guaranteed to be a hit with kids and adults try a game of Halloween Candy dice. It is a fantastic game for large groups and fun for all ages. The rules are super simple. Start off with a bowl full of candy. A plastic pumpkin bowl or witches’ cauldron will add to the theme. Opt for small candies like Hershey Kisses or other small wrapped treats.

The aim of the game is for players to take turns rolling a die. Each number rolled is assigned a rule. The rules are simple: Players are instructed to pick up 1, pick up 2, swap, or steal candies from other players. The aim is to get to 10 candies first. Everyone is a winner, though, as you get to keep your candies.

I love adding in game boards for players to fill up, it makes the game more interesting as you can see how close other players are getting to winning, you can guarantee the person nearly finished will be the prime target for having their candy stolen haha. I’ve put together a done-for-you kit that includes game boards, printable dice, and game instructions.

Halloween This or That

If you are looking for a fun conversation starter or a game that gets everyone into the Halloween spirit a game of Halloween This or That is an excellent choice. The rules are simple and fun. Players must choose between two Halloween-themed options. This is one of those Halloween activities that is fun to get a crowd laughing as you discus why you choose 

• Would you rather be a ghost or a vampire?
• Pick between only ever eating a candy apple or a candy corn.
• Be hairy like a werewolf or slimy like a slug?
• You can only listen to one song on Halloween. Would you choose Monster Mash or Purple People Eater?

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunt are a fun addition to a Halloween party, little kids and adults can all play and work together as a team or individuals to find items on a list.

I love scavenger hunts as they help kids to burn of a bit of energy. I have made a fair few over the years. Create a list of items for players to find and then set them loose on the hunt. Have the players take a photo of the items or simply tick them off their sheet. 

I like to add an extra layer to my scavenger hunts when I’m setting them up for a party. I will add a secret code hidden with the items the players need to find. When they have found all the items they can decode a hidden message. I usually have the code open a locked box full of goodies. Small party items like glow sticks for example.

Halloween Charades & Pictionary

A classic game that’s great for groups. Players take turns picking a slip of paper with a Halloween-themed word on it. Split into teams for some friendly competition.

If you are playing Halloween charades, players will act out the word on the card. If you are playing Pictionary the players need to draw what ever is on the card. You can make it more difficult by having players draw with their non-dominant hand. I have a printable with 108 free Halloween charades cards, go grab a copy.

Halloween Bingo

A spooky twist to a classic game, try some Halloween bingo

• Materials: Halloween-themed Bingo cards with images instead of numbers.
• Some coins or markers to place on top of the boards
• If you are printing out your own game boards, laminate them, and players can use erasable markers to mark their boards. 

Pin the Eye on the Zombie

Pin the Eye on the Zombie is a Halloween twist on the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

• Materials: A large zombie poster, cut-out eyes, and blindfolds.
• How to Play: Blindfolded the player and then take turns trying to pin an eye on the zombie.
• Set a time limit on each player who has to place their eyeball; keep it short to add urgency!
• Don’t forget a prize for the player who gets closest!

Halloween Scattergories

Scattergories is a word game that’s simple to set up. Your party guests only need a pencil and some quick thinking. Create a list of Halloween-themed categories (e.g., scary movies, spooky snacks).

• Example Categories:
  • Halloween Costumes: Witch, ghost, vampire.
  • Spooky Places: Haunted house, graveyard, attic.

Your guests have a limited time to think of words fitting each category, but they can only use words that start with certain letters. Set a timer for everyone to fill in their game boards. I love the simplicity of the game. This is a perfect game for large groups and a great choice for a Halloween class party.

Halloween Photobooth

I love a photo booth, I know they are not everyone’s cup of tea and yep it’s not really a Halloween game, but they are a lot of fun which is why I included it as an option. I have a free printable with different Halloween images that you can grab. Print out the photobooth props and strike a pose!

More Halloween Games

Here are some tried-and-true classic party game ideas that require minimal prep and are, of course, a lot of fun! Let’s make your Halloween party a hit! Here are some fun Halloween party games:

• Candy Trading Post: Kids trade candies they’ve collected.
• Monster Charades: Act out Halloween-related words.
• Spooky Trivia: Test knowledge with Halloween trivia. 
• Guess the Sound: Identify spooky sounds played from a speaker.
• Costume Contest: Strut your stuff and show off your Halloween costumes. Award prizes for best costume, funniest costume scariest etc.
• Pumpkin Golf: Put golf balls into carved pumpkin holes.Best played outside!
• Spider Race: Blow plastic spiders across a table with straws. You can play as a relay race or as an individual.
• Skeleton Scavenger Hunt: Find hidden bones to assemble a skeleton. First team or player to assemble their skeleton wins.
• Candy Corn Stack: Stack candy corn as high as possible. Set a timer for 60 seconds and see who has the best balancing skills.
• Balloon Pop: Pop balloons to find hidden messages or prizes.
• Witch’s Broom Limbo: How low can you go under a broomstick?
• Ghost Relay: Relay race while dressed as ghosts.
• Zombie Run: Race from one end collection items to survive a zombie apocalypse. The first team to run back with all the items wins.
• Eyeball Spoon Race: Balance ping-pong balls on a spoon. You can buy ones that look like eyeballs or get creative and decorate them yourself.
• Spooky Zombie Says: This is a classic Simon Says game but with a Halloween twist.
• Glowing Ghost Hunt: Cut out some ghost characters using white paper and hide around the house. Then, using black light torches, players hunt to find them in the dark.
• Halloween Bingo: Grab some Halloween bingo boards and shout “Haunted House” when you win!
• Mystery Cauldron: Guess what’s inside the cauldron. Blindfold players and have them feel objects inside things like peeled grapes (eyeballs), spaghetti (brains), etc. You can place in other Halloween-themed objects like candy corn, plastic Dracula teeth etc.
• Spooky Pictionary: A simple game to play on Halloween night. Have your party guests pick out a card with a prompt on what to draw. Use a plastic pumpkin or cauldron to hold the prompt cards.

Setting the Scene 

Hosting a Halloween party can be a lot of fun with the right games and activities. From Halloween escape rooms to candy dice, there are plenty of options to keep your guests entertained. This is pretty obvious, but a surefire way to ensure your Halloween party is a smash hit is to create the perfect atmosphere. It’s the foundation for your party, get this right and everyone will have a great time. 

Adding themed decorations and a spooky playlist sets the mood perfectly. Don’t forget to include activities for different ages and abilities, ensuring every can get involved and have a blast. By incorporating some of these ideas, you are bound to have a fab Halloween celebration. Explore the exciting games available on shop.lockpaperescape.com to make your party planning even easier. Enjoy the spooky season and make your Halloween party unforgettable! Happy planning.