65 Fun Halloween Games and Activities for Kids and Adults 2024

Oct 29, 2024

Whether you're looking for Halloween games for kids, adults or families, these are sure to be a hit.

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Your perfect Halloween shindig is planned. The ghostly treats are made, the Halloween song playlist is set, everyone is coming in their best costume and ready to party. Now that the mood is set...what do you do?

Whether you're looking for seasonal activities for kids or are trying to think of party games for adults — or are entertaining a mix of both — these are the best Halloween games to play in 2024. Some are perfect for class parties and gatherings of young ones, while others can be tailored for mixed-age groups. Some are games of skill, asking players to expertly throw a bean bag at a target or throw a ring around a witch hat or pumpkin stem, while others are more based on luck, which means that anyone could be the winner. A lot of them have a DIY craft element to them, so they can be an artistic activity and a game all in one.

CHECK OUT MORE OF OUR HALLOWEEN IDEAS

So, what'll it be? Will you get active with a game of pumpkin sweep or a good eyeball relay race? Try to test your guests' trivia skills? Or have them working on crossword puzzles, I Spy games and bingo cards? Whichever one you choose, it's likely to be a "treat."

Would you rather walk through a giant spider web or sit in a room full of spiders? Have furry monster feet or a green Frankenstein face? "Would You Rather?" is a versatile game that can be played i groups large or small, young or old, so it always helps to have these questions in your back pocket.

Get the tutorial at The Best Ideas for Kids »

It's just like a carnival, but right in your own backyard! Decorate a stack of cans with Halloween icons, then get a bean bag and see who has the oomph to knock them all down.

Get the tutorial at Jordan's Easy Entertaining »

One of our favorite backyard lawn games gets a spooky twist when a corn hole board gets decorated with a spider web and beaded spiders. Just try to throw it in the whole with these arachnids on the board!

Get the tutorial at Tried and True Creative »

The best part about this game is that it gets funnier the more wrong you are. Blindfolded players can try to affix the eyes and mouth on a blank pumpkin — and then they'll laugh at the silly expressions they've made.

Get the tutorial at Tater Tots and Jello »

With a few quick modifications, you can add a Halloween twist to a game that most already know how to play. Attach some Halloween "tricks" like "Pretend to walk into a spider web" to some of the Jenga blocks, and the fun gets even more festive.

BUY JENGA

Get the tutorial at Love the Day »

Here's a game that'll test everyone's balance and coordination. Get a bunch of mini pumpkins and challenger players to grab them one at a time, balance them on a tennis (or pickleball) racket, run a short distance and then drop the mini pumpkin into a Halloween bucket. That'll burn off all that sugary energy!

SHOP BUCKETS

Get the tutorial at Days With Grey »

Kids who love playing spies and breaking secret codes will love this game. It uses a pumpkin-shaped decoder wheel to get the responses to some candy-corny Halloween jokes.

Get the tutorial at Crafting Cheerfully »

This is a both a craft and a game that revelers can play with all season long. The three black cats have holes where their noses should be. Can anyone tilt and jostle the cardboard base until the three orange balls fall into place, giving the cats their sniffers back? This is for anyone who can get mesmerized by ball-bearing mazes.

SHOP STYROFOAM BALLS

Get the tutorial at Hello, Wonderful »

RELATED: The Best Halloween Crafts for Kids

If they find golf to be a boring sport, this twist might change their minds. Carve a large mouth on your pumpkin — one that's big enough to fit multiple golf balls. The first player to make a hole-in-one wins!

Get the tutorial at a Girl and a Glue Gun »

For revelers working on their memory and concentration skills, this game is the perfect practice. Behind each of the spooky doors in this haunted house lies a monster waiting to find its match; whoever pairs up the most wins.

Get the tutorial at Makes and Takes »

What's under the orange and green felt? Well, rolls of toilet paper, of course! How many can you toss into the basket? The person with the most points wins.

SHOP FELT

Get the tutorial at B-Inspired Mama »

For this Family Feud-inspired game, two teams take turns guessing the answers to spooky questions. They have until the buzzer runs out to guess!

Get the tutorial at Play Party Plan »

This year, get two spooky season activities for the price of one: carve your pumpkins into a fun bean-bag toss. To make this game, cut a large hole in the bottom of one large and one medium pumpkin and scoop out the pulp and seeds.

Trace this face template onto the pumpkins, scaling up or down as necessary. Cut out the faces, and then stack the medium pumpkin on top of the large one, using skewers to help hold them in place. To play, toss beanbags into the pumpkins' mouths and award 10 points for the bottom gourd and 20 for the top.

SHOP BEAN BAGS

RELATED: The Best Pumpkin Carving Ideas

Amp up the Halloween fun with a glow-in-the-dark tic-tac-toe game. The competition is bound to get more intense playing the classic game in the dark using moons and stars!

Get the tutorial at A Pumpkin and a Princess »

Keep the kids calm before the sugar rush kicks in with a Halloween-themed crossword puzzle (this one is courtesy of blogger Lindsay). They can spend their free time thinking of the 20 words needed to complete the unfinished phrases (it might not be as easy as you think).

Get the tutorial at Artsy Fartsy Mama »

Purchase a set of 24 eyeballs and spoons to host an epic relay race on Halloween night. Kids and adults can compete against each other to race across the backyard or lawn while holding their fake eyeballs with spoons. The group who gets all of their eyeballs across wins!

Piñatas are great to include in any event. Whether you have a unicorn, pumpkin or ghost, let everyone take turns hitting the candy-filled decoration with a bat. Whoever gets the candy to fall out gets it all!

SHOP GHOST PIÑATA

For this DIY game, it's all about who can create a skeleton the fastest. Make the bones out of foam and hot-glue magnets to each one. Coat a board in magnetic paint so the bones will stick.

SHOP MAGNETIC PAINT

Get the tutorial at Sugar and Charm »

Apple bobbing is a classic Halloween game where everyone races to pick up as many apples as possible in a pail of water before time runs out. The best part: They use their teeth! Make sure everyone has their own bucket and apples for sanitary purposes!

Here's a way to amp up your Halloween party! Divide kids into teams and give each of them a broom to play pumpkin sweep. The first player to sweep their pumpkins all the way to the finish line and back to the next player in the line wins!

Get the tutorial at Kid Friendly Things to Do »

Mariah Thomas (she/her) is an assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home and lifestyle content. Mariah has more than four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, Women's Health and Avocado Magazine. She received her master's degree in journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts and Emotions, in 2019. She's also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.

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