Fall always makes me want to spend more evenings at home. Once it starts getting dark earlier and the weather cools down, staying in with snacks and a board game sounds better than going anywhere.
This list has a little bit of everything. Some of the games are dark and creepy enough for spooky season, while others are better for a relaxed family game night. There are cooperative games, strategy games, hidden-role games and a few quicker choices that do not take half the evening to learn.
If you want to keep the entire night on the creepy side, I also have a separate list of spooky board games to play during the Halloween season.
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The Night Cage
The Night Cage is easily the creepiest game on this list. Players are trapped inside a dark maze with only candles to help them find their way. The maze changes as you move through it, so paths can disappear behind you and leave you with fewer ways to escape.
This is a cooperative game, which means everyone is working together instead of competing against one another. The dark artwork and shifting maze make it a good choice for a fall or Halloween game night.
The Night Cage
Work together to find the key and escape an ever-changing maze before the candles go out.
Zombicide: Black Plague
Zombicide: Black Plague takes the usual zombie-survival setup and moves it into a medieval fantasy world. Players control survivors who must fight through groups of zombies while completing objectives and finding better equipment.
This is one of the bigger games on the list, so it takes more setup and attention than a quick card game. It is better for a group that wants to settle in and play for a while. The medieval setting and all those zombies make it an easy one to include for spooky season.
Zombicide Black Plague Board Game
A cooperative medieval fantasy game where survivors complete missions while fighting their way through growing groups of zombies.
For another cooperative zombie game, you can also read my Dead of Winter board game review.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a hidden-role game built around figuring out which players are secretly werewolves. Everyone receives a role, certain characters take actions during the night and then the group has to discuss what happened before voting.
Each game lasts for only one round, so no one gets eliminated and then has to sit around waiting for everyone else to finish. It is quick enough to play several times in one evening, especially once everyone understands the different roles.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
A quick hidden-role game filled with secret identities, bluffing and accusations, with no player elimination.
Night of the Ninja
Night of the Ninja is another hidden-role game, but this time the players belong to rival ninja houses. The problem is that you do not immediately know who is on your side.
Players use their abilities to gather information, attack opponents and protect members of their own team. It is a social game with bluffing and deduction, so it works best with people who enjoy trying to read one another and keeping their own identities hidden.
Brotherwise Games Night of The Ninja
Figure out who belongs to your ninja house while hiding your identity and targeting members of the opposing team.
The Initiative
The Initiative combines cooperative board-game play with a story and a series of codes to solve. The players follow a group of teenagers who discover a mysterious board game, with the larger story unfolding as the missions continue.
If your group likes puzzles, escape-room games or stories that continue from one game to the next, this may be a good fit. The missions connect to one another, so it is not something you play once and immediately put back on the shelf.
The Initiative Board Game
A cooperative game that combines code-breaking, puzzles and connected missions with a story told through a comic book.
I have more games built around continuing stories and unfolding mysteries in my list of board games that play like a movie.
Forbidden Island
In Forbidden Island, everyone works together to recover four treasures before the island sinks. Each player has a different role and ability, so the group has to decide how to move around the island, protect important locations and escape in time.
The rules are fairly approachable, but the sinking island keeps the game from feeling too simple. It is a good option when you want a cooperative adventure without committing to something as large as Zombicide.
Forbidden Island
A cooperative game where everyone works together to collect four treasures and escape before the island sinks.
If you need more approachable choices, take a look at my list of board games that work for brand-new players.
Creature Caravan
Creature Caravan has more of a whimsical fantasy feel. Players are traveling with a caravan of creatures while trying to survive a dangerous journey and build up their group along the way.
It works well for a fall game night if you want something adventurous and fantasy-themed without going all the way into horror.
A whimsical fantasy board game with magical creatures, adventure, and a colorful world to explore.
House of Cats
House of Cats is a lighter dice-based game about filling a house with cats and creating different rooms. Players use numbers to form rooms and unlock special abilities that can help them score more points.
The theme is cute, but you still have to think about where everything goes. It works well for a quieter fall game night when you want something lighter than zombies, werewolves, or dark mazes.
I also have a whole list of cat-themed board games and puzzles if that is more your thing.
House of Cats Board Game
A light roll-and-write game where players use dice to create rooms, add cats and earn points.
Sneaky Scallywags
Sneaky Scallywags is a pirate-themed bluffing game centered around hidden gold. Players have to watch one another, make guesses and try to figure out who is hiding the treasure.
This is a casual party game rather than a long strategy game. It works well for a fall game night when you want something quick that gets everyone talking, bluffing and accusing one another.
Sneaky Scallywags
A casual pirate bluffing game where players try to determine who is secretly hiding the gold.
Five Crowns
Five Crowns is a rummy-style card game played over eleven rounds. The number of cards in each hand increases as the game continues, and the wild card changes from one round to the next.
The goal is to create books and runs while keeping the value of the cards left in your hand as low as possible. It is easy to bring out for a family game night, and the changing wild cards keep each round from playing exactly the same way.
Five Crowns
A five-suited rummy-style card game with eleven rounds and a wild card that changes with every hand.
I also have a separate list of teen-approved board and card games for family game nights with older kids.
Planning a Fall Game Night
A fall game night does not need much planning. Pick one longer game or a couple of shorter ones, put out a few snacks, and settle in for the evening.
If everyone is ready to settle in for a while, pull out Zombicide or The Initiative. If you want something quicker, Five Crowns and One Night Ultimate Werewolf are easier choices. Clear off the table and that is really all the planning a fall game night needs.
