Host your very own tournament of terror this Halloween with these fun Halloween games for adults and teens! Break into teams and see who can win points for their teams doing things like finding items in a gross witch’s brew or racing through an obstacle course like a zombie!
Halloween Games Tournament
Every year my family gets together to play Halloween games and eat Halloween snacks like Halloween rice krispy treats! This year I thought it’d be fun to turn our typical Halloween celebration into a team competition – a tournament of terror!
We split into three teams and teams competed in a series of Halloween relays and hilarious games to win points for their team! And then the team with the most points at the end of all of the challenges won Halloween prizes to share!
It may be my new favorite Halloween party theme because it was so much fun, and I’m so excited to share the games so you can have your own tournament too!
How to Host a Tournament of Terror
While we used all of these Halloween relays in our tournament of terror, you could just pick and choose your favorite Halloween party ideas below and use those instead of doing a whole tournament.
But if you do want to have a tournament like we did, here’s how we did it.
Choose Your Games
Choose your games from the list below and choose the order you want to play them – I recommend keeping monster madness for the end! You can pick one or two, a few of them, or even all of them like we did.
Once you’ve chosen your games, make a big scorecard by simply writing the game names across the left side and team names across the top and making a chart where you can record scores as you play!
Split into Teams
Start by splitting your group into equal teams. You can either pre-select the teams, let people choose their own teams, or do it Survivor style where everyone just picks a color out of a bucket to decide their team.
We bought these colored sweatbands for everyone and it was SO much fun to let them pick out a color to join a team!
Team Making Tip!
If you have various ages and athletic abilities playing, I recommend rigging the teams just a little. We chose three people of similar abilities to choose their colors at the same time and only had one of each team’s color in the bucket so they were evenly split across the teams. This worked great for us to split up the most athletic players AND the players with some physical limitations like my pregnant sister-in-law, my grandma, and my brother with a bad knee.
Scoring Rules
Once you have your teams, make sure they all know the rules and how scoring works.
- Three points for the first place team in each game
- Two points for the second place team
- One point for any other team that completes the challenge
Build a Skeleton Halloween Game
This fun build a skeleton game will have teams racing to find the right bones in a Halloween boneyard to build their own matching skeletons! First team to build the skeleton correctly wins!
Supplies
The only thing you really need for this game other than a large area is one complete set of skeleton bones per team playing. We used this set of bones for several of the games including this one, and they worked great!
How to Setup the Game
Choose a large open area to use as your playing area. You’ll want to have enough space that you can have your teams (and the skeletons they’ll be building) on one side, the bone pile toward the other side, and the example skeleton even further past that – with plenty of running distance between the three sections.
Create your example skeleton on one side of the area. It doesn’t have to be anatomically correct (e.g., 7 ribs), just something that the teams can match when creating their own skeletons! We went with a simplified skeleton for things like the ribs and vertebrate.
Put a set of bones for each team – a set that matches the skeleton you create – in a big boneyard closer to your example skeleton than the other side of the yard but still far enough away that it’s kind of a pain to go look at the example. Then add some extra errant bones if you want!
How To Play Build a Skeleton
To start the game, allow all teams to study the example skeleton for one minute to get an idea of what they’re looking for before they go to their team’s base (where they’ll build the skeleton).
Tip!
Make sure all of your teams have enough space to build out a full skeleton with a little privacy from other teams AND that they’re all about equal distance to the boneyard to keep things fair!
When you say go, the first runner will run and retrieve a bone from the boneyard then return to their team with that bone. When they return the second runner may go and get a bone for the boneyard. This continues (with players running in the same order) as the team tries to build their skeleton.
Teams can’t hoard bones. If they bring back something the team already has, they have to take it back to the boneyard pile immediately and return with a different one.
At any point, the teams may run to the example skeleton to make sure they placing the bones in the correct spot.
The goal is to be the first team with the skeleton built correctly. When a team believes they have completed it correctly, they will yell check and the ref will come and double-check their work. If it is not correct, they have to figure out what went wrong on their own and fix it. If they got it correct, they are done.
The first team to build a skeleton that matches the example skeleton wins!
Bone Stick Relay Halloween Party Game
In this fun relay, teams will have to balance and transfer a skull using just bones! It seem easy but it’s actually more challenging than it looks and super fun!
Supplies
- Bones – each team will need six long bones. These can be arm or leg bones. I reused the bones from the Build A Skeleton game. You can also replace the bones with sticks and it will work too.
- Skull – each team will need its own skull – we just used the ones from the sets above but it really could be any type of skull you want!
How to Setup the Halloween Relay
Give each team three pairs of bones and one skull. This won’t be enough for each team member to have their own set, but it should be enough for teams to be able to hand off and share the bones!
Make sure that each team has the same variety of bones for example, no one team should have all of the femurs since they’re the biggest and easiest to use!
Mark three lines – one at one end of your playing space, one at the other end of the playing space, and one about eight feet from the ending line. This eight foot line will be used as your throwing line!
How To Play Bone Stick Relay
This relay is pretty simple. Teams split in half and the first person holds a pair of bones with a skull balanced on top then runs to the other side of the area to pass the skull to their teammate (no hands, just bone to bone).
This continues until the final leg of the relay and the person who is bringing the skull back for the final leg has to stop at the eight foot line you created earlier to toss the skull (using just the bones) to someone on the team who has been designated as the catcher. The catcher won’t run the relay – their only job is to catch the skull at the end!
So start by having teams divide themselves in two – half on one side and half on the other. They should also choose who will be running the final leg and who will be catching the skull at the end.
At the starting end, give the first two people in line a set of bones and a skull. For the other end line, give the first player per team one set of bones. If you have uneven teams, have someone sit out or someone go twice to make the legs of the relay even.
Then have players run the relay. The skull falls at any point, they have to go back to the starting line and start again. Keep going until the final leg where the skull is tossed to the catcher.
The skull must be caught without touching the body and the passer has to be behind the designated throw line. The first team to catch the skull at the end wins.
Zombie Halloween Relay
This zombie relay was maybe one of the most hilarious games in our tournament of terror. It’d be even better if you played Zombie by The Cranberries (one of the best Halloween party songs) while you play!
It is designed to play with four people but if you have more you can always just double up on some of the things as long as each team has an equal number of zombies.
Supplies
- Ear plugs – the cheap ones like these earplugs are great.
- Blindfolds – you can buy a pack like this or you can be creative and make your own.
- Rope – calling it rope is the easiest way to say it but you can use anything to tie feet together. Be prepared for it to break, I had one zombie break a necktie in half in all the excitement.
- Obstacle items – this can be anything you want. I used rope, cones, barrels, poles, and boxes that were lying around the yard but you could do anything from hay bales to scarecrows to pumpkins. Get creative!
How to Setup the Zombie Halloween Game
This game requires setup but it’s not complicated – you really just have to create a big obstacle course. Don’t go crazy but you can get creative!
Create an obstacle course using chairs, broomsticks, ropes, cones, boxes, or whatever you have. Make sure to add different elements to the course. I recommend adding an element where teams have to go over or under something and where they have to communicate directions.
The obstacle can be as long and hard as you want or as short and easy as you want depending on your group! It’s fun to watch no matter what!
How To Do A Zombie Relay
Before you can begin, each player must get a zombie trait. Each team will need at least one player with one of the following zombie traits.
- Blindfolded
- Feet tied together
- Arms tied behind their back
- Earplugs in
All zombies need a trait, so double up traits if you have more than four zombies per team or you can just choose four zombies per team to play!
The goal of game is to be the fastest team to complete the obstacle course. If you do not have a large enough area to safely have all teams go at one time you can simply time the teams, one one by one and just time them!
Everyone knows that zombies travel in packs. To create a pack, each team member must be touching another team member. They must do this the entire time they navigate the obstacle course like one big zombie blob.
Now you’ve got your course, direction, and zombies it’s time to race. On your marks, get set, zombie race! The first team to finish the obstacle first wins!
Witch’s Brew Halloween Game
Everyone knows a witch’s brew is full of all sorts of things from spiders to spices and more! This hilarious game will have you creating a witch’s brew and teams will have to sludge through the brew to find specific items first!
Supplies
- Large cauldron – you can also use a big bucket with a wide opening as well.
- Random food – this can be anything from leftovers to spaghetti noodles to canned beans. It’s a great way to clear out your pantry and fridge.
- Items to find – choose items that will be actually findable like small plastic bones, small skulls, or large plastic spiders. We tried it with gummy spiders and no one could find them because they were so slippery! I recommend having a good amount of them in the brew so they’re findable, especially if it’s a large brew! For three teams, we added 15 items to find.
- Plastic tablecloth – you’re going to want to put your brew on top of a plastic tablecloth, just trust me on this one!
- Blindfolds
Create Your Witch’s Brew
There are two ways to set this game up. For an older crowd, I would make the brew ahead of time so they don’t know what is in it. For a younger crowd have some fun with it, and put on a show of putting in the ingredients to the witch’s cauldron.
To make the brew, simply throw all of your food items into your cauldron, top it off with some water, and stir. Add apple cider vinegar or other strong-smelling liquid to mess with your players even more.
Once you’ve got your brew all stirred up, add enough of the items they’ll be finding into the mixture for each player to find one. Give it a good mix, and your brew is ready to go.
Place your brew on a table or open area so that multiple people can have their hands in it at one time. Toss a towel or tablecloth under the brew to keep the mess contained.
How to Play this Witch’s Brew Game
Have each team send one player to the cauldron at a time. Keep the cauldron covered until you are ready to start the round. Each player must be blindfolded before they see the cauldron to enhance the ew factor.
When told to start the players will reach into the cauldron at the same time and try to be the first person to find a the designated item. First team to pull out an item wins a point for their team.
Teams will then send another player to find a spider from the cauldron. The game is played until all players have had a chance to go and the team with the most points wins.
Guess the Food Halloween game
This game is very similar to my Halloween guess the food game except you’re going to play it to earn points for your teams because well this is a team based tournament of terror!
Supplies
- Blindfolds
- Random food items – you can choose food that is as gross as you want or just things that might be tricky to guess! I used Cheese-Whiz, Apple Jacks, prickly pear cactus, boursin cheese, and Spaghetti-Os.
- Plates, napkins, and utensils – what you’ll need here will depend on what kind of food you choose!
How to Setup the Guessing Game
To set this game up, you will need one food item per player. This will vary, depending on how many players you have.
What Food should I use?
Keep in mind when buying food, you want these people to like you at the end of the day. You can choose to pick gross food items like Vienna Sausages or anchovies if you want. However, we decided to go with tricky foods rather than gross. Think of things that people may have not had in a while or that could easily be confused with something else.
How to Do the Gross Food Game
This game is played in rounds. Each team will send one player at a time to compete against other teams. Players will be blindfolded and have hands behind their backs and will be sitting at a table.
Once they are blindfolded, the food will be placed before them, and they will be told to eat. The first player to correctly guess what the food item is wins a point for their team. This is a game of speed, so players don’t have to finish the food to guess.
Once you guess one time, you can’t guess until everyone else has had a chance to guess! This keeps everyone from just continually guessing different things!
Once that round is done a new teammate will go up and a different food will be brought out. The game continues until all players have gone, and the team with the most points at the end wins.
Leaves and Letters Fall Game
This is one of our favorite fall games, and it worked perfectly for our tournament since we used a Halloween themed word!
I actually wrote up an entire post explaining how to play this leaves and letter game, so I’m not going to rewrite it all here! You can go there to get all the details – the basic idea is that you write letters on leaves and teams have to find letters then unscramble the word after they find them!
If you’re going to drop one game from your tournament, I recommend dropping this one – not because it’s not super fun but because it’s the least Halloween themed!
Monster Madness Halloween Party Games
For this game, each team member will need to pick their monsters. There are a total of five monsters with different activities for each one and each team member will play a different game.
This game is designed to be played last with chances to earn points for each round so if one team is really behind in the other games, they still have a chance with this monster relay!
Zombie Game
There’s not too much to this game – the team member playing this game will have to eat a green jello brain!
- Brain mold – I used a large one like this, but individual brain ones work too!
- Green Jell-O
- Random foods – pickles, celery, and cottage cheese are great additions to make gross green Jell-O, but I will tell you – ours was a little grosser than intended. You may want to go with things that aren’t quite as gross like marshmallows, kiwis, etc.
How To Play
Remove the Jell-O brain from the mold and distribute evenly between the players. We found that about 1/3 or 1/4 of the large mold was plenty for them to eat!
When you say go, players have to try and be the first to eat the entire zombie brain with no hands (have them put their hands behind their back).
The first zombie done earns a point for their team.
Witch Game
Witches love making potions so in this game, the team member will be playing a potion making game using water and food colors!
Supplies
- Potion bottles – these can be any container as long as they are clear. Each player will need three bottles plus three bottles for the example potions.
- Food coloring – I highly recommend using liquid food coloring since gel takes longer to dissolve. Each player with need one red, blue, and yellow (primary colors) liquid food coloring.
- Cup/bucket – each player will need somewhere that they can dump out their potions when they get them wrong
- Water – you’ll need water for the example potions but also you’ll need a bottle of water for each player so they can add water to dilute colors if they want.
How to Setup This Game
Begin by making three different colored potions using water, food coloring, and potion containers. You want these to be colors that are a little tricky to mix. Think lime green instead of grass green.
Now, it’s time to set up the table. Each player will need three clean potion bottles filled halfway with water, an empty bucket, and a bottle of water.
How To Play
Before the game, make three example potions using food coloring and water – a green one, a purple one, and an orange one.
Give each player their supplies and put the example potions on the table in front of them.
When you say go, players will begin using their supplies to try and recreate the example potions in front of them. When they get one that matches an example, they can move that one aside and move onto the next. We approved any potions that were pretty much the same color even if it wasn’t exact (exact is tough).
Once one player has all three potions correct and approved they win a point for their team!
Vampire
We of course had to do a little blood sucking for our vampire themed game!
Supplies
- Blood – tomato juice or any red colored V8 makes great blood.
- Blood bags – these are not required but do make it extra spooky. Using a clear cup with a straw works just as well.
How To Play
This game is played exactly as you would think. Vampires must drink the blood. The first vampire to drink all the blood wins!
Headless Horseman
In this simple game, players will have to compete to be the first to complete a relay with a pumpkin on their head just like the headless horseman!
Supplies
- Pumpkin – I recommend using a plastic pumpkin because if it drops, it’s not going to break open. You can, however, use a real pumpkin with the bottom cut out and the cuts removed (so it sits on their head) as well.
Setup
Place one pumpkin per person on a table (or just on the ground) on one side of a large area like a yard or large room. Use either cones or pumpkins to setup obstacles that players have to go around on their walk back.
Then tape a starting line on the other side of the area.
How To Play
For this game, the players have to race to the table to get their pumpkins and put it on their head. They then have to race back to the starting line with the pumpkin balanced on their head, going around the obstacles as they go.
If they drop the pumpkin, they have to go back to the starting line. The first player to cross the finish line with the pumpkin still on their head wins.
Werewolf Game
In this game, werewolves will have to get dressed and shed their clothes to win a point for their team!
Supplies
For this game, you’ll need a bucket of random clothing that’s setup at one end of a room. Make sure you have large sizes of the following and at least one for each player playing the game:
- Stretchy pants/shorts
- Shirts
- Sweatshirts/cardigans
- Coats/Jackets
- Hat
- Scarves
- Gloves/mittens – paired together
How to Play
Place the random bucket of clothing at one end of the room you’ll be playing in and all the players have to stand at the other end.
When you say go, players have to run on all fours down to the bucket, grab a piece of clothing, bring it back to the starting line, and put it on. Once it’s on, they can go back to the bucket of clothing to get another piece.
Once they’ve dressed themselves in all of the following, they can start the second half of the race – removing a piece of clothing and returning it to the bucket.
- Stretchy pants or shorts
- Shirt
- Sweatshirt or cardigan
- Jacket/coat
- Hat
- Scarf
- Glove or mittens
The first person to get dressed then get undressed again wins a point for their team!
Prize Ideas
Since these are team games, I recommend using prizes for the teams that can be split or equally enjoyed among the team. Or just get a prize for every member of the team!
We actually did cash but you could also do gift cards, Halloween movies, Halloween movie tickets, bags of candy, or really anything Halloween themed that can be shared by a group!
More Team Halloween Games
If you want more games that you could play as part of this tournament of terror, you could also try any of these games that work in teams!
- Pumpkin hunt – the first team to find all of the pumpkins wins!
- Roll a Jack O Lantern – first team to roll their entire Jack O Lantern wins! Make it a race like we did with our roll a rainbow game!
- Monster match printable game – give each team one of these printable games and see who can get the right answers first without getting any help! There’s a word bank so it’s just a matter of speed, not knowing the right answer!
- Name That Tune – play Halloween name that tune and the first team to get 10 songs first wins!
- Halloween reverse charades – play one of my favorite party games with a Halloween twist and the first person to get 10 correct wins!
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