5 Games Like Betrayal at House on the Hill
Betrayal at House on the Hill is adapted from the popular scary movie of the same name.
Horror fans revel in this strong, spooky theme, but the game provides much more than just a chilling vibe. Betrayal at House on the Hill appeals to those seeking adventure, role-playing, and both cooperative and competitive scenarios.
The mechanics may seem complicated at first, but things start to flow after a couple of rounds. The game allows for fun interactions between characters in teamwork and attacks. For a heavily-themed game, it actually provides a lot of light-hearted fun.
The tile-based mansion is constructed differently in each game. Along with 50 sinister scenarios, this allows for an unpredictable edge and high replayability.
There are many reasons to enjoy this board game. And if you do, you might also want to try these 5 Games Like Betrayal at House on the Hill.
Read on to find out how they’re similar and which catches your attention. You never know. Your next favorite game might be lurking just around the corner.
- Dead of Winter
- Arkham Horror
- Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate
- Above and Below
- Mansions of Madness
#1. Dead of Winter
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 60-120 minutes
Stay alive in the Dead of Winter. In this post-apocalyptic world, flesh-eating monsters run rampant, and survival of the fittest lives strong. To top it off, it’s winter, and the harsh elements are not working in your favor.
This game has a solid theme, and there are both cooperative and competitive elements. Players lead a collective of followers in a fight to survive. Work together to achieve a group objective while also completing secret individual goals.
Each objective comes with a narrative, building the background of your story and the game’s overall theme.
Moving is a bit of a catch-22. It puts your followers at risk for disease and zombie bites. But you’ll need to travel to scavenge for much-needed supplies. If you complete the group goal along with your own, you win.
Do you have what it takes to make it through winter? There’s only one way to find out!
#2. Arkham Horror (Third Edition)
Players: 1-6
Playing time: 120-180 minutes
It’s the roaring 20s in the city of Arkham. However, unearthly creatures are creeping in. You must squash these evil powers by completing goals as a team.
The setup is more labor-intensive than Betrayal at House on the Hill, but the game’s overall mechanics are similar. You are detectives with unique abilities and traits that can be weakened throughout the game. Travel the board, test skills, and take actions. The game is played over a series of rounds that involve exploration and interaction with the monsters.
Arkham Horror is a cooperative, American-style game involving characters risking strength with a roll of the dice. Hold onto your sanity and your lives. If you can do this and complete your mission – consider yourself lucky!
#3. Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate
Players: 3-6
Playing time: 60 minutes
Another board game, another betrayal!
From the same creators as Betrayal at House on the Hill comes Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate. This newer game has a more fantasy-based theme but still contains spooky elements like creepy catacombs and deathly squares.
The gameplay is more or less the same as Betrayal at House on the Hill. You start cooperatively, then at one point – a Traitor is named. Secret narrative objectives are given to both the Traitor and the group. Move around the board and use your skill and strength to battle evil.
There are some slight differences between the versions. The Baldur’s Gate board only has two levels to construct. Playing pieces and characters get a bit of an upgrade with more detail. The likelihood of heroes winning also seems to be higher.
Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate is for you if you enjoy the original game mechanics but want a slightly more fantasy-style approach.
#4. Above and Below
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 90 minutes
Your homeland has been destroyed, and you are forced to forge on searching for new pastures. However, you are in luck! You’ve found the perfect, fertile land to build your new community. So you better get started.
Choose from your collection of quirky characters to complete tasks, building the land above and cohabitating with the odd tunnel-dwellers below. You’ll need to gather resources to develop your region, but adventuring underground means you will encounter some tricky situations.
The narrative elements provide more choice than Betrayal at House on the Hill – players make decisions that, in turn, guide their fate. The game is competitive and point-based. The player with the most well-developed village wins.
Above and Below combines worker placement, engine-building, and story-telling elements. Yet another strong theme here, but with less player interaction and more individual strategy.
#5. Mansions of Madness
Players: 1-5
Playing time: 120-180 minutes
Welcome to another haunted house to explore!
The artwork is also fantastic in Mansions of Madness. However, the blueprint-style map is laid out at the beginning of the game and remains the same throughout.
Like Betrayal at House on the Hill, Mansions of Madness is a combo of cooperative and competitive. It’s the mansion’s Keeper versus a team of Investigators. A Keeper’s goal is to prevent Investigators from overtaking the evil that lurks throughout the mansion. Investigators must get to the bottom of the mystery. Handbooks detail the scenario and specific goals for each side.
Mansions of Madness takes much longer to play than Betrayal. Comparatively, it’s an intense game involving more in-depth strategy and a heavier role-playing experience.
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of 5 games like Betrayal at House on the Hill! If you enjoyed any of these games, we can assure you that you’ll love these other titles too: Mysterium, Betrayal Legacy, Tsuro, and Gloomhaven.
Have you tried any of the games on this list? How did you think they stacked up to Betrayal at House on the Hill? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.
