13 Virtual Halloween Games for a Fun and Spooky Celebration
As the crisp autumn leaves fall and the days grow shorter, Halloween approaches with an irresistible allure. It's a time when ghouls and goblins come out to play, and creativity knows no bounds when it comes to costumes and festivities. However, in recent times, the way we celebrate has undergone a transformation, with virtual gatherings becoming more and more popular. While it might seem unconventional, hosting a virtual or hybrid Halloween party for your office can be a delightful and inclusive way to embrace the spirit of the season.
Even in a digital world, the essence of Halloween—fun, camaraderie, and a dash of spine-tingling excitement—can be experienced to the fullest, making your office Halloween celebration one for the books. So, grab your virtual broomsticks and prepare to dive into a world of eerie adventures and ghostly games that will keep your colleagues howling with delight. Here are our 13 favorite virtual Halloween games for your digital Halloween party.
Best Platforms for Virtual Halloween Games
All of these fun activities can be done on any video conferencing platform. Some of them work best with your participants at home or in a space where they can get up and move; others, like the trivia game and karaoke contest, may require free app integration and a little extra by the host. For the games that use a secondary app, we’ve made note of which ones work best in each description.
Virtual Halloween Party Prizes
To enhance the spirit of friendly competition amongst your group, you can offer small prizes. If you’ll be in person at some point, physical prizes like little trophies are easy to find– simply check out the dollar store. Candy is a totally appropriate Halloween prize, too! If you’re doing the games completely online, a small Amazon, Uber Cash, Postmates, or other gift card is a perfect no-contact prize. You can also whip up certificates in Canva or another image-making program to immortalize the winner’s bragging rights.
1. Virtual Haunted House Tour
Turn your Zoom call into a virtual haunted house tour. Encourage participants to decorate their backgrounds and dress up in their spookiest costumes. As the host, guide everyone through a series of themed rooms, each with its own spooky surprises. You can use virtual backgrounds, sound effects, and eerie lighting to create a truly haunting experience. To make it interactive, challenge participants to spot hidden objects or solve riddles along the way. This game is a great way to set the spooky mood for your Halloween celebration.
2. Halloween Trivia
Test your knowledge of all things Halloween with a fun trivia game. Create a series of Halloween-themed questions about movies, monsters, folklore, and more. Use a trivia platform like Kahoot! or Quizlet to host the game and invite participants to join. You can even offer prizes for the top scorers, like virtual gift cards or Halloween-themed goodies. Trivia games are a great way to engage with friends and family and learn some fascinating Halloween facts along the way. Kahoot! even has some pre-made Halloween trivia quizzes that you can use if you want.
3. Costume Contest
Halloween isn't complete without a costume contest. Encourage participants to dress up in their most creative, spooky, or hilarious costumes. Have everyone take turns showing off their outfits, explaining their characters, and maybe even performing a short skit. To keep it fair, you can have categories like "Best Overall Costume," "Funniest Costume," and "Scariest Costume" and let the participants vote for the winners. If you want to give your guests even more flexibility, let them dress up their pet instead! Prizes or bragging rights can be awarded to the winners, making it a memorable virtual Halloween party.
4. Haunted Virtual Escape Room
If you and your friends love puzzles and mysteries, consider trying an online escape room with a Halloween twist. There are free options online, but for a more immersive experience, you can go with a company that offers curated virtual escape room experiences. These can include spooky themes like haunted mansions, witches' lairs, and ghostly mysteries. You'll need to work together to solve puzzles, find clues, and escape before time runs out. It's a great way to challenge your problem-solving skills and bond with your fellow Halloween enthusiasts. Virtual escape rooms are also great team-building exercises, so this could be a great option for a virtual Halloween at work.
5. Halloween Bingo
Create custom Halloween-themed bingo cards filled with spooky items, monsters, and candies. There are lots of easy, free bingo card generators, like Bingo Bakery and My Free Bingo Cards. Share the cards with your participants and start calling out the items. You can use a random number generator or draw the numbers yourself. For extra fun, put the numbers in a fun Halloween prop like a small witch’s cauldron or even a bowl shaped like a spooky skull! Participants mark their cards as they spot the items. The first one to complete a row, column, or diagonal wins a prize. Bingo is a classic game that's easy to play virtually and adds a fun, competitive element to your Halloween celebration.
6. Werewolf
If you have at least seven people at your virtual Halloween party, you can play Werewolf! There’s even a Zoom app to make this game easier to play. Werewolf is a game where some players are werewolves and some are villagers. The werewolves want to eat the villagers, the villagers want to repel the villagers, and everybody has to try and guess who is who. Instead of handing out cards with roles on them, the moderator will secretly assign roles to each player using private messages. Roles typically include villagers, werewolves, and potentially special roles like the Seer or Doctor. The moderator will know the identity of each player's role, and you can use breakout rooms for the werewolves and villagers to make their guesses during each day phase of the game.
7. Pumpkin Carving Contest
Keep the Halloween tradition alive by hosting a virtual pumpkin carving contest. Participants can purchase pumpkins in advance and carve them while on the video call. You can set a time limit, and once everyone is finished, have a virtual pumpkin parade to showcase the creations. Let participants vote for their favorite pumpkin design, and the winner can receive a spooky prize or simply the satisfaction of being the pumpkin carving champion. Note that this one can get messy and time-consuming; to make it easier, you might want to specify mini pumpkins.
And if you want to do a totally virtual pumpkin carving contest, use the Cyber Pumpkin applet to keep the carving on your computer. Participants can share their screens to show off their digital gourd.
8. Pumpkin Decorating Contest
If carving pumpkins isn't an option for your virtual gathering, consider hosting a pumpkin decorating contest instead. Participants can purchase or create artificial pumpkins and decorate them in advance of the event. You can even go with On the video call, each person can showcase their uniquely decorated pumpkin. Encourage creativity and provide categories like "Spookiest Pumpkin," "Most Creative Pumpkin," and "Funniest Pumpkin." Participants can share their inspiration and the materials they used. After the presentations, hold a virtual vote to determine the winners in each category. This contest is a great way to showcase artistic skills and Halloween spirit.
9. Witch's Brew Challenge
Get ready to concoct some magical potions (and by potions, we mean mocktails or even cocktails) in the Witch's Brew Challenge. Ahead of the virtual gathering, provide participants with a list of ingredients they can use to make a spooky Halloween drink. These ingredients can include everyday items like orange juice, soda, food coloring, and gummy worms. During the virtual event, each participant will show off their creation, explaining what eerie elixir they've brewed up. Encourage creativity with names and presentations. After everyone has shared their potion, vote on the spookiest, most creative, or tastiest brew. The winner can receive a virtual "Witch's Brew Master" certificate.
10. Ghastly Scavenger Hunt
Host a virtual scavenger hunt with a Halloween twist! Create a list of spooky items or clues related to Halloween and share it with your participants. Participants will then search their homes to find these items or solve the clues and present them to the group via video call. You can include items like a carved pumpkin, a witch's hat, or even something as specific as a black cat plushie. For an extra challenge, set a timer and see who can find all the items first. It's a fun way to get everyone involved and keep the Halloween excitement alive. To set up the hunt, you can make a list in Google Docs, or use something that’s a little more immersive, like a scavenger hunt app like Goosechase or Scavify, to get people up and moving.
11. Monster Mash Dance Bash
Halloween wouldn't be complete without some dance moves to the Monster Mash! Encourage participants to dress up in their Halloween costumes and take turns showing off their dance moves. You can even create a Halloween-themed playlist filled with classic Halloween songs and spooky tunes. Participants can dance solo or with their pets, props, or even virtual backgrounds to add a creative twist. After everyone has danced their hearts out, have a virtual vote to determine the "Monster Mash Dance Champion." This game is all about having fun and celebrating in a lighthearted way. For an active group, it’s a total blast– but make sure that everyone is up for it, and don’t force people to dance if they don’t want to.
12. Halloween Karaoke Night
Unleash your inner rock star or scream queen with a virtual Halloween karaoke night. Compile a list of Halloween-themed songs, including classics like "Thriller" by Michael Jackson and "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. Participants can take turns performing their chosen Halloween hit while others cheer them on. You can use online karaoke platforms like KaraFun or Singa, or you can find karaoke versions of songs on YouTube that allow participants to sing along with lyrics on-screen. To make it even more engaging, encourage participants to dress up as the artist or character from the song they choose. You can even offer prizes for the most entertaining performances or the best costumes.
13. Mystery Mansion Murder Mystery
Turn your virtual Halloween gathering into an interactive murder mystery (think a giant, interactive game of Clue) set in a haunted mansion. Ahead of the event, assign each participant a character role with a unique backstory, motives, and secrets related to a spooky murder plot. You can find pre-made murder mystery scripts online (some of which are free) or create your own based on the theme of your virtual gathering. Participants should dress up as their assigned characters and join the video call in character. During the event, everyone takes on the roles of suspects and investigators. Each participant has to interact with others, exchange information, and uncover clues to solve the mystery. To make it even more immersive, use virtual backgrounds and eerie music to set the scene. As the game progresses, participants can share their findings and suspicions.
At the end of the event, reveal the solution to the mystery and see who correctly identified the murderer and the motive. You can award prizes to those who played their roles the best or solved the mystery, making it a thrilling and engaging way to celebrate Halloween virtually.
As our virtual Halloween adventure draws to a close, we hope you're brimming with inspiration and enthusiasm for your upcoming office bash. The virtual realm has opened up a world of possibilities for celebrating Halloween with your colleagues, whether you're miles apart or gathered in a hybrid setting. The magic of Halloween lies not just in the costumes and decorations, but in the memories created and the joy shared. So embrace the virtual Halloween experience with open arms, and let the laughter, surprises, and spooky moments unite your office in a way you never thought possible.
With these games at your disposal, you're well-prepared to host a spooktacular office Halloween party that will be talked about long after the last virtual pumpkin has been carved and the final werewolf has been unmasked– so when winter holidays roll around, your team will be eagerly awaiting a virtual winter party as well. When it’s time for that, why not start the holiday season with a White Elephant gift exchange game? With White Elephant Online, the setup is easy and the fun is guaranteed. Sign up for free and see how a virtual game can bring your team closer together.