Home News > Arkham Horror Board Game: Ultimate Buying Guide

Arkham Horror Board Game: Ultimate Buying Guide

by Zoey Apr 18,2025

The Arkham Horror universe offers a diverse range of board games that cater to various play styles and preferences. In this comprehensive buying guide, we'll explore the different families of board games within this iconic franchise. For those interested in the deck-building card games within the Arkham Horror universe, be sure to check out our dedicated Arkham Horror: The Card Game Buying Guide.

Arkham Horror is a long-established series of horror board games that immerse players in thrilling, cooperative missions requiring teamwork and strategic communication to achieve victory. Each game offers multiple pathways shaped by the roles, expansions, and campaigns you choose, providing a rich and varied gaming experience. These games are also excellent for solo play, perfect for those times when you can't gather a group for an extended gaming session.

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Arkham Horror (3rd Edition)

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Arkham Horror: Under Dark Waves Expansion

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Arkham Horror: Secrets of The Order Expansion

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Arkham Horror: The Dead of Night Expansion

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Elder Sign

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Elder Sign: The Gates of Arkham Expansion

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Elder Sign: Omens of the Pharaoh Expansion

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Elder Sign: Unseen Forces Expansion

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Elder Sign: Grave Consequences

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Elder Sign: Omens of Ice

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Elder Sign: Omens of the Deep

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Mansions of Madness (2nd Edition)

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Mansions of Madness: Path of The Serpent Expansion

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Mansions of Madness: Beyond the Threshold Expansion

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Unfathomable

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Unfathomable: From the Abyss Expansion

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Eldritch Horror

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Eldritch Horror: Mountains of Madness Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Under the Pyramids Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Masks of Nyarlathotep Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: The Dreamlands Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Forsaken Lore Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Strange Remnants Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Signs of Carcosa Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Cities in Ruin Expansion

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Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game - Hungering Abyss Starter Set

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Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying - Game Core Rulebook

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If you're eager to dive straight into the catalog of games and expansions, feel free to scroll through the list above. For a deeper understanding of how these items interconnect within the expansive Arkham Horror universe, continue reading.

Arkham Horror: The Board Game

Arkham Horror (3rd Edition)

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MSRP: $65.95 USD
Players: 1-6
Playtime: 2-3 hours
Ages: 14+

Arkham Horror is a cooperative board game where players team up to confront various horrors. As one of six investigators, you'll navigate through Arkham to solve mysteries and battle terrifying creatures. With multiple campaigns to explore and a significant luck element driven by dice rolls, the game offers high replayability. However, it's not an easy game; setup and teaching can take time, and gameplay can extend over multiple hours. My first experience with friends on the easiest campaign was a disaster, and solo play was equally challenging. The satisfaction of completing your first successful game is truly rewarding.

Arkham Horror: The Board Game Expansions

Arkham Horror: The Board Game has three expansions that add depth and variety to the base game.

Arkham Horror: Under the Dark Waves Expansion

Arkham Horror: Under Dark Waves Expansion

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MSRP: $59.99 USD
Players: 1-6
Playtime: 2-3 hours
Ages: 14+

This expansive addition, Under the Dark Waves, dives into aquatic horrors with eight new investigators and four new scenarios, taking you from the city to the sea.

Arkham Horror: Secrets of the Order Expansion

Arkham Horror: Secrets of The Order Expansion

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MSRP: $44.99 USD
Players: 1-6
Playtime: 2-3 hours
Ages: 14+

The Secrets of the Order expansion introduces three new scenarios and three new investigators, expanding your exploration to French Hill, where ghosts and monsters await.

Arkham Horror: The Dead of Night Expansion

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MSRP: $32.99 USD
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 2-3 hours
Ages: 14+

The Dead of Night expansion offers two new scenarios and four new investigators, providing additional content at a more affordable price point.

Other Arkham Horror Board Games

Beyond the main Arkham Horror board game, several other titles offer unique adventures within the Arkham universe. These standalone games don't require the base game and come with their own expansions.

Elder Sign

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MSRP: $39.99 USD
Players: 1-8
Playtime: 1-2 hours
Ages: 14+

Elder Sign is a dice-rolling game that's part of the Arkham Files franchise. It's an accessible game for one to eight players, where the core mechanic revolves around dice rolls to complete tasks and solve mysteries before time runs out. It comes with six physical expansions to enhance your gameplay.

Elder Sign Expansions

Elder Sign: The Gates of Arkham Expansion

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Elder Sign: Omens of the Pharaoh Expansion

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Elder Sign: Unseen Forces Expansion

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Elder Sign: Omens of the Deep

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Elder Sign: Grave Consequences

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Elder Sign: Omens of Ice

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Elder Sign has six expansions: Unseen Forces, Gates of Arkham, Omens of Ice, Grave Consequences, Omens of the Deep, and Omens of the Pharaoh. Grave Consequences is a standalone deck that can be played independently or with the core game. The last expansion was released in 2018, with no new releases announced since.

Mansions of Madness (2nd Edition)

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MSRP: $109.95 USD
Players: 1-5
Playtime: 2-3 hours
Ages: 14+

Mansions of Madness (2nd Edition) is an app-driven dungeon crawler set in the same universe as Eldritch Horror and Elder Sign. It supports one to five players and uses an app to guide the narrative and gameplay. The combination of physical components and the app creates an engaging experience, allowing you to pause and resume games at your convenience.

Mansions of Madness Expansions

Mansions of Madness: Path of The Serpent Expansion

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MSRP: $69.99 USD
Players: 1-5
Playtime: 2-3 hours
Ages: 14+

This expansion takes you into the jungle to face serpents and Lovecraftian horrors, guided by the app. It requires the base game to play.

Mansions of Madness: Beyond the Threshold Expansion

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MSRP: $39.19 USD
Players: 1-5
Playtime: 2-3 hours
Ages: 14+

Beyond the Threshold adds two new investigators, two new scenarios, and an insanity gameplay element, making it an accessible and affordable expansion.

Unfathomable

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MSRP: $64.99 USD
Players: 3-6
Playtime: 2-4 hours
Ages: 14+

Unfathomable is a social deduction game where players attempt to escape a sea filled with monsters. It's best suited for groups of five or six, with one player secretly acting as a traitor. The game offers a unique experience reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica but set in a Lovecraftian world.

Unfathomable: From the Abyss Expansion

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This expansion adds new prelude cards, three new monstrous horrors, and additional skills, items, and boon cards, enhancing the base game's variety.

Eldritch Horror

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MSRP: $59.95 USD
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 1-3 hours
Ages: 14+

Eldritch Horror offers a global adventure where players travel worldwide to complete objectives. It's more accessible than Arkham Horror with quicker setup and simpler rules, focusing on strategy and puzzle-solving. The first game in the series was released in 2013.

Eldritch Horror Expansions

Eldritch Horror: Mountains of Madness Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Under the Pyramids Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Masks of Nyarlathotep Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: The Dreamlands Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Forsaken Lore Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Strange Remnants Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Signs of Carcosa Expansion

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Eldritch Horror: Cities in Ruin Expansion

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Eldritch Horror has eight expansions: Forsaken Lore, Mountains of Madness, Strange Remnants, Under the Pyramids, Signs of Carcosa, The Dreamlands, Cities in Ruin, and Masks of Nyarlathotep, each adding new elements to the game.

Other Ways to Play

Beyond traditional board games, the Arkham universe offers digital and tabletop role-playing options.

The Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game

Arkham Horror recently ventured into tabletop role-playing games with a starter set and a core rulebook.

Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game - Hungering Abyss Starter Set

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MSRP: $34.99 USD
Players: 2-4
Playtime: 1-3 hours
Ages: 14+

The starter set is perfect for beginners, offering a sample campaign and no need for an experienced Game Master.

Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying - Game Core Rulebook

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MSRP: $49.99 USD
Players: 2-6
Playtime: 1-3 hours
Ages: 14+

After trying the starter set, you can delve deeper into the universe with the Core Rulebook, which allows for more extensive TTRPG adventures.

Video Game Versions

A digital version, Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace, was released on Steam in 2021. It's a solo game similar to the Mansions of Madness board game expansion, available on Steam and Switch for $19.99. However, it received mixed reviews due to its storytelling. Elder Sign: Omens, another digital adaptation, is available on Steam and mobile platforms for $5.99 and has been well-received.

The Bottom Line

For fans of Lovecraftian mythos, the Arkham Horror series offers an immersive and varied gaming experience. Whether playing solo or with friends, each game provides a unique journey through the Lovecraftian worlds. However, these games are challenging, with significant elements of chance that can increase both replayability and frustration. Setup and learning times are considerable, but the rewards of mastering these games are well worth the effort.

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