Betrayal at House on the Hill third edition launches in 2022 with new scenarios and scares

Betrayal at House on the Hill third edition is coming this year, and it's a fresh spin on the beloved board game for adults that adds brand-new scenarios to go with updated miniatures and artwork. It's available for pre-order now at Entertainment Earth for $55.99 or via the official Hasbro Pulse site. You can also pre-order it from Hasbro UK for £41.99.

Due to launch on August 1, 2022, in the USA, and April 1 for the UK, Betrayal at House on the Hill third edition promises quality-of-life changes to a formula that first landed on our tables in 2004. As noted in publisher Hasbro's announcement post, this update goes "all out to revise the look and feel of the game, and to make sure horror [is] at the heart of every design". Besides fresh designs and six new character models you can paint yourself, the original 'Haunt' mechanics that decide your objective are changing too. Rather than wandering from room to room until something happens, you now choose one of five scenarios at the beginning of each game to explain why the players are here.

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These range from the disappearance of a friend to Scooby Doo-esque paranormal investigations, and they all feature a table that, when combined with Omen cards, will dictate your mission (as before, different pairings offer unique encounters). In other words, it's a streamlined version of classic Betrayal at House on the Hill that should make things a bit less confusing for newcomers.

Like the old Betrayal that features on our list of the best board games, Betrayal at House on the Hill third edition also makes use of traitor gameplay where one player might be revealed as a secret villain partway through. Don't think you've seen these storylines before, though; we're in for "50 unique and original haunts" that trigger under different circumstances. In addition, Hasbro is promising updates to the house that include "modern touches (such as spotty cell service… the horror!), a Reluctant Traitor rule, and numerous items, omens, and events original to this version".

It looks as if this updated take will be getting expansion packs, too. Talking to Polygon in an exclusive interview, senior director and product development lead at Avalon Hill (the studio behind Betrayal) notes that the third edition is being treated more as a game system like HeroQuest than a one-and-done boxset. As such, we should be getting new stories to tackle in the coming years.

Pre-order Betrayal at House on the Hill

Want to take a look at something else instead? Be sure to check out the latest board game deals below.

Would you prefer something a little more relaxed? Don't forget about the best cooperative board games or these board games for families. If you're in the mood for something spooky though, you can find more in our guide to cool Halloween board games.

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I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and now manage GamesRadar+'s tabletop gaming and toy coverage. You'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news.