
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Betrayal at House on the Hill: Widow's Walk
- 3–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2016

2004
Rules assistance for Betrayal at House on the Hill
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a board game released in 2004 for 3–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Rob Daviau, Mike Selinker, Bruce Glassco, Teeuwynn Woodruff, and Bill McQuillan and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling.
Betrayal at House on the Hill quickly builds suspense and excitement as players explore a haunted mansion of their own 'design', encountering spirits and frightening omens that foretell their fate. Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile game that allows players to lay out the haunted house room by room, tile by tile, creating a new game board every time. The game is designed for three to six people, each of whom plays one of six possible characters. Players explore the haunted house, gathering items and discovering secrets, until one of the characters triggers a haunt and a monster hunts the rest of the party. The innocent members of the party must defeat the monster in their midst before the monster gets them! With 50 possible haunts and variable character powers each game, the games has great replayability.
Betrayal at House on the Hill supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Betrayal at House on the Hill is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Betrayal at House on the Hill for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Betrayal at House on the Hill has a complexity rating of 2.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Betrayal at House on the Hill belongs to these categories: Horror, Exploration, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Betrayal at House on the Hill are: Rob Daviau, Mike Selinker, Bruce Glassco, Teeuwynn Woodruff, and Bill McQuillan. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Betrayal at House on the Hill as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.