The Best Family Board Games
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A Simple StarterLabyrinthRead more
Cute, Dangerous CatsExploding KittensRead more
Trade and BuildCatanRead more
Cooperative CardsThe Crew: Mission Deep SeaRead more
It’s good to take a break from screens every now and then. The great outdoors has plenty to offer, but there are times when you’re stuck inside for one reason or another. Board games are a fun way to gather everyone around the table to engage in some group escapism.
My family has had a board game night most weeks for a couple of years now, and we’ve discovered some great games. These are our favorites, selected with the help of my two kids, ages 10 and 13. We didn’t include board game classics you probably know all about (or own), like Clue, Monopoly, Connect 4, Scrabble, Operation, Chutes and Ladders, Battleship, Jenga, Guess Who, Pictionary, and Risk. For more ideas, check out our list of the Best Board Games to Play Over Zoom.
Updated May 2023: We added Catan and League of the Lexicon, and updated prices throughout.
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- Photograph: Ravensburger
A Simple Starter
LabyrinthOne of the first board games we played together as a family, Labyrinth is simple enough for anyone to grasp. The board is a maze, and you must collect a set of treasures based on the cards you’re dealt. The fun part of this game designed by a German psychologist, is how you can change the maze by pushing one tile onto the board and another off every turn. Carve out a route for yourself, but also consider how to block your opponents.
- Photograph: Exploding Kittens
Cute, Dangerous Cats
Exploding KittensThis deceptively simple card game is easy to pick up but has layers of strategy as you try to avoid exploding kitten cards. It combines fun elements from classic card games, like Old Maid, and adds a modern twist. There’s just enough complexity to make things fun, but never so much that it gets confusing. The card art features some cute, and not so cute, cats with all sorts of special powers to turn the tables on your opponents. When it starts to get old, the expansions do a great job of breathing new life into the game.
- Photograph: Amazon
Trade and Build
CatanFormerly known as Settlers of Catan, this addictive strategy game challenges you to gather and trade resources to build and settle a randomly generated board of hexagonal tiles. To dominate the map and gain enough points for a victory requires the right strategy and a bit of luck with dice rolls. My eldest (13) loves this game, especially the trading portion and the robber mechanic, which allows you to steal cards from your opponents and block their resources (though it can cause arguments). It works well with three or four players, is easy to grasp, and you can finish a game in an hour. There’s plenty of replay value, and a wide range of expansions. For younger players, there's a junior version of Catan that's suitable for players starting in kindergarten.
- Photograph: Thames and Kosmos
Cooperative Cards
The Crew: Mission Deep SeaThis clever card game is a cooperative trick-taking challenge for three to five players with tons of replay value. Each game of The Crew features an underwater mission with a brief background story, and they gradually grow in difficulty and complexity. For mission success, you have to complete a set of tasks, which requires some cooperation, but you aren’t allowed to discuss the cards in your hand. It’s easy to learn, quick to play, and highly addictive.
- Photograph: Z Man Games
For Working Together
PandemicIt feels a little strange playing Pandemic after recent events, but the beauty of this game is that it’s cooperative. Each player has a role, and you work together to eradicate four deadly diseases before humanity’s fate is sealed. It’s often exciting, encouraging communication and group strategy. The key to success is taking advantage of each player’s unique abilities, and you can complete a game in less than an hour. There are also some deep expansions if your family likes it.
- Photograph: Pegasus Spiele
For Detectives
MicroMacro: Crime CityRefreshing and unlike anything we’ve played before, MicroMacro: Crime City is a cooperative game about solving crimes for up to four players, but it also works as a solo game. Plenty of space is needed to unfurl the city map and move freely around it with the magnifying glass hunting for suspects and clues. There’s a Where’s Waldo element to the hunt, but it’s combined with loose narratives that take you through each crime scene, unraveling the mystery step-by-step as you work together to track down the culprit. Discussing theories is a big part of the fun here, and cases take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to solve. While younger kids will enjoy it, the game is recommended for ages 12 and up because some cases deal with adult topics. There isn’t much replay value here, but the sequel MicroMacro: Crime City - Full House ($28) offers fresh cases on a new map.
- Photograph: The City of Games
For Cat Lovers
The Isle of CatsBeautifully designed and completely unique, Isle of Cats is an instant hit with cat lovers like my daughter. You must rescue cats and fit them onto your boat, Tetris style, to escape from the island before the baddie turns up. You need fish to tempt them aboard, and there are lots of cards to add layers of strategy. It can seem overwhelmingly complex in the beginning, but after a few rounds it all makes sense. We preferred the full game to the simplified rules, though scoring is quite complicated, and you’ll want to set aside a few hours.
- Photograph: Pegasus Spiele
Push Your Luck
Port RoyalAs merchants trying to build an influence in the Caribbean you must first amass a fortune, recruit a crew, complete expeditions, and capture ships. The base game features a 120-card deck with lovely artwork, and is easy to pick up. The big hook here is the gamble as you decide when to stop drawing cards. Push your luck too far, and you lose out on that round. The mix of cards allows for many strategies, but young kids (maybe 7 or 8 years and up) can grasp the gameplay and compete. It’s for two to five players (we found it perfect for four), and games come in under an hour. There are several expansion packs if you enjoy the base game.
- Photograph: Blue Orange
For Budding Strategists
KingdominoBuild a 5 x 5 tile kingdom around your castle using randomly drawn tiles that connect just like dominoes in this light and speedy game. Each piece of matching terrain scores you a point, multiplied by the crowns on the tiles you chose. It is simple enough for younger kids to grasp but still offers some room to try different strategies. You can play with up to four players, but we like it best with two.
- Photograph: Exploding Kittens
Caveman Chuckles
Poetry for NeanderthalsThis daft party game from the makers of Exploding Kittens is fun for groups of all ages. Every card has a word on it, and your seemingly simple challenge is to get your team to correctly guess that word within the time limit by speaking in single syllables only. If you break the rules, the opposition can hit you with the inflatable “No” stick. It’s loud and silly and usually makes everyone laugh.
- Photograph: Days of Wonder
For Something More Complex
Ticket to RideWith lovely steam engine styling and rules even young kids can quickly understand, Ticket to Ride is a wonderful introduction to more complex board games. The aim of this German-style game by beloved publisher Days of Wonder is to claim different railway routes across the US and Canada using your colorful plastic rail cars. You spend cards to claim routes, and there are bonus points for connecting certain destinations. The European version adds ferries and tunnels, and there are lots of other expansions. The only downside is that my wife always wins. (There's also a version called First Journey that shortens and simplifies the gameplay for younger kids.)
- Photograph: Big Potato Games
For Big Bluffers
The ChameleonThere’s a topic card with 16 words, and a dice roll determines the chosen word. One player gets the Chameleon card. Their mission is to avoid detection, but the catch is that they don’t know which word was chosen. Each player says a related word then everyone votes to try and expose the bluffer. It is a quick and easy party game for up to eight players and always has our kids chortling with glee. While you can play with three, it’s best with more players (six or seven is perfect). Some topics can be tricky for younger kids, but you can write your own topic card.
- Photograph: Spin Master Games
Ask Your Questions
HedbanzMy kids find this game hilarious, and we used to play it a lot when they were younger. It’s a simple idea: The other players choose a card and stick it into your headband facing out without letting you see it. You have a limited time to ask questions and figure who or what you are. We used to play an adult version of this in college by writing on cigarette papers and sticking them to each other’s heads, but this version is completely family-friendly.
- Photograph: Megacoprin Games
Murder Mystery
Awkward GuestsWhen you have played Clue to death and crave a more challenging murder mystery game, try Awkward Guests. The aim is to solve the murder of the thoroughly unpleasant Mr. Walton by figuring out who killed him, where they did it, what they used, and whether they had an accomplice. But there’s more depth to this deductive game, as you must collect and swap clues. The information exchange is a tactical balance between amassing knowledge and hiding juicy clues from your competitors. Recommended for kids aged 12 years and up, but some younger children will enjoy this too.
- Photograph: Ravensburger
Monster Mash
HorrifiedCan you save the town from classic movie monsters like Dracula, the Mummy, and the Bride of Frankenstein? This title pits up to five players against a revolving cast of monsters. Each villain behaves differently and can only be banished when you work together to defeat them. There's tons of replay value as you work out the best strategy to save the town, the villagers, and yourselves. Cooperative play like this can also help you avoid arguments on family board game night. If you enjoy Horrified, you should also try Horrified: American Monsters ($45) and Alien: Fate of the Nostromo ($30), though both may prove a little too scary for younger kids.
- Photograph: USAopoly
Sketch and Laugh
TelestrationsLoosely based on the classic Telephone game, Telestrations challenges you to draw words or phrases and identify sketches as you pass erasable books around the table. By the time they get back to their owner, signaling the end of the round, the original words have often morphed into something wildly different. This party game gets everyone involved, and going through the sketchbooks to follow the journey is often hilarious. It’s recommended for between four and eight players aged 12 years and up, but it works best with at least six players, and our 9-year-old daughter loved it.
