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Family Game Night, Board Games & Party Games Everyone Loves
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items Friday game night is the one tradition that gets everyone in our house off their phones and around the same table. Over the years we have tested a lot of games, and these are the ones that keep coming back out: strategy board games for longer evening...
Sections
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Strategy Board Games for Longer Evenings
Fast Party Games for Big Groups
Puzzles, LEGO Builds & Classic Game Sets
Strategy Board Games for Longer Evenings
Easy to learn, hard to master board games that keep teens and adults hooked for a whole evening.
Catan is the game that turned our family into board game people. Trading wheat for sheep sparks the funniest negotiations at our table, and no two games ever play the same because the board changes every time. It is easy enough for our kids to learn ...
Catan Board Game
Ticket to Ride is the first game I recommend to families who are new to board games. You collect colored train cards and claim routes across the map, and the rules take about five minutes to explain. It is relaxed but still competitive, and my parent...
Ticket to Ride Board Game
Wingspan is the most beautiful game on our shelf, with gorgeous bird cards and little pastel eggs. Each player builds a wildlife preserve, and it quietly teaches us about real birds as we play. The swift start pack made learning so easy, and it has b...
Stonemaier Wingspan with Swift Start Pack
Pandemic is a cooperative game, so we all work together against the board instead of against each other. That makes it perfect when someone in our family hates losing to a sibling. Every round feels tense as we race to stop the outbreaks, and winning...
Pandemic Cooperative Board Game
Azul is the game I pull out when we have friends over who do not usually play board games. You draft colorful tiles to decorate a palace wall, and the chunky pieces feel so satisfying to hold. A round takes under an hour, the rules are simple, and th...
Azul Board Game
Carcassonne is our go-to game for two players on quiet weeknights. We take turns placing tiles to build a medieval countryside of roads, cities, and farms, and the map grows differently every time. It is simple to teach, quick to set up, and my partn...
Carcassonne Board Game
Splendor is a fast game about collecting gem chips and buying cards, and it is surprisingly addictive. The poker style chips are heavy and fun to stack, and a full game fits into about half an hour. It is a great bridge between simple family games an...
Splendor Board Game
Qwirkle is the game that works for every age at our table, from our youngest to my grandparents. You match wooden tiles by color or shape, a little like dominoes meets Scrabble without the spelling. It is quick to learn, the pieces feel nice, and it ...
Qwirkle Board Game
Fast Party Games for Big Groups
Quick, loud party games that get the whole room laughing, from teens to grandparents.
Codenames is the party game we bring to every holiday gathering. Two teams race to guess their secret words from one word clues, and the clues get hilariously creative. It works for four players or twelve, and it is the game that always gets our quie...
Codenames Party Game
Exploding Kittens is the card game our kids beg to play after dinner. The artwork is silly, the rounds are quick, and nobody knows when the exploding kitten card will show up. The party set works for bigger groups, so it is perfect for sleepovers and...
Exploding Kittens Card Game Party Set
Throw Throw Burrito is part card game and part dodgeball with squishy foam burritos. Every few rounds, everyone is suddenly ducking and throwing across the living room, and the laughter is loud. It is the most active game we own and a guaranteed hit ...
Throw Throw Burrito Dodgeball Card Game
Telestrations is like the telephone game with drawings, and it never fails to make us laugh until we cry. You sketch a word, the next person guesses it, and the chain gets wonderfully weird. Nobody needs to be good at drawing, which makes it great fo...
Telestrations Party Game
The family edition of What Do You Meme keeps the fun of the original without the adult humor. Everyone plays a funny caption card for a photo, and the judge picks a favorite. Our kids love it, and it is a great way to get the whole family laughing to...
What Do You Meme Family Edition Game
Bananagrams is the word game we pack for every trip because it fits in a small banana shaped pouch. There is no board, so everyone builds their own crossword grid as fast as they can. It is fast, it is portable, and it has quietly improved our kids' ...
Bananagrams Word Game
Pictionary Air lets you draw in the air with a light pen while everyone watches the picture appear on a phone screen. The kids versus grown ups cards are perfectly balanced, so our children actually win against us. It is a fun, modern twist on a clas...
Pictionary Air Kids vs Grown-Ups
Classic Jenga is the simplest game in our closet and one of the most played. The tension builds with every block until the tower finally crashes, and everyone cheers. It needs no instructions, works for all ages, and the hardwood blocks have held up ...
Jenga Classic Game with Hardwood Blocks
Puzzles, LEGO Builds & Classic Game Sets
Puzzles, LEGO builds, and beautiful classic sets for slower nights and cozy weekends.
A Ravensburger puzzle is always spread across our coffee table during the winter months. The pieces fit snugly with no annoying false matches, and the bright colors keep it fun instead of frustrating. It is the kind of slow, calm activity that everyo...
Ravensburger Color Burst Jigsaw Puzzle
The LEGO Botanicals Flower Bouquet was a relaxing build that my partner and I did together over two evenings. The finished flowers look lovely in a vase on our dining table, and they never wilt. It is a thoughtful gift for adults who want a creative ...
LEGO Botanicals Flower Bouquet
The LEGO Icons Bonsai Tree is one of the most satisfying builds I have done. It comes with pieces for green leaves or pink cherry blossoms, so I switch it with the seasons. It sits on my desk now and always gets a smile from visitors who do not reali...
LEGO Icons Bonsai Tree
The Game Gallery Luxe Edition chess set looks so nice that we leave it out on our coffee table. The weighted pieces feel solid, and the board is big enough for comfortable play. Our teenager started a nightly match with my partner, and it has become ...
Game Gallery Chess Set Luxe Edition
The Maison Lude mahjong set made learning mahjong feel special for our group of friends. The tiles are colorful and modern, and the starter set includes everything we needed to begin. It has turned into a monthly game night with neighbors, complete w...
Maison Lude Limited Edition Starter Mahjong Set
The Scrabble Deluxe Edition has a rotating board with raised grid lines, so the tiles never slide out of place. We can turn the board toward each player instead of reading words upside down. It feels like an heirloom version of the classic, and it li...
Hasbro Scrabble Deluxe Edition
Yahtzee is the dice game my grandparents taught me, and now we play it with our kids. It is quick to learn, a little lucky, and full of dramatic moments when someone finally rolls five of a kind. We keep it in the car for rainy vacation days too.
Yahtzee Classic Dice Game