This time of year is best spent with friends and family, and it’s even better if you can do so with a little less screen time. Board games are a classic and fun way to bring everyone together, and there are more to choose from now than ever before. Classics like Monopoly and Scrabble will always have their place, but dozens of newcomers can make your next game night unique. From word puzzles to whodunnits to calming playthroughs that showcase the beauty of the little things in life, there’s a board game out there that will suit every friend and family group you have. Below are some of our favorite board games (and new ones we want to play this year) that are great options to pick up before visitors start to come over for the holidays, and they make great holiday gifts, too.
I’m convinced the love of the classic whodunit is ingrained in my DNA. There are few things I love more than uncovering and deciphering clues in order to figure out who committed a grisly murder or a dastardly crime. Mysterium, therefore, is a board game after my own heart. It takes the classic Clue to the next level, while keeping the tenets of a whodunit intact. This cooperative board game takes players to Warwick Manor, where one person plays the slain victim’s ghost who attempts to point the rest of the group, playing as psychic investigators, towards the culprit. Unable to speak, the ghost player communicates with visions in the form of illustrated cards that others have to pick apart and use to decipher who killed them, where and with what weapon. If I could play this game all by my lonesome, I would, but I can’t deny that it’s much better played with friends or family on a dark, stormy night. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor
$44 at Amazon
If you ever played with those word refrigerator magnets back in the day, Ransom Notes will give you an instant shot of nostalgia. It also has what I think is the most important quality in a party game: no complicated rules, setup or explanation required. Each round starts with an open-ended question card, like “describe a frightening medical condition.” Players get a handful of magnetic word tiles that they then arrange into a (usually slightly nonsensical) answer to that round’s prompt. Each “ransom note” can be as elaborate (or not) as you want. You might have the perfect set of words to craft a plausible answer but, more often, you’ll have to get a little creative with your answer. Sometimes, a word or two is all you need.
Either way, the mix of word tiles, which leans a bit on the PG-13 side but isn’t as foul-mouthed as more “adult” party games like Cards Against Humanity, is such that hilarity will almost certainly ensue. Officially, each round is supposed to have a “winner,” with the game ending after a predetermined number of rounds are finished. But it’s just as fun if you forget trying to keep score and just let everyone try to come up with the funniest and most random notes they can dream up. — Karissa Bell, Senior Reporter
$35 at Amazon
Wavelength is a fun party game where two teams compete to see if they’re in sync – or on the same wavelength – as their own team members. Included in the game is a large plastic wheel contraption that looks a lot like a speedometer. Someone spins the wheel and then opens a viewing slot to see where the needle lands. Then they’ll draw a category card with binaries (examples include Hot-Cold, Rough-Smooth or Sad Song-Happy Song), and then they have to give a clue that matches where the needle lands between the two extremes.
For example, if the needle was all the way on the Cold side, your clue would be something like “Ice.” Your team would then have to guess and turn the dial to where they think the needle is. The closer they get to the answer, the more points they score. As you might imagine, the fun of this game comes when the answer isn’t so obvious and is more subjective. In a Best/Worst Pizza Toppings category for example, “Pineapple” might be more acceptable to some people than others and players have to work together to figure out what the clue-giver’s intentions are. — N.L.
$31 at Amazon
If you have a loved one who always wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons but just couldn’t find the group or the time to play it, then Freelancers is the game for them. This story-filled board game is essentially a choose-your-own-adventure take on the fantasy RPG experience, complete with unique dice, magic spells and murderous monsters. And while Dungeons & Dragons requires a game master, Freelancers uses a companion app that handles all of the storytelling for you – complete with voice narration and a soundtrack. There’s little to no prep needed and the rules are super simple, so this game is also ideal for beginners. — Nicole Lee, Former Reporter
$59 at Amazon
Do you know someone who is a Wordle savant, to the point where they might find the popular NYT word puzzle a little too easy? Then consider giving them Fiction this holiday season. Fiction is like Wordle, but with a deceptive twist: the clue-giver (or the Lie-braran as the game calls it) is required to lie about one of the letters in the five-letter secret word. The other players have to team up to deduce the answer in ten guesses and two ten-minute time periods. — N.L.
$24 at Amazon
Fans of horror stories will adore Betrayal at the House on the Hill, where three to six players explore a haunted mansion, uncovering its secrets and hidden rooms. At first they’ll work together, but midway through the game, someone will reveal themselves as a – gasp! – traitor! The turncoat will join the dark side while the rest of the team has to figure out how to beat their former ally. The third edition of the game comes with 50 different haunting scenarios, which is more than enough to keep your loved ones entertained for several fun and spooky evenings. — N.L.
$43 at Amazon
Dominion is the OG deck-building game, but it continues to strike a wonderful balance of strategy, accessibility and replayability. Here’s how it works: Two to four players start with the same small set of cards. Each turn, everyone draws from their deck and buys new action, money and modifier cards from a shared market. The idea is to create a deck that makes it easier to acquire more “victory” cards than your opponents before supplies run out. Exactly how you optimize (or fail to optimize) is on you; there are a million different routes you can take, depending on how the board is set up, and your plans morph as everyone’s decisions stack onto one another. Two games rarely play out the same way as a result.
Figuring out how to play Dominion “well” can be tricky at first, and the medieval theming is admittedly very nerdy (albeit in a fun way). But stick with it and you’ll come to see why this particular game helped birth an entire genre. It’s also worth noting that you can play the base game for free online if you want a better sense of how it works. If you dig it, you can tack on up to 16 (!) different expansions that add even more variables to the proceedings. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter
$48 at Amazon
Remember that movie (and book) We Bought A Zoo? Whether you do or not, here’s a game that helps your loved ones live out that fantasy. In Ark Nova, up to four players will compete against each other to plan and design the most successful zoo. They’ll have to build enclosures, acquire animal attractions from around the world, and support conservation projects to ensure the survival of animal habitats. With over 125 unique animal cards, your loved ones will almost never play the same game twice. — N.L.
$50 at Walmart
Perhaps you have a loved one who wouldn’t mind playing tabletop games, but isn’t into nerdy themes like fighting monsters or defeating zombies? Or maybe he or she is simply a fan of nature? Then Wingspan could very well be the gateway board game for them. This game has been on our list in the past, but we still recommend it as it’s a long-time favorite. In it, players are bird enthusiasts looking to discover and attract the best birds to their wildlife preserve. It comes with a super helpful quick start guide to help new players start playing without having to go through the whole rulebook (which, itself is pretty easy to understand).
The game is one of the most gorgeous we’ve seen, with beautiful pastel-colored egg miniatures, a dice tower that looks like a bird house, and thoughtfully arranged components; it even comes with a bird-decorated card holder. Plus, the game can be educational, as players learn a thing or two in the process about bird species, from the burrowing owl to the scissor-tailed flycatcher. — N.L.
$54 at Walmart
In Clank! Catacombs, you and your loved ones take on the role of treasure hunters exploring the catacombs of the skeletal dragon Umbrok Vessna. As you plumb the dungeon’s depths, you’ll uncover portals, shrines, ghosts, prisoners pleading you to free them, and, of course, treasure. You can grab the first prize you see and try to make it out alive, or you can go deeper for even more riches, but risk the wrath of the dreaded dragon. — N.L.
$60 at Amazon
Named after the Moorish decorative tiles of the Alhambra palace in Spain, Azul is a game where players compete against each other to create beautiful tiled mosaics. Two to four players take turns drafting colored tiles to their player boards with the goal of scoring as many points as possible while also preventing their opponents from doing the same. Extra points will be given to those who create particular patterns or collect sets of the same color. Easy to learn but tough to master, Azul is a great gift for those who are new to gaming or just anyone who enjoys strategic puzzles. — N.L.
$32 at Amazon
Marvel fans are sure to enjoy Marvel Dice Throne, a game where each player gets to be one of eight famous characters (Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Loki, Thor, Doctor Strange and Miles Morales’ Spider-Man). They then compete in a 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 2v2v2 or free-for-all battle where they play cards and roll dice in order to thwart the other players. In addition to attack moves, players can also activate unique abilities and upgrade their characters over time. Gameplay is relatively quick – just 20 to 40 minutes. — N.L.
$21 at Amazon
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
