Board games are a fantastic way to bring the family together and spend some quality time laughing, creating memories, and forming deep connections. But it can be hard to find games that everyone agrees on. There are tons of games out there in any theme you could think of, from food to animals to mystery.
Whether you’re looking for something to fill your weekly game nights, or looking for something to play on holidays, we’ve got something for you! Check out our list of the best family board games and card games for kids and adults to play.
Table of Contents
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Family Board Games
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
The Isle of Cats
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 60-90mins
You don’t need to be a crazy cat lady to enjoy this game. In The Isle of Cats, you’ll need to rescue as many cats as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives. But it’s not so easy as grabbing cats, bringing them to an arc and it’s all smooth sailing after that.
The game will involve exploring the island, finding treasure, rescuing cats, and learning lessons. Earn points by collecting matching sets of cats, gathering treasure, and completing objectives. Players can also lose points if they have rooms on the ship that aren’t completely covered, or if rats are visible on their ship.
This is a tile-placement game where each cat lies in a unique way (typical cats), and you’ll need to strategically lay your pieces in a puzzle-like form to cover the boat as much as possible. Returning to Squall’s End with an unfilled boat could be cat-astrophic. After 5 rounds, Lord Vesh arrives and the game is over. The player with the most points at the end wins!
This is the purrrfect game for the animal-lover in your family! Not to mention, your cat will love the box!
Codenames
Players: 2-8
Playing time: 15mins
In this game, you and your teammates will be playing secret agents as you use deduction skills and think unconventionally to crack the code.
Players will divide themselves into two teams — red versus blue. Then, twenty-five-word cards will be laid at the start of the game, each corresponding to the location of agents, innocent citizens, or the assassin. Only the leaders know who is in which position. They will give one-word prompts to their team as they try to find their own hidden agents without revealing their opponents. Fitting clues to more than one word can lead your team to a swifter victory.
But beware, there’s an assassin on the loose — and no one wants to run into him. Should you accidentally guess his codename, the game is over.
This game is pure entertainment and there are sure to be tons of laughs. Codenames is the perfect brain-teasing word game to break out on your next family game night or at a family reunion.
Disney Villainous
Players: 2-6
Playing time: 50mins
Mirror, mirror on the wall; who’s the evilest of them all? Don’t worry, we won’t tell that family member their name came up when you read that.
There are three sides to every story, and in this game, you’re getting the villain’s take. Each villain from Captain Hook to the Queen of Hearts has his or her own sinister ambition. And they’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.
The game tells a story as each villain has their own game board, fate cards, villain deck, and 3D piece. In a turn of events, you’ll use your turns to take down the protagonists of these cherished movies before they interfere with your evil plans and ruin everything.
Disney Villainous is simply a must-have for the Disney lover in your family — or their devious kin. It’s easy to learn and jam-packed with fun the whole family will love.
What Next?
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 30-60mins
Pack your bags, you and the family are going on an adventure!
From an old lady with a bazooka to gargantuan koalas chasing you through the jungle, you can be sure there won’t be a dull moment when playing this game.
But everyone will need to work cooperatively if you want to make it through. The road to victory will be full of potential perils meant to stop you in your tracks and prematurely end your escapade. Plus, the action cards will have you up and performing real-life physical challenges.
What Next? is much more than simply a “pick your adventure” game. With 3 adventures of varying difficulty and over 60 dexterity challenges within the game, you’ll need to practice mastering them.
Cooperative games are great for bringing the family together and this one will send you on a wild ride. Experiences with family are priceless. So, what are you waiting for? Adventure awaits.
Herd Mentality
Players: 4-10
Playing time: 20mins
Ahh, good old conformity. In this game, going with the herd is udderly encouraged and individuality will be punished.
The goal of this farm-themed game is to get all players to answer uniformly. The question wrangler will ask a question, and all players will write down their answers. Players who wrote the majority response will receive a cow token.
You’ll need to work at reading your family members so you aren’t the oddball out and earn yourself the angry pink cow. Play until a player collects 8 cows. If the angry pink cow is in your possession, you cannot win, even if you have 8 cows.
This game is a great way to get the family laughing together and also learn which member of the family will be asking for pineapple on their pizza. Herd Mentality is great for large groups, so you can even invite over your extended family — if you want to, of course.
Disney The Haunted Mansion: Call of the Spirits
Players: 2-6
Playing time: 30mins
Calling all brave ghouls and goblins to stay in Disney’s famed Haunted Mansion. This family-friendly board game brings the movie to life — umm — afterlife?
Explore all the countless rooms of the manor, earning points as you spend some quality time with the spooky spirit residents. Move about by means of the Endless Hallway and Séance Room. But beware of the hitchhiking ghosts. These mischievous spirits will follow you, forcing you to draw haunt cards, which will cost you points and potentially the game in the end.
Bring Disney the Haunted Mansion: Call of the Spirits to your next family game night for a hauntingly fun night the whole family will enjoy!
Labyrinth
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20mins
The race is on to find the treasure in this ever-changing puzzle! The gameboard itself operates as a moving maze, where some tiles are permanently attached to the board.
An additional tile is used to maneuver through the path, moving walls as you try collecting treasure, and obstructing your opponents’ paths to stop them from collecting their own.
As you add the moving game piece, the board changes, adding dimension and excitement to the game. Your mission will be determined by the cards you draw. The first person to claim all their treasures wins!
Labyrinth is a fun way to introduce strategy and decision-making skills to younger kids. Both younger kids and older players are sure to have an a-maze-ing time with this game. Plus, there are tons of different versions like Harry Potter, Pokemon, and Super Mario!
Horrified
Players: 1-5
Playing time: 60mins
Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy — oh my!
In this cooperative game, the most legendary monsters of all have come together to attack your town. You and the other players will need to work together to defeat them! But of course, these monsters aren’t going down without a fight.
Each of them has its own special abilities, and you’ll need to figure out how to defeat each of them. Each player also takes the role of a hero such as the mayor, scientist, or archaeologist, who also have unique abilities.
The game varies in difficulty depending on how many monsters you add and which ones you choose. All monsters are not created equally.
This game is particularly great for the horror lovers in your family, or if it happens to be Halloween time. It comes complete with miniatures of the monsters, so you can watch as they torment the town.
MicroMacro: Crime City
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 15-45mins
Grab your trench coat and magnifying glass, your investigation skills are needed in MicroMacro: Crime City.
With a name like Crime City, it should come as no surprise that crime has been running rampant through your town. Between robberies, murders, and everything in between, this job has gotten too big for the police.
You and the other players need to work together to solve the 16 cases. Use investigation and deduction skills to get to the bottom of these heinous crimes. Each case has its own set of cards that you’ll need to help you solve the crime. Use the map to gather clues and find evidence and motives.
This is a fantastic, engaging game that will get the whole family involved, and it’s easy to get sucked into the theme. Plus, with a quick playtime, you can solve more than one mystery on game night.
Sushi Go! Party
Players: 2-8
Playing time: 20mins
Dish up a delectable platter of maki, sashimi, and tempura, and bring the family around the table to play Sushi! Go! Party. The game is an expansion of the original Sushi! Go! Party, but offers new sushi options, and more opportunities to score.
Players will earn points by combing sushi and a la carte items, all of which have their own separate scoring abilities, to create irresistible dishes. The game uses a pick-and-pass mechanism, to keep the cards moving like an actual sushi conveyor belt.
Satisfy your hunger for family fun with this easy-to-learn, beginner-friendly game. The artwork is absolutely adorable, and after one game you’ll understand why this is one of the most in-demand family games.
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best family board games! Some of these games have been around for years — I even played games like Labyrinth when I was a kid! Great for both kids and adults, the family will enjoy years of fun quality time with these board games.
Have you tried any of the games on this list? Did we miss any of your favorite family board games? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.
Liz has no objections to being referred to as “nerdy.” Maybe it’s the educator in her — or her maturity level— but when it comes to board games, those best suited for children are the ones that spark her interest. When she’s not looking for the next game to incorporate into the classroom or play with her niece and nephew, you can find her trying out nature-themed games like Wildcraft or Trekking the National Parks.