Looking for something fun to do with the kids? How about playing a board game together? Board games are a brilliant way to spend quality time as a family – here are 22 of the best board games for families, recommended by MyKidsTime parents.
Don’t miss our best content straight to your inbox! Sign up now for our FREE newsletter packed with fun ideas and things to do with the kids, family-friendly recipes, expert advice, parenting tips and great competitions.
Playing a board game together is one of those simple family activities that always turns into more fun than you expect – it’s amazing how competitive everyone gets, no matter what age they are!
Whether you’re looking for ways to fill a rainy afternoon or planning a proper family game night, these are some of the best board games around, chosen because real families actually play – and love – them.
You may also enjoy: 15 Completely Different Board Games To Play With The Family
Best Board Games for Families
#1. Monopoly
Buy! Sell! “Go directly to Jail!” Buy real estate, collect rents and build hotels – but don’t go bankrupt as you wheel and deal in one of the world’s most popular board games ever published.
2–8 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#2. Scrabble
The classic crossword game that families have been enjoying for generations. Build crosswords for points, add to your score using the special spaces on the board, and if you manage to use all seven of your letter tiles in one turn, you’ll bag an extra 50 points!
There’s also a Scrabble Junior version for younger players.
2–4 players, ages 8+ (5+ for the Junior version)
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#3. Connect 4
A well-known vertical game played with coloured checkers. The board sits upright in its stand while players drop checkers into one of seven slots, aiming to be the first to get four in a row – horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
2 players, ages 5+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#4. Frustration
The aim of Frustration is to bring your four coloured pieces all the way around the board to “home”. The first player to do this wins. You need to roll a 6 to start a piece on its journey.
The frustration really sets in when you can’t get the roll you need, or a rival lands on your space and sends your piece all the way back to space 1 – even when you were almost at the finish line!
2–4 players, ages 5+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#5. Pictureka
Find it fast! Find it first! Pictureka puts an exciting, visual twist on everyone’s favourite game, hide and seek. Pick up a card and try to find the matching object among the nine game board tiles.
It’s finders keepers – you get the card if you spot the object fastest or first, but watch out, because the game board can change on any turn. Special mission cards instruct players to turn over, rotate or switch one of the nine tiles.
Players take turns rolling the dice, drawing a mission card and trying to find objects fast or first. Three different card decks keep things fresh – sometimes you’re matching an image, other times you’re hunting for something that fits a category, like “things that can fly.” Collect enough cards and you’re the Pictureka champion!
2–4 players, ages 6+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
—
Looking For More?
Don’t let the weather dampen the fun – we’ve also got 25 of the best indoor games for 8–12 year olds to keep everyone happy!
—
#6. Ludo
A simple but classic board game for two to four players, where you race your four tokens from start to finish according to the roll of the dice.
2–4 players, ages 4+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#7. Boggle
Boggle begins with a shake of a covered tray of sixteen cubic dice, each printed with a different letter on every side. The dice settle into a 4×4 grid so only the top letter of each cube shows.
From there, each player searches for words made from letters on sequentially adjacent cubes – “adjacent” meaning cubes that are horizontally, vertically or diagonally next to each other.
2+ players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#8. Articulate
Articulate is the fast-talking description game where players try to describe as many card entries as possible within 30 seconds – no “rhymes with” or “sounds like” allowed!
There’s also an Articulate for Kids version for ages 6+.
4+ players, ages 12+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#9. Rummikub
This is one of our family’s absolute favourite games – and it’s great for maths skills too!
Rummikub is played with 106 sturdy tiles. You need 30 points to make your first “meld,” and then, much like the card game Rummy, players build runs of the same colour (say, Red 7, Red 8, Red 9) or sets of the same number in different colours (Blue 8, Red 8, Black 8). First to get rid of all their tiles wins.
2–4 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
You may also enjoy: 15 Fun Card Games for Kids
#10. Cluedo
This popular murder-mystery deduction game remains one of the best board games around.
Players move around the game board (a mansion) as one of six characters, gathering clues to work out which suspect committed the crime, with which weapon, and in which room.
3–6 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#11. Dixit
Dixit is a multi-award-winning, beautifully illustrated game where imagination is the real main character. It tests logic, bluffing skill and powers of deduction, all with refreshingly simple rules.
Each round, one player becomes the storyteller and calls out a word or phrase describing one of their cards. The other players then pick a card of their own that best matches the clue. All the cards are revealed, and everyone votes in secret to guess which card belonged to the storyteller.
Dixit is simple, clever and genuinely great fun. It adapts to any age or language, and with expansion packs of extra cards, it never gets old – ideal for family game nights or an evening with friends.
3–6 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#12. Jungle Speed
Jungle Speed rewards keen observation, quick reflexes and a steady hand – not always easy to keep up during the fits of laughter this game tends to cause!
A wooden Totem sits in the middle of the table, waiting to be snatched up by whoever has the fastest reflexes. Each player gets a hand of cards, and the goal is to be first to get rid of them all. Every turn, players reveal a card each; if two match, those players race to grab the Totem, and the slower one takes on their rival’s cards.
Some cards are almost identical, tricking players into grabbing the Totem by mistake, while others force everyone to grab at once or change up the rules. Do you have the reflexes to win?
2+ players, ages 7+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#13. Villa Paletti
Long ago in Italy, a man named Paletti set out to build the tallest castle in the world. When he ran out of money partway through, he began taking columns from the lower floors to build higher ones instead – and somehow ended up with the Villa Paletti.
Can your family repeat his daring feat? Players try to get their own columns onto the highest level of the tower. The game ends when the Villa Paletti collapses, or when nobody can build any higher. It’s quick, tense and genuinely fun for the whole family.
2–4 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#14. Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a clever, absorbing tile-laying game for 2–5 players who build out the countryside around the southern French medieval city of the same name. Players lay roads, cities, cloisters and meadows, then deploy their “meeples” – farmers, knights, monks and thieves.
The rules are easy to pick up, and the game never gets boring, since the board is built fresh every time and there’s an endless number of tile combinations and strategies. A worldwide bestseller and multi-award winner, and a genuine must for any board game collection.
2–5 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#15. Jenga
The classic block-stacking, tower-crashing game! How will your family stack up against the law of gravity?
Stack the wooden blocks into a sturdy tower, then take turns pulling out blocks one by one until the whole thing comes crashing down. Is your hand steady enough to pull out the last safe block?
2+ players, ages 6+ (though younger kids can usually manage it too)
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#16. Hungry Hippos
Four hungry hippos are after the same bunch of marbles! The faster you press their tails, the more marbles they gobble up – whoever’s hippo eats the most wins.
It’s a great way to build hand-eye coordination in preschoolers. Start with just one marble in the middle for the littlest players, then add more as their skills improve.
2–4 players, ages 3+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#17. Guess Who
Another firm family favourite in our house!
It’s the flip-and-find face-guessing game you know and love. Each player secretly chooses a person, and the other has to guess who it is by asking yes-or-no questions – “Do you have brown eyes?” or “Are you wearing a hat?” Narrow it down, then make your guess.
2 players, ages 6+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#18. Candy Land
A classic that’s been delighting small children for generations. Choose your sweet character and dance your way along the rainbow path, through the Peppermint Forest and the Lagoon of Lord Licorice, all the way to Princess Frostine’s Ice Palace.
Watch out for the tiles that send you backwards as you race to King Kandy’s Castle. One of the best board games for preschoolers.
2–4 players, ages 3+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#19. Junior 30 Seconds
Junior 30 Seconds is billed as the “Quick Thinking, Fast Talking Irish Board Game.” Played best in teams (though it also works with two players taking turns if you don’t have a crowd), teams advance around the board by correctly guessing the names their teammates are describing.
You get 30 seconds to identify as many of the five names on the card as you can. Describers can use any clues they like, except the actual name on the card.
The first team to reach the FINISH square wins.
4+ players, ages 7+
#20. Pie Face
One of the more chaotic games on this list, Pie Face is filled with suspense – and somebody’s bound to get splatted! Load some whipped cream (or a wet sponge) onto the “hand” of the game unit and start turning the handle.
It could go off at any moment, so keep your fingers crossed that it’s not your turn to get creamed. Score a point for every safe turn, and the first to 25 points wins.
Note: whipped cream not included.
2+ players, ages 5+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
You may also enjoy: 10 Insanely Easy Ideas For a Fun Family Game Night
#21. Hearts (Online)
Hearts is a family favourite known for its mix of strategy and luck. Players exchange cards across several rounds, aiming to finish with the fewest points by strategically avoiding penalty cards – especially the dreaded Queen of Spades. Its online presence has made it more popular than ever, and it remains one of the most-played card games out there.
1–4 players, ages 8+
Available for free at Hearts.Land
#22. Spades (Online)
Spades is a strategic card game where players or teams bid on how many “tricks” they’ll win, aiming to be the first to reach 500 points.
It’s an excellent family game because it encourages teamwork, sharpens critical thinking, and gives everyone a fun, low-key way to spend time together with a little friendly competition thrown in.
1–4 players, ages 8+
Available for free at Spades.co
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best board game for a family with mixed ages?
Games with simple, quick rounds – like Connect 4, Jenga, Hungry Hippos or Guess Who – tend to work best when younger and older children are playing together, since everyone can join in without needing to read a rulebook first.
What’s a good board game for a rainy afternoon?
Anything quick to set up and quick to finish is ideal for filling a rainy day – Jenga, Pie Face, Ludo and Connect 4 are all easy to pull out on short notice and just as easy to pack away.
Are there board games for younger children on this list?
Yes – Candy Land and Hungry Hippos are both designed with preschoolers in mind, and Ludo works well for children from around age four.
Do we need a big group to enjoy these games?
Not at all. Several games on this list, including Cluedo, Rummikub and Hearts, work well with just two to four players, so a small family can still enjoy family game night.
Are any of these games good for building skills like maths or vocabulary?
Yes – Rummikub is great for number skills, while Scrabble and Boggle are both excellent for building vocabulary in a fun, low-pressure way.
More Family Game Ideas
If you enjoyed this list, you might also like:
- 15 Completely Different Board Games To Play With The Family
- 25 of the Best Indoor Games for 8–12 Year Olds
- 15 Fun Card Games for Kids
- 10 Insanely Easy Ideas For a Fun Family Game Night
Which of these best board games are your family’s favourites? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
Save this list for the next rainy day, or the next time you’re planning a family game night – there’s something here for every age and every mood.
Want more ideas like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free newsletter for weekly activity ideas, family recipes and things to do with the kids.
