Looking for something to do with the kids? How about playing a game together? Board games are a brilliant way to spend quality time together as a family – here are 22 of the best board games for families, recommended by MyKidsTime parents!
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Playing a board game is a really fun family activity – it’s amazing how competitive everyone gets, no matter what age they are! Whether you’re looking for ways to occupy the kids on a rainy day, or planning a family game night, these are some of the best board games around.
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Best Board Games for Families
#1. Monopoly
Buy! Sell! “Go directly to Jail!” Buy real estate, collect rents, build hotels – but don’t go bankrupt as you wheel and deal in one of the world’s most popular games ever published.
2-8 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#2. Scrabble
The classic crossword game that millions continue to enjoy after more than half a century.
Build crosswords for points, and add to your score by landing on the special spaces on the gameboard. If you can use up all seven of your letter tiles in one turn, you get an extra 50 points!
There is also a Scrabble Junior version available.
2-4 players, ages 8+ (5+ for Junior version)
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#3. Connect 4
The well-known vertical game played with “checkers”. The board sits in its stand and players drop checkers into one of the 7 slots, trying to get 4 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 4 coloured pieces around the board and safely home. The first player to do this wins. You need to roll a 6 to start a piece on its journey.
The frustration sets in when you can’t get the roll you need, or when a rival lands on your piece and sends it right back to the start – even if you were nearly home.
2-4 players, ages 5+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#5. Pictureka
Find it fast! Find it first! This is 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 9 gameboard tiles.
It’s finders keepers – you get the card if you spot the object fast or first, but watch out, the gameboard can change on any turn. Special mission cards instruct players to turn over, rotate or switch one of the 9 tiles.
Players take turns rolling the dice, drawing a mission card and racing to find objects fast or first. Three different card decks keep things exciting – some ask you to match an image, others ask for something in 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
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#6. Ludo
A simple but classic board game for two to four players, in which everyone races their 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 by shaking a covered tray of sixteen cubic dice, each with a different letter on every side. The dice settle into a 4×4 grid so only the top letter of each cube is visible.
Each player then searches for words that can be built from letters on cubes that touch – horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
2+ players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#8. Articulate
Articulate is the fast-talking description game. 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 a set of 106 tiles that are as durable as they are easy to handle. You need 30 points to “meld” and start the game, then, like the card game Rummy, players build runs of the same colour (e.g. Red 7, Red 8, Red 9) or sets of the same number (e.g. Blue 8, Red 8, Black 8). The first person to get rid of their tiles wins.
2-4 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
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#10. Cluedo
This popular murder-mystery deduction game is one of the best board games around!
Players move around the game board (a mansion) as one of the game’s 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 the main player is your imagination. It tests your logic, your ability to bluff and your powers of deduction, while keeping the rules to a minimum.
Each round, one player becomes the storyteller and calls out a phrase or word describing one of their cards. The other players choose a card from their own hand that best matches the clue. The cards are revealed and everyone votes secretly on which one belongs to the storyteller.
Dixit is simple, beautiful and great fun. It suits any age, and expansion packs mean 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
In Jungle Speed, you’ll need sharp observation and quick reflexes – and a steady hand, which can be hard to maintain amid the fits of laughter!
A wooden totem sits in the middle of the table, waiting for the player with the fastest reflexes to grab it. Each player is dealt a hand of cards, and the aim is to be first to get rid of all your cards. Each turn, players reveal a card; if two cards match, those players race to grab the totem, and the faster player passes their cards to their unlucky opponent.
Some cards look almost identical, tricking players into grabbing the totem by mistake, while others force everyone to grab at once or change the rules of play. 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 tried to build the tallest castle in the world. Before he could finish, he ran out of money and started taking columns from the ground floor to build higher levels above – the result was the amazing Villa Paletti. Can you repeat his daring feat?
Players try to get their own columns onto the highest possible level of the tower. The game ends when the Villa Paletti collapses, or when no one can build any further. Quick, fun and challenging for the whole family.
2-4 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#14. Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a clever and exciting tile-laying game for 2-5 players, set around the southern French medieval city of the same name. Players build roads, cities, cloisters and meadows, then deploy their “meeples” – farmers, knights, monks and thieves.
The rules are easy to learn, and the game never gets boring because the board is built from scratch each time, with endless combinations of tiles and strategies. A world bestseller and major award winner – a 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, stack-crashing game. How will you 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 block before it topples?
2+ players, ages 6+ (younger kids can usually master this too)
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#16. Hungry Hippos
The four hungry hippos want to munch a bunch of marbles! The faster you press their tails, the more marbles they try to chomp – whoever’s hippo gobbles the most wins.
This is a great way to build hand-eye co-ordination in younger children. Start with one marble in the middle for the littlest players, adding more as their skills improve.
2-4 players, ages 3+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#17. Guess Who
Another family favourite in our house!
It’s the flip-and-find face-guessing game you know and love. Each player chooses a character, and the other has to work out who it is by asking yes-or-no questions like “Do you have brown eyes?” or “Are you wearing a hat?” Once you’ve narrowed it down, make your guess.
2 players, ages 6+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#18. Candy Land
A firm favourite for generations, and one many parents remember fondly from their own childhood!
Choose your sweet character and make your way along the rainbow path to Peppermint Forest, the Lagoon of Lord Licorice and Princess Frostine’s Ice Palace.
Watch out for tiles that send you backwards as you race to King Kandy’s Castle to win. 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 the “Quick Thinking, Fast Talking” Irish board game. It’s ideally played in teams, though it works fine with two players taking turns if you don’t have enough people about. Teams advance around the board by correctly identifying the names their teammates are describing.
You have 30 seconds to identify as many of the 5 names as you can. Describers can describe the names any way they like, but can’t say 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 most popular games for family game night, Pie Face is full of fun and suspense – 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 handles.
It could go off at any moment, so keep your fingers crossed and hope you’re not the one who ends up pie-faced! Score a point for every turn you avoid a splat – first to 25 points wins.
PS: whipped cream not included.
2+ players, ages 5+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
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#21. Hearts (Online)
Hearts is known for its mix of strategic gameplay and a good dash of luck, making it a real family favourite. Players exchange cards across multiple rounds, aiming to finish with the fewest points by avoiding high-penalty cards – especially the Queen of Spades. Its online presence has made it one of the most-played card games around.
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 first to reach 500 points.
It’s an excellent family game – it encourages teamwork, sharpens critical thinking, and gives everyone a fun way to spend time together with a bit of friendly competition thrown in.
1-4 players, ages 8+
Available for free at Spades.co
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best board games for a family game night?
It really depends on the ages and interests in your house, but classics like Monopoly, Cluedo, Carcassonne and Rummikub are reliable crowd-pleasers, while quicker games like Jenga, Pie Face and Guess Who suit shorter sessions or younger players.
What board games are suitable for younger children?
Games like Hungry Hippos, Candy Land and Ludo are designed with younger children in mind, with simple rules and shorter playing times that keep little ones engaged.
Are there good board games for mixed-age family groups?
Yes – games like Dixit, Jenga and Guess Who work well across a wide age range because they rely on imagination, dexterity or simple deduction rather than complex strategy, so younger and older family members can play together.
Do we need a big group to enjoy these games?
Not at all. Many of the games on this list, including Connect 4, Guess Who and the online card games Hearts and Spades, work brilliantly with just two players, while others flex up to larger family groups.
More Family Game Ideas
If this list has you in the mood for more family fun, take a look at 15 Completely Different Board Games To Play With The Family, 15 Fun Card Games for Kids, and 10 Insanely Easy Ideas For a Fun Family Game Night for even more ways to fill a rainy afternoon or a family game night.
Enjoyed this list? Bookmark it or share it with a friend who’s building their family games shelf – it’s an easy one to come back to next time you’re stuck for what to play.
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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!
