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!
Playing a board game together is one of those simple family activities that never gets old – 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 proper 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 and 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 building words on the special spaces on the game board. If you manage to use all seven of your letter tiles in one turn, you get an extra 50 points!
There’s 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
This well-known vertical game is played with “checkers”. The board slots into its stand, and players drop their checkers into one of the seven columns, trying 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 counters around the board and “home” before anyone else. You need to roll a six to get a piece started on its journey.
That’s where the frustration kicks in – it’s maddening when you can’t roll the number you need, or when a rival player lands on your counter and sends it all the way back to square one, even if you were nearly 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 is an exciting, visual twist on everyone’s favourite game, hide and seek. Pick up a card and try to spot the matching object hidden somewhere on the nine game board tiles.
It’s finders keepers – you get the card if you spot the object fast or first, but watch out, because the board can change on any turn. Special mission cards instruct players to flip, rotate or swap one of the nine 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 interesting – sometimes you’re matching an image, sometimes you’re hunting for objects that fit 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, where 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 starts with a shake of the covered tray of sixteen cubic dice, each printed with a different letter on every side. The dice settle into a 4×4 grid, with only the top letter of each cube visible.
Players then search for words that can be built from the letters of neighbouring cubes – “neighbouring” meaning horizontally, vertically or diagonally adjacent.
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 in 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. You need 30 points to “meld” and start the game, and then, much like the card game Rummy, players build up 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 all 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 remains one of the best board games around.
Players move strategically around the game board (a mansion), taking on the role of one of six characters and collecting clues to work out which suspect murdered the game’s perpetual victim, Dr Black – and with what weapon, 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 star player. It tests your logic, your ability to bluff, and your powers of deduction, all with wonderfully simple rules.
Each round, one player becomes the storyteller and calls out a phrase or word describing one of their cards. The other players then choose a card of their own that best matches the clue. All the cards are revealed, and everyone votes secretly to try to guess which card belonged to the storyteller.
Dixit is simple, clever and great fun, and it adapts to any age or language. Expansion packs with extra cards mean it never gets old, making it ideal for family game nights or evenings with friends.
3-6 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#12. Jungle Speed
Jungle Speed rewards keen observation and lightning-fast reflexes – along with a surprisingly steady hand, which can be hard to maintain during the inevitable fits of laughter!
The wooden Totem sits in the middle of the table, waiting for the quickest player to snatch it up. Each player has a hand of cards, and the aim is to be the first to get rid of all of yours. Every turn, players reveal one card each; if two cards match, those players race to grab the Totem, and the faster one hands their cards to their unlucky opponent.
To make things trickier, some cards look almost identical, tempting you into grabbing the Totem by mistake – a costly error. Other cards 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 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 the upper levels instead.
The result was the astonishing Villa Paletti. Can you repeat his daring feat?
Players try to get their own columns onto the highest possible level of the villa. The game ends when the structure collapses, or when no one can build any further. It’s quick, fun and genuinely challenging – one the whole family can enjoy.
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, in which you build out the countryside around the southern French medieval city of Carcassonne – roads, cities, cloisters and meadows – and deploy your “meeples” (farmers, knights, monks and thieves) to claim them.
The rules are easy to pick up, and the game never gets stale, because the board is built from scratch every time, with endless combinations of tiles and strategies. A world bestseller and major award winner, and 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?
Build the wooden blocks into a sturdy tower, then take turns pulling blocks out, one at a time, until the whole thing comes crashing down.
Is your hand steady enough to pull the last safe block before the tower topples?
2+ players, ages 6+ (though younger kids can often manage it too)
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#16. Hungry Hippos
Four hungry hippos want to munch a 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 a preschooler’s hand-eye coordination. Start with just one marble in the middle for younger players, and add 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 everyone knows and loves. Each player secretly picks a character, and the other has to work out who it is.
Narrow it down with yes-or-no questions, like “Do you have brown eyes?” or “Are you wearing a hat?” – then make your guess once you’re confident.
2 players, ages 6+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#18. Candy Land
A much-loved classic that’s been delighting young children for generations! Who didn’t want to land on Princess Frostine?
Choose your sweet character and make your way along the rainbow path, through Peppermint Forest, past the Lagoon of Lord Licorice and on to Princess Frostine’s Ice Palace.
Watch out for the tiles that send you backwards as you race to King Kandy’s Castle to win. It’s one of the best board games around for preschoolers.
2-4 players, ages 3+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#19. Junior 30 Seconds
Junior 30 Seconds is a fast-talking, quick-thinking Irish board game. It’s best played in teams (though it works fine with two players taking turns), with each team moving around the board by correctly guessing the names their team-mate is describing.
You have 30 seconds to identify as many of the five names on the card as you can. Describers can explain the names however they like, but they can’t say the actual name out loud.
The first team to reach the finish square wins.
4+ players, ages 7+
#20. Pie Face
A fun and delightfully messy family favourite, filled with 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 handle.
It could go off at any moment, so keep your fingers crossed and hope it’s not you who ends up with a face full of cream! Score a point for every turn you survive without getting splatted, and the first to 25 points wins.
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 strategy and luck, and it’s become a genuine family favourite. Players exchange cards across several rounds, aiming to finish with the fewest points by avoiding high-penalty cards, especially the Queen of Spades. Its popularity has grown even further thanks to its online presence, making 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 think they can win, aiming to be the first to reach 500 points.
It’s an excellent family game, encouraging teamwork and critical thinking, and it’s a genuinely enjoyable way to spend time together with a little friendly competition thrown in.
1-4 players, ages 8+
Available for free at Spades.co
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!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best board games for a family game night?
It depends on your family’s mix of ages and how much time you have! Quick, high-energy games like Jenga, Pie Face or Connect 4 are great for a short burst of fun, while strategy games like Carcassonne, Cluedo or Dixit suit a longer, more relaxed evening.
What age is suitable for family board games?
Most family board games are designed with an age range in mind, usually starting from around 3+ for very simple games and moving up to 8+ or 12+ for more strategic ones. Check the age guide on the box, or in the entry above, before buying for younger children.
How do I choose the right board game for my family?
Think about the number of players, the ages involved and how much time you have. Games with simple rules and short playing times work well for mixed ages or younger children, while older kids and adults often enjoy games with more strategy.
Are there good board games for younger children?
Yes – games like Hungry Hippos, Candy Land and Ludo are designed with younger children in mind, using simple rules and quick turns to keep little ones engaged.
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- 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
Fancy trying a few of these out? Save this list for your next rainy day or family game night, and browse our other rainy day activity ideas for even more inspiration.
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