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 genuinely 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 definitely 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 families have enjoyed for generations.
Build crosswords for points, and boost your score by landing on special spaces on the gameboard. If you can use up all seven of your letter tiles on your 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 a stand to hold it vertically, and players drop checkers into one of 7 slots until one player gets 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 up to your “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 dice roll you want, or when a rival player lands on your piece – sending it back to space 1, 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! 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 9 game board tiles.
It’s finders keepers – you win the card if you spot the object fast or first, but watch out, the board 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 hunting for objects fast or first. Three different card decks keep things fresh – sometimes you’re matching an exact image, sometimes hunting for anything that fits a category like “things that can fly.” Collect enough cards and you’re the Pictureka champ!
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 players race their four tokens from start to finish according to dice rolls.
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 printed with a different letter on every side. The dice settle into a 4×4 tray so only the top letter of each cube is visible.
Each player then searches for words that can be built from letters on adjacent cubes – “adjacent” meaning horizontally, vertically or diagonally neighbouring.
2+ players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#8. Articulate
Articulate is the fast-talking description board game. Players try to describe as many card entries as possible within 30 seconds – no “rhymes with” or “sounds like” allowed!
There is 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 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 player 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 a mansion in the guise of one of six characters, collecting clues to deduce who murdered Dr. Black, 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, calling out a phrase or word to describe one of their cards. The other players choose a card of their own that best matches the clue. The cards are revealed and everyone votes secretly, trying to guess the storyteller’s card.
Dixit is brilliant, simple and great fun. It adapts to any age or language, and with expansion packs of extra cards it never gets boring – ideal for family play 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 need a keen eye and quick reflexes – and a steady hand, which can be hard to maintain during the fits of laughter!
A wooden totem sits in the middle of the table, waiting for the player with the fastest reflexes to snatch it up. Each player is dealt a hand of cards, and the aim is to be first to get rid of all of yours. Each turn, players reveal one card each; if two match, those players grab for the totem, and the slower player takes on the faster player’s cards.
Some cards look almost identical, which can trick you into grabbing the totem by mistake, while others force everyone to grab at once or change the method of play. Do you have the reflexes to win?
2 or more 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 a masterpiece – the Villa Paletti. Can you repeat his feat?
Players attempt to get their own columns onto the highest possible level before the Villa Paletti collapses, or before no one can build any further. It’s quick, fun and challenging, and the whole family can enjoy it.
2-4 players, ages 8+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#14. Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a clever tile-laying game for 2-5 players, in which you build out the area around the southern French medieval city of the same name – roads, cities, cloisters and meadows – and deploy your “meeples” (farmers, knights, monks and thieves).
The rules are easy, 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, tower-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 safe block before the tower collapses?
2+ players, ages 6+ (though younger kids can usually manage 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 chomp – whoever’s hippo gobbles the most wins!
This game is a great way to build a pre-schooler’s hand-eye coordination. Start with just one marble in the middle for the littlest 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 you know and love. Each player chooses a mystery person, and the other has to “guess who.”
Narrow it down with yes-or-no questions like “Do you have brown eyes?” or “Are you wearing a hat?” Once you’ve got your answer, make your guess.
2 players, ages 6+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#18. Candy Land
A long-standing favourite that’s delighted generations of small children – and plenty of parents remember adoring it too, always hoping to land on Princess Frostine!
Choose your sweet character and dance 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 make your way 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.” Best played in teams (though it works fine with two players taking turns if numbers are short), teams advance along 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 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
A firm favourite that’s still filled with fun and suspense – somebody’s bound to get splatted! Load some whipped cream (or a wet sponge) onto the “hand” of this hilarious game unit and start turning the handles.
It could go off at any time, so keep your fingers crossed and hope you’re not the one who gets a splat in the face! Score a point for every turn you take without getting pie-faced – whoever reaches 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 strategy and luck, and it’s a real family favourite. Players exchange cards across multiple rounds, aiming to finish with the fewest points – which means carefully avoiding high-penalty cards, especially the Queen of Spades. Its popularity has grown 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 the aim is for players or teams to accurately bid and win the number of “tricks” they predict, with the goal of reaching 500 points first.
It’s an excellent family game because it encourages teamwork, builds 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
Which Board Games Does Your Family Love?
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’s a good first board game for a young family?
Games with simple rules and short rounds work best for younger children, such as Connect 4, Ludo, Hungry Hippos or Candy Land. They teach turn-taking and basic strategy without overwhelming little ones.
How do I pick a board game everyone in the family will enjoy?
Look at the ages of everyone playing and check the recommended player count and age range on the box. Games like Rummikub, Dixit and Articulate work well for mixed-age groups because they balance luck and skill, so younger and older players have a fair chance.
Are board games good for children’s development?
Yes – board games help build turn-taking, patience, counting and reading skills, strategic thinking, and social skills like handling both winning and losing gracefully.
What’s a good board game for a rainy day at home?
Quick, portable games like Jenga, Guess Who, Boggle or Connect 4 are ideal for rainy afternoons, since they need minimal setup and can be played again and again.
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
Save These Ideas for Later
Building a family game collection takes time, so why not bookmark this list and come back to it next time you’re planning a game night or need rainy-day inspiration?
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