Looking for something fun to do with the kids? How about a board game night? 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 together is one of the simplest family activities there is – and 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 for all ages and stages.
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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 of families still enjoy generations later.
Build crosswords for points, and add to your score by placing words on special spaces on the board. Manage to use all seven of your letter tiles in one turn and you’ll bag an extra 50 points!
There’s also a Scrabble Junior version available for younger players.
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 upright in its stand and players drop checkers into one of the 7 slots, trying to be the first 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 get a piece started on its journey.
The frustration sets in when the dice won’t play ball, or when a rival lands on the same space as your piece, sending it all the way back to space 1 – even when you’re almost home.
2-4 players, ages 5+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#5. Pictureka
Find it fast! Find it first! Pictureka puts a fun, fast-paced spin on everyone’s favourite game: hide and seek. Pick up a card and try to spot the matching object among the 9 game board tiles.
It’s finders keepers – whoever spots the object fastest (or first) gets the card. Watch out though, the board can change on any turn, as special mission cards instruct players to flip, rotate or swap the 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 exact image, other times you’re hunting for anything 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
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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 starts with a good shake of 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 shows.
From there, each player searches for words made 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 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. You need 30 points to make your opening “meld”, 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 in different colours (e.g. 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
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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), each taking on one of the game’s characters, and gather clues to work out who 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 real star. It tests logic, bluffing skill and the powers of deduction, all with very simple rules.
Each round, one player becomes the storyteller, describing one of their cards with a word or phrase. The other players then pick a card of their own that best matches the clue. All the cards are revealed, and everyone votes secretly on which one they think was the storyteller’s.
Dixit is simple, brilliant fun, and it suits any age. Extension packs add extra cards so 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 calls for sharp observation, quick reflexes and a very steady hand – not always easy to maintain through the fits of laughter it tends to cause!
A wooden Totem sits in the middle of the table, waiting for the fastest player to grab it. Each player has a hand of cards, and the aim is to be first to get rid of all of yours. Every turn, players reveal a card each; if two match, those players race to grab the Totem, and the slower player takes the other’s cards.
Some cards look almost identical, tricking players into grabbing the Totem by mistake, while others change the rules on the fly or force everyone to grab at once. Have you got 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. When he ran out of money partway through, he began taking columns from the lower floors to build the upper ones instead – and 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 tower. The game ends when the Villa Paletti collapses, or when no one can build any higher. It’s 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, absorbing tile-laying game for 2-5 players, set around the medieval French city of Carcassonne. Players build roads, cities, cloisters and meadows, then deploy their “meeples” – farmers, knights, monks and thieves.
The rules are easy to pick up, and no two games are ever the same, since the board is built fresh each time from an endless combination of tiles and strategies. A world bestseller and major award winner, this is a real must-have for any family games shelf.
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 fare against the law of gravity?
Stack the wooden blocks into a sturdy tower, then take turns pulling out blocks one at a time until the whole thing comes crashing down. Is your hand steady enough to pull out the last safe block?
2+ players, ages 6+ (younger kids can usually manage it too)
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#16. Hungry Hippos
Four hungry hippos, one 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 family favourite in our house!
It’s the flip-and-find face-guessing game you know and love. Each player picks a character, and the other player has to “guess who” through a series of yes-or-no questions – “Do you have brown eyes?”, “Are you wearing a hat?” – narrowing down the possibilities before making a final guess.
2 players, ages 6+
Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
#18. Candy Land
A beloved classic that’s been delighting young children for generations. Choose your sweet character and make your way along the rainbow path, through Peppermint Forest and the Lagoon of Lord Licorice, to Princess Frostine’s Ice Palace.
Watch out for tiles that send you backwards as you race towards King Kandy’s Castle to win. One of the best board games for preschoolers, and a lovely first introduction to board games.
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 just as well with 2 players taking turns if you’re short of numbers), teams advance around the board by correctly identifying the names their teammates are describing.
You get 30 seconds to identify as many of the 5 names as possible. Describers can explain the names any way they like, but they 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 fun, energetic favourite that’s guaranteed to end in giggles – somebody’s bound to get splatted! Load some whipped cream (or a wet sponge) onto the “hand” of the game unit, then start turning the handles.
It could go off at any moment, so keep your fingers crossed and hope it’s not your turn to get a face full of cream! Score a point for every turn you avoid getting pie-faced – 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 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 carefully avoiding high-penalty cards – especially the Queen of Spades. Its online presence has made it more popular than ever, and it remains 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 the first to reach 500 points.
It’s a great choice for families since it encourages teamwork, sharpens critical thinking, and offers 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 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 the best board game for a young family with preschoolers?
Games like Candy Land, Hungry Hippos and Ludo are great starting points for younger children – they’re simple to learn, quick to play, and don’t rely on reading or complex strategy.
What board game works well for a big family group?
Games with flexible player counts, like Cluedo, Dixit, Carcassonne and Rummikub, are ideal when you’ve got a mix of ages and want everyone to join in together.
Are there good board games for family game night that don’t take long to play?
Yes – quick-fire games like Jenga, Connect 4, Guess Who and Pie Face are perfect for shorter bursts of fun, while longer strategy games like Monopoly or Carcassonne suit a full games night.
Do we need a big group to play these games?
Not at all. Several games on this list, including Cluedo, Guess Who, Boggle and the online card games Hearts and Spades, work well with just two players, making them handy for smaller households too.
Related Articles
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
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