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We’re all spending a little extra quality time with those in our households right now. With such a huge variety of board games out there, it can be a bit daunting trying to find the right one for your family. Whether you’re new to board games or a seasoned player, here are some recommendations to keep your game nights interesting!
Formerly called Settlers of CATAN, this classic game has a huge cult following and undyingly loyal fans. The base game is easy to teach and a lot of fun all on its own, but CATAN offers a wide variety of expansion possibilities. The Cities and Knights expansion, for example, extends the usual 40-minute game play to 2–3 hours, and introduces new elements such as barbarian attacks that make it an entirely different game.
Bang! is a social deduction card game, also available as a dice game. Modeled after a shoot out in the Wild Wild West, Bang! is simple enough to teach quickly with a play time of 15–20 minutes depending on how many players there are, making it a low commitment game to help pass the time. It’s fun for the whole family regardless of age.
Another social deduction game, this one has a play time of about 10 minutes as players only have 5 mins to find the werewolf after a secret role switching phase. Due to the fast pace and multitude of character cards, Night Ultimate Werewolf plays differently each time.
This board game can be a bit confusing to learn, but is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. Game play functions a bit like Monopoly, but a few added steps make Lords of Vegas more exciting and competitive. Game play is around 60–90 minutes and can be played at a variety of different experience levels.
Wordsmiths will love this immensely popular game. Players are separated into opposing teams and each team has a Spymaster who is the only one that knows the secret identities of their agents. Teams then compete to make contact with all their agents first. The game has a variety of expansion packs to suit different kinds of players or groups.
This interesting cooperative game has two stages: Explore and the Haunt. Once the Haunt starts, players are separated into traitors or heroes depending on the haunt. Players then compete against each other, sometimes working in teams, to reach their haunt objectives first. The board comes with over 50 different haunts, making each game completely different from the last.
This classic cooperative board game has increased in popularity lately (go figure!). Players — each with different character skills — work together to find the cure for four different diseases to save the world. The Pandemic on the Brink expansion pack introduces a bio-terrorist who works against the rest of the team, along with a few different character cards and diseases.
Have you grown tired of the hours long commitment that comes with Monopoly? Monopoly Deal might be exactly what you're looking for. This card game, while based on Monopoly, has an average game time of 15 mins and is an easy low commitment card game for everyone to enjoy. You can learn the game in five minutes or so, leaving you and your family plenty of time to get competitive and play to win!
This is perfect for anyone who isn’t necessarily the biggest fan of board games and it has a broad age appeal making it fun for families. Simple to learn and easy to teach, this cooperative game has customizable rules to help with difficulty levels and can even be played solo. It features monster slayers, castle defense, and spells!
We've filled this list with our personal recommendations and will continue to update it to help you find your new go to games. If you're looking for something to play remotely with friends and family, check out these online games ideas. We also have some suggestions for your reading list, as well as movie and show recommendations. Take a look!
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