By: Blaze Aldrich | May 1, 2024
EXPECTATIONS vs REALITY
Top 15 Favorite Board Games To Play With Your Family In 2024
Is your family tired of playing the same old boring board games such as Monopoly or Clue? Great because I have put a list of 15 of the best family games together. These board games will absolutely level up your game nights and create a ton of laughter and maybe some yelling and screaming. Either way your family will have a ton of fun with the board games on this list. The games are not listed in any kind of order so scroll through the list and find some new favorites.
1. Quacks of Quedlinburg
In The Quacks of Quedlinburg, players act as charlatans brewing secret potions by adding ingredients one at a time. But be careful not to overdo it, as too much of certain ingredients can ruin your concoction! Each player has a bag of ingredient chips. Every round, players draw chips and add them to their pots, with higher-value chips increasing the potion's value. Push your luck, but watch out for "cherry bombs" that can cause your pot to explode! Its hilarious to watch others yell in laughter when this does happen. At the end of each round, players earn victory points and coins based on their pot's contents. Players with exploded pots must choose between points or coins. The player with the most victory points after nine rounds wins!
2. Skull
Skull is a thrilling bluffing game where players play cards face-down and then take turns revealing them, aiming to claim they can uncover only roses. Players bid on how many cards they can reveal without showing a skull. The highest bidder must then prove their claim. It's a game of strategy and nerve, testing your ability to read opponents' intentions without giving away your own. The game is even more entertaining when everyone at the table sucks at bluffing. So many good memories accusing of others lying and bluffing, but in the end you had no idea what was going on. So much fun for such a simple fast-paced game.
3. Dixit
In Dixit, each turn a player becomes the storyteller, selecting a card. They create a sentence inspired by the card's image, sharing it without revealing the card. The other players then pick the card they believe matches the sentence. The storyteller mixes their card with others and reveals them. Players guess which card is the storyteller's. If guesses are unanimous or no one guesses correctly, the storyteller earns 0 points, others earn 2. If someone guesses right, they and the storyteller score 3. The game ends when the deck is empty or a player reaches 30 points. Dixit works really well for all ages, especially kids because the game concept is easy to grasp & the unique art work grabs their attention.
4. Machi Koro
Machi Koro is a dynamic game designed for 2-4 players. Each player aims to develop their city strategically to complete landmarks before their opponents. On a turn, players roll dice matching their owned buildings to activate their effects, sometimes benefiting opponents too. With earned money, players construct landmarks or new buildings to enhance their city's prosperity. The first player to complete all landmarks wins! Machi Koro is identical to Monopoly with rolling dice and buying property but it cuts out all the lucky movement on a board. Another simple game that has limited rules and the gameplay is dynamic enough for players to think of a strategy.
5. Camel Up
Did someone say rolling dice!? In Camel Up, up to eight players bet on five racing camels, predicting which ones will finish first and second in a speedy race around a pyramid. The sooner you place your bet, the higher your potential winnings if your predictions are correct. However, camels can get tangled up, stacking on top of each other and getting carried toward the finish line unexpectedly. The timing of each camel's movement depends on the dice emerging from the pyramid dice shaker, revealed as players pause from placing their bets to witness the action unfold! This game creates a ton of interaction between players with anticipation of what will be rolled next, hoping their camel moves into the lead!
6. Wavelength
In Wavelength, two teams compete in a social guessing game. A Psychic from each team knows the hidden bullseye location on a spectrum between two opposing concepts (like Job - Career, Rough - Smooth). The Psychic gives a clue representing the midpoint between these concepts. The team then discusses and adjusts a dial to guess the bullseye's location. The closer their guess, the more points they score! You definitely would want to play with people you know because it makes guessing so much easier. But again, playing the game could be more fun and entertaining if you don't know the person all that well. Could create some giggles!
7. Colt Express
In Colt Express, compete to be the wealthiest outlaw by robbing a train over five rounds.
Players take turns in two phases:
Schemin': Play action cards onto a shared pile, face up or down, or draw three cards.
Stealin': Actions play out in order, often with unexpected outcomes!
The game unfolds on a 3D train where bandits move between cars, punch, shoot, and rob passengers. Each car contains loot like gems and suitcases. Players start each round with six cards, each showing an action. A round card sets details like card count and play style. Compete for loot by moving, punching, and shooting opponents. Each bandit has unique abilities, such as extra cards or special actions. Shoot to disrupt opponents' plans, clog their decks with bullets, and earn bonuses for firing the most shots. The bandit with the richest haul at the end of the game wins!
8. MicroMacro Crime City
MicroMacro: Crime City presents 16 cases for you to solve. Each case contains cards prompting you to locate items on the map, track someone's movements, or reveal crucial information. The city map reflects both time and space, showing people in various locations across streets and buildings. You must reconstruct events by progressing through the case cards or deducing everything from just the initial card. Kids and Families enjoy this game because its a combination of being a detective and Where's Waldo.
9. Survive: Escape From Atlantis
Survive: Escape From Atlantis is a competitive game where players aim to evacuate their pieces from a sinking island while strategically positioning their highest-valued pieces for maximum points. This game could end up like the Simpsons Meme earlier in this post because Survive can become cut-throat. But if you are all up for that continue reading haha. A sinking island, comprised of 40 hexagonal tiles, is gradually disappearing into the ocean as tiles are removed from the board. Each player commands ten people, each assigned a value from 1 to 6, whom they must guide to safety on neighboring islands before the main island sinks completely. Players can opt to swim or use boats for transportation but must navigate around dangerous sea creatures like sea serpents, whales, and sharks to reach safety.
10. Exit
Exit board game is similar to an Escape Room that you and some friends would go to but within a board game. Since its like an Escape Room, Exit can only be played once since you'll be ripping up cards and clues then going onto the next objective of the "Escape Room". A game can last from 60-90 Minutes depending on which theme and difficulty level that you play. I think this game is best at 3, but I don't see why a whole family couldn't play. Exit is such a thrilling game with its innovative game play / puzzles and its impressive mechanics.
11. Clank!
Clank! is a deck-building game where players strengthen their own decks. Each turn, you play all five cards in your hand in any order. Cards provide resources: Skill for new deck cards, Swords for battling dungeon monsters, and Boots for movement. Acquired cards go into your discard pile, reshuffled into your deck when empty. Decks expand with each shuffle, varying strategies. Players share starter decks but gain unique cards. Players' objectives are to obtain an Artifact and escape the dragon by returning outside. As a result Earn points with loot to become the Greatest Thief! This game is a blast and players pushing their luck diving deeper into the catacombs before waking up the dragon.
12. Harry Potter
If your family loves cooperative games & Harry Potter than Hogwarts Battle is a perfect game. In Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, four students defend Hogwarts from evil. Players, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Neville, use unique decks to gather resources and strengthen defenses.
Gain influence to expand your deck with characters, spells, and items. Work together to defeat villains and secure the castle from evil forces. This game is another deck builder but instead of strengthening your cards to battle each other, players are going to fight the dark enemies at Hogwarts. There are a total of 7 games covering of course the 7 book series.
13. Sea Salt & Paper
During your turn in Sea Salt & Paper, you organize your hand, activate card effects, and consider ending the round. But do you believe you have the highest score? You face a crucial decision: stop the round immediately or give others an extra turn to close the gap. Is the risk worthwhile? The game ends when reaching 30/35/40 points for 4/3/2 players. Experience the satisfaction of strategically using card effects and creating combos. This card game, similar to Rummy, revolves around set collection. Custom origami designs adorn the cards.
14. Decrypto
In Decrypto, teams decode secret messages using hidden words known only to their teammates. Each team conceals four words behind numbered pockets on a screen. During each round, a team member provides a clue based on a sequence of numbers (e.g., 4-2-1) to link specific words. For instance, using words like "apple", "sky", "boat", and "moon", a clue might be "red-blue-water" to represent the sequence 4-2-1. In subsequent rounds, teams continue to give clues with new sequences, and opponents try to decipher these codes. Correct guesses earn points, while incorrect guesses lead to penalties. The game typically spans 4-7 rounds. Teams win by earning their second point or lose by receiving their second penalty. This is another interactive game that make teammates understand each others hints and thought process. Again, its hilarious to match up two people who have no idea how the other person thinks. It could cause chaos in the game.
15. Modern Art
In this art trading game, players act as both buyers and sellers of paintings created by five different artists. Each turn, a player auctions a painting from their hand, aiming to profit from the sale. They earn money when another player buys their painting but must pay the bank if they purchase it themselves. Painting values are determined by the number of each type sold after each round. The player with the most cash after four rounds wins the game.
Bonus. Space Base
Oh look another amazing family game! I thought I would share another popular and exciting game called Space Base. Similar to Machi Koro, players will be rolling dice and collecting cards.
In Space Base, players command fleets as Commodores, deploying ships for trade, income, and influence. Build your strategic engine with ship cards, crafting unique gameplay and dynamic outcomes. Experience a blend of luck and strategy in this quick-to-learn dice game. The complexity is one step up from Machi Koro, but once you get a hang of it, the whole family will have a blissful time.
Final Thoughts
The best game nights are always with family. I don't know what it is, the competitiveness increases x 10 when playing with the Fam. So many laughs, tears, and memories are always created when playing fantastic board games. Mostly tears though... Jk. Win or lose, my family is always up for another round of Quacks of Quedlinburg or Decrypto, that's how awesome these games are. I hope your family finds some new board games from this list that everyone will enjoy. Let us know what are some of your favorite games to play with your family. Happy Gaming!
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