Best Family Board Games

Fun Board & Card Games the Whole Family Will Enjoy!

There are so many different board and card games that you can play together as a family & actually enjoy them! I don’t know about you, but there are some games….(cough, cough Monopoly) that I just do not enjoy playing. They’re tedious or mindless and just not fun.

All the games on this list can be enjoyed by the whole family from 5 year olds all the way up to adults.

Also keep in mind that the ages listed on the game boxes are a suggestion. I’ve found that with a little extra help, even a kid as young as 5 can play pretty much any game or they can be on a team with an adult. Don’t let age put you off trying them!

Kingdomino

Kingdomino is one of our favorite family games! It doesn’t take too long and involves strategy. This won game of the year in 2017 and it is very much deserving!

In addition to the first game, there is also Queendomino which is both a stand-alone game and an expansion to the Kingdomino game! Another great expansion is the Age of Giants.

If you only play with 2 people regularly, you could try the Kingdomino Duel game.

Catan

Catan is such a fun game for families with older kids. The box suggests ages 10 and up and that’s probably about right. You could try it with a younger kid, but I don’t know if they could quite get it all.

With younger kids, I highly suggest playing Catan Junior! It’s a fun version for younger kids that adults will enjoy playing with them.

Dragonwood & Dragonrealm

These 2 games are in the same family. Dragonwood is a dice game and Dragonrealm uses cards. Both are fun and as a bonus they also help kids practice math skills!

Forbidden Island, Forbidden Desert, & Forbidden Sky

These games are in the same family, but each is different and has different game play. These games are probably best for ages 8 and up. They are cooperative games that require problem solving and strategic thinking.

Sleeping Queens

We love playing this card game. It is the go-to game at our house. Everyone loves it, even the 2 year old! He likes to play on my team. I highly recommend getting this and as a bonus it requires a bit of math practice too!

Castle Panic

This is an awesome cooperative family game that takes about an hour to play. A must have game for every family! There are also expansion packs that you can buy separately or save some money and get the Castle Panic Big Box with all the extensions included!

Harry Potter Clue

This is a fun twist on the classic clue game that makes it extra fun and challenging. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, this is one you should add to your game collection!

Camp – Education Outdoors

We love this nature trivia game! It has multiple levels and even the 3 year old could answer the questions on level 1. The more advanced questions make it great for adults too.

Scrabble

Once kids can read and spell decently Scrabble is a great family game. I have many fond memories of playing this with my family growing up.

Santorini

Santorini is a strategy game that the whole family can enjoy! With simple rules and engaging play, this is one you’ll come back to over and over again!

Ticket to Ride

The objective is to connect 2 cities with a train route. It’s a fun strategy game. The original Ticket to Ride is great for older kids and adults. To introduce younger kids, I recommend Ticket to Ride First Journey. It’s a bit shorter, only taking about 30 minutes and simpler, but still tons of fun for the whole family.

Shanghai Rummy

I grew up playing this card game with my family. If you’re playing with 4 people or less, you’ll need 2 decks of cards. For 5+ people you’ll need 3 decks. If 8+ people then you’ll need 4 decks. Get a 4-pack of playing cards.

There are 10 hands in this game. The rules are simple. On each hand you have an objective:

2 sets of 3
1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4
2 runs of 4
3 sets of 3
2 sets of 3 and 1 run of 4
1 set of 3 and 1 run of 8
3 runs of 4
1 set of 3 and 1 run of 10
3 sets of 3 and 1 run of 5
3 runs of 5

Deal 11 cards to each player. Then turn over the last card to start the discard pile.

Sets are the same number or face card (example – 3 kings)

Runs are sequential cards in the same suit.

2’s are wild and can replace any card.

On your turn you draw one card, then discard one card.

Each hand you get 3 buys. You can buy the most recent discard. You just say you want to buy it, if no one in front of you wants to buy it then it is yours, you also must take the top card from the draw pile.

You can only lay down the hand’s objective when you have ALL of it complete on your turn. Any cards left in your hand can be played on other people who are down or on yourself later. The goal is to get rid of all your cards. When someone gets rid of all their cards then the hand is finished.

The goal is to finish the game with the least amount of points!

You count the points for the cards left in your hand when someone goes out.

2’s are 20 points
3 to 9 are 5 points
10 to King are 10 points
Ace is 15 points

This is the game that my family played most often growing up and still now when we get together. We LOVE it. Young kids can play on a team with an adult. I think I could play by myself when I was around 8.

It is a long game, regularly taking 2+ hours if you have 4 or more people playing.

15 Family Board Games & Card Games

These are our favorite games to play as a family. Remember that it can take a few times playing a game before everyone really knows the rules. It takes patience. Only introduce 1 new game at a time and just play that for a couple weeks before you add another. Before you know it, playing games could become one of your favorite family activities if it isn’t already!