25 Fun Board Games to Play with Friends and Family This Holiday Season
- 1/26
25 Fun Board Games to Play with Friends and Family This Holiday Season
We can all use a break from our phone screens every now and then, and board games are one of the best ways to pass the time and bond with your besties. (And let’s face it — how many games of Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare can you play?) While there are all kinds of fun IRL games available, it can be hard to find something everyone will enjoy on game night. Luckily, there are tons of fun board game options out there that can suit everyone’s competitive streak. Laugh out loud with a round of Apples to Apples, or connect with your friends and fam on a deeper level with We’re Not Really Strangers. Looking for more of a contest? Expand your mind (and vocabulary) with Codenames, or revel in a nostalgic classic like Candy Land.
Whether you’re looking for new party games or late-night entertainment at your next sleepover, we’ve found the best board games that your whole group will want to try. Bonus: They won’t max out your budget or your screen time. Here are the best board and card games for teens.
Retailers - 2/26
1) Phone Phever
Bear Mountain Games
walmart.com
$42.45
OK, maybe you’re not ready to put your phone down *just* yet. This game puts those smartphone skills to the test with trivia and challenges that give players a real view of how the telephone has shaped all kinds of aspects of today’s society.
walmart.com - 3/26
2) Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever
amazon.com
$14.99
Forget everything you thought you knew about this game. This Never Have I Ever deck is family fun for all ages. There are tons of family-friendly questions that will help you learn about your loved ones in a way you never thought you would.
amazon.com - 4/26
3) Kids Against Maturity
Kids Against Maturity
amazon.com
$17.49
Growing up isn’t for everyone, and Kids Against Maturity is for people at one with their inner child. Although this game isn’t affiliated with Cards Against Humanity, the gameplay is similar — players fill in blanks to create some unexpected LOL moments that all ages will love.
amazon.com - 5/26
4) Sushi Go Party!
Gamewright
amazon.com
$22.00
This party edition of the popular card game Sushi Go! lets you play with up to 8 players. The goal of the fast-paced game is to create the best combination of sushi dishes as the cards are dealt and pass by, which involves a little but of strategy and little bit of luck.
amazon.com - 6/26
5) Sequence
Jax
amazon.com
$13.99
Sequence is a game of strategy. Players need to think ahead of their opponents to create a sequence of chips. This game is simple but addicting and is just the game for anyone who loves the thrill of the win.
amazon.com - 7/26
6) We’re Not Really Strangers Card Game
WE’RE NOT REALLY STRANGERS
amazon.com
$19.82
We’re Not Really Strangers is the perfect game when you either want to get know someone better, or want to develop a closer bond with your besties. The cards are separated into three levels — Perception, Connection, and Reflection — and get deeper as you go.
Amazon Prime - 8/26
7) Say Anything
North Star Games
amazon.com
$24.99
You’ll really get to know the people you play Say Anything with—maybe a little too well. Players answer a question, and a “judge” picks what they think is the best answer. Then, those same players have to guess who gave that response. The game already had hundreds of questions, but the release of the 10th anniversary edition of the game added 180 more.
Amazon Prime - 9/26
8) Throw Throw Burrito
Exploding Kittens LLC
amazon.com
$16.42
Brought to you by the same people who created Exploding Kittens, Throw Throw Burrito is a combination between a card game and dodgeball. In this game, you’ve got to collect the most matching sets of cards while trying to avoid getting hit by these adorable burritos.
Amazon Prime - 10/26
9) Relative Insanity Board Game
PlayMonster
walmart.com
$19.99
Relative Insanity is like the middle ground between Cards Against Humanity and Kids Against Maturity. There are some jokes with innuendos young kids won’t understand, but most of the cards are E for everyone. In this game, a “setup” card is drawn with a prompt, and players have to choose a card from their own hand to make a funny, full phrase.
walmart.com - 11/26
10) Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity LLC
amazon.com
$29.00
Cards Against Humanity calls itself “a party game for horrible people,” but it will have you laughing for hours. Players must match up their phrase cards to a prompt, and the most outrageous response wins. This new-age card game is one your game group will keep on rotation, so make sure you pick up one or two of the expansion packs to keep the game going.
amazon.com - 12/26
11) Apples to Apples
Mattel Games
amazon.com
$24.00
This game is a classic. Apples to Apples is less about fruit and more about words. Match up words and phrases that best describe the topic at hand to collect as many green apple cards as possible.
amazon.com - 13/26
12) Escape Room The Game
Spin Master Games
target.com
$29.99
This game can give you the same thrills of an escape room, minus the cost. Traverse the board to find clues to help you find your way out of the room in only 60 minutes. You’ve got your team of up to four other players to help you out, solve puzzles, and finally be free.
Amazon Prime - 14/26
13) What Do You Meme?
WHAT DO YOU MEME?
amazon.com
$29.99
Can’t stop giggling over memes? Then you need to pick up this LOL-worthy game, which deals photo cards of popular memes that you pair with hilarious caption cards. Whoever creates the best meme wins.
Amazon Prime - 15/26
14) Candy Land
Hasbro Gaming
amazon.com
$11.99
This classic board game is for the nostalgia lovers. Traverse through the Kingdom of Sweet Adventures, past the Lollypop Woods and through Gummy Hills, to reach the coveted Candy Castle at the end of the trail.
Amazon Prime - 16/26
15) Unstable Unicorns
TeeTurtle
amazon.com
$14.42
The goal of this game is to build an army of unicorns before anyone else. Use magic and other kinds of cards to prevent your opponents from building armies of their own, but one of the best things is that the cards are unbelievably adorable. The expansion packs include Dragons and Rainbow Apocalypse, so your unicorn adventures can continue long after this game is done.
Amazon Prime - 17/26
16) Disney Villainous
Ravensburger
amazon.com
$27.99
This board game is all about your fave Disney villains. Play as Maleficent, Ursula, The Queen of Hearts, and more. Plan and plot so that your Disney villain completes their evil objective before anyone else. You can set traps and cast curses so that your character comes out on top. Each villain has a unique goal, so this game is great for someone who loves strategy. It’s also a nice option for a wide range of groups, since you can play with 2-6 people.
Amazon Prime - 18/26
17) Double Ditto
Inspiration Play
amazon.com
$24.95
This fast-paced card game will have you thinking in pairs. You’ve got to match your answers to prompts with other players based on what you think they will answer. The more you’re able to match, the better your chance at winning.
Amazon Prime - 19/26
18) Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens LLC
amazon.com
$19.82
We all can agree that we don’t want kittens to explode. Luckily, no kittens were harmed in the making of this game, and none will be harmed while playing it either. Exploding Kittens is a game of chance, and the whole objective is not to draw an exploding kitten card. Once you do, the game is over, and the last person standing wins. There are different action cards to help you avoid the kittens and stay in the game just in case you aren’t so lucky.
amazon.com - 20/26
19) Twister
Hasbro Gaming
amazon.com
$15.97
Twister is an iconic party game that will have everyone laughing in no time.
Amazon Prime - 21/26
20) Giant UNO BTS Card Game
UNO
walmart.com
$32.89
UNO is already a classic, but now BTS stans have a version of the game they can obsess over. The cards in the deck feature pics of each member and a “Dancing Wild” card where a player has to choose between performing a BTS dance or draw three cards.
If you’re not a fan of BTS there are tons of other versions of UNO like UNO Minecraft and UNO Emoji.
walmart.com - 22/26
21) Clue: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Edition
Hasbro Gaming
amazon.com
$38.99
This version of Clue takes a magical twist into the world of Harry Potter. You can play as one of your favorite characters: Harry, Ron, Hermione, and more to explore the walls of Hogwarts to solve the mystery of a disappearing student.
amazon.com - 23/26
22) Monopoly Game of Thrones
USAOPOLY
amazon.com
$57.77
Another edition of Monopoly is for the hit TV show Game of Thrones. All aspects of this game are customized to make it perfect for any GoT fan, including custom cards, oversized tokens, and rules. Take over the board *and* Westeros.
Amazon Prime - 24/26
23) Codenames
CGE Czech Games Edition
amazon.com
$15.79
Who hasn’t ever thought about being a spy? In this game, players divide into two teams and each team has a “spy master” that gives a one-word clue to help their team identify multiple words on the board.
This award-winning game has a few spin-offs like Codenames Disney Family Edition, and there’s a Harry Potter version.
amazon.com - 25/26
24) Monopoly Fortnite
Monopoly
amazon.com
$19.98
Monopoly: Fortnite is all the best parts of Monopoly and Fortnite combined. While the classic Monopoly game is all about making that $$$, this game is all about survival. Instead of money, players collect health points, and chance cards are replaced with Storm cards that can take you out of the game if you aren’t careful.
Players battle it out through building walls, the action dye, and completing actions on the board’s spaces. Avoid the Storm and heal yourself until you’re the last one standing.
amazon.com - 26/26
25) Catan
Catan Studio
amazon.com
$25.00
Players harvest and trade resources and build a settlement that’s all their own. But be on the lookout for robbers — they’re always after your crops.
Amazon Prime
