Looking to add another game to your game closet? This post is full of games you’ll want to get your hands on as soon as possible. They’re perfect family games to play when you want to connect.
What is a family game?
A family game is one that can be played (and enjoyed) by the whole family. It works for younger kids, older kids, and adults. The best family games inspire excitement just by being placed on the table. They provide us with quality time.
Games have a great way of connecting us, they give kids a safe place to practice winning (and losing) gracefully. They teach patience and sometimes even math or reading.
Plus, playing family games is a great way to just have fun… together. That’s why games at our house are a priority.
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Fun Games for Family Game Night
Are you planning a family game night? You’ll find just the right fun family game night ideas below. Use these family game night tips to help prepare for the big night.
- Charades for Kids
- HedBanz
- Uno Dare – Scroll down for more games like Uno.
- Clue Classic or Clue Master Detective
- 10,000 (We alter this a bit and play 5,000 when we want to get a quick game it.)
Best Family Board Games
If a board game is in order, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. (Hint: my favorite is Barenpark!)
- Trouble
- Mysterium
- Quoridor
- Barenpark
- Apples to Apples Scroll down for games like Apples to Apples.
Card Games for the Family
Looking for some card game fun? (Hint: We always gift Five Crowns, because we love it so much.)
- Throw, Throw Burrito – A card game with a movement twist. This one is great for silly fun.
- 3Up 3Down
- Five Crowns
- Exploding Kittens – Scroll down for games like Exploding Kittens.
- Sequence
- Nerts
- Select 5 – Select 5 is a speed game. It’s fast and fun! (I was sent a promo copy of this game to try out.)
Fun Board and Card Games for Teenagers
Some of these games are best for a quiet night of strategy games and some are better suited for a little silliness.
Best Games for Families to Play Together When You’re Short On Time
Family game nights are awesome, but they aren’t always practical.
With school, sports, and other schedule-filling activities, planning out an entire night to play games with all the family members can be overwhelming. It can also mean it never happens.
Right now our busy schedules don’t allow for a set game time, which means we need to be ready with the best games for families to play together that match the amount of time we have. Luckily our game closet is well stocked.
So, how much time do you have? I have the best games for your family to play…
Fun family games for 5 – 10 minutes – Sometimes you find 5 minutes in the day and nothing to fill it with. Maybe waiting for someone to arrive or the moments between activities. That’s when it’s awesome to have a good quick game on hand.
- Spot It
- Tic Tac Toe (This link takes you to Tic Tac Toe using sight words. You could also use letters or shapes.)
- Tenzi
- Art Dice (TinkerLab)
Fun family games for 15 minutes – The games on this list are perfect for kids with a shorter attention span. They can be played once through pretty quickly… but if time allows it… you can play again and again.
Fun family games for 30 minutes – 30-minute games are great for relaxing between school and homework or connecting after dinner.
- Make ‘N’ Break
- Mexican Train Dominoes
- Spoons (Coffee Cups and Crayons)
- Uno
- Sorry
Fun family games for 1 hour or more – When you are looking for a way to fill an afternoon or evening, these games are perfect!
- Monopoly
- Rummikub
- Labyrinth
- The Game of Life
- Catan
(We came across this game a year or so ago. EVERYONE loves it. It’s great for adults only and great for adults playing with kids. We decided to go with the original version (there is a Catan: Junior
) and have been very happy with that decision. There are expansion packs you can buy (and a Catan 5-6 Player Extension that makes this four-player game a six-player game). I see this being a game that is worth investing in. It will grow with us and be a game we play for years to come.)
(We came across this game a year or so ago. EVERYONE loves it. It’s great for adults only and great for adults playing with kids. We decided to go with the original version (there is a 
) and have been very happy with that decision. There are expansion packs you can buy (and a Card Games like Uno
Sometimes you want a new game but you’re actually looking for something similar to the classic game you already love. Here is a list of games like Uno. You’ll notice that Uno has released several twists on the original. There are also several theme or character Uno packs. Uno Splash is a fun version that has waterproof cards, might be just the thing if you play by a pool or at the beach!
- Uno Flip
- Uno Dare (also listed under Best Games for Family Game Night)
- Uno Extreme
- Skip Bo
- SkyJo
Games like Apples to Apples
Apples to Apples has different versions and theme packs (like the Disney version). I’ve also included a couple of games that are like Apples to Apples.
Games like Exploding Kittens
If you’re looking for a different version of the same game Exploding Minions is cute! If you want a game that is like Exploding Kittens, you’ll find it below.
- Bears vs. Babies
- Sushi Go
- Taco vs. Burrito
- Unstable Unicorns (this one is for teens and adults)
- Poetry for Neanderthals
Board Game Tables
If you’re anything like us, you set up your games in the most convenient place. Sometimes at the dining table, sometimes on the coffee table, and sometimes on the floor. If however, you want a designated board game table, I’ve rounded up a couple that might work.
- Foldable Game Table – This board game table is perfect to pull out for a game night and store away when you aren’t playing.
- Game Table – If you’re looking for something more permanent, this beautiful table can be customized to fit your game playing.
- Game Night Table Topper – This is a game table that sits on top of your table and can be stored away when not in use.
What do you think the best games for families to play together are? How long do they take to play?
Scrabble is another all time favourite, although like monopoly, you need to allow at least an hour to play.
What a great list! Gosh, so long since I played Guess Who. Thank you for linking it up to the Monday #pinitparty. Have pinned 🙂
My husband (and his family) love games and now I do too! Our all time favorite is dominoes, but we just found this new one Qwirkle that is super fun. It’s all about shapes and colors and great for kids!!! Great post! Love your blog!
Qwirkle looks awesome Carisa!
What great ideas! We are a game playing family and I always need new ideas for games for us.
My 11 year old daughter and I play Yahtzee all the time. Adding up the dice really helps with her math skills!
We love playing Qwirkle. Quality made. Requires only knowing shapes and colors so young ones can play. But challenging that groups of my adult friends play. Fairly expensive, but found one at Goodwill for $.99!
I love finding awesome games used! Garage sale finds have often become our favorites.
If you like Catan, check out Carcassonne and if you like party games check out code names.
We love Racko (10-15 minutes) and A Ticket to Ride. (Hour) A Ticket to Ride is a bit expensive so put it on your Christmas list.