Best Family Board Games You Should Play with Your Family
The Settlers of Catan
• Number of Players: 3-4 players (up to 6 with expansions)
• About: Players collect and trade resources to build settlements, cities, and roads on the island of Catan. The first player to reach a set number of points wins.
• Average Time to Play: 60-90 minutes
• Minimum Age: 10+
• Type: Strategy, Resource Management, Trading
• Reason to Buy: Offers a perfect balance of strategy, negotiation, and replayability, making it a timeless classic for both casual and experienced gamers. I play Catan with my kids (aged at 9/8/6 year old), they understand the rule and play really well. It is not that hard or easy, both adults and kids are so easily into the game. Kids want to play Catan instead of watching TV or playing video games. Best board game ever!
Ticket to Ride
• Number of Players: 2-5 players
• About: Players build train routes across North America by collecting train cards and claiming railway routes between cities. Points are earned by completing routes and connecting distant cities.
• Average Time to Play: 30-60 minutes
• Minimum Age: 8+
• Type: Strategy, Family, Route-Building
• Reason to Buy: Simple rules, quick gameplay, and strategic depth make it accessible to players of all ages and skill levels, fostering friendly competition and fun family bonding.
Codenames
• Number of Players: 2-8+ players (best with larger groups)
• About: A word association game where players give one-word clues to help their teammates guess words on a grid. The challenge is to give clues that connect multiple words without leading to the opponent’s words.
• Average Time to Play: 15-30 minutes
• Minimum Age: 10+
• Type: Party, Word, Deduction
• Reason to Buy: Promotes communication, creativity, and teamwork, making it a perfect choice for social gatherings, parties, and game nights.
Pandemic
• Number of Players: 2-4 players (can be played solo with adjustments)
• About: A cooperative game where players work together as disease-fighting specialists to prevent outbreaks across the globe. Players travel between cities, treat infections, and discover cures before time runs out.
• Average Time to Play: 45-60 minutes
• Minimum Age: 10+
• Type: Cooperative, Strategy, Adventure
• Reason to Buy: Offers an intense and immersive cooperative experience, fostering teamwork, strategic planning, and a shared sense of accomplishment as players race against the clock to save the world from deadly diseases.
Carcassonne
• Number of Players: 2-5 players
• About: Players take turns drawing and placing tiles to build medieval landscapes with cities, roads, and fields. Players earn points by completing features and controlling territories.
• Average Time to Play: 30-45 minutes
• Minimum Age: 7+
• Type: Tile Placement, Strategy, Family
• Reason to Buy: Simple rules, engaging gameplay, and endless strategic possibilities make it a timeless favorite for families and strategy enthusiasts alike, with every game session offering a unique and rewarding experience.
Ticket to Ride: Europe
• Number of Players: 2-5 players
• About: Similar to the original Ticket to Ride but set in Europe, featuring new mechanics such as tunnels, ferries, and train stations. Players build railway routes across Europe to complete destination tickets and earn points.
• Average Time to Play: 30-60 minutes
• Minimum Age: 8+
• Type: Strategy, Family, Route-Building
• Reason to Buy: Offers a fresh twist on the beloved Ticket to Ride formula, with new challenges and strategies inspired by the geography and history of Europe, appealing to both fans of the original game and newcomers alike.
7 Wonders
• Number of Players: 2-7 players
• About: Players lead ancient civilizations to greatness by drafting cards representing buildings, wonders, and military forces. Points are earned through strategic card drafting, resource management, and building powerful combos.
• Average Time to Play: 30-45 minutes
• Minimum Age: 10+
• Type: Card Drafting, Civilization, Strategy
• Reason to Buy: Offers deep strategic gameplay and replayability, with multiple paths to victory and dynamic player interactions, making it a favorite among fans of card games and civilization-building games.
Splendor
• Number of Players: 2-4 players
• About: Players collect gems and purchase development cards to build a powerful merchant empire during the Renaissance. The goal is to attract wealthy nobles and earn prestige points.
• Average Time to Play: 30 minutes
• Minimum Age: 10+
• Type: Engine-Building, Set Collection, Strategy
• Reason to Buy: Combines elegant mechanics, beautiful artwork, and strategic depth into a compact and highly replayable game, offering a satisfying experience for both casual gamers and seasoned strategists.
Azul
• Number of Players: 2-4 players
• About: Players compete to decorate the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora with colorful tiles, drafting tiles from a central factory display and strategically placing them on their individual player boards to score points.
• Average Time to Play: 30-45 minutes
• Minimum Age: 8+
• Type: Tile Placement, Abstract, Strategy
• Reason to Buy: Features stunning components, intuitive gameplay, and strategic depth, making it a visually striking and mentally stimulating game that appeals to players of all ages and skill levels.
Kingdomino
• Number of Players: 2-4 players
• About: Players build kingdoms by connecting domino-like tiles featuring different terrains and symbols. The goal is to create the most valuable kingdom by carefully selecting and placing tiles.
• Average Time to Play: 15-20 minutes
• Minimum Age: 8+
• Type: Tile Placement, Drafting, Family
• Reason to Buy: Offers accessible gameplay, strategic depth, and quick play sessions, making it an ideal choice for families, casual gamers, and anyone looking for a satisfying and visually appealing tile-laying game experience.
These games introduced above are popular games but let’s not limit to these games. Monopoly and Scrabble, even Chess are highly recommended games. As we all aware, video games and TV are becoming more issues affecting mental health to both adults and kids. Try one or two board games and let’s have fun!
