Best Board Games To Play During The Holidays

The holidays are a fantastic time to dive into a new beloved board game with your favorite people. You can stick with the classics, such as Monopoly or Candyland, but tis the season to attempt something new. Different families love different games, depending on what works best for them. Some prefer a game that’s very easy to understand, while others crave a challenge.

There is no right or wrong game to play over the holidays, but there are some that might better suit your loved ones. Stay tuned to find out which game might get your family all riled up.

10

Scattergories

Separate Fun

Scattergories is a fabulous game that is great for large groups. The game gives you lists and a dice with every letter, and you have to answer the lists with the letter you get. For example, the prompt might be “Famous Women,” and the letter might be “C” and then you could write “Catherine the Great,” or “Cher.”

This game is great for anyone who is able to read and write. One of the main benefits is that you each get your own list, so you can spread out and sit in different areas while still playing a game together.

9

Catan

Settle In Style

Catan is a fantastic game for people who are willing to spend a long time playing strategy board games. The game includes tiles that you can commandeer in order to create settlements. The aim of the game is to get victory points, which you get through settlements, long roads, and the largest army. When you place your pieces, you get access to the resources that are on either side of it, which you can use to build. The game goes round and round: roll, trade, and build.

There are many versions of Catan, including Starfarers, Family Edition, Game of Thrones, and Catan on the Go. Find the one that suits you best, and get ready to fight over resources.

8

Clue

Endless Mystery

Clue is a classic game that is absolutely perfect for the holidays. You wander around a mansion collecting clues to figure out who was murdered in the house with what weapon and in what room. You and your fellow detectives are given cards, and when you make smaller accusations (which take place in the individual rooms, such as the kitchen or the library), you’re permitted to see some of their clues. Gather all of your clues together to make an official accusation (which takes place in the center of the board) against the murderer.

This game is great because you get to have fun accusing your family members of murder, and it’s a well-known game that’s very easy to understand. Grab it and claim, “It was grandma in the kitchen with poison!”

7

Sushi-Go Party

Sushi To Go

Sushi-Go Party is very similar to the original Sushi-Go game, but with a board to keep track of points and new cards to spice things up. You start the game with a hand of cards, and pick the one you consider the “best.” Then you pass your entire hand to the left, and get the next group of cards. This repeats over and over until there are no cards left in each hand.

The aim is to get the most points. Some cards are simple, like Nigiri, where you place it and get the points written on the card. Others are more complicated, like Green Ice Tea Ice Cream, where you get 12 points if you can get four of them.

6

Wingspan

Birds Galore

Wingspan is a unique game that involves eggs, birds, and strategy. The idea of the game is to “discover” different birds by gaining tokens, laying eggs, and drawing bird cards. Certain birds are rarer and worth more money, while others are more common. Each round, an objective is set for you to meet, and every turn you can lay an egg, draw a card, lay down a bird card, or gain food to advance.

This game is a bit more complicated than some of the others on this list, but it’s well worth the effort put in. It’s so different from other board games, and even non-bird-enthusiasts will enjoy collecting their favorite birds.

5

Codenames

Code Awesome

Codenames is one of the most approachable board games out there. You separate your group into two teams. There are cards set up in both red and blue, the two team colors. To guess the right cards, the spymaster (chosen by each team) gives clues to help get all of their cards before the other team does. For example, you might give the clue: Music for two, and then your team would say “piano” and “orchestra.” The turn ends if your teammate guesses the wrong answer.

This is one of the easier games on the list, which makes it perfect to play with your family members who might not love strategy games. It’s easy to pick up, and there are different versions of this game depending on your family’s likes and dislikes.

4

Ticket To Ride

Choo Choooo

Ticket to Ride is a train game where you get different cards that tell you where to send your trains. You play against others who are working to get their tracks down as well. For example, you might have to go from Pittsburg to San Francisco, and you’ll need to create a path there. You’re able to place trains by collecting cards of the same color. Six pink cards = six pink trains. Harder and longer tracks will give you more points and help you win the game.

This game is easy to understand, fun, and many people can play. You can team up or go one vs one to have whichever experience rings true for you.

3

Here To Slay

Slaayyyyy

Here To Slay is a fantasy game with different monsters and creatures. You want to get one of each creature, or three monsters to win. The cards are incredibly fun, and you can play the game over and over with different paths to victory. Each turn you get three moves, and you can use them to draw cards, fight monsters, place down cards, or use a card’s effect. The more you understand the cards, the easier it will be to play.

This is one of the more complicated games on the list, but once you’ve mastered it, you’ll have a ball. There are two expansion packs as well, which add more to the game and give you new ways to win.

2

Quacks Of Quedlinburg

Quack Quack

Quacks of Quedlinburg is an incredibly popular game. You play as a Quack doctor making your own potions with different ingredients. The wrong ingredient can completely ruin what you’ve worked so hard to create, and it will explode. You have nine turns (or nine days) to win. There will be a fortune card read every turn, and players have to follow what’s on the card. Everyone is then able to draw from a little bag to pull out an ingredient for their potion, and will randomly get a piece of a different value.

This game has won awards for being an incredibly family-friendly game, so it’s absolutely worth trying over the holidays. It’s fun and engaging, plus it’s easy to understand.

1

Villainous

Your Favorite Disney Adult

If you have a bunch of Disney lovers in your family, you should give Villainous a shot. You play as a villain and work to destroy your enemies. Each villain has a unique objective they are trying to achieve, such as curse all locations on the board. You have to work to achieve your objective while sabotaging your fellow players without knowing their objective at all. Each turn you can perform actions, draw cards, and move your villain to a new location.

This game can be a bit complicated for younger kids, but it’s a lot of fun regardless. Since each character is different, there can be a learning curve to understand yours, but that just makes it more replayable.