BEST BOARD GAMES FOR KIDS & TEENS
I must have been 7 or 8, and I still remember buying our first game of Monopoly.
We played it 3 or 4 times a day for days, and it still comes out at least every Christmas!
For me, life is about creating happy memories, and board games have been a very important part.
Little did I know that 20 years later, I would be working for a games company and become their Director of Product Development.
THE BEST BOARD GAMES
FOR KIDS & TEENS
(when we just don’t have the time to look at every single review!)
Outfoxed! (Age:5+)
6 stars
Rhino Hero (Age:5+)
6 stars
Ticket to Ride (Usa/Europe)
(Age:6+)
6 stars
Spot it!/Dobble (Age:7+)
5 stars
Ice Cool (Age:6+)
5 stars
Zombie Kidz: Evolution
(Age:6+)
6 stars
BEST BOARD GAMES FOR KIDS & TEENS
How they were scored
Game reviews were taken from the top consumer review sites such as Wirecutter, Forbes, IGN & The Spruce.
The top game reviews sites were then added – Boardgamegeek, Icebreaker & GamesRadar.
A huge variety of games were tested, but only the select few featured consistently.
These are the games that featured the most – the best board games for kids & teens.
| Game | Grand Total | BoardGameGeek | Dicebreaker | GamesRadar | Wirecutter | T3 | Good Housekeeping | The Spruce | IGN | NBC | Forbes | Insider | The Strategist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outfoxed | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Rhino Hero | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Ticket to Ride (First Journey) | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Spot It! / Dobble | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Ice Cool 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Zombie Kidz: Evolution | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Zingo! | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| I Never Forget A Face | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Sushi Go! | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Codenames | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Guess Who? | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Animal Upon Animal | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| First Orchard | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Andor: The Family Fantasy Game | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Catan: Family Edition | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Coconuts | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Just One | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| My First Stone Age | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Pyramid of Pengqueen | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Quacks & Co. | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Smart Farmer | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| The Magic Labyrinth | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| The Mind | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Best Board Games for Kids & Teens
See it on your computer for the full tableBEST BOARD GAME FOR 2 YEAR OLDS
First Orchard
Age 2+ 1-4 players 10 min playing time
The objective is to collaboratively harvest all the fruit in the orchard before the raven arrives!
This game emphasizes color recognition, turn-taking, fine motor skills with the wooden game pieces
and introduces the concepts of winning and losing.
BEST BOARD GAME FOR 3 YEAR OLDS
Count your Chickens!
Age 3+ 2-4 players 15min playing time
A delightful where players work together to help Mother Hen gather her chicks back to the coop
but be careful of the cunning fox!
Reviwers loved the co-operative gameplay.
BEST BOARD GAME FOR 4 YEAR OLDS
Zingo!
Age 4+. 2-8 players. 5 min playing time
Zingo! combines speed, observation, and fun.
Players compete to cover their Zingo card by matching the tiles dispensed from the Zingo holder, with images ranging from apples to trains.
The first to cover their 9 spaces calls out ‘Zingo!’ to win.
Reviwers liked the game for its simplicity and its ability to engage children of various ages.
BEST BOARD GAME FOR 5 YEAR OLDS
Outfoxed!
Age 5+ 2-4 players. 20min playing time
“Outfoxed!” is a multi award-winning game where players team up as detectives to gather clues and catch a cunning fox before it escapes the town.
Players move around the board, use a unique evidence scanner, and work together to identify the guilty fox.
Reviewers liked its engaging gameplay, cooperative nature, and excitement for players of all ages.
BEST BOARD GAME FOR 6 YEAR OLDS
Ticket to Ride (USA/Europe)
Age 6+. 2-4 players. 15-30 mins
Ticket to Ride: First Journey is a family version of the all-time classic game.
Traverse across the United States or Europe by train as players collect train cards, claim routes, and aim to connect cities depicted on their tickets.
The first player to complete six tickets or the one who places all their trains on the board emerges victorious.
Reviewers liked the strategic element of the game despite its simplicity.
BEST BOARD GAME FOR 7 YEAR OLDS
Spot it! / Dobble
Age 7+. 2-8 players. 15min playing time
Spot it! (USA) / Dobble (Europe) is a multi award-winning game of quick reflexes and sharp observation.
The challenge is to identify a matching symbol between two cards, with the catch being that the symbols can vary in size.
I really like the way several different ways of playing are included within the one game, and it is a family favourite of ours.
BEST BOARD GAME FOR 8 YEAR OLDS
Sushi Go Party!
Age 8+ 2-8 players. 20min playing time
Sushi Go Party! is a card game where players strategically select sushi dishes to create winning combinations.
It takes the original “Sushi Go!” and adds a diverse menu of dishes so a larger group of players can play it.
Reviewers liked how it can adapt to differing group sizes and the added depth of strategy.
BEST BOARD GAME FOR TEENS
Codenames
Age 14+ 2-8 players 15min playing time
Codenames is a party game where players give their team clever one-word clues to help them identify their agents in the field.
The game involves 25 cards on the table, each with different words.
The team leader, privy to the colour of the card, provides hints to guide their team members in finding cards of their corresponding colours.
The objective is to find all the cards of one’s own colour to secure a win.
Reviewers liked its innovative approach to word-based deduction and team strategy.
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About Geoff
I spent over 20 years at GIbsons Games – the 104 year old games company based in London, becoming their
Director of Product Development & IT.
One of my very first jobs at Gibsons was to help develop the game 221b Baker Street, and it is still very successful today.
Many more games followed including Pass the Bomb, Mind the Gap, Civilization, Diplomacy & my favourite – Hare & Tortoise.
My website brings you the best reviews of the best board games
all in one place.