BEST BOARD GAMES FOR FAMILIES

The Best Family Bard Games create the Best Memories!

I know people like different kinds of games – strategy, trivia, word, or card.
Therefore, I have collated the very best board game reviews worldwide and added my 20 years of experience to give you the Best Board Games for Families in 2023.

For me, life is about creating happy memories,
and board games have been a very important part of that.
Little did I know that 20 years later,
I would be working for Gibsons – a 100+ year old games company
and become their Director of Product Development.

THE BEST FAMILY BOARD GAMES

A shortlist of the best family board games when we just don’t have the time to look at every single review!

TICKET TO RIDE (Age:8+)
8 stars

CATAN (Age:10+)

6 stars

KINGDOMINO (Age:6+)

6 stars

TELESTRATIONS (Age:8+)

4 stars

EXPLODING KITTENS (Age:7+)

5 stars

PANDEMIC (Age:8+)

4 stars

BEST FAMILY BOARD GAMES
How they were scored

Game reviews were taken from the top consumer review sites such as Forbes, Wired, Goodhousekeeping & The Strategist. The top game review sites were then added to give a more ‘expert’ view.
A huge variety of games were tested, but only a select few featured consistently.
These are the games that featured the most – the BEST BOARD GAMES for FAMILIES.

Best Board Game for Families

GameGrand TotalWiredForbesThe SpruceThe StrategistGoodhousekeepingCNETIGNMumsnetThe GuardianDicebreakerBoardGameFamilyBoardGamesWizardGamesradar
Ticket to Ride811111111
Catan511111
Kingdomino511111
Exploding Kittens41111
Telestrations41111
Pandemic3111
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea3111
Sushi Go!3111
Takenoko3111
Dobble3111
Cascadia3111
Wingspan3111
Throw Throw Burrito3111
Santorini211
The Isle of Cats211
Fluxx211
King of Tokyo211
Downforce211
Blokus211
Carcassonne211
Boggle211
Guess in 10211
Zingo!211
Azul211
Magic Maze211
Herd Mentality211
Just One211
Labyrinth211
Best Board Game for Families

MOST POPULAR FAMILY BOARD GAMES

Monopoly

Age 8+   2-8 players  45-60 min playing time

The most popular game is currently Monopoly played by over 500 million people worldwide.
The most expensive version costing US$2 million!

There are now Lord of the Rings, Avengers, Pixar, Super Mario Bros, Friends & Star Wars editions.

Did you know there is no official Harry Potter Monopoly!

 The version above is the 80s version I played as my first ever board game.
We played and played it so many times during those first few days.
My latest version has a personalised board and cards I received for my 50th birthday. Very special!
(Just be aware this game is the best selling but may take hours and cause family arguments!)

BEST CHRISTMAS BOARD GAME 
(a board game is not just for Christmas)

Ticket to Ride (USA, Europe & multiple city versions)

Age 8+   2-5 players   30-60 min playing time

Christmas is about creating memories, and “Ticket to Ride” could be your ticket to unforgettable moments.
Wired & The Strategist loved the strategic gameplay and its suitability for new and experienced players.
GamesRadar & Mumsnet said it is a game for all ages.
I can endorse all this as I played it last Christmas (the original USA version) with my teenage nephews,
who were playing for the first time, and we all loved it.   

 

 

BEST STRATEGY BOARD GAME FOR FAMILIES

CATAN

Age 10+  3-6 players (with 5-6 extension).  20min playing time

Catan is my all-time favourite game. Why?
My wife loves to play it (and she only plays three games – Catan, Ticket to Ride & our special personalised Monopoly)

In terms of gameplay, it has the great benefit of the game tiles being randomly placed for each new game – so each game is different.
Imagine Chess, where each game starts with your pieces in a different position!

Reading the rules can be a little daunting, so I recommend watching a YouTube video, which is much simpler.
Or better still, play with an experienced player to guide you through a sample game. You will then pick it up quickly in the next game.

BEST FAMILY CARD GAME

Best Board Game Kids Teens - Spot it Dobble

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 … even though I lose to my quicker reacting sons!

Recommended YouTube videos
for Best Family Board Games

Geoff Lee

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.