The 14 Best Board Games for Your Next Game Night

Best Overall

Hasbro Monopoly Board Game

4.8

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It’s hard to beat the most classic board game of them all: Monopoly. The 85-year old game has been translated into 47 languages and Braille and more than 250 million copies have been sold. Why does it have such staying power? Monopoly lets you buy, trade, and sell property with fake money as you become a real estate mogul.

Younger players can learn the basics of money and property, while more seasoned professionals can test how their skills have developed over time. Every game will be different with the chance to try new strategies, making for a high replay value. Games definitely take some time, but if younger players begin to get restless, break longer competitions up over a few days.

The game has stayed relevant with licensed versions ranging from a kid-friendly Monopoly Jr. Trolls World Tour, a Voice Banking edition, and even a Cheaters edition, not to mention versions for just about every professional sports team out there and many colleges and universities. To win requires good sense and luck, making it an irresistible combo. Pass the "Go" square and collect $200!

Price at time of publish: $19.92

_{Number of Players: 2-6 | Duration: 60-180 minutes | Recommended Age: 8 years and up}

Best for Groups

Czech Games Codenames

4.2

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Fans of Elizabeth Jennings, Jason Bourne, and other fictional spies will get behind this cloak and dagger game. While you don’t need to know how to speak Russian, spymasters (one per team) do need to use their smarts to clue in their teammates to the secret code names in as few turns as possible.

How it works: Divide into two teams, then 25 cards are placed into the grid in random order. Some are spies, some are innocent bystanders, and one is an assassin. The spymaster will give a clue to his or her teammates, who then guess who the spies are. For example, say the two codenames are “cat” and “dog:", “animal” would be an okay clue, but runs the risk of teammates guessing all the animals on the board, say a lion; in this instance, “pet” would be a clearer clue. The game ends when one team identifies all the other team’s spies or if a team accidentally uncovers the assassin.

Our tester noted that the game became more fun the longer they played. "The more we played, the more fun the rounds became as everyone starts to get the hang of the word associations, particularly ones that will provide clues to locate more than one spy at the same time," they shared.

Price at time of publish: $15.89

_{Number of Players: 2-8 or groups | Duration: 15 minutes | Recommended Age: 8 years and up}

Best for Art

Plan B Azul Board Game

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Pour yourself a glass of port before you break out Azul, a game inspired by the vivid beauty of Moorish art tiles. In the game, your goal as an artisan is to decorate the walls of the royal Palace of Dvora. You score points for completing sets and designing specific patterns, while if you waste supplies, your tally is docked.

While it may not sound like life or death, the game can get pretty cutthroat as you try to force your opponents to take less desirable tiles. The tile pieces themselves are colorful and beautiful to look at and feel substantial in your hand.

Price at time of publish: $34.86

_{Number of Players: 2-4 | Duration: 30-45 minutes | Recommended Age: 8 years and up}

Best for Two Players

Jax Sequence

4.5

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Combine Connect Four with poker and you get Sequence, a strategy game where the object is to place five of your chips in a row, column, or diagonal. The catch is you can only place your chip on the card that corresponds to one you have in your hand, so strategy and forward-thinking are necessary—but a little bit of luck never hurt either.

Players draw a new card after each turn—but watch out because Jacks are wild. The first one to create the sequence or sequences needed (two when you’re playing with two players or one for three players or more) wins. When you’re playing with four players or more, you’ll need to break into two teams.

While the premise seems simple, the game changes with each round as new players take their turns. "I loved this game back when I first started playing it. I love it more now. After playing with five different kids in short succession, I’ve found that it feels like a unique game each time," our tester says.

Price at time of publish: $17.97

_{Number of Players: 2-12 | Duration: 30 minutes | Recommended Age: 7 years and up}

Best Collaborative

Asmodee Mysterium

4.7

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Similar to Clue, players are trying to guess the person-place-weapon of the ghastly murder committed at Warwick Manor, but unlike that classic game, this time everyone is working together to solve the crime. One player is the ghost, while the others are psychics; the ghost communicates through “vision” cards while the psychics huddle together to try to interpret them correctly before time runs out. You either all win—or lose—together. Dim the lights and cue up the spooky music to set the mood for this ghostly game.

Price at time of publish: $43.98

_{Number of Players: 2-7 | Duration: 45 minutes | Recommended Age: 10 years and up}

Best for Teens

Not Parent Approved Card Game

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This card game for kids was inspired by Cards Against Humanity, but unlike that popular game, this is 100% family-friendly—as long as your family is the kind to make fart jokes, that is. Kids will want to play it for the name alone and they—and you—will crack up as you compete to answer the fill-in-the-blank question with the funniest response. One example: Dear substitute teacher, would you please stop ________?

Ironically, Not Parent Approved is a Scholastic Gold Star Toy Award Winner as it encourages kids to read, which sounds pretty parent-approvable to us. Another plus is that it’s totally portable, so you don't need a big table and lots of space to play it.

Price at time of publish: $29.99

_{Number of Players: 4-10 | Duration: 6-60 minutes | Recommended Age: 8 years and up}

Best Strategy

Catan Studio Catan Board Game

4.8

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Fans of Minecraft will appreciate Catan, a board game where you build civilizations complete with settlements, cities, roads, and armies and need to stay on the lookout for the robber. On each turn, players roll the dice to get resources that enable them to build either a new settlement or upgrade their current ones. Each house counts as one point (you start with two houses), and the first person to get to ten points wins, though, of course, it’s not quite that simple.

Strategy is required to plan the best places to build and there are additional ways to pick up points, including buying development cards and being the first to build an army. One reviewer calls this the “Candyland of strategy games” noting that it’s easy to pick up and master. "The beautifully designed, intricate, adjustable board pieces and lovely cards, as well as the absorbing complexity of the game all warrant the higher price," they added.

Price at time of publish: $47.99

_{Number of Players: 3-4 | Duration: 60 minutes | Recommended Age: 10 years and up}

Best for Kids

Hasbro Guess Who Classic

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Guess Who is a two-player game that’s a smart introduction for your children to the world of strategy games—and it’s so easy to pick up the rules, kids can play it by themselves, with no adult supervision required.

The object of the game is to figure out the other player’s selected character by asking yes or no questions—the first person to get it right wins. A question might be, for example, “Is your person wearing a hat?” If the answer is no, all the characters with hats get flipped over and so on until there’s only one person standing.

If you played this when you were a kid, you’ll appreciate that the updated version includes more female characters and more people of color.

Price at time of publish: $11.97

_{Number of Players: 2 | Duration: 5-10 minutes | Recommended Age: 6 years and up}

Best for Adults

Exploding Kittens NSFW Board Game

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The original version is the most funded game on Kickstarter ever, with more than 9 million copies sold and tens of thousands of five-star reviews to back up why it’s such a hit. Amp up the fun—and the giggles—even more with this adults-only version.

Like the original, the NSFW version features the distinctive artwork from The Oatmeal (only this time it’s in a distinctively not family-friendly way) and is played in the same way—you’re trying to avoid drawing the “Exploding Kittens” card while aiming to arm yourself with the diffuse cards. One reviewer called it “perfectly crass and absurd.”

Price at time of publish: $19.99

_{Number of Players: 2-5 | Duration: 15 minutes | Recommended Age: 17 years and up}

Best for Families

Days of Wonder Ticket To Ride

4.5

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It can be difficult finding a game the whole family will enjoy for game nights, but Days of Wonder's Ticket to Ride checks all of our boxes. It's strategic, competitive, easy to learn, and engaging for all different ages. Players compete for railroad routes through North America to connect major cities and resources. The real fun begins when paths get intercepted or blocked by other players, resulting in a little healthy family competition.

While the youngest family members can't get in on the fun just yet, everyone over 8 years old will love trying out new strategies with each game. Be warned, Ticket to Ride can last over an hour, so small attention spans beware. But, with intricate maps and engaging gameplay, you'll be reaching for this game again and again.

Price at time of publish: $48

_{Number of Players: 2-5 | Duration: 30-60 minutes | Recommended Age: 8 years and up}

Best Solo

The City of Games The Isle of Cats

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Solo gamers and cat lovers alike will love this adorable game from City of Games. Isle of Cats challenges you to save as many cats as possible by fitting them into your boat Tetris-style. But, be sure to save room for resources and ancient treasures from the island to bring back home as well.

Players also fish, explore the island, and learn fun lessons along the way. While it can be played with up to four players, this game is perfect for solo play on rainy days. The board design is beautiful and the pieces are high-quality, making for a peaceful and versatile gaming experience.

Price at time of publish: $30

_{Number of Players: 1-4 | Duration: Not Listed | Recommended Age: 8 years and up}

Best for Parties

Repos Production Concept

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Concept is the perfect game to play at your next party or gathering. Players combine images and symbols to try and guess people, places, and things. Teams and individual players receive points with each correct guess, and the player with the most points wins. While the game is technically for up to 12 players, the team-based style means even more people can easily get in on the fun with some light rule adjustments.

There are three difficulty levels, which ensures kids and adults can enjoy the game equally. Concept challenges your quick-thinking and problem-solving skills while being high-energy and tons of fun. There's also a kids-only version, perfect for birthday parties or playdates.

Price at time of publish: $36

_{Number of Players: 2-12 | Duration: 40 minutes | Recommended Age: 4 years and up}

Best for Toddlers

Educational Insights The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

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Board games are a great way to foster social, problem-solving, and memory skills in toddlers in a fun and entertaining way. Educational Insights' The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game challenges young ones to spin the spinner and match the right color acorn with their log. They'll practice taking turns, sharing, and winning and losing gracefully. Plus, it helps kids foster their fine motor skills

There's no reading required, but little ones will still need an adult leading the way. It's a great bonding game with easy-to-understand instructions and a quick playtime. Just be beware of the small pieces, especially with young children.

Price at time of publish: $11

_{Number of Players: 2-4 | Duration: Not Listed | Recommended Age: 3 years and up}