A good board game turns an ordinary evening into something everyone remembers, and there has never been a better choice. These ten are easy to learn, fun to replay and work for a wide range of ages.
We’ve counted down from ten to the one game we think every family shelf should have.
10. Dobble
Any two cards in the deck share exactly one matching symbol, and the first player to spot and shout it wins the round.
It’s frantic, noisy and over in minutes, and it’s one of the few games where young children can genuinely beat adults.
9. Sushi Go!
A fast card game where everyone picks one card from their hand and passes the rest on, trying to collect the best combination of sushi dishes.
It comes in a small tin, costs little and is a perfect warm-up before a longer game.
8. Kingdomino
Players build a small kingdom from domino-style tiles, matching landscapes such as forests, lakes and fields to score points. A full game takes around fifteen minutes.
It’s ideal for younger players, and adults enjoy it more than they expect to.
7. Dixit
Each round, one player chooses a dreamlike illustrated card and gives a clue about it. Everyone else picks a card from their hand to match, and then all try to spot the original.
The trick is to be clear, but not too clear. It rewards imagination over competitiveness.
6. Azul
Players take turns choosing coloured tiles to decorate a palace wall, scoring points for patterns and completed rows. The tiles look and feel lovely, and the rules are simple.
It is gentle on the surface, with clever decisions underneath, and is perfect for two to four players.
5. Pandemic
A co-operative game: instead of competing, everyone works together as a team of specialists trying to stop diseases spreading around the world.
It’s a great choice for families who find competitive games end in tears, because you all win or lose together.
4. Catan
Players gather resources such as wood, brick, wool, grain and ore, then trade with each other to build roads, settlements and cities on an island board.
The trading keeps everyone involved even when it isn’t their turn. It’s a modern classic for good reason.
3. Codenames
Two teams race to identify their secret agents from a grid of words, guided by one-word clues from their team’s spymaster. One wrong guess could hit the assassin and lose the game instantly.
It’s brilliant with a larger group and creates plenty of laughs and groans.
2. Carcassonne
Players take turns drawing a tile and adding it to a growing medieval landscape of cities, roads, fields and monasteries, then place their little wooden followers to score points.
Every game creates a different map, and it plays just as well with two people as with a full table.
1. Ticket to Ride
Players collect coloured train cards and use them to claim railway routes between cities across a map. The rules take minutes to explain, yet there’s real strategy in deciding when to grab a route before someone else does.
It works for two to five players and appeals to children and grandparents alike, which is why it’s our number one.
What’s the game that always comes out in your house? Share your family favourite in the comments.
