Games are some of my absolute favorite gifts to give during the holidays! 

Why? Because the holidays to me mean spending time together. Enjoying warm, cozy nights with the people we care about most, sitting around a table, food filling the kitchen, the smell of hot cocoa rising from kitschy Christmas mugs, and the sound of cards shuffling as you play another round of your favorite game. 

When you give someone a game, it’s not just gifting them a present, but also giving them the gift of presence. Whether its spending time with your kids, giving a teenager something fun to play with their friends, or an experience the whole family can enjoy together for night to come long after the holidays end. 

Below we’ve rounded up our top game recommendations for 2020! To help you, I’ve got them separated into categories by age.

Toddler and Preschool Games
Kid Games
Family Games
Teens and Adult Games
Party Games
Gaming Accessories

If a game sounds like a good fit, just click on the name and you’ll be taken to where you can purchase it. Where possible, we’ve linked to Amazon for ease, but feel free to write these down and support your local game store or favorite shop in town!

You can also find all of the below games collected together in our 2020 Gift Guide on our Amazon Storefront! 

Toddler and Preschool Games

Building Site

My favorite new game for toddlers! Building Site has it all: a simple game to help kids learn to follow rules and high quality materials so little hands can both play the game and free play without worry. Read our review here.

Dragomino

A perfect kids game. Fun for young and old alike, Dragomino engages children while challenging them to make smart strategic choices at a young age. One of our top choices for kids this year! Read our review here.

Sequence for Kids

One of our all time favorite classics, Sequence for Kids is an entirely reading independent game filled with animals your kids will love with a low price point to boot! Kids will learn early tactical strategy as they try to get four chips in a row before their opponents. (For kids who might be too old for this version, check out the classic Sequence!)

Kid Games

Mia London and the Case of the 625 Scoundrels

This is a fantastic deduction game with a really clever design! Read our full review here.

Piece of Pie

Not only is Piece of Pie a cute game, but it’s also a great way to sneak in a little bit of fraction work as well! Read our full review here!

Zombie Teenz

The highly anticipated sequel to Zombie Kidz Evolution has finally arrived! We were lucky enough to get an advance copy of Zombie Teenz for review (it releases early December) and, no spoilers but let me tell you, if you loved the first game, you’ll definitely want to pick up this one! Zombie Kidz review here.

Robots

A nominee for the 2020 Kinderspeil and for good reason! Robots is a simple game that introduces the concept of time to kids. This is designed simply enough that you can even take it on the road with your! Perfect for any long car trips you may have planned this year. Read our review here.

Pie in the Sky Expansion for My Little Scythe

Christmas is also a great time to get an expansion to one of your favorite games you already have. We recommended My Little Scythe last year on our gift guide and this year we enthusiastically recommend the expansion: Pie in the Sky! Read our full review here.

Family Games

Crokinole

Admittedly this would be a bit of a splurge, but if you are looking for one big family gift to give your crew this year, we cannot recommend Crokinole highly enough. This is an excellent, classic dexterity game that your family could enjoy for years and years to come. There are many places to purchase a board, we recommend Crokinole Canada for heirloom quality, tournament size boards. Read about our board and get our special code HERE.

Meeple Land

Hands down one of my favorite new family games that we’ve played this year. Meeple Land is a hit from Blue Orange games! Perfect for families with young players looking to dive into a slightly heavier game while still being fun for adults as well! Read our full review here.

Gods Love Dinosaurs

Who doesn’t love Dinosaur games? Gods love Dinosaurs is a super fun tile placement game that combines a great theme, (the food chain) with fun mechanics and beautiful components. Pandasaurus Games knows how to do it! 

My City

We absolutely recommend My City for a unique Christmas family gift! This campaign game is so fun and would be the perfect game to unwrap and play your way through to the new year with! Read our full review here.

Marvel United

We were blown away by this fantastic family game this summer and still highly recommend it. Marvel United is perfect for families looking for a Marvel/Superhero themed game that kids and adults can enjoy playing together. Read our full review here. 

Pandemic Hot Zone: North America

Maybe you’re tired of Pandemic talk, but Pandemic Hot Zone: North America still makes this year’s gift guide. We love that you get to experience robust and full game in just 15 minutes in this cooperative game! Read our full review here. 

(Not a fan of Pandemic? You may also like these smaller map versions of Ticket To Ride: New York, London, or Amsterdam!)

Quirky Circuits

They don’t make them any cuter than this one! Quirky Circuits is a clever cooperative coding game that is exceptionally fun. We always play it twice as long as we expect to because we are just having such a good time! Read our full review here.

Teens and Adults 

Tiny Epic Dinosaurs

We love a good Tiny Epic Game! Whether we’re blasting off into new galaxies or thinking through tactical moves, these small boxes pack some big game inside! Tiny Epic Dinosaurs is perfect strategy game for anyone that has dreamed of becoming a dinosaur rancher. (Haven’t we all??) 

Lift Off! Get Me Off This Planet!

This is such a fun game! While you can definitely play it with younger gamers, it’s the perfect gift to give to a teen who loves to play games with their friends! I absolutely love the modular board which makes replayability and game customization out of this world. There’s also a fantastic solo mode for players who love a solitaire challenge. Read our full review here!

Cartographers

Cartographers is one of our all time favorite flip-and-writes. It’s clever fun that keeps us coming back for game after game.

Skulk Hollow

One of my favorite two-player games. Skulk Hollow is an asymmetrical game with a highly cinematic feel. Read our full review here!

Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done

One of our new favorite finds of the last year! Crusaders will have you moving your nights, building buildings, and spreading your influence all across the land. We absolutely love the use of the roundel for action selection and find great joy in the strategy required to win this game! 

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated

This is our gift to ourselves this year! We absolutely love the deck building game Clank! and are so excited to embark on a campaign together this winter! The legacy campaign will consist of 10+ games, exploring new worlds, unlocking new components, and even permanently altering the game! If you haven’t played the base game, we highly recommend that as well!

Party Games

Wavelength

Our top choice for a fun and hilarious evening with your family over Christmas! This game is sure to be a hit and will for sure be in our Christmas game bag for our travels this year. Read our full review here, or head to our Instagram to play it with us on IGTV!

Rip Off

While not exactly a party game in the traditional sense, we love how it can accommodate a larger group of people easily and plays quickly. Everyone young and old has loved this one! There’s something so fun about ripping up a dollar. Read our review here.

Tattoo Stories

This is the perfect game to play for your traditional get togethers, but also for those who may be connecting virtually this year. Tattoo Stories is a clever take on a Pictionary style drawing game that had our family rolling over zoom this spring! Read our review here.

Talent Show

Some love showmanship often involved in party games while others prefer to avoid it. Talent Show is a new party game that allows players to “perform” to whatever level they are most comfortable. I love that it is fun for both those dreaming of the stage and the wall flowers. Choose to play cooperatively against the game or competitively against each other as you draw, sing, mime, or write your way to talent show victory.

Trophies

One of my favorite types of game gifts are the ones where you can gift and play right away. Trophies fits that bill perfectly! Prepare for lots of fun, shouting, and laughter! (Read our full review HERE or play it with us on Instagram!)

Gaming Extras

2021 Board Game Calendar

This is a great gift for the gamer who has it all! This calendar is filled with beautiful images taken by some of the best board game photographers, both big and small, on the internet! We’re honored to be a part of it! Buy it to use as a planner, calendar, or tear out your favorite photos and frame them for your game room! 

Original Board Game Art

Many of the board game photographers and artists also sell their work online. This is an amazing way to decorate your home with the hobby you love in a unique way. If you have a photographer that you love, try reaching out to them to see if you could buy or commission a print of your or someone you love’s favorite game. Many of the artists behind some of the most beautiful games available also sell their work online! One of my favorites are the amazing female artists of Wingspan! (Check out Ana and Natalia’s work!) Maybe your favorite board game artist sells their artwork as well! 

Dry Erase Pockets

I love these for roll and writes. I don’t always want to laminate a game sheet, but I also like conserving paper. These pockets are the best of both worlds and work amazingly well!

My Favorite Dry Erase Markers

While you’re buying the dry erase pockets, don’t forget to pair it with some high quality dry erase markers. Here are two of my favorite options:

Option A: Super Fine point, instant dry markers perfect for games with super tiny spaces you need to write in. These are a little more expensive, but trust me, they are amazing. 

Option B: These thin fine point markers that I swear never run out of ink. These are a fantastic, slightly cheaper option that is still some of the best markers you’re ever going to find!

Still need more ideas? Check out our gift guides from previous years!

Board Game Gift Guide 2019
Board Game Gift Guide 2018

If you’re looking for some outdoor game options, check out this post:

Great Yard Games to Play This Summer

Looking for some great games for under $15? Check out this post with games perfect for stocking stuffers!