One of the requests I receive frequently on Instagram are requests for game to bring to and play at the hospital. Hospital stays can come with all kinds of emotions. Sometimes there’s hope and excitement, other times there’s worry and waiting. Whether youu’re recovering, supporting a loved one, or navigating a brand-new chapter, having something lighthearted andd engaging to pass the time can make a world of difference.
We asked our community to share the games they’ve played during hospital stays, ones that helped them stay connected, distracted, or simply brought a smile when things felt tough. I was overwhelmed by the incredible response! Below you’ll find their favorite picks, thoughtful suggestions, and creative ideas to help you or someone you love find a little joy in the in-between moments.
The most popular suggestions are highlighted in BOLD.
You’ll also find our personal top 5 picks at the top of each section!
A very warm Thank You from me to you, our wonderful community. Thank you so much for taking the time to help others by sharing your suggestions and your stories of how these games have brought some light to your hospital stays. We appreciate you!
The Ultimate List of Games to Play at the Hospital
Board Games
Our Top 5 Picks:
A Gentle Rain, Hive, Next Station London, Orchard, Escape Room Games (Clue, Exit, or Unlock!)
If you want to play larger games but don’t have the space, or if you do not want to bring games with you, there are many of the most popular games available to play online on Board Game Arena. Many for free!
6 Second Scribbles
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
A Gentle Rain
Azul Travel
Bananagrams
Blockus
Boggle
Calico
Castle Combo
Cinco Linko (Ok Play)
Clue Escape Room Games “These were great during my chemo appointments.”
Coca Cola Polar Rollers
Dobble (Spot it for our US friends)
Donuts
Doodle Dash
Dungeons, Dice, and Danger
Exit the Game escape room games — these are great solo or with a friend. choose any in the series that spark your interest; they’re all great!
Forbidden Island
Ghost Blitz there’s a mini version too
Hive there’s also a mini version: Hive Pocket
Jaipur “My kids love it!”
Kingdomino
Kluster
Kompromat
Labyrinth (lots of fun versions: Harry Potter, Super Mario, Pokemon)
Love Letter
Mini Quarto
Mini Qawale
Next Station London, Paris and Tokyo
Nine Man’s Morris
One Night Werewolf
Orchard (part of this solo game series. Great for small tables.)
Othello
Patchwork
Patchwork Doodle
Push
Rack-O “I played Rack-O when doing chemo.”
Risk Strike
Rummikub
Sail
Scrabble Slam
Second Chance
Sequence and Sequence for Kids
7 Wonders Duel
Skull “skull was our go-to waiting room game when a family member was in the ICU.”
Splendor
Splendor Duel
Spot it (Dobble for our UK Friends)
Tetris “For my dad’s chemo, we did a handheld Tetris game. It helps and we got really competitive.”
Ticket to Ride on an iPad or iPhone (Our favorite board game apps. Here and Here!)
Tinderblox
Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off “Just got back from the hospital visiting, we played this!”
Tokaido Duo
Travel Qwirkle
Unlock! Escape room games.
Card Games
Our Top 5 Picks
Classic Games with your favorite decks, 5 Crowns, Grandpa Beck’s Bears and the Bees, Monopoly Deal, Jungo
Classic Card Games was a very popular suggestion. We have an ever growing list of easy to learn card games that we’ve been teaching on Instagram and YouTube.
5 Crowns
Arboretum “A peaceful game with beautiful art. It’s great for those hard days”
Blink
Catan Cards
Cockroach Poker
Cribbage “My husband and I played a lot of cribbage at chemo.”
Dead Man’s Draw
DeDuckto
Dutch Blitz
Exploding Kittens
Fox in the Forest
Game of Life Goals
Grandpa Beck’s Card Games were a VERY popular option! Some of the most commonly shared:
Cover Your Assets, Gnoming a Round, Bears and the Bees, Toil and Troublez.
My code: KELSEY15 will save you on your entire order!
Guess in 10 “I love playing this on long car rides, too!”
Guillotine “We enjoyed Guillotine!”
Hero Realms
Illusion
Jungo (This is a new one that just came out. Adam and I LOVE it and it would be perfect to play on the small tables at hospitals.)
King’s Corner “I play often with my patients on the small tables”
Llama
Mantis
Monopoly Deal
Monopoly Deal Harry Potter
Monopoly Rivals
Odin
Pack o Games series
Palm Island “You don’t even need a table!”
Panda Panda
Phase 10
Pixies
Pizza Party
Play Nine (this is also just standard 6 card golf, explained in our card game series!)
Point Salad (We got a travel box to put the cards in and take it with us!”
Power Hungry Pets “We have been loving this one!”
Rainbow Pirates
Rook
Scout
Sea Salt and Paper
Set
Shanghai Rummy
Skip-Bo “Played this while my brother was in an epilepsy study on a hospital tray!”
Sleeping Queens
Sushi Go!
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
The Game!
The Mind
Trio
Tussie Mussie
Ultimatch
Uno “Played for days and days when my daughter was hospitalized”
Uno Flip “Chemo Nurse here, recently loved seeing my pt playing UNO Flip!”
Uno No Mercy
Zeus On the Loose (this game is out of stock, but is based off the classic card game Speed Limit 99, or just 99. We teach it here and have a free printable to help you play!)
Dice Games
We’ve shared a lot of fun dice games you can play with standard D6 dice in this post! There are lots of videos, printables, and more to discover!
Having a tray to roll the dice in is very helpful, someone also suggested that you can use the kidney trays in the hospital!
Our Top 5 Picks
Qwixx, Railroad Ink, Yamslam, Farkle, Rolling America
Bloom
Chicken “Has been great while our 8 year old has been battling a brain tumor.”
Farkle “I bought some mini dice and small trays to roll the dice in. All fit in a quart ziplock bag!”
Pass the Panda
Pass the Pigs
Qwixx
Railroad Ink
Roll to the Top I love playing this game on Board Game Arena!
Rolling America
Shut the Box (Play with dice or cards!)
Tenzi
Yahtzee
Yamslam (A fun twist on Yahtzee style dice games!)
Puzzles, Activities and More
Our Top 5 Picks
Murdle, Rush Hour, Foldology, Sticker by Number, Kanoodle
Brain Games Sticker by Number Books
Chroma Cube a Logic Puzzle
Foldology — these origami paper puzzles are a go to for our family!
Heads Up App on the phone
“I keep a small art kit to take when I visit my dad in skilled nursing care. He loves puzzles too.”
Kanoodle Series: Kanoodle, Kanoodle Head to Head, Kanoodle Extreme,
Mad Libs
Murdle — our family’s favorite deduction puzzle books right now!
Paint by Number (these sets by Mondo Llama are great!)
Rush Hour Logic Puzzle
Small Diamond Art Sets (lots of cool sets of all sizes. I love this coaster set!)
Switch Games “At my infusions, Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing are comforting.”
Sudoku
Word Searches — this large print one has great reviews!
If you enjoyed this post on The Ultimate List of Games to Play at the Hospital, then you may also enjoy:
50+ Dementia Friendly Board Games for the Elderly
Board Games by Age
