We’ve been playing family board games all year (it’s our job!) and picking the best games to put on our Family Board Game Gift Guide is one of my favorite things to do! Each year we sit down and think about what games truly stood out to us; the ones we played again and again and those we couldn’t stop thinking about once they ended.
Honestly this list could have been a mile long! But we’ve tried to select games that really stood out as great family game experiences. Whether you’re shopping for the holidays, birthdays, or maybe just something new to play together, these are the games we think are going to be the highlight of your next family games night!
New to board games? Don’t worry, I’ve also included a few classic options that we recommend to everyone. Perfect for gifting no matter the year, they’re guaranteed to be the soft welcome into the world of board games you’ve been looking for!
Tried and True Classics
If you aren’t sure where to start in your board game journey, these games are wonderful jumping off points that have stood the test of time. Whether you’re playing it for the first time or the 100th, they’re still just as fun.
Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride feels like a cross between puzzle and adventure. You’re secretly racing to connect train routes before anyone else does. It’s simple enough for kids to play but strategic enough that adults actually care who wins. It’s responsible for getting millions into the modern board game hobby and is a game every collection should have. Ages 8+
Azul
A beautiful drafting game, Azul is one of those games that looks fancy enough to leave out on the coffee table but is easy enough for anyone to learn. There’s something so satisfying about building your own tile pattern and hearing those chunky pieces click into place. It’s beautiful, relaxing, and quietly competitive in the best way. Ages 8+
Tsuro
Tsuro is the kind of game you can teach in under a minute but want to play again right after. Each turn, you’re laying down tiles to guide your dragon’s path trying to carefully maneuver yourself so you stay on the board. It’s calm, beautiful, and quietly funny when your carefully planned path suddenly sends you flying off the board. Perfect for big families; Tsuro plays up to 8! Ages 6+
Splendor
Splendor is all about collecting gems to build your own empire. It’s quick to learn but surprisingly strategic, and the kind of game where everyone goes quiet while they plan their next move. There’s a reason this one keeps finding its way back to the table! Ages 8+
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a tile-laying game where the board grows right in front of you, one little city and road at a time. It’s peaceful and easy to learn, but there’s always that quiet tension of who’s going to claim the best spot. If your family enjoys puzzles and a bit of friendly rivalry, this one hits the sweet spot. Ages 8+
New Favorites
Duck and Cover
A simple card game with a solitaire feel. I love that everyone is at once competing with each other but very much so playing their own game. You can play it as a winner take all single round style, or a multi-round series with the best score winning. One of our most played games of the year. (If players know their numbers, they can play very easily right along with everyone else even if the strategy required to win isn’t there yet.) Ages 6+
Foxy
An easy and fast memory game perfect for young and old alike! You can give it a try today by playing along with me on our YouTube channel! Ages 6+
Toy Battle
A two player war game that manages to be both cute and cunning. I absolutely love the challenge of choosing the right toy for your current mission and that you choose from the multiple included maps for a new feel each game. Ages 7+
Ziggurat
Ziggurat is an excellent first legacy game for families with kids. The board is a fun 3D pyramid and each of the 6 chapters sees you completing a fun movement puzzle. There are new things to unlock and the game is replayable after you complete the story. One of the better family legacy games available! Ages 7+
Mythical Dice
Mythical Dice reimagines this classic card style game as a dice game and I’m here to tell you it works! This plays very similarly to Skull King (one of our favorites,) but the unique luck factor from the dice makes for some big, exciting moments! (game is sometimes titled Mino Dice. It is the same game and titled differently based on country.) Ages 8+
The Hobbit: There and Back Again
I absolutely adore this game! There and Back Again takes the story of The Hobbit and tells it through 8 unique roll and write adventures. I cannot get over how the roll and write boards come as a lay-flat book for each player! I need this to be the standard moving forward because it’s just incredible. The game is not a campaign, you can play the eight roll & writes in any order you want as many times as you’d like.
$7 Lay Flat Dice Tray
These are a must have accessory! When you play dice games, rather than rolling the dice on the table and having them scatter, you can roll them into these trays and keep everything contained. Easy to pass around the table and they lay flat for storage between games. It’s a favorite game night accessory! (a great addition for games like Mythical Dice and The Hobbit: There and Back Again!
Gardlings
Build your garden again and again, drawing tiles out of your bag and placing them to match gems. Each round you’ll buy better tiles for you garden and then build it again racing to be the first player to buy the winning token. It’s fast and fun with the bonus of a puzzle element as you build your garden! Ages 8+
A Place for All My Books
A Place for All My Books is a cozy little game about organizing your bookshelf just right. You’ll puzzle through arranging colors, sizes, and categories to make everything fit. Simple to learn but surprisingly satisfying. It’s the kind of calm, clever game that book lovers can’t help but smile through. Ages 8+
Bonsai
Bonsai is as calming as it sounds: you’re growing a miniature tree right on your tabletop. Each turn feels thoughtful and deliberate, like tending a real bonsai garden. It’s beautiful to look at and offers just enough strategy to keep everyone quietly invested. Ages 10+
Bomb Busters
A cooperative deduction challenge, the 66 unique and replayable missions make this a game your family will enjoy for a long time. Don’t just take my word for it; Bomb Busters won the Spiel des Jahres award for 2025’s family game of the year! Ages 10+
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Trick Taking Game
You’ll play through the story of the Fellowship either solo or with friends. Each chapter you’ll complete the unique win condition to advance to the next chapter. It’s a delightful cooperative challenge that is fun at all player counts. Ages 10+
Nunatak
One of the coolest strategy building games we’ve ever played! Whip smart strategy to think through and the game’s tension ramps up as you build each level of the ice tower. Ages 10+
Botanicus
I always love a good farming game and Botanicus is just SO good! There are so many interesting decisions to make and ways to grow your plants that the moment it ends you’re brain starts firing on all cylinders, excited for the next game and the strategies you want to try. Ages 10+
Pergola
Pergola gives you a thrill not only from choosing which actions you want to take (each earning you victory points along the way) but also from watching your garden grow. You have full creative freedom to make your garden however you like. Win or lose, you’ll love looking at what you’re creating. Ages 10+
Spectacular
A simple on the surface but surprisingly complex as you plan draft and create your animal park. It has one of my absolute favorite mechanics: Simultaneous action selection! What does that mean? No waiting for your turn; everyone goes at the same time. Perfect for families! Ages 10+
Ticket to Ride Legends of the West
The most epic adventure for Ticket to Ride fans! This is a Legacy game meaning that you and your family will embark on a multi-game campaign where you will alter, change, and create your own unique game board as you play through the story. No one’s experience playing the game will be the same as yours! This is not a normal game, it’s an epic experience. Ages 10+
Shop More Tabletop Family 2025 Gift Guides
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Christmas and Winter Themed Board Games
Kids Board Games Gift Guide
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