Every year we play a lot of games with our seven kids. Some get played once and forgotten. These ones kept coming back to the table.
This is our list of the best family board games of 2025 — new releases and a few older ones we finally got around to. If you find one your family loves, that’s exactly why we made this list.
The Best Family Board Games of 2025
15. Jungo
Jungo is a fantastic alternative to Scout that offers the same “don’t rearrange your hand” thrill, but with rules the whole family can learn in minutes. Turns move fast, combos feel great, and it encourages lots of clever card timing. Kids and adults get hooked equally quickly. It’s snappy, addictive, and endlessly replayable.
14. Star Wars Super Teams
We honestly didn’t expect much from Star Wars Super Teams and then we proceeded to have a blast! This game is a lively, family-friendly race where you’re trying to get your squad’s ships across the finish line. The twist? Sometimes you must move the other team’s ships, creating delicious “Do I really have to do this?” moments. Timing becomes everything as you try to help yourself without helping them. It’s fast, thematic, and a perfect team game for mixed ages. No Star Wars knowledge required to enjoy this surprise hit.
13. Positano
Positano is a relaxing, beautiful game that feels like a sunny vacation on the Italian coast. But beneath the calm vibe lies a surprisingly cutthroat world of property management and clever timing. Every choice affects the landscape and the competition. It’s both scenic and strategic in exactly the right amounts.
12. Bonsai
Bonsai is a serene puzzle that invites players to grow their own tiny tree. It’s quiet, thoughtful, and surprisingly rewarding. Every tile added feels like crafting a miniature work of art. As your tree comes together, there’s a real sense of pride and anticipation. It’s a game that brings out calm smiles and satisfied nods around the table.
11. Finspan
Finspan takes the spirit of Wingspan and gives it a fresh aquatic identity all its own. The engine-building feels satisfying, while the fish theme adds a charming twist. Card management offers numerous meaningful choices without bogging down the game. It’s familiar, yet inventive. Perfect for families who love a strategy challenge that still flows smoothly.
10. Hot Streak
Hot Streak delivers loud, hilarious family moments as you bet on mascots who might sprint to glory… or trip right before the finish line. It’s chaotic, silly, and absolutely delightful in the best way. Families who love Ready Set Bet will adore the over-the-top reactions this game sparks. Every round ends in laughter, groans, and immediate demands for a rematch.
9. Pergola
Pergola wraps a cozy theme around a tight, rewarding puzzle where nearly every action scores points. The challenge is figuring out the most efficient way to use what you have right now. It feels warm and inviting, yet purely strategic at its core. Families who love gentle brain-burners will be instantly charmed.
8. Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
Fate of the Fellowship brings the entire Lord of the Rings saga to life in under 90 minutes, without losing the epic storytelling. You’ll feel the weight of every choice as the fellowship’s fate rests in your hands. Dramatic moments unfold naturally through the gameplay. It’s the most exciting and accessible way for families to relive the legendary journey.
7. Flip 7
Flip 7 is a push-your-luck showdown where the table gleefully roots for someone to bust. The race to 200 points keeps the tension high and the decisions spicy. Every flip feels like a gamble, and every victory feels earned. It’s the kind of game that makes the whole family chant “One more card!” (Did we put this at #7 on purpose? You be the judge.)
6. The Lord of The Rings The Fellowship of The Ring Trick-Taking Game
This cooperative trick-taking game brilliantly captures the story of the Fellowship in a way both LOTR fans and card-game lovers will appreciate. Every hand feels like a shared challenge against looming danger. Working together to stay alive creates great table tension. It’s clever, thematic, and the progressive campaign will have you saying “let’s play one more round”. One of our favorite game experiences of 2025 was an extended game session, where we played this game round after round. Our top cooperative game of 2025.
5. Gardlings
Gardlings combines the satisfying bag-building of Quacks with the tile-placement charm of Carcassonne. Each round becomes a lively race to grab points before anyone else can. The mix of luck, strategy, and quick decisions gives it broad family appeal. It’s an exciting hybrid that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.
4. Mythical Dice
Mythical Dice blends trick-taking with exciting dice rolls to create fun, swingy moments every hand. The bidding adds just enough tension to keep everyone leaning forward. Then the dice hit the table and all bets are off… literally. It feels fast, fresh, and just unpredictable enough to keep families shouting for more.
3. Hobbit: There and Back Again
This might be the best retelling of The Hobbit ever brought to the table. The dry-erase adventure book is packed with distinct roll-and-write challenges that perfectly capture the journey. Each chapter feels like a new puzzle, a new risk, and a new moment from the beloved story. It’s an epic family adventure that still plays quickly and stays wonderfully accessible.
2. Toy Battle
This two player war game manages to be both cute and cunning. Players will send out their toy troops to battle in tactical challenges. Choose the right toy for your current mission to achieve victory. Toy Battle is instantly approachable, genuinely strategic, and fun across ages. It packs in serious tension and tactical decisions into quick rounds that stay light thanks to its adorable theme while remaining dynamic and fresh thanks to the multiple battle maps. An absolute stand out this year! Even though it only plays two players, the way each member of our family lit up when playing it and kept coming back to it again and again all year long; there was no way we weren’t putting it on this list!
Our Top Family Board Game of 2025
This was the hardest title to award because we played a lot of GREAT games this year. But we have to give the honor of best Family Board Game of 2025 to…..
1. Duck & Cover
Easy to teach and perfect for big groups, Duck & Cover brings the whole table into the action with up to seven players right out of the box. The rules click fast, making it a great pick for mixed ages and casual family nights. And once the quacking starts, the chaos and laughter snowball instantly. It’s the kind of game that becomes a running family joke before the first round even ends. It hits the sweet spot of simplicity and strategy where your decisions feel important every turn. The game plays fast so you can get it out for a one and done round or play a best of series. It’s approachable without being boring, interesting without being heavy, and is one the whole family can play together.
Honorable Mentions go to some older games we discovered for the first time in 2025,
Botanicus by Hans im Gluck,
Nunatak: Temple of Ice by Thames & Kosmos,
Vale of Eternity by Renegade Game Studios.
