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Great Games for Fathers (as chosen by my own!)

With Father’s Day around the corner, I wanted to compile a fun list filled with games that my own father loves to play!

My dad comes from a family of Canasta players. I grew up watching and learning how to play cards from my parents and extended family and it created some of my most favorite memories from my childhood. Nearly every gathering always involved a card game of some sort which for sure meant whoops, hollers, and playful banter. Playing so much cards growing up is a main reason why we play boardgames now.

Board games have been such a fun hobby to share with my family, who are always up to try any game we bring, especially my dad!

So for this post, I asked him to tell me which ones have been his favorites!

The ones he chose all have a few things in common which make me think they’d be great options for you to play with your family as well!

– They’re all relatively easy to learn
– They play in under an hour
– And each game is sure to bring about laughter and fun moments that create lasting memories.

And if you ask me, he should probably get into the board game title creating business.

Make sure to read all the way to the end to see which one was his top favorite!

The One with the Boats and Sharks

Survive: Escape from Atlantis

My dad LOVES this game. Honestly, everyone does. Survive is simple enough to teach in just a handful of minutes and always involves playful banter, hilarious moments, and lots of fun. You’ll try to get your people off a sinking island and onto safe shores. Each person is worth a different number of points, so you’ll have to work hard to get your highest scoring people to safety before your opponents doom them to an untimely end.

This game with boats and sharks will be on our shelf forever!

That Little Game Made Just out of Cards with Pictures, Like the Piggy Bank and Stamps.

Cover Your Assets

Always a hit, Cover Your Assets is a set collection card game from our favorite card game makers Grandpa Beck’s Games! This is fun for the whole family, we’ve played with four generations before and everyone had a blast. If you are looking for inclusive games that anyone can play no matter their age or ability, this is for you — it’s a must own!
(Read our full review)

The Game with the Gems and the Tents

Incan Gold

Nailed it, Dad! The game with the gems and the tents!

Push your luck as you explore deeper and deeper into the caves searching for gems and artifacts. Your goal is to explore long enough to gather enough riches and get back to the safety of your tent before your path gets too dangerous and your drop your treasures and flee for safety empty handed.

Incan Gold is probably our most played push your luck game and it never fails to get everyone laughing and having a great time!

The One with Dice and Gambling that We Played SO Many Times You all Got Sick of it

Las Vegas

There’s no gambling, but it is casino themed! And it’s true, we played this soooooo much last Thanksgiving because Dad just loved it, and if that’s what Dad wants to play, you play it!

Las Vegas is an easy and fun dice game with some fun player interaction. There are six casinos, one for each side on the six sided dice. Each casino has a money amount that will pay out for the player(s) who hold a majority influence on that casino. On your turn, roll all of your dice and choose which casino one casino you want to add dice to. Then take all of that number rolled and place them on that casino. The player with the most dice on each casino takes the money.

It’s simple, addictive fun that has a fun bit of strategy and the right dose of luck to keep things interesting. You’ll for sure play this multiple times each sitting!

Our version is currently out of print, but you can find the new version with expansion Las Vegas Royale here!

The One with the Big Mountain Volcano Thing in the Middle

Fireball Island

This has become our “family visit” game. The kids love when our family flies in for a visit because we’ll for sure be playing Fireball Island! All set up on the table, this game is a statement.

Move your person around the island, collecting treasures, snapping pictures, and dodging fireballs, all while hoping to make it back to the helicopter and off the island alive! Dropping fireballs down the island and knocking people over with boulders is about as fun and silly as it gets in board games.

If you don’t have fun playing Fireball Island, can you have fun?

The One with the Jewels and the Bank that was Like Pitch But Not

Diamonds

We love a good card game in my family! Diamonds is a favorite trick taking game of ours because in this trick taking game, when you can’t follow a suit, you get a special Suit Action depending on which suit you do play. These Suit Actions allow players to take Diamond Crystals from the supply and put into either their vault or showroom. Diamonds that you place into your Vault are secure from theft, but those in your showroom can be stolen by other players.

It really makes you think about the best way to manage your hand throughout the game because you’re constantly trying to use those suit actions whenever possible and then figure out how to either protect your diamonds or steal from the showrooms of your opponents.

Easily one of my very favorite card games!

Like pitch but not, folks!

The Card Game with the Beans

Bohnanza

How could a game about bean farming be any fun?

One of our all time favorite card games, Bohnanza never fails to get a little bit wild and loud! It’s a clever game about hand management, negotiation, and making smart trades as you seek to plant and harvest beans to earn the most points and win!

Ticket to Ride

The only game he remembered by name!

A classic! If you don’t have it, what are you waiting for? We’re fans of the base game and the numerous map expansions. These are some of our favorites we’ve played with Dad:

Ticket to Ride (Base Game)
Europe
United Kingdom + Pennsylvania Map
New York (full review here)

Of Course I Made Him Choose an Overall Favorite

What would be the point of this if I didn’t make him pick one game to rule them all.

Which game would you say is your very favorite dad? If you had to just pick on to keep, which would it be?

“The Assets Game!”

You heard it here first folks! Cover Your Assets is my dad’s favorite game, (even if he can’t remember the title!)

And honestly, how fun that my Dad, a Grandpa himself, would choose the game from good ol’ Grandpa Beck? Pretty fitting if you ask me!

We hope that you get to spend Father’s Day celebrating and remembering the Fathers in your life. Do you have a favorite game to play with your dad? Let us know in the comments below or tell us on Instagram!

And don’t forget, you can easily find our favorite board games for toddlers through adults on our Amazon storefront!