October 2026 Best Sellers: What Families are Loving Right Now

These are the most popular family games of October, and you picked them. Every game on this list is something our readers actually bought last month. Not what a brand paid us to push. Not what’s trending on a store page. What real families brought home.

A few surprises. A lot of puzzle books. And two advent calendars you’re clearly planning ahead for. (We see you.)

October’s Top 5 at a Glance

  1. Piles – the new Animals version just came out, and our kids love it most.
  2. Monopoly Deal – my favorite way to play Monopoly, in 15 minutes.
  3. Color Stack Challenge – one of our most popular games of the year, now at its lowest price of the year.
  4. DroPolter – a mood booster in a box.
  5. Murdoku – on this list every single month this year, and book 3 just came out.

Grabbing an advent calendar? Order now. Both of October’s top advent picks (#6 and #12 below) need to arrive before December 1, and they go fast once November hits.

The brand new Piles Animals version came out this month, and it’s the highlight of the list. It’s the same game you already love with a fresh new theme. Our kids like this version the most. Piles is definitely worth owning, whichever version you pick.

Monopoly Deal is my favorite way to play Monopoly. It takes all the fun of the regular game and condenses it into a 15 minute card game. That makes it so much easier to get to the table. There are lots of different versions, so you can pick your favorite theme. You grabbed a lot of the Harry Potter one this month. It also makes a great stocking stuffer.

This is one of our most popular games of the year, and it’s on sale right now for the lowest price of the year. It’s great for a quick competition or even solo play.

One of you called DroPolter a mood booster of a game, and I can’t think of a better way to describe it. It is impossible to play this game and not have fun.

Murdoku has been on this list every single month this year. Murder mystery logic puzzles, 80 per book. Book 3 just released at the end of this month, so if you’ve already finished the first two, you’re in luck. If you finished Murdle and wanted more, our list of puzzle books for adults has more like it.

Murdoku Volume 1 | Murdoku Volume 2 | OUT NOW: Murdoku Volume 3

These are just really fun, whether you’re doing them solo, as a couple, or as a whole family. It’s a unique advent calendar, and EXIT does a great job with these. We’ve played many of them over the years. Every time, they find a new way to surprise me with puzzles that feel really interactive and fun.

Each day only takes about 5 to 15 minutes and all build a month long escape room the whole family can enjoy. Order this one early, they tend to sell out!

We did these as a simple autumn craft with my kids at the start of the month. They’re very simple, there’s not a lot of mess, and they end up looking really nice. A great pick if you want a seasonal craft without the cleanup. We’re doing them again for December, and they’d make a sweet little Christmas gift for a grandma or grandpa.

Camp Guru is the newest game from GiiKER, and it is phenomenal. I love it. The pieces are magnets, so they don’t fall all over the place, and it has its own little container to keep them together. The adults in my family love it. The kids in my family love it.

Use my code GKTABLETOP20 at Amazon checkout to save 20%.

If your family loves this, GiiKER Super Slide was also a popular pick this month. We have a full break down of Giiker games; our favorites and which ones you might want to pass on.

Enchanted Ivy is our newest solo game pickup, and it is lovely. You’re running your own enchanted inn, building it so the ivy connects and helping place guests in rooms that satisfy their specific requests. It’s perfect if you love logic puzzles. Games take about 15 minutes, so it fits into a busy schedule. If you score high enough, you unlock stickers. It’s not a one-time play game, though. You can play it again and again, and the stickers are just a fun little extra that makes trying your hardest a bit more fun.

If you love cozy, puzzly games like A Gentle Rain, get Enchanted Ivy! Then check out our full list of games like A Gentle Rain.

Toy Battle was our top two-player game of 2025, and it’s still our favorite. It’s fun for adults. It’s fun for kids. I think it’s one of the best two-player game on the market right now.

Symbiosis is a very fast and clever card game that flies under the radar. I loved that so many of you picked it up when I shared about it. It’s great for families, and it fits into a busy schedule without any trouble.

A coloring page for every day until Christmas. Low key, no batteries, and it works for every age in the house. The second advent pick on the list, so order it now.

Kid-friendly mystery logic puzzles, and one of the books on our list of the best puzzle books for kids. A great first step before Murdle.

Azul Kids is a fantastic standout kids game and a top pick for kids right now. It does such a great job of taking the feel of classic Azul and turning it into a game your preschoolers can manage. The original Azul made the list too, if you want the grown-up version.

Wingspan Pocket finally flew into retail, and you didn’t wait! It takes everything you love about Wingspan and reimagines it into an entirely new game. This is a standalone strategy game with that wingspan vibe and it’s own unique feel.

In my opinion, it’s the best way to play Wingspan with 4 or 5 players. I do not recommend Wingspan at that count, but Pocket is fantastic. It’s faster without feeling like less of a strategy game. There’s a lot to explore, and you’ll want to play it again and again.

If you enjoyed this post on the top games everyone loved in October, then you may also enjoy:

Family Board Game Gift Guide
Hidden Gem Card Games for Family Night
Best Card Shufflers

Similar Posts