We know that some of you still cater to your inner child and bust out the board games at a party now and then (it can't be all wine and cheese can it?). Board games are a great way for people to enjoy the comforts of your home, that you have gone through great pains to perfect. Click through the jump to find out our personal favorite games to entertain kids from 7-70. (Plus learn what game has captivated a great deal of our down time lately!)
Hyper Dash: It might seem silly to include this game on a website geared for adults, but you just can't imagine the fun that is to be had. It's as addictive as Simon was when we were kids and can be played on the tabletop or all around the house!
Blockus (or Blockus Trigon): Blockus has won award after award and there are reasons why. It's single-handedly the most addictive game we have ever played. (Yes, including Tetris) All you have to do is touch the corner of a piece of your color and play as many pieces as possible... that's all there is to it! We love it so much we not only own Blockus, but Blockus Trigon and Travel Blockus (It's really that awesome).
Apples To Apples: This game can be found in the closets of 40% of America after it swept the country last holiday season. Since then you can now purchase expansion packs of cards to keep the fun fresh and lively.
Catch Phrase: It's the game you can't resist playing if others around you are starting up a game. All you have to do is decipher what the other person is saying. There is also a music edition available for those interested.
Rubik's Cube: Now although this isn't exactly a multi-player endeavor, it is something that can set out on a coffee table and be picked up and put down when there are lulls in conversation. It gives people something to do with their hands and everyone has tried it at some point in the past, so there's no explaining!
A Plain Old Deck Of Cards: From hearts to spoons to poker and go fish, the options are endless. Although there is no board actually involved a simple deck of cards can hold their own in a room.
Scene It: This brings the movie nerds together in a head to head competition to prove who has logged more hours on the couch and at the theater obsessing over every detail of every movie. There are also as many versions as there will be people at your party. From ESPN to Disney to Harry Potter... the list goes on and on.
There are always the tried and true standbys such as Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Chess, and Checkers.
When you’re selecting board games for your next get-together, consider how many people will be playing, what their interests are, and whether you want to play several short games or one or two long ones. These factors will help you decide which board games to break out and which ones to leave hidden in the closet.
If alcohol is a party factor, there are several board games for adults designed to be played as a drinking game.
If you aren't one for an actual board games and prefer something with a little bit less primary color, there are tons of internet resources for holiday games to entertain your whole group.
Settlers of Catan.
view arstellla's profile
apples to apples is super fun! another favorite of mine is called 'the game of things' and it's exclusively at target. if you like apples to apples, definitely look into this one.
view ohmaggie's profile
"Settlers of Catan."
Ditto and amen.
view RQinGeorgia's profile
ugh, i hate settlers of catan. so not that fun, at least not for me. but i've been made to play with competitive, which may be part of it. apple to apples is super fun especially when everyone is a little tipsy.
view thinlizzie's profile
"SMART ASS - even dumb asses can play" as it says on the box.
Like trivial persuit but with a large donkey! Questions in categories like, who am i? where am i? what am i? & hard ass. Funny squares called, kick ass, dumb ass, hard ass. :D FUN AS! and you get to pin the tail on the donkey to win!
view venus_thames's profile
Oh I love party boardgames! Tis the perfect season...
*Balderdash*, *Cranium*, *Boggle*, *What's yours Like?*, and *Apples to Apples* are all a guaranteed laugh!!
Make it a fun one!! Smiles all around... ☻
Oh & I've seen the *Game of Things*... I want to play!
Anyone tried *The Office* boardgame? I'm a huge fan of the TV show!
view ilovebc's profile
Cranium. For sure.
view Miriam's profile
Uno. It's a classic. I had a dinner party with a group of late 20s/early 30s people a few months back and although it was a school night, we ended up playing a rowdy game of Uno until 1 30 in the morning.
view caw261's profile
I had a great time over Thanksgiving playing "Curses" with a big family. Lots of laughs all around.
view melanie8's profile
Pit! We just got a game and had a blast w/ my in-laws. It's an old, old game, but simple enough for me to win on my first try.
view inkstainedwriter's profile
i love cranium, and monopoly is a classic.
i still dont know what apples to apples is, i'll have to check it out... my family loves board games.
view eribear12's profile
We love Apples to Apples!!! Sometimes the responses are so silly that you all end up rolling around laughing.
view Zohreh's profile
i love board games! definitely cranium, the "wow" version is a lot of fun. and balderdash and beyond is great! guesstures is a probably our favorite.
view jhayne's profile
Rummoli -- a classic sit-around card game! Great for all ages.
Cranium -- for the fun diversity. An absolute blast! You will split a gut laughing so hard!!
Balderdash -- for the unpredictable & uncanny. The definitions people create can be knee-slappin hilarious!
view 2009sunshine's profile
Balderdash -- if you have creative, comedically-inclined friends, this is perhaps the most fun you'll ever have together. (Dressed, at least.)
view jplee's profile
As a games-store owner, here are some recommendations you will find online or at a specialty games store:
Bananagrams
Qwirkle
Bohnanza
Carcassonne
Ingenious
If Wishes Were Fishes
Hey That's My Fish
Dutch Blitz
Ticket to Ride
Say Anything
Tips for a successful games night: Keep the games short, and know the game or at least read the rules yourself before you try to teach it.
view tam-tbag's profile
I really like Apples to Apples, Balderdash and Cranium, personally. I'm pretty good at Balderdash. Absolutely nothing beats Scrabble when you're looking for quieter fun.
view Curtis's profile
Blokus is awesome. I also have a long standing Rummoli addiction - but I prefer the tile version over cards. Much easier to organize the little tiles on a stand than trying to hold all those cards. My family mocks me for my love of Rummoli (they think of it as a game for grannies) but I'm determined to bring Rummy back! Rummy is cool!
view Tara77's profile
We played an awesome Playstation 3 game the other day called "Buzz." It was so freakin' fun! It doesn't take forever like "Scene It." It is really fast and four people can play at once. I loved it.
When we do the board game thing though, that can be just as fun. I love Outburst, Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble. If you like puzzles, Huggermugger is great. I don't know if it is even being made anymore, but that was my favorite from 13 on. I can get really into Yahtzee. My family used to play a lot of dominoes. We play a lot of Texas Hold 'Em. I honestly like to have something on the line, otherwise it is just not as fun.
view mamaspank's profile
Last year while studying for finals, a few friends and I took a break and played balderdash. It was the most hilarious time ever!
Also, our family get-togethers always include at least one game of Killer Bunnies. :)
view jesscon0202's profile
Scattergories. Still my favorite.
view gquaker's profile
Scattergories is way fun! I need to get a copy, though my husband absolutely hates board games. I wish I would have known that before I married him. :P
I seem to play Cranium at parties a lot, and we have Scene-It (which is fun), but my all-time favorite is Pictionary.
view first5times's profile
Definitely try Rummikub. It's a thinking game and is SO addictive!
We were just introduced to Apples to Apples when a friend brought it over to our dinner party last week. So much fun!
view Home_For_2's profile
Catchphrase. Requires very little knowledge of "how to play" and you can throw the entire game at a stranger in a crowded room.
view kiljoywashere's profile
Flux, Cranium, and Mario Party for the Wii.
view anaximander's profile
Another Apples to Apples fan. Lately, my family has been really into a dominoes game called Mexican Train. It's lots of fun. Also, Scattergories and Yahtzee.
view jooly's profile
Apples to Apples is the best! We bought it for $2 secondhand after we found we liked it so much. Good for groups, any age, can be really funny and a good ice-breaker. I always tell other players - if you don't have anything good in your hand, just throw out the most absurd/opposite card. Sometimes I get on a roll and rack up the green cards, other times I can't win a round to save my life. I like trying to read the judge's mind and anticipate what they will choose.
view orangeblossom's profile
Apples to Apples rocks!
We play party games all the time, and this has become our favorite.
If you are new to the game or haven't heard of it you can try www.playyourredcard.com to feel it out.
It's excellent to break the ice with friends, and the game moves quickly so it's perfect for entertaining.
view thedancingyak's profile
I actually like Cranium Pop 5, another version of Cranium. Also, another fun way to play Apples to Apples is to flip up 2 cards instead of one and then play as usual. Good times.
view JanelleT's profile
I liked apples to apples initially... but then it got kind of obnoxious after playing it for a while.
scattergories is my all time favorite, though! yay!
view ashleewaashley's profile
Taboo!
view als1's profile
Jenga! Easily a great party game.
And for the adults try "Extreme Jenga" - everytime you successfully pull a piece, you have to drink. It has a nice way of leveling off the action... ;)
(We make a concoction, usually Margaritas, and use that instead of the straight hard stuff)
view HilversumJim's profile
Just remembered another - The Name Game (at least what we call it)... great for pubs nights too.
The action moves in a circular fashion. You have to call out a recognized name - a celebrity or politician...someone we all know - and the next person has to think of a name, also known, whose FIRST name has the same first letter as the called LAST name. If not, drink..and the action goes on and on.
Like Uno, if you call out someone who's first and last names begin with the same letter (Lotta Lenya, for example) then the direction reverses. You can really get someone hammered if you're eloquent enough.
;)
view HilversumJim's profile
Our family favorites:
Ticket to Ride (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/9209)
Settlers of Catan (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/13)
Blokus (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2453)
Kill Dr. Lucky (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/257)
Wizard (http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Card-Game-Games-Systems/dp/1572812478/)
view Jim G's profile