This Is the One Gift I’m Getting Everyone This Year (It’s Great for All Ages!)

Emma DangelStyle Editor
Emma DangelStyle Editor
As Style Editor at Apartment Therapy, I’m passionate about helping everyone make their home look and feel like them. I cover design, trend and shopping content, and am based in Brooklyn, NY.
published Nov 6, 2025
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A person holding a gold-wrapped gift with a teal ribbon, surrounded by various decorated presents on a wooden floor.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Prop Styling: Vicky Wasik and Maya Borrero

I also come from a family that loves board games, but traditionally I haven’t had space to store them in my tiny NYC apartments. A deck of cards and a box of Scrabble (that lives under my couch) is about all I have room for these days. So when I kicked off my holiday shopping last month, I was thrilled to see that new and improved aesthetically pleasing board games seem to be all the rage this year. 

Having seen them pop up everywhere from gift guides to catalogs and big-box stores to boutiques, I’m calling it: The “beautified board game” is the it gift for 2025. With boxes designed to look like books, or fancy acrylic boards and brass pieces, these board games are anything but boring. They’re perfect for displaying on a shelf or a coffee table, so they take up less storage space and actually add to your decor, too. A win-win!

This is a gift that sparks joy both sitting on the shelf, and every time it’s brought out to play with — and it’s great for all ages. Check out a few of our favorites below, and consider gifting one of these chic board games this year (they make the perfect white elephant gift, too!).

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Sorry! Board Game
$35

At $35, I love this line of reimagined board games from Hearth & Hand at Target. You can stock up on a few different games, or grab one for each family member. I think I’ll be picking up Sorry and Scrabble for my own bookshelf!

$35 at Target
Chinese Checkers
$59

This Chinese Checkers set from Printworks is actually labeled a “coffee-table game,” and I couldn’t agree more. I’d have a hard time putting this one away at all. It’s so cute!

$59 at Printworks
Candyland Vintage Board Game
$48

Free People also stocks board games that look like books. These ones have a vintage look on the outside, which I love, but the boards and gamepieces themselves are familiar favorites. At under $50, these are great for a white elephant gift exchange.

$48 at Free People
Monopoly: Bianco Edition
$140

This chic Monopoly board from Anthropologie is on the expensive end, but this makes a great splashy gift for the Monopoly lover in your life (to know us is to love us). They’ll spend many an hour looking at this gorgeous board!

$140 at Anthropologie
Yahtzee Floral Bookshelf Game
$40

Another gorgeous book-shaped board game from the book experts themselves, Barnes & Noble. I love the floral detailing on this one, and that the game pieces match so well! Definite vintage vibes.

$40 at Barnes & Noble
Warm White and Green Acrylic Four in a Row Game
$149

This four-in-a-row game from CB2, on the other hand, couldn’t be more modern. Light, airy, and fabulous, I’d keep this beauty out on my coffee table all the time. It’s as much a decor piece as it is a game!

$149 at CB2
Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Spoons Game
$25

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a game of spoons that wasn’t played directly from the silverware drawer, but I am loving this adorable setup. With brass spoons and plaid, vintage-style cards housed in a gorgeous wooden box, does it get more luxe than this? And for under $30, you really can’t go wrong.

$25 at Target
Tumbling Tower
$39

This “tumbling tower” set from Printworks is made of solid wood, and comes in both red and blue shades. The perfect pop of color for any shelf, and a classic game that every guest can (and will want to) play!

$39 at Printworks
Rifle Paper Co. Picnic Playing Cards
$30

You really can’t go wrong with a classic set of playing cards. I love gifting my friends cute sets of cards (selfishly in the hopes that they might bring them along to happy hour one day). This set from Rifle Paper Co. is giving classic cottagecore cuteness.

$30 at Anthropologie
Classic Chess
$75

Chic chess boards are nothing new, but I couldn’t resist this gorgeous blue set. Available in four other stunning colorways, the chess lover in your life would love to spot one of these under the tree.

$75 at Printworks

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