The 44 Best Family Games in 2023 (Reviewed by Parents)

Kelly R. said:  The classic "who dunnit" family board game is still fun today. I think one of the highlights of my 6-year-old son's young life was beating a table full of adults at this game.

Brittany Kozielski said:  Hedbanz is one of the all time best family games in our house. You put on a headband and put a mystery card in the clip so that you can't see it. The other players give you clues and you have to guess what the picture is on the card on your head. Lots of laughs. We have even made our own personal cards over the years to give the game a little more variety.

Kelly R. said:  

Players earn points by claiming railway routes connecting cities through North America. I think it's one of the best family board games for older kids, and also gets pulled out a lot on adult game night after the kids have gone to bed. Winning takes a mix of strategy and luck, and it can get a little cutthroat when people are competing for the same real estate!

Joseph Kelley said:  A fun twist on a matching game! This is a fast paced family game where you must pick out the matching symbols out of a large group of symbols. Great for a when you have some kids who are reading and some who aren't because there are no words in this game. The storage tin makes it a great game to take along for a road trip.

Kelly R. said:  This is the little kids' version of the classic family board game Sequence. Fun for both kids and adults, the goal is to get 4 chips in a row while blocking your opponent. We adjust the rules for younger kids by having each player draw only one card.

This fun family card game challenges young kids to think strategically, while not being so difficult that they get discouraged. The goal is to create the best possible sushi plate, with players choosing cards from their decks to play and passing the rest on to a neighbor, with points awarded based on the resulting combinations. Older kids pick it up quickly and the whole family ends up enjoying themselves!

Kelly R. said:  I love that this is a cooperative board game, so everyone wins or loses together. A preschooler favorite in my house! The goal is to get the owls back home before morning.

Who can forget Guess Who? This game features the same unique-looking characters you'll recall from when you were a kid, and is a fun way to get kids describing and noticing features in others. Although it's best for early readers who can sound out names, younger kids can team up with an adult to enjoy this silly game against another family member.

Dawn R said:  This is one of the best games for family game night when your kids are ready for some strategy! The premise is to match tiles and win points. Great for ages 6+, and for younger kids you can always make teams.

Jessica Evans said:  On the go we take Jenga! It's so portable and fun to play, a camping staple for sure!

Stephanie W. said:  Yahtzee was a family favorite game when I was growing up! Adults and kids alike will love trying to get combinations like 4 of a kind and a full house. It helps develop math and problem solving skills in kids, and plus it's really fun to shake the cup with all the dice in it. When you roll a 5 of a kind, don't forget to yell, "Yahtzee!"

Alexandra F. said:  A game of comparisons that will have the entire family laughing, and enhancing their vocabulary and persuasion skills while they're at it! One player at a time gets to be judge, and selects a card displaying a one-word characteristic like "goofy," "excellent" or "smelly." Then, all players choose a card from their hands (with words like "monkeys," "sandcastles" and "spinach") and try to convince the judge that their card best fits the chosen characteristic. Although the manufacturer's suggested age is 9, younger kids can also enjoy it.

Kelly R. said:  I love that this family card game was created by a 6 year old girl! Earn points by playing your cards to wake the Pancake Queen (my personal favorite), the Rainbow Queen, and all of their friends. The manufacturer recommends the game for age 8+, probably because there is some strategy and math involved, but my son played at age 6 and my daughter played with help at age 3.

Jennie Utsinger said:  A variation on Scrabble, each player in Bananagrams picks a certain number of tiles and then players race against each other to form personal crossword puzzles using all of their letters. There are endless opportunities to modify for kids and it's great spelling practice!

Kelly R. said:  This bingo-style family board game is perfect for both pre-readers and early readers. Players race to match words and pictures to the spaces on their cards. We played this A LOT when my kids were little, though we always had to establish ground rules for who got to slide the tile spitter outer (technical term) to release the tiles each turn.

Joseph Kelley said:  Everyone knows the classic game of charades. This game is great because it comes with pre-generated ideas for you and your family to act out. Each card has both words and pictures so little ones who are learning to read can also join in on the fun!

Kristy Pepping said:  This was one of my favorite family board games as a child and I loved playing it with my parents. I just bought it for our children and they liked it too! If your children are a little young for the game, it's just as fun to build the maze and roll the marble to make the contraption work.

Kelly R. said:  Collect and trade resources to strategically build roads, settlements and cities on the game board and score points. Game setup and play can take over an hour, so this isn't a board game that you can squeeze in right before the kids head off to bed. But it's a fun and immersive game to play with older kids for a family night in!

Kelly R. said:  This is a combination of Pictionary and the telephone game, where you draw and pass sketches around in a circle. It's one of our go-to family games for a mix of ages. My 9-year-old daughter loves it the most of all of us.

Erin P. said:  This is a simplified version of the original Ticket to Ride, designed to groom your young protégés for the more advanced family board games that are surely in your future.

Jessica Evans said:  Oh my goodness, I'm a bit embarrassed to share this but it is currently our family's favorite game! With a five and ten-year-old, choosing an easy game to play that doesn't require ten practice runs while trying to get everyone understanding the rules, well it is hard. This one is simple and even offers a bit of number recognition practice for the little one while still keeping everyone's attention (even the adults;) and makes for a game night full of laughs.

Joseph Kelley said:  This strategy game is a fun, more challenging spin on tic-tac-toe!

Joseph Kelley said:  This game comes with sets of unique dice and players must work fast to match patterns and complete other challenges to win the game! As the rounds progress the game gets more challenging.

Kelly R. said:  This family game is especially fun for 2 players. Balance the wire bars on the frame one at a time, being careful not to tip the growing sculpture. The shape of the container makes it a great stocking stuffer for kids!

Katie G. said:  A simpler (and much shorter) card game version of Monopoly, players collect properties, steal properties from other players and collect rent with action cards. This fun little game is easy to take on the go for road trips or vacation.

Sarah Calamita said:  We love Sorry! It's good for age 5+. Teaches counting and strategy (I love when a game can be fun and educational all at once!) My daughter loves yelling "Sorry!" as she puts someone's piece back to Start.

Kelly R. said:  This game has been a family favorite in our house for years! This is a great way for kids to learn concepts like probability and strategy. One of those rare games that is just as much fun with 2 players as it is with more.

Jaclyn Keifer said:  This version of the modern classic, Carcassonne, has been adapted to allow players of all ages to play together. No need to count points! Each turn, you place a tile to build Carcassonne. When you close a street with one or more kids of your color, you get to put your pawns on the board. Be the first to place all of your pawns to win the game.

Juan L. said:  Although it's modeled off of stock market trading, Pit is a simple enough game that no one needs to be a Wall Street banker to play. Each player is dealt a hand of cards and must trade them with one another to try to be the first player to create a full set. Once you have a full set you can ring the bell. Be ready though, the way you trade is by yelling out numbers, so it can get very loud very fast (kids love this part!).

Katie G. said:  This is a fun and funny card game of strategy where players use action cards to try and make their opponents "explode" by drawing an exploding kitten card. Once a player explodes they can either play a diffuse card or they are out of the game. Last player in is the winner.

Jennie Utsinger said:  Use strategy and a little bit of luck to beat a variety of menacing creatures! Players use their hand of cards and a roll of the die to try to capture giggling goblins, fire-breathing dragons, spooky spiders, and more. The die and playing cards are all richly illustrated and the game is easy to learn. We have been playing constantly with my 9yo since Christmas.

Kelly R. said:  Players navigate obstacles and shifting walls as they move through a maze in a race for treasure. The mechanics of the game are easy, but it is great for teaching kids to strategize and think ahead.

Jessica Evans said:  Another family favorite! This is an easy yet surprisingly entertaining game as it takes the concept of matching and allows you to grow a snake as long as you want before completing it. But, you are also taking the chance that another player will have the opportunity to complete it and snatch up your catch!

Erin P. said:  This is one of the best family board games because players work together instead of against one another. The goal of this matching game is to create a delicious soup.

Brittany Kozielski said:  Tenzi is a fun family game for kids of all ages. Each player receives 10 dice, and the first player to roll all ten dice the same number shouts "tenzi" and wins the game. There are several different ways to play this game as well so you can be as creative with it as you want.

Katie G. said:  A combination of Go Fish and dodge ball. Some of the cards have fun challenges where players have to grab one of the two foam burritos and hit their opponents. The game can get pretty intense (and dangerous) as you chase your opponents around the house trying to avoid the flying burrito.

Lisa R said:  Clack! is a matching/racing game that is really easy to adapt for different ages. My daughter liked just playing with the magnetic pieces and matching shapes/colors when she was very young. It is really fun to play as the game is designed and race other players for the pieces, but you can also let everyone, or just younger players, have their own turn to even the playing field.

Vanessa M. said:  Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is an easy but challenging card game that will have players in constant fits of giggles. My kids played this with their cousins over Christmas, and we found it was easy enough for the younger cousins to join in, yet engaging enough for the teenagers and parents as well.

Shila said:  This is a fun family game where each player receives a handful of honey comb shaped cards with varying colors and patterns. Each color indicates a matching rule as they are laid down one at a time (sort of like Uno but with more strategy and luck). The first player to empty their hand wins.

Kate Wille Murray said:  Quick games and color coded for all ages to play.

Katie G. said:  Sketchy Tales is a fun drawing game similar to Pictonary and Telestrations, but with a fun Disney twist. Each player gets a character card and an action card and has to draw the two together. The player then passes their drawing to the left where the next player has to write down what they see. Keep passing the cards, and alternate drawing and writing, until they get around the table back to the original illustrator. Take turns seeing your story unfold. This fun game is sure to have you rolling on the floor in laughter.

Kelly R. said:  We've been loving Blokus for years, and it's still one of the best family games we keep reaching for when we don't have the time and energy for something strategy-heavy. This game is easy to learn, but challenging and fun for kids and adults. Players take turns placing their pieces on the grid, with each piece touching another of the same color only at the corners. Try to fit in as many of your pieces on the board as possible, and block your opponents from doing the same.

Kate Wille Murray said:  Read the phonetically pronounced words to find the description of the other saying. Great for game night, dinners out, car rides. Kids and adults of all ages.

Katie G. said:  This fun, family card game is a spin on the game of golf where the person with the lowest score at the end of nine "holes" is the winner. Players have to use strategy (and a little luck) to try and find the lowest cards in the deck to complete their hand. The game can change quickly depending on the cards you get. This game is perfect for older kids (8+) for family game nights.