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The 14+ best adult board games for your next get-together
Want everyone to actually participate in game night? Try one of these options
If someone turned a game like Mad Libs into a group-friendly board game, it would be Blank Slate. Rather than relying on trivia-based questions, this game leans into players’ creativity and guessing skills. Players fill in the blank in a sentence based on what they believe the other players would say. The person who predicts the most accurate answers earns points to win. The game, which also has elements of a card game, comes with a board, playing cards with word cues, multiple dry erase slates and a rulebook.
Similar to the original Ticket to Ride board game, this version takes place across the countries of Europe. Players compete to build trains and railways across the continent to see who can build and claim the most routes and stations. Aside from the board, the game comes with 100+ train car pieces and playing cards, a rulebook and 46 destination tickets. While the game is appropriate for kids 8 years old and older, it’s also great for adults, especially ones with an interest in European geography.
This rendition of the murder mystery board game uses similar elements but with themes that are made for adult players. The game revolves around characters at a resort who become suspects following the disappearance of one of the resort’s guests. Players can team up and test their mystery-solving skills or practice their bluff.
Chess and checkers are always great options, especially for players who prefer a classic game. This magnetic board folds onto itself and latches shut to hold all of the pieces in one place.
Wits and Wagers comes recommended by Shaw, who says it’s easy to play and set up. The game is a mix of trivia and chance, and you don’t actually have to know all of the correct answers to win the game; you just have to be good at guessing, according to the brand. Players read a question and then come up with their best answer; the winner of each round earns cash tokens.
Both Jacobson and Shaw highly recommend Trivial Pursuit, another classic board game, due to its simple rules and intuitive gameplay. “Partygoers can also play in groups of two, three or more to create a team trivia experience, which will help raise the overall competitive energy level in the room,” says Jacobson. “There’s also a nostalgia component which people enjoy, because how often do adults today really get to sit around and play Trivial Pursuit?” There’s also many different editions and themed versions of it, according to Jacobson.
Wit’s End is another trivia-based game with multiple categories, such as brainteasers, matching challenges, sequences and “odd one out” questions. While the game requires at least two players and as many as six, you can also switch things up and play as teams, so you can help each other out by playing to your strengths. In addition to having multiple question types, the game’s questions also come in a range of categories, such as pop culture, science, art and culture and more, according to the brand.
P for Pizza is a mix of a guessing game, a card game and a letter association challenge. It comes with triangle-shaped cards that resemble pieces of pizza, and each one either has a letter next to each side of the triangle or a particular category. Players have to shout a word that starts with the letter in the triangle but also falls under the category in the other triangle. The player that shouts an accurate answer the fastest wins the slice of pizza and earns points.
It’s difficult to find someone who hasn’t played at least a few rounds of Monopoly, especially if they’re a board game enthusiast. This edition of the game uses typical aspects of Monopoly but is inspired by the different National Parks of the United States. Instead of the typical playing pieces, players use ones in the shape of Western cultural symbols, such as a bison, a park ranger hat and a canoe. The board includes spaces with illustrations of historic sites such as Mount Rainier, Zion National Park and The Grand Canyon.
Sequence is a straightforward game that’s easy for just about anyone to get familiar with, and it’s especially fun for large groups. The object of the game is to get a matching sequence of five face cards. When a player gets a match, they lay a playing token on the face card of the board. You can either play as an individual or work together as a team to get the required sequence to win.
This board game, which comes together via wooden puzzle pieces, is a fun and challenging race that uses chance and time restraints to make the game more competitive. Players use multiple tokens to move around the board, based on the face card they draw; the players that get all of their pieces to the end of the board first win the game.
If you and your friends are fans of the History channel, then consider turning it into an immersive board game, with this trivia-style one. It has more than 2,000 history-based trivia questions from categories such as science, technology, historical events, famous people, sports and more. It also has a gameplay time of around 30 to 45 minutes, so you can plan a fast game with just a couple friends or play multiple rounds with a group.
A classic adventure game, Catan is great for playing with a small group of people. It only takes couple of minutes to explain and set up the game, according to the brand, which revolves around establishing settlements on the fictional island of Catan. Players gather resources such as lumber, ore and wool by trading with each other. Players then use those materials to develop roads and other infrastructures to create entire cities until they win the game and take over the board.
Wingspan is for people who enjoy bird watching or who are thinking about investing in a bird feeder. The premise of the game is to gather the most points from various species of birds that you collect in your aviary. Players use different strategies such as food tokens and laying eggs to grow their habitats, learn about different types of birds and ultimately win the game.
The Pandemic board game comes recommended by NBC Select associate SEO editor Ashley Morris, who says it’s the ideal option for friends and family who love strategy games with an element of sci-fi. “My family is extremely competitive, and although it’s all in good fun, most board games we play usually involve disagreements, bickering, and (usually accurate) accusations of cheating,” she says. “When my cousin first purchased this game for us to play, it totally flipped the script, because instead of trying to beat each other, we had to work together in order to beat the game.” Players work together to help control a pandemic and find a cure for the disease, while also playing as individual characters with their own unique characteristics.
Consider the following factors when you’re ready to buy a board game for adults in particular:
If you enjoy playing board games with friends or family but don’t plan to play in a professional league, remember the main objective is entertainment. “Typically the goal for people hosting informal board game parties is to have fun and socialize, rather than create a serious competitive environment,” according to Jacobson. “As such, I recommend keeping it simple and starting with ‘classic’ games that people know from their youth.”
While many board games have a wide range of topics and categories, it’s important to choose a board game that suits the strengths of many different players and personalities, especially if you’re playing with people you aren’t close with. Try and choose “games that offer players the ability to let their creativity and/or knowledge show in a spontaneous way,” says Jacobson. This will help ensure that the party or event is inclusive and will encourage players to return for another game.
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
I’m commerce editor at NBC Select, where I write about home life, cooking, cleaning and wellness. I spoke with multiple game event organizers for this story.
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