Family Board Game night is always a really fun event in our household. Not only does it foster healthy competition, it gives us a chance to spend some time together, have some laughs, and maybe even teach a message or two. The best board games for kids and the whole family offer all three.
As our kids have grown older, they’ve outgrown some games, so my wife and I are always on the lookout for new and interesting games to add to the rotation. Some are supremely silly, others are based in strategy or logic, and now and again, role-playing games make it into the fray.
Here are a few of the best family board games we’ve played with our kids, as well as a few waiting in the wings for the future. These games will keep your Game Night going from toddler to teen!
Let’s Go Fishing
As an avid angler myself, Let’s Go Fishing was one of the first games I brought home for my kids, and one you likely remember from your childhood. Players are given tiny fishing rods with magnets on the end, and the board rotates, making the fish in the pond open and close their mouths, which also have magnets.
The goal of Let’s Go Fishing is to catch as many fish as you can, but since they are all in color sets, you can adjust so that players have to catch all the fish of one color, or even who can catch all of one color the fastest. It’s unique moving board makes it a new challenge every time, and kids love to see the fishies in the pond.
Number of Players: 2+
Age Group: 0-5
Chutes and Ladders
Do not skip over the classics! Chutes and Ladders (or Snakes and Ladders, depending on where you grew up) is a fun and silly counting game that my kids love to play with us grown-ups, or play on their own, but they really love watching Dad groan as I hit the big snake (which is a pretty regular occurrence).
Players start on the number one square and must navigate through snakes or chutes that send them backward, or ladders that send them forward. The winner is the first person to cross the 100-square mark. The most fun part of Game Night with Chutes and Ladders is that it’s easy to insert “house rules” and tweak the game to your family’s whims. For extra fun, let the kids choose non-game tokens to play with.
Number of Players: 2-4
Age Group: 0-5
Bluey: Shadowlands
One of the genius marketing moves that the Bluey Empire has made is that they tend to make merchandise directly tied to an episode of the show. Shadowlands is a board game based on the episode of the same name, in which Bluey and her friends must stay in the shadows of trees and other park features to reach the cupcakes that their moms have waiting for them.
In the Bluey: Shadowlands game, players must do the same as the show; stay in the shadowed areas of the board to collect cupcake cards and make it to the picnic. The twist is literally a twist, as a rotating palm tree in the center of the board allows players to move the shadows around the board. This makes every game of Shadowlands a different experience and one that kids love to play over and over.
Number of Players: 2-4
Age Group: 0-5
First Orchard
When it comes to younger gamers who may not yet have the reading or logic skills required for complicated rules, German manufacturer Haba has a wealth of great titles. First Orchard is a terrific example of their games, as it’s very simple, full of brightly colored tokens and game pieces, and is simple and fun, without having a ton of rules.
Players roll a dice with three colors on it. Whichever color comes up, that player must pick a fruit of the same color for their basket. However, if the Raven appears on the dice, then he moves one step closer to the orchard! Players win by working together to collect all the fruit before the Raven completes his journey. It takes about 10 minutes to play, which is quick enough for multiple rounds.
Number of Players: 1-4
Age Group: 0-5
Rory’s Story Cubes
This is a game that is not only fun for Family Game Night, but also for bedtime! Rory’s Story Cubes are perfect for the kid who’s asking you to make up stories for them, as well as for the kid who likes to make up their own! The best part? Everyone’s a winner in this very simple game.
To start, the player rolls 9 of the Rory’s Story Cubes dice that have various symbols on them. From there, they say “Once upon a time…” and proceed to use the symbols on the dice to create an original, improvised story to tell the other players. If you want to add a sense of competition, the group can vote on the best story told or collaborate on one long story.
Storytelling games are one of my favorite types of board games for family fun or just hanging out, as they offer a chance to be creative, silly, and let kids use their imaginations.
Number of Players: 1+
Age Group: 0-5
Boop
Boop is a challenging one-on-one game that is not only adorable but also slightly abstract and weird. First, players spread out the quilted game board over the box to create a bed for the kittens. Then, every time someone sets a kitten on the bed, it makes a “boop!” sound. This isn’t just a cute noise, as it pushes every other kitten next to it on the board one space away. Players must line up three kittens to “graduate” them into cats and then line up three cats in a row to win.
Boop is super fun because it lets kids play with adorable wooden kitty pieces, but it also teaches the concept of action and reaction. Every time a kitten is placed, there is a reaction, so kids have to start thinking a few moves ahead and develop a strategy to work it. While it’s only two players, just watching or playing in “teams” can make a game night fun for the whole family.
Number of Players: 2
Age Group: 6-12
The Magic Labyrinth
If you’ve got a fan of Harry Potter or magic in general at the same table, then The Magic Labyrinth is a terrific little adventure game that takes players into a Magic Maze that the players can’t see! It’s constructed under the board, and using magnets, the players can “bump into” the walls, knocking them over as they move around the board.
Players become magician apprentices who have misplaced magic objects inside of the master’s maze. They have to deal with the invisible walls, twisting mazes, and the fact that only one object can be revealed at a time. Relying on memory and skill, players must find all the magic objects before the master notices anything missing, without knocking over as many walls as possible. It requires real memory, because if you do hit a wall, you go back to the start!
Number of Players: 2-4
Age Group: 6-12
Uno
A card game for the ages, it’s really never too soon to start a kid on Uno. What’s great about Uno in 2025 is that there are dozens of expansions, licensed versions, and updates that make the simple and easy card game, as well as your family game night, even more fun and chaotic.
For those not in the know, in Uno, players are given a hand of cards and must match colors and numbers until their hand is depleted and they win. BUT only if they remember to shout “Uno!” when they are down to their last card. There are also wild cards that reverse the player order, or force players to skip a turn or add cards to their hands. In some of the updated versions, there are even erasable wild cards that allow families to make their own house rules!
Number of Players: 2+
Age Group: 6-12
Kids Against Maturity
Kids Against Maturity is not an activist group, but a wonderfully silly and gross game the whole family can play. It is filled with age-appropriate humor and lets kids get wild with their answers. With over 40,000 possible card combinations (excluding various expansion packs), it never plays the same way twice.
Players hold a hand of Answer Cards, and then a Question Card is drawn from the deck. Whoever plays the funniest answer card (decided by the group) wins the hand. Win five hands and you win the game. The hilariously illustrated cards are filled with jokes and innuendos that are sure to have everyone at Game Night rolling on the dining room floor.
Number of Players: 2+
Age Group: 6-12
Outsmarted
Did you ever play one of those board games growing up that had a VHS companion tape to lead you through the adventure? Well, Outsmarted is kind of like the 2025 version of that, but with a trivia twist!
In Outsmarted, one of the grownups sets up their phone, tablet or other device and connects it to the Outsmarted App. Players then move around a real-life game board, collecting rings based on their ability to answer the trivia questions on the device. The best part is that an age can be entered for all players, so they get questions that match their age level. Additionally, you can play as individuals or teams (up to six of each) if your Game Night or family gathering is a larger affair.
Number of Players: 2-6
Age Group: 6-12
Sushi Go!
I love Sushi, but my kids don’t. What they love is Sushi Go!, a fast-paced card game based around everyone’s favorite (or not) way of eating raw fish. It’s a fast game that requires split-second decisions and delicious food combinations.
Sushi Go! asks players to gather the most points at the table by pulling cards to make the most maki rolls, collect a full set of sashimi, or use wasabi or other ingredients to increase their sushi’s points. The winner is the one with the most points at the end of three rounds, and if you’re lucky, they’ll pay for the sushi for dinner!
Number of Players: 2-5
Age Group: 12+
Ticket To Ride
Ticket to Ride is an entertaining game that requires logic, planning, and the thrill of running your train route right across someone else’s, forcing them to rethink their strategy as they navigate train routes all over the globe.
In the core game, Ticket to Ride players collect matching train cards to claim railway routes that connect to cities throughout North America. The longer a route the player creates, the more points they get. There are a myriad of map packs, expansions, and geographically different versions of the game as well, so you and your family can turn Game Night into a worldwide adventure!
Number of Players: 2-5
Age Group: 12+
New York 1901
They say the only thing they aren’t making more of is land, and New York 1901 takes players back to the days when The Big Apple began growing UP, literally. Using the real-life lower-Manhattan streets, players must build one of four skyscrapers while acquiring a real estate empire in the Empire City!
As Land Developers, players employ workers, use location cards, and stack Tetris-shaped building tiles on the board to create and level up skyscrapers. Players compete for glory and prestige as they acquire new land, demolish old buildings, and build up skyscrapers to staggering new heights. The rules and actions are a little more complicated in this strategy board game, but once you get into the swing of it, the gorgeous illustrations will make you feel like you’re building a turn-of-the-century city full of promise!
Number of Players: 2-4
Age Group: 12+
Decrypto
Decrypto is a game unlike any other that I’ve played. It’s a team game, which is always fun, but it’s also a sneaky, sly game in which the appointed Encryptor must transmit a code to their teammates without the other team figuring it out. The instructions given must be clear enough for teammates to understand, but not so clear that the other team figures it out! If they do, they win an Interception Token. The winning team is the one that gets two Interceptions.
In more detail, each Decrypto team member has a cardholder screen that is visible only to them. Four word cards are in the screen pockets labelled 1-4. A team member then draws a code card with a series of the numbers 1-4 in a random order. The player then gives a coded message to their teammates using the words on the cards to communicate the numbers on the code card. If they guess correctly, great; if not, the team receives a black mark and the game continues.
It may sound a little complicated at first, but once you’ve run through a few rounds of Decrypto, it becomes easy to work through and kids will love developing their own “codes” to outsmart the adults at the table!
Number of Players: 3-8
Age Group: 12+
Exploding Kittens
A modern classic, Exploding Kittens is a simple card game that takes about 15 minutes to play, so several rounds are easily factored into Game Night. Players draw cards until somebody gets an Exploding Kitten card. Unfortunately, at that point they explode and are out of the game. However, if they have a laser pointer or catnip card, they can “defuse” the kitten or use an action card to sidestep the blast.
Exploding Kittens remains a fun and silly family card game that everyone can easily get into. It also boasts an almost never-ending set of reworked rules and expansion packs, including Barking Kittens, Imploding Kittens and even Zombie Kittens. The best part is it’s playable with almost any age group (if you think they can handle his level of fun)!
Number of Players: 2-5
Age Group: 12+
