2024 Board Game Gift Guide

No matter what the occasion, it feels good to give board games as gifts.

Board games encourage us to connect with each other, stretch our minds, and practice important skills. But there are so many new games, it can be hard to figure out which ones will be a hit for your family! We’ve compiled a list of great board games to help make your gift shopping a little easier.

Click on the name of a game to buy it on Amazon, with an affiliate link that helps support The Family Gamers.

We recommend games based on our experience. Although The Family Gamers received many of the games listed below at no cost for review, all of the games below are games we would (and do!) buy for our own family and friends.

The best part about giving games as gifts is that you might get to play them with the recipient!

Very young children are still learning to take turns and follow rules. They need games that are simple and fast, and will help them practice motor skills and matching symbols. The best choices are ones that don’t make a big deal out of one player “winning”. And of course, none of these games require reading.

My First Castle Panic (our review) encourages kids to team up and protect their castle from monsters that want to knock it down. Draw cards and match their symbols with symbols on the path to defeat the monsters and throw them in the dungeon. So easy to learn, your preschooler may start setting it up and playing it on their own!

Stampfarm (our review) asks kids to roll dice and use stamps on their paper. There is scoring, but at the simplest level it’s just counting. This game will grow with kids and let them try a bit of strategy (and math) when they’re ready.

Turtle Splash (our review) combines flicking a disk and memory-matching, to get all your baby animal friends to the pool party.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Check out our recommended games for any age.

Kids this age are ready for games that take a little longer and reward practice and skill. These games still avoid reading, but may rely on numbers and symbols.

Dodo is perfect for that 6 or 7-year-old who’s ready for more than just memory. Roll the die and try to find a matching tile to fill up the “planks” and build a ramp to save the dodo egg that slowly rolls down hill! This game has lots of ways to increase the difficulty as kids get older, so it won’t be outgrown right away.

Turbo Kidz (our review) is a team game to race around a whiteboard track. But the “driver” has to do it blindfolded! Other team members may give verbal directions or use the driver’s thumb like a joystick to steer their marker around the course. If you’ve got 2-3 players, this can also be played as a series of fully cooperative challenges. Either way, we found that this was a great game for parents to play with kids.

Captain Flip (our review) is a great way to get kids thinking about spatial relationships and pushing their luck. Each turn, pull a tile out of the bag and decide if you want to place it or FLIP it – but if you flip it, you can’t flip it back! Fill up your pirate ship and earn the most money with your crew.

Still looking for more? Check out our top ten games for six year olds and our theme-based guide for kids ages 7-10.

Stronger reading skills, longer attention spans, and an openness to strategy marks older kids who are ready for more “grown-up” games. These games are still appropriate for younger kids, as long as they are solid readers. Games here are also appropriate for older ages, but are simple enough for this level.

Mycelia (our review) is a gorgeous game about growing your mushroom population and removing dewdrops from a gorgeously illustrated board. The lovely art and fun rotating “shrine” will keep kids engaged, with minimal reading required.

Get Bit! (our review) challenges kids to outswim their buddies to avoid getting bitten by the shark! This game is best for larger groups, but still works even at 2-3 players. A perfect game for kids to play with their friends.

Disney Villainous (our review) – who wouldn’t want to step into the shoes of a Disney villain? Each player works towards their own villainous goal, but can also slow their opponents down by throwing heroes in their way. Villainous also comes in Marvel and Star Wars editions, to tempt would-be villains of all types.

Doomlings (our review) requires a lot of reading, as players shepherd their little blob creatures towards the end of the world. Kids and adults of all ages were laughing and enjoying the silliness of many of the creature traits – and even the “take-that” moments didn’t hurt much.

Kids aren’t the only ones who like playing games! All of the games in this section are playable at age 10+ (or even younger), but the themes and game style are more attractive to adults.

Charcuterie (our review) challenges you to create the best charcuterie board – and to split up ingredients each round fairly. This is definitely a more grown up theme, and our teenage daughter loves it.

Wandering Towers (our review) challenges your strategy – and your memory – as you race to fill your potion bottles and get all your wizards into Ravenskeep. This can be played even younger than age 10, but our adult gaming group had a BLAST.

Flashback: Lucy (our review) is a four-part mystery, presented through a graphic novel and a deck of cards. Look back in time, and work together to find out what’s going on with the creepy house that Lucy inherited from her aunt. You’ll probably play this one with the lights on.

Silver Bullet (our review) is part of the werewolf-themed Silver series. Try to end a round with the lowest value “villager” cards – and push higher-value cards to your neighbors.

Walking Dead: The Dice Game (our review) is a quick push-your-luck game. Use the dice to attack the hordes of zombies, collecting supplies along the way. But if you take too many wounds, you’ll lose it all!

If these themes aren’t quite your cup of tea, check out our top recommended games for teenagers.

What can little Jimmy play and keep up with older siblings and parents? These games are best at three or more players. We promise these games will get everyone in the family playing, even grumpy great-aunts and surly teenagers.

Trio (our review) quickly became our favorite card game after its reveal last December. Use your memory and deduction to find “trios” of matching cards. But you can only ever reveal the highest or lowest card in anyone’s hand. Keep working to find those triples – three triples wins the game!

Cabanga! (review coming soon) is a card-shedding game. Watch out as players put down numbers on either side of a gap – if you have cards that fit in the gap, you can get rid of them, and force the other player to draw! Find out where to buy from Amigo Games.

Mojo (our review) is another card-shedding game, where the card you play determines whether you draw, pass, or play again. If your family loves Uno, this is a great game to avoid Draw Fours. Get this surprisingly tactical game from 25th Century Games.

Time’s Up! Family Edition (our review) has players guess words – first with lots of clues, then with one-word clues, and finally with no words – just charades. This version is packed with words anyone will know; and you’ll laugh as clues get sillier and sillier as the game goes on!

Smug Owls (our review) is a clever riddle-answering game. Everyone in the family can come up with answers, and the “smug owl” will judge. The opportunity for clever answers will bring in the whole family – but also there isn’t just one “winner” per round; the judge can split up to three points among any players.

Hamster Roll (our review) is just plain fun. Place your wooden piece further along the wheel than anyone else – can you do it without anything falling out? Buy it from 25th Century Games and have hours of fun stacking and dropping!

Whether it’s date night or special one-on-one times with a kiddo, these games are perfect for two players.

Unmatched is a perennial hit with our family. Pick characters such as Shakespeare, Houdini, or Ms. Marvel, then chase each other across the map in this skirmish game. We especially recommend Battle of Legends (vol 1) or Little Red & Beowulf for first-time players.

For faster dueling games that still require you to get in your opponent’s head, try Kiri-ai: The Duel (our review), or Pocket Paragons (our review).

Sky Team is for duos who would rather team up than fight each other. Pilot and co-pilot work together to navigate tricky airplane landings in this cooperative game that’s just for two.

Compile (our review) is best for couples who are serious gamers (like Andrew and Anitra). Play cards carefully across three lanes to get to 10 points or more and “compile” your own sets before your opponent can. With twelve different themed “protocols” to create your deck each game, the possibilities are endless.

For the people who like games and puzzles, but don’t always get to play with other people. Show you care by giving them a terrific game they can play by themselves.

A Gentle Rain (our review) is a puzzle that is about the journey, not just the destination. Match colored flowers on tile edges and enclose corners to place blossoms on the “lake” in this relaxing experience. Find it at Target!

Beacon Patrol (our review) lets one or more players explore the North Sea while placing lighthouses and other features. This game can be played alone or with up to four people!

Sherlock Solitaire (our review) feels like classic Klondike solitaire but with a dark and brooding theme. Build up columns of cards matching specific patterns to “solve” each case. And bring a friend along to be Dr. Watson, if you don’t want to play alone.

Rush Hour (our review) is a classic, but it’s still a great fit for puzzle-minded kids (or adults). Maybe give this one before the holidays if you’ll need to fill time on a long car ride.

For relatives that get a little too competitive – or kids who can’t stand losing – give the gift of cooperation. Everyone can work together toward a common goal in these cooperative games.

Flashback: Lucy (our review) can have a whole group working together through the story of a creepy house and what it has to do with Lucy’s ancestors. Although it’s best for teens and adults, our ten-year old loved finding out the story, too.

Sky Team is for only two players: a pilot and co-pilot who work together placing dice to land an airplane. Increasingly difficult challenges mean this game won’t wear out its welcome.

Castle Panic is a classic cooperative game, but the second edition (our breakdown) is even better. If your family has not already defended your tower from the marauding monsters, this is a perfect time to start.

Disney Animated (our review) is perfect for families that love Disney but who would rather not attack each other. Each player works to complete their own classic animated film, but all players also work together to defeat movie villains who want to destroy their work.

When you need a stocking stuffer or something small for a randomized gift exchange, these games are a great fit. Each of these games are under $25.

Ultimatch (our review) is a fast cooperative card game for 1-5 players. It feels like pyramid solitaire, and it’s incredibly satisfying to make an ULTIMATCH of both number and color.

Tussie Mussie is perfect for anyone with a green thumb. Tell them you love them with flowers! This has long been a favorite wallet game – but now the full edition is also available at Barnes & Noble. Up to four players can “offer” flowers to each other, trying to make the most valuable collection after four turns.

Pass the Pot (our review) is perfect for friends who love the silly luck-based betting of LCR. Roll the dice and try for a combo so you can earn all the chips in the pot!

Toil & Troublez (our review) gets everyone in the family pushing their luck – can you draw just one more card to add to the rows? Or will you go bust, and give up your chances at adding cards to your collection?

Holiday Hijinks games (our reviews) offer an hour or more of low-stress mystery-solving fun, each with a holiday theme: Santa and his cookies, a romantic Valentine’s dinner, Halloween trick-or-treating, or even Groundhog Day! Find the ready-to-play games, or the print-and-play versions, at Grand Gamers Guild.

Want More?

Thankfully, board games don’t expire! So check out these older guides for more ideas.

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