Holiday Gift Guide: Games!
My favorite time of the year is finally here! I am SO EXCITED about this game gift guide.
It is full of so many favorites!
Remember that none of the items on my gift guides are sponsored. I’ve bought or been gifted by friends/family everything on this list – these are all games we genuinely love and play often! Affiliate links are included for games I’ve purchased from Amazon; feel free to shop around for the best deal.
If you have a second, PLEASE leave YOUR favorite game suggestions in the comments. The comment section of these gift guides are gold, because of all the bonus recommendations.
Other Gift Guides:
Splendor Duel: I love the original Splendor game, but dare I admit, that I think this 2-player version is even better? It is one of Cam and my favorite games to play together. If you’re familiar with the original Splendor game, it’s easy to catch on. Otherwise, google a few how-to-play videos and you’ll pick up on it in no time.
Mantis: this was the HIT of our holiday game playing last year. So easy to learn, and so, so much fun. Also the artwork is so clever and had us very intrigued about mantis shrimp (to the tune of watching many YouTube videos about them!).
Uzzle: another wonderfully easy game to learn. It’s a puzzle game where you compete to complete the puzzle the fastest. It makes my brain hurt in the best way (also, I never win 😂).
Dutch Blitz with Expansion: I’ve recommended Dutch Blitz before because it is so quick, easy, and fun, but it deserves another mention here with the expansion pack, which basically allows you to play with up to 8 people. This game will be a forever favorite!
Priorities: if you like cooperative games, you’ll love this one! A friend introduced this to us, and we immediately bought it. It isn’t complicated, just super fun for a group! The box says 14+ but Cam plays with her friends (age 11-13) all the time.
Poetry for Neanderthals: We had more fun playing this game with cousins than probably any other game on this list. It is hilarious. Another really great group game. (I did have to steal the club and tuck it away from my rowdy teenage boys. 😉)
Hues and Cues: this game is unlike any other board game we have, and I love the unique premise! You give a clue for a specific color – and then the people on your team try to pinpoint which color you are talking about on the board. It’s a VERY simple group game…and very fun!
Gensmak Trivia: this was the hit game when my parents came to visit earlier this year. Finally a trivia game everyone (tweens and up) can play together, because the trivia questions are separated by generation. We abandoned most of the rules and just went around the room asking each other questions (and seeing how many we could get right from generations older and younger than us). I love trivia games, and this one is a winner! The only complaint I have is wishing there were more cards.
Tapped Four: we keep this game out almost nonstop, because it is a fun one to play if we only have time for a quick game or a few rounds. Easy to learn, fast-paced, and a huge favorite! (It’s based on a game we learned a while back called “Swish” that can be played with face cards – same premise with a few new twists.)
Anomia: a fun group game (you need at least 3 people, you don’t form teams), this is a quick-paced game where you face off with other players to spout an answer the fastest. Very fun! (Also, warning: it has been known to cause a wee bit of arguing amongst siblings who feel like their answer came first.)
P for Pizza: great for playing with just 2-players, this game can also be played with up to 4 people. It’s another game where you have to shout (ok, you can just say it calmly, but it usually comes out in a shout) your answer the fastest to win the card. Another game that Cam and I play often together!
Wavelength: if I had to pick a favorite game from this gift guide, it would be this one. I LOVE IT! It’s incredibly easy to learn, and it can be played endlessly, because no round is ever the same based on the spinning wheel. You need at least four players, because it relies on team-play, and it’s great for large groups! Highly recommend!
Stratego: another game I played growing up, we bought this one for my kids to learn, and it frequently appears on Sunday afternoons. Personally, the game makes me crazy, because I rarely win 😆 but it is really fun if you enjoy strategy-type games. And then you can be like me and waste a lot of time on Reddit threads trying to figure out the best way to place your pieces. 😜
Domino Creations: so, this is not technically a game-game, but it is a fun set of colorful dominoes for anyone who likes to build domino creations and let them fall in mesmerizing pattern. Very fun for creative kids and adults and it comes with extra accessories (like mini stairs), which make it extra exciting.
Mysterium: if you enjoy fairly elaborate cooperative games, you’ll love this one. You work together to solve a mystery by interpreting clues. The artwork is stunning, and the game is really, really fun. My disclaimer is that it isn’t as easy to learn as the description suggests. I recommend watching several how-to-play videos online well in advance of setting it up and playing with a group.
Five Crowns: I know this game has been around forever, but we are LOVING it. It is so fast to learn, and totally our style. Quick-paced, a little frustrating at times 😂 and easy to learn. It’s a fun 2-player game, but can be played with up to 6-7.
There are so many other favorite game suggestions on past gift guides! Many of these include games perfect for younger kids.
- 2023 Game Gift Guide
- 2022 Game Gift Guide
- 2021 Game Gift Guide
- 2020 Game Gift Guide
- 2019 Game Gift Guide
- 2018 Game Gift Guide
- 2017 Game Gift Guide
- 2016 Game Gift Guide
- 2015 Game Gift Guide
Leave your favorite game recommendations in the comments!
Hey Mel!
We’ve played Labryinth and I’m so excited for the Pokémon version I got for my 7 year old (gotta catch ‘em all!)
Have you ever played LoL “Wingspan”? It looks beautiful- apparently the cards have accurate depictions and facts of birds. I want to try at our board game store kinda nearby (you buy a token for $5 to play basically any game in the shop and if you buy the game the token is credit for it).
We got Ticket to Ride London- haven’t played yet, but smaller board so quicker than the original. Cute double decker bus tokens. Set in the ‘60’s!
We enjoy Trekking; the world and Trekking: national parks
I bought Planted on an impulse on sale at target- need to break it out.
Tsuro is a perennial fave
My kids love strategic games with my husband (Risk, etc, though I know part of risk is luck)- I will not play!
Castle Panic- I bought for my 10 yo son. Apparently it’s cooperative? My son is a very poor sport when he’s losing, thought this might help.
Card games with face cards- I need to re-learn some games from my youth!
Thanks for the guide, and wishing you all the best, Mel!
Our favorite games this year have been Flame Craft and Trekking. We are huge gamers in our house and love your guides. Thank you for the ideas this year!
We love your game suggestions so much!! I pick from your list every year since this all began and I now have a linen closet with games from floor to ceiling 🙂 A new game we came across this summer is Tokaido. My brother introduced it to us. It’s more of a chill game and different from any other game we’ve played. We have a good time playing it with our teenage boys. You should keep your eye out for it.
I appreciate your game recs every year! I’m pretty sure you introduced me to Gpa Beck games which is basically like giving me 100 hours of fun with my fam over the years!Here our some of our favorites:
221 b Baker Street – retro, but super fun mystery-solving
Harry Potter Clue – this version adds some trickier things than reg Clue, fam loves it
Disney Scene It
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Have you tried the game Piles? It’s super easy to learn and so fun. Love all your games!
Mel,
Thank you so much for curating this list for us, your faithful subscribers! We look forward to this list every year!
Just finished filling up my Amazon cart with some new ones for Christmas.
Some of our favorites that deserve a mention:
Skull King
Reverse Charades
Telestrations
Machi Koro
Harry Potter – Hogwarts Battle
Seven Wonders Duel
Dominion-any of them!
Pandemic
Stop Thief was one I loved from my childhood. It’s considered “vintage” now! 🙂
Hey Mel, I’m looking for a game guide by age…I was thinking you had one. My grands are age 5 and under. The 5 yo is super smart and loves games.
I haven’t done gift guides by ages, necessarily, but I try to give recommendations here and there of what ages we’ve played the games with. Has your 5-year old played Sleeping Queens? That’s a huge favorite and might be right up their alley!
Forgot to mention that my kids have had lots of fun with the card game Coup. I haven’t sat down to learn it … yet! Have you tried it?
I haven’t tried that one, Andrea – thanks for the recommendation.
We love the card game Play Nine! But I’m wondering if you (or anyone out there) has ever played Skyjo? Is one better than another? I see tons of awesome reviews on Skyjo but if it’s the same game as Play Nine I probably can skip buying it!! Anyone out there that can clarify? Or give me a why either one is your favorite?
We have both Play Nine and Skyjo and love both! The rules are a bit different with Skyjo (once you have one card left, you HAVE to turn it over – unlike Play Nine where you can continue discarding until you get the card you want or someone goes out). And the grid of cards is different. So there are definitely similarities, but I think they are different enough that it warrants having both in our game closet.
We mostly play:
-Rook
-Ticket to Ride
-Apples to Apples
-Sequence
-Acquire
-Rummikub
-Yahtzee
-Codenames
-Chameleon
All are a blast and most are fairly easy to learn, and play with groups. Rook and Acquire are not for small kids, and take some learning, but it’s worth it!
Thanks for the recommendations! We love a lot of those games, too! Chameleon is an old favorite – we need to pull it out and play it!
We got Mysterium and it was so difficult – any tips would be super helpful – we were told it was like Clue and found it to not be really. We watched a couple videos and it never cleared up!!
Hey Christine – it is definitely more involved than Clue…what ages are you playing with? I had to watch several videos, too, and the first time we played it was kind of a hot mess but it got better! What specific questions do you have?
We love wavelength! You do need at least 4 but we have fun mixing up the teams. My daughter and I do well together or big vs littles. Highly recommend!!
Happy to know you love that one, too! We have been playing it multiple times a week – I’m just leaving it out on the kitchen table at this point. 🙂
I highly recommend the app version of wavelength. It moves more quickly- everyone is coming up with a clue at the same time so you don’t have long pauses between turns while one person is brainstorming. It’s collaborative instead of teams. It does Require a phone for all who play, but we have the younger kids team up with someone older.
We are not a big game playing family, but I had bought the game Piggy Piggy for my son last year (because he loves pigs), and we finally broke it out on vacation this year. It was a lot of fun. The rules can take a few read throughs, as each turn is multi-step, but you can be pretty ruthless with others once you get the hang of it. Teen/tweens had a good time with minimal hurt feelings.
Thanks for the recommendation, Alyssa!
We love games, have well over 100. I would recommend The Game (easy card game, the original is cooperative but there’s a competitive 2 player version). Also Cascadia–you’re building a little eco-system for points and it’s pretty. Easy to learn. Marrying Mr. Darcy is hilarious, especially if you’re a Jane Austen fan. You play “as” an Austen heroine, but I’ve played it on a double date and the men were so funny and had fun with it. Letter Jam for a word game–kind of complicated instructions but easy to play once you get it. I think there’s a youtube video that helped. Lizard Wizard if you want a more strategic game that will take a couple hours but still is fun and not too dense. Dice Forge–you get to change the dice faces and level up your abilities to get points. Lost Ruins of Arnak–another 2 hour strategic, very fun.
Thanks for all the recommendations, Bonnie!
$48 is ridiculously over priced for a game. Uzzle. I found match madness on Amazon for less than $20.enjoy playing this with all ages Ok. Now that I vented. Thank u for your lists. They help lots. I love sequence and I bot 2 sets of rummikub and makes great group game.
We love sequence and rummikub as well! Thanks for the recommendations.
So Clover is our new go to game. Fun, cooperative, word association game. (We all love Happy Salmon as well, but I think I found that one from you.)
Thanks, Jennifer! Haven’t heard of clover, I’ll check it out!
Thank you for the game guides! We love board games.
Current favorites-
ingenious
Sushi go party
Play nine
Six second scribbles
Bunny kingdoms
Looking forward to adding a few of your suggestions to our game closet!
Thanks for all the tested recommendations! I’m always looking for great games to add to our collection. My favorite new game we played this year was called Bank – it’s a dice game with an app to keep track of all the players and their bids. It’s a risk it to win big, fast moving game that had us all screaming. Would be so fun with a group of teens or we just play it with adult friends.
AJ – I agree, we love bank!! We play that one often on Sunday evenings.
Thanks for the recommendations, Suzanne!
Silver and Gold is one of our favorite games. It is for 2-4 players. It is like tetris on paper. Always love these. Already have several in my Amazon cart for Christmas!
Thank you for doing these!
Thanks, Jen!
My friend recently gave me a card game called “The Game.” I love it! The rules are very simple, yet it’s still challenging. Up to five players, and you all play together on the same team against the game.
One that was a favorite in college and that I still like is another card game called the Great Dalmuti–I think it’s kind of like scum.
Thanks for the recommendation, Jacelyn! And yes, I love the Great Dalmuti! Haven’t played that in years. Thanks for the reminder.
We LOVE “Abducktion”! Just go ahead and get the expansion pack; you’ll want it!
Thanks, Krista! We tried that game earlier this year and I think we need to give it another chance!
We bought Mind the Gap last year and it’s a great one for the whole family-trivia with different generation questions. My mother in law and my daughter clean up because she can answer all the Boomer questions and she gets the millennial/Gen Z ones.
Love that recommendation, thank you!
We LOVE:
– Dutch Blitz (that expansion pack is clutch!)
– Ticket to Ride
– Poetry for Neanderthals (LOL)
– Trekking the National Parks
– Mexican Train Dominoes
Thanks for including the games you love, Amy! (Trekking the National Parks is a personal favorite of mine!)
Thanks for all the time and effort you put into these guides! I have been looking forward to them! I am excited to purchase and gift some of these games you mentioned!
Thanks, Lachelle!
Our oldest is 19 and our youngest is 6, so we are always looking for games that we can all enjoy and play together. Mantis is perfect for that! Our then five year old loved it so much we got her a stuffed mantis shrimp for Christmas last year, haha. We also just recently got Traitor Tots, we can all play it and enjoy it! My older teens regularly request it. Another card game we can all play is Skyjo. And Grandpa Beck games are all winners, too!
Ok, that is awesome about the stuffed mantis shrimp. Haha. Thanks for the Traitor Tots rec, haven’t heard of that one. We also love Skyjo! And I agree about Grandpa Beck games.
Do we have 40+ games at our house? Yes. Are many of them from your games lists in previous years? Yes. Do we play more than 3-5 of them? No. Do we NEED anymore games at our house? No. Will I be buying several from this list for Xmas this year? OF COURSE!
Hahaha, channeling this SAME ENERGY.
Ditto!! My husband will likely have a heart-a-stroke if another game is opened on Christmas, but…!! Two of our favorites from past lists are Sleeping Queens and Battle of the UFOs! However, I must say that I like having a game cupboard packed for when we want to play or the kids (teenagers) have friends over and can’t be outside.
I go to a board game night every week. Here are a few we play often: Mountain Goats, Project L, River Valley Glassworks and Summer Pavilion. Going to a group like this is great. You get to play a variety of games each week and test out games before you buy them. Splendor Duel is one of my favorites!
Thank you for the recommendations, Brenda!
I’ve been waiting for this guide. I’m definitely putting splendor duel on my list and I already bought Mantis for my daughter for Christmas so I’m excited to see it on her. If you are looking for a good stocking stuffer type game we love monopoly deal and qwixx. Our family favorite is exploding kittens. Definitely get the party version. It has more card options. (our kids are 7,9,11). For kids we have loved everything from Gamewright.
We love all those games, too, Christina! Thank you for the suggestions. I agree with Gamewright – they’re games are always a win for us.