Mel’s Holiday Gift Guide: Games!
Is it the best day of the year or what??? This holiday game gift guide is one I look forward to all year long!
If you’re new to these gift guides, here are a few notes:
- nothing on these gift guides is sponsored; these are all games we’ve bought or been gifted by friends/family and ones we genuinely love (there are Amazon affiliate links below for the games I’ve bought from there)
- yes, we really do play all of these games; of course we go in phases where we play some of them more than others, but I only talk about games that have become fast favorites (trust me, there are plenty of games we play that never make it on to these gift guides)
- this year’s list might be my favorite game gift guide in the history of game gift guides (and most of the recommendations originally came from you guys in comments and emails so thank you!)
- as a quick note, I’ll be posting the two other much-anticipated gift guides tomorrow and the next day!
Here’s a quick link to all the gift guides I’ve posted over the years.
And here are past GAME gift guides:
Game Gift Guide 2015
Game Gift Guide 2016
Game Gift Guide 2017
Game Gift Guide 2018
Game Gift Guide 2019
*the game gift guides from a few years ago (2015-2018) include a lot of great recommendations for younger players.
FYI: the comment threads of all of these gift guides are amazing and filled with so many other game recommendations!
2. Dungeon Mayhem: {aff. link} my cousin and their awesome family brought this game when they visited us, and it became a VERY quick favorite of the kids (Brian and I love it, too). We have the original game (2-4 players) plus the two expansion packs {aff. link} (this one is the box which can hold all the cards – super convenient), which basically just means you can play with more people and/or have more options when choosing a character to play. It’s easy to learn and surprisingly strategic and really, really fun even if you really don’t know the ins and outs of Dungeons and Dragons (ahem, me).
3. Decrypto: {aff. link} a fabulous MKC reader, Jessie, emailed me about this game, and when she said it was like CodeNames {aff. link} (an all-time fave) with a twist, I knew we had to try it. LOVE. Love this game. We took it to a family reunion and played and played and played. It’s a great game for adults or older teenagers (although our younger kids get in on the action, too, even if they are a tad more obvious with their clues).
4. Cockroach Poker: {aff. link} ok, I hate cockroaches after some traumatizing experiences in my Oklahoma and Texas-raised youth (also, are cockroaches ever NOT traumatizing??), but I love this bluffing game. It’s extremely quick to learn and great for kids, tweens, teens, and adults.
5. Otrio Le: {aff. link} this game is like tic tac toe on steroids, and although it hurts my brain (come on, Mel, THINK, ANTICIPATE!), it’s a favorite of Cam’s (she’s 8) and we play it a lot. The only downside is that there are some small pieces and it’s hard to find replacements. So yes, we have a few stand-in pegs for the two small pieces we lost down the vent when playing this in the semi-dark whilst watching The Mandalorian. Oops.
6. Brainbox: {aff. link} this is where I repeat that my brain hurts a lot when I play games (er, or maybe I’m getting old??). This memorization game makes me crazy because I wish my kids didn’t beat me every single time, but I’m a sucker for punishment, because this is the game I often choose to play with the family. There are a ton of different themes. We have the world box and the animal box.
7. Patchwork: {aff. link} by far, this is my favorite two-player game we own. One of you recommended it a couple years ago, and I hesitated because, even though I like quilting, I didn’t know if a quilting game would capture our interest. I stand corrected. Quilting games forever. This might be one of my all-time favorites. I love playing it one-on-one with my kids. And I actually win sometimes, so yay me.
8. Dutch Blitz: {aff. link} simple card games can’t be beat, and this is a great one. It’s fast-paced, easy to learn, and a good one to throw into a bag for trips or to bring out for a quick family game night.
9. Qwirkle: {aff. link} we’ve had this game for years but I’ve neglected to mention it on a gift guide. Shame on me! It is simple, easy to learn and play, and one that still gets played a lot by the whole family. This is also a great, classic game to play with people (ahem, maybe grandparents) who don’t enjoy super strategic, fast-paced games. It reminds me of Rummikub or Scrabble but with shapes and colors.
10. Skillmatics Guess in 10: {aff. link} a play on the ol’ 20 questions game (but with 10 questions), this game proves that our family loves trivia-type games, especially if it’s about animals. This is a fantastic game to take on road trips or play for a few minutes if you’re waiting in line or need to kill some time.
11. Gater Jam: {aff. link} the only outdoor game to make the list this year, this is Brian’s favorite yard game currently. We took it with us on our social distancing RV road trip this summer, and we play it frequently on Sunday evenings. There are a lot of versions out there – we’ve tried the Disc Slam one but it was flimsy and fell apart. This one has been sturdy and Brian likes it better than the official KanJam (although we don’t use the scoring tab thingie on the sides – it doesn’t work super well).
12. Mille Bornes: {aff. link} another great card game, this one takes a little bit more time to learn, but it is really fun! And apparently it is quite a classic! It’s new to us this year, but one that we’ve packed along for a few road trips, and I play it a lot with my two youngest kids (8- and 11-years old).
13. Farkle: {aff. link} another huge classic, I grew up playing this game with random dice found on the floor of our game closet. You really don’t need an official game box, but it makes a fun gift! This game of risk and quick addition never gets old. It’s a huge favorite (and although hard to find, the spicy farkle game is really fun, too).
14. Monopoly Deal: {aff. link} I hope I don’t lose friends when I say this: but I hate the board game, Monopoly. It’s kind of the worst (I’m so, so sorry). So when someone recommended Monopoly Deal, the quick card game, I resisted. But after hearing over and over how amazing it was, we took the $7 risk and went for it. Yep, we can now add our 5-star rating to the other 12,000+ because this quick, faster-paced, easy Monopoly card game is the only kind of Monopoly I ever need to play. We love it.
15. Flip Side: {aff. link} a little bit like Bop It with a Rubik’s cube vibe, my kids love this game. I don’t play it much because my reflexes aren’t what they used to be, but we’ve gifted it to a lot of friends and cousins because it’s so popular around here.
16. LCR: {aff. link} another super quick, fun game, LCR is simple but surprisingly cutthroat. Ha. At least in our family. It’s a great game to play with a crowd (no limit on numbers), and it’s really easy to learn.
17. Trivial Pursuit Family: {aff. link} we got this as a family gift last Christmas, and it’s still a hit a year later. We play it often – it’s a 6-player game so we usually team up or have one person be the card reader (that’s actually the most coveted job). You can play this with kids and adults – there’s a separate deck of question cards for younger and older players. Usually when we’re done we sit and have a competition who can get the most questions right on a single card (I always plead for them to read me the kid cards, no shame).
18. Azul: {aff. link} Cam wants me to specially mention that this is her favorite game of all time in the history of ever. She chooses it every time the game choice is left to her. There’s strategy and chance all mixed up into one beautiful, clever game, and because it’s different every time, it doesn’t get old. I have my eyes on the summer pavilion version now!
19. Wig Out: {aff. link} so easy, so quick, so fast, so silly, this is a great game for young kids (but fun enough to play as a family). We really like this one! The only downfall is that you can accumulate a lot of cards in your hand, and that can be challenging for some of the kids to keep organized, but it’s still very playable and very fun. It can also be a two-player game.
20: Karma: {aff. link} simple card games must be the theme this year. This one is really, really fun. I love that it can be played with a smaller group…or up to 6 players (I think you can combine two decks and play with 12 players, too). There are some unexpected elements that make this game exciting, and it’s helpful that the cards that require special action have it detailed right on the card. Thank you whoever above was looking out for me on this one.
21: Pandemic: {aff. link} you either really love cooperative games…or you don’t. And you either really feel like playing a game called Pandemic is a wise choice in 2020…or you don’t. We got this game when I was recovering from gum surgery, and we played it a lot. There’s a short learning curve, but when you get the hang of it, it’s a really great game that requires strategically talking and working together to win. Highly recommend this one!
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123 Comments on “Mel’s Holiday Gift Guide: Games!”
I love your game guides!! We get several winners each year for Christmas. We’ve had a blast reinstituting family game night. Thank you so much! Two new faves I’d recommend for next year’s list: Splendor (fun strategy game, even though I have yet to beat my 11 year old!) and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (silly fun for all ages– I think I saw someone else recommend it to you too). Thanks again for the fun recommendations!
Just opened and played Dutch Blitz last night / major hit- just as fun as Cover Your Assets- thanks for fab gift idea!
Mel, I love your gift guides every year! Thank you so much for compiling these! Specifically the games ones…I’ve found some of our favorite family games on them and have gifted my parents a game for the last 3-4 years from your recommendations. They’ve all been hits! This year my kids are getting Azul and Monopoly Deal – can’t wait!
Curious if you’d mind giving a couple recommendations for my parents because I’m feeling a little aimless this year. Favorites from past years have been Qwixx and 6 Nimmt. They also enjoy Bananagrams and Farkle and I gifted Code Names last year. Thinking maybe Cover Your Assets but thought I’d see if any jumped to your mind based on those other games. They usually play with one or two other couples, so games for 4-6 people are ideal (and nothing TOO complex- I don’t see them reaching for it if it takes hours to play ). Thanks so much!
Hi Caroline, Decrypto is a very fun game for two couples! It’s similar to Code Names with a couple twists. Qwirkle is another one that comes to mind.
Thank you so much!
We love LCR! During the holidays, instead of the plastic chips, I sub in holiday items such as peppermint candies, small gift bows, jingle bells, sparkly pom poms, etc. Last year I even bought blank dice and made my own sets to give as gifts!
We also love Pandemic, and another team game called Forbidden Island. But I think our favorite new-to-us game this year is Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza!
I’ve been wondering if Azul is worth getting, thanks for the recommendation! Thanks for sharing these!
Avoid Marble and Jokers link – takes money and does not send product/will not reply to emails
Oh no! That’s not good. The seller has always been responsive to my emails. I’m sorry you’ve had issues!! Ugh!
This is so good. Really good not saying it. hah
Hi ya Mel, Thank you for being you and doing what you do! We’ve appreciate your sage cooking insight for years and have been intrigued with your game guides. But, we’re really not a board game kind of family. That said, our current climate has peaked my interest, however I’ve worked myself into a frenzy trying to figure out what might be best for our family. We have an almost 10 year old boy and an 8.5 year old girl. With the likelihood that we’ll be staying home to celebrate Thanksgiving on our own, I‘d love your top of the top, favorite recommendations. Something we could most likely play together (the four of us). I’ve just confused myself going through all if your amazing games lists over the years… Thanks a ton!
Oh boy, it’s tough to narrow it down, but here are a few that I’d recommend!
Brainbox games (any of them are great for trivia)
Enchanted Forest (fun for all ages – we love this one)
Dragonwood (this is my 11-year old’s favorite game)
Qwinto/Qwingo/Qwixx (all really fun and straightforward dice/numbers games)
Skyjo or Play Nine (similar idea but slightly different card games)
Qwirkle (great game for matching patterns – kind of like scrabble but with patterns and shapes)
Mel. This post saves me every three years when I have my brother’s family for Christmas. They are huge gamers, and I’m not. But I always consult your game guide and find something they don’t own. It makes for such an easy gift and they’ve loved some of the games I’ve given them. THANK YOU.
My husband and I love Azul! We have the Stained Glass of Sintra version and we play it almost every week!
I would highly recommend Parks by Keymaster Games. The objective of the game is to gain resources that allow players to hike through the US National Parks. It’s well-crafted and the illustrations are beyond beautiful. It’s a little on the expensive end (akin to Catan/Ticket to Ride) but worth it, in my opinion.
Thanks for another great gift guide. I am looking for a game that would be good for my single mom friend and her 9yo twins, so it’s gotta be a good game for three players. Dutch Blitz? Azul? Or something else?
Games that come to mind for a mom and two kids is Qwirkle, Enchanted Forest, Dutch Blitz.
Mel- Can you even sleep the night before you release this list?? It must bring you so much JOY to know how extatic all your readers will be to see it posted!! It really is SO fun to see all your game recommendations each year! I am so excited your family liked Decrypto and Cockroach Poker. I’d sure your family goes in game spurts like we do- one game from the closet gets “hot” for awhile and we play non-stop until we move onto something else. (All the while interspersing classics we always play like Skull King, Bohnanza and Play Nine). The games that are “hot” for our family right now are Antiquity Quest (Grandpa Beck’s game similar to hand and foot), Perudo (dice game) and 7 Wonders Duel (a strategic two player game that almost lost us with its complicated instruction book but ended up being one of our favorite 2-player games). Thanks for bringing a bunch of smiles to your readers today!
What an enjoyable guide! I am glad your family is able to enjoy so much game time together!
I was wondering if you had ever heard of/played the board game “Agricola”. It’s a bit complicated to learn and more challenging to master but it’s a game about growing your little family and your little farm and making sure you can feed them every harvest. You get to grow wheat, vegetables, build ovens and renovate your home, raise animals, and it has a lot of fun details like having to strategically plan the baking of your bread. It sounds a lot like your real farming life now! It’s one of my favourite board games because the farms are so fun to make–the winner is the person whose farm is most valuable at the end of the game but even the non-winners are often proud of their productive farms and their large families at the end of the game.
Just have to add my favorite game from a past gift guide. Splendor!! It’s the best for fun and strategy.
My entire extended family loves Splendor too! It is so fun. Also, we have Decrypto and have had to watch videos of how to play it 3 times and just can’t figure it out. We’ve modified the rules because it ends so quickly every time. I think we’re missing something.
Splendor is one of our favorites, too! It’s quick and easy to learn (even for younger kids) and just so much fun to play.
Thanks for these recommendations! I laughed at your comment on Pandemic. My family fights more in cooperative games than competitive ones. So while we have a few we rarely play them (or at least I don’t choose them for this reason).
Thank you for this guide!! We already have and love so many of these (Mille Bournes- fav from childhood), Qwirkle, Brian Boxes, Monopoly Deal, Azul, and Farkle), that I just bought several of these. My teen boys are VERY into D&D, so hopefully I’ll be more into this version. Love your gift guides every year!
Haha, Brian Boxes. Maybe that’s why my kids always beat me.
Terraforming Mars and Castles.
Wendy!!! Thank you so much for sharing this fun gift idea!! I am going to have to check our Dollar Tree out! I’m thinking this would be fun for neighbor gifts?!! I tell you, Grandmas are the best in so many ways!! 🙂 Thanks again for sharing!!
Ah, Pandemic. My most favorite game! I learned years ago that cooperative games are good for me. I’m too competitive otherwise and often get mad at people, so games like Pandemic eliminates that problem. The Pandemic Legacy games are amazing! And our new favorite has been Pandemic Iberia.
A nice selection of games on your list. Farkle is always quick and easy. Same as Monopoly Deal.
If I could throw a game recommendation your way, have you tried “The Crew”? It is amazing! A cooperative trick playing game that is quite unique.
I’m excited to check out The Crew game, Amber. Thank you!
I look forward to these guides every year! Thank you! We love Azul in our house, too–I am obsessed with Spanish tile, so how could I not love it?!? Also, thank you for so openly sharing your secret loathing of Monopoly. It is the WORST! I will have to see if the card version cures me of my distrust of the game!
Hey Jen…I think you honestly will love Monopoly Deal. If you try it, let me know!
I love all the game suggestions! We were given Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and my kids LOVE it! It’s fast, easy to pick up and can get pretty intense!
I’ve heard good things about that game, Mandy!
Have you seen the Christmas/holiday version of it that’s out now?
We learned how to play Skull king and its a favorite. Thanks so much for suggestion it in years past.
That is such a classic!
I look forward to your gift guides every year! Thank you so much! I have bought many games and gifts from your suggestions and they have all been successful. You are an awesome woman and I appreciate all that you stand for. Love and hugs!
Thank you so much, Cindy!
I always look forward to your gift guide, specifically the game one! Thanks for all your time and effort to put them together! Have you ever tried dragonwood? It’s our new favorite game (age 15-9) we checked it out at our library during quarantine and bought it as soon as we returned it. It just takes a game or two to get the rules, then it’s pretty quick after that. It’s our most chosen game!
https://www.amazon.com/Dragonwood-Game-Dice-Daring-Board/dp/B00UB7OV7K
Also, have you ever tried any escape room, exit type at home games? I’m wanting to get one for my daughter to play for her surprise 16th birthday with her girlfriends. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
I have purchased and played Escape Room The Game. It works! And it can be replayed by a different group of people. You need at least 3-4 people to make a good go of beating the timer. You could definitely use more than 4 people. It will take you all or most of the allotted hour.
Spin Master Games – Escape Room The Game with 3 Thrilling Escape Rooms to Play, for Ages 16 and Up https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B7W94Y3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SMlNFbTQRMF5E
……and $72 later I hope that marble game is worth it!!! LOL!! How could I pass up a hand crafted 8 player game that was #1 on your list!
I highly recommend the Exit series. Abandoned Cabin is a really good one.
Yes! Every year for years I seek out her game guide.
Hey Brenda! We love Dragonwood! I think I had it in a gift guide a few years ago…but it’s my 11-year olds’ favorite game!
I can’t believe the game gift guide is here!! I was just looking at all the old game gift guides last night, and super anticipating when the new one would arrive. I didn’t expect it so early so this was such a happy surprise!! Thanks for putting these together!
Our two favorite games this year- Kingdomino and Funemployed. We play kingdomino most Sundays with my two young boys and I’m still not sick of it. Funemployed is a group game and I have never laughed harder than when we play this game! Such a hit. We love playing it when we get together with our families.
Hey Carlin! I’m glad this gift guide came at a good time for you! We love Kingdomino. I’m going to look into Funemployed!
Left Center Right is one I play with my young grandchildren, we play for M&Ms and everyone gets at least one. Winner gets more of course. Dollar Tree has been carrying it here lately. I gave the game with a bag of M&Ms to all my grandparent friends for Christmas a couple of years ago. Have also played with Skittles. Lately, because of the pandemic, we play with the tokens included, then reward after with the candy.
Wendy!!! Thank you so much for sharing this. I want to check this game out and Dollar Tree. What fun idea for a neighbor gift this year!!
That’s a great idea to look at Dollar Tree for LCR, Wendy! And playing with M&Ms! I love everyone’s comments here; so fun!
Mancala (2 person) and Cover your Assets are favorites at our house. Thanks for this!
Thanks, Michelle!
So many good options to try! I just started following your stuff, (recent MCK convert!) And I’m excited to look back through all the old guides, too. I can also vouch for LCR. my mom keeps it at her house to play with all the grandkids (ages 4-13), and many times the parents will sit in and play, too!
I’m so glad you found your way here, Mindee! Your mom sounds like a fun grandma.
I love the game guide! We’ve found so many games we love on it – probably my fave is Skull King (love Grandpa Beck’s games in general). Happy to see Monopoly Deal on here this year! I’ve had so much fun playing that game over the years (and pretty sure I suggested it in the comments at some point). My 13-year old loves Exploding Kittens. I confess my goal sometimes is to lose so it can be over – but it can be fun with more people and they’ve done all sorts of expansion packs.
I love Grandpa Beck’s games, too! And yes, I think you were the one that suggested Monopoly Deal to me. THANK YOU!
So glad you mentioned Dutch Blitz! It’s so fun 🙂 I am with you on monopoly. I really hate that game too, but I enjoy Monopoly Deal! Ticket to Ride, Truro, and Carcassonne are some of our favorites!
Truro is a new one – I’m going to look into it!
Hi Kristi–did you mean Tsuro? When you said Truro I was excited that someone had made a board game about Truro, “the hub of Nova Scotia”, but I could not find it online 🙂
I love that we already have some of your faves! I have already been to Target and picked up what they had from this list! Now on to Amazon!
Happy to hear this, Dawniele!
I love your games suggestions – we’ve added several games to our collection from them! I also hate monopoly and had serious childhood trauma with cockroaches. I went to a presentation once at the Bean Museum and they were talking about how amazing cockroaches are and it really explained a lot of my traumatic experiences with them. They simply don’t die.
You’ve probably heard of Lanterns, but that is another fun/pretty game I enjoy. I am also loving Draftosaurus, because who doesn’t want a game with dinosaur meeples? Plus it works for all our kids (ages 7 – 16).
Oh my gosh, that statement about cockroaches literally gave me a little PTSD from having cockroaches in our houses growing up. They don’t die? Ugh. Thanks for those game recommendations!
And I’m so excited to try Decrypto! We love Code Names – at the start of quarantine in the spring we started playing parents vs. our oldest two kids. We play at least one round every Sunday and keep a running total of who is ahead.
Mille bornes was one of our favourite games growing up! Also HATE Monopoly
Lots of Monopoly haters here. Haha!
Thank you for this great guide!! Where do you store your games? We need storage help over here!
We converted a linen closet in our hallway into a game closet. It’s nothing special (and usually super unorganized) but it works!
If you liked pandemic you should check out pandemic legacy!
Thanks, Dallin!
I’m thrilled to see Mille Bornes on this list! It was my favorite game as a child of the 80s. Just in August I asked my mom if they still had it kicking around for my kids and she said she thought they gave it away years ago. I was bummed and looked on Amazon but the prices were outrageous (in Canada) so i gave up. Then again few days later she wrote to say she found it! My daughter and I have enjoyed it ever since! So fun!
I’m so glad your mom found the game!! It’s become a favorite of ours, too.
If you enjoy Patchwork and Azul, you should get Calico! It blew up on Kickstarter and is now for sale on Amazon. It’s our current family favorite
Thanks for the recommendation!
Your gift guides always help aid me in making Christmas lists. So thank you, thank you! I added a few of this years suggestions to my son’s list. A fun game we purchased last year is called “Doodle Dice.” give it a try!
We love doodle dice! It’s a favorite!
We love so many of these! I look forward to your gift guide all year. If you love Azul, have you tried Sagrada? It’s similar but with dice. I have family members who couldn’t fully feel the love for Azul (even though I do), but when we tried Sagrada they were all for it!
And yes, Pandemic has been a staple for us this year too. 🙂 The game mechanics seem almost identical to the forbidden games, but it’s SO much harder!
Another I have to recommend to everyone is Trekking the National Parks or Trekking the World. They go on lightning deal on Amazon around Christmas time, and they have discounted the National Parks one during National Parks week in the spring as well.
And one more that we absolutely LOVE is Ubongo. It’s like Tetris and really gets the noggin thinking. It’s the perfect family game (but huge default is it’s only 4 player, but you can make changes to make it work for more or just buy 2 games to combine the pieces like we did).
That’s funny, because I think I need to give Sagrada another chance. Someone down below recommended it too (and others have recommended it over the years). it’s in the back of our game closet because we just haven’t loved it. I’ll try again! Super excited about the national parks and ubongo game recommendations. Those are new to me!
Hey Mel,
I love your recipes and this game post. We’ve been playing Azul a lot lately. It is great for two, I grew up playing Dutch Blitz (fun!), and have played Pandemic, which is a interesting game twist. Keep you the good work!
Alonna
Thanks, Alonna! Glad you love so many of the same games! I also like that Azul is a great two-player game.
Is Jokers and Marbles about the same as the game aggravation?
Is aggravation like the game Sorry? If so, yes, it’s similar but MUCH more fun (in my opinion) with some different twists.
Mel I screamed and fell over in my kitchen when I saw your post this morning!! Game guide post before Halloween?!! I look forward to this post every year and buy pretty much everything. And I’m trying to get a jump on holiday buying so your timing is perfect. Thanks so much for your great blog! Happy Halloween!
Haha, you’re funny, Jacqui! I’m so excited you are as excited as I am about this gift guide! 🙂
Azul is one of my favorites too! It is just so fun and beautiful. A similar(ish) game is Sagrada. It’s a dice puzzle game where you are creating beautiful stained glass windows. The original is only 4 players, but there is an expansion for up to 6.
I also second Pandemic Legacy. SO much fun.
Thank you for posting your list a bit earlier this year!
I think I need to try Sagrada again. We didn’t love it the first time we played it, but I think we need to give it another chance. Thanks for the push to do so! Excited to check out pandemic legacy. Thank you!
These are my favorite posts! Thank you.
Dutch Blitz has been a family favorite on my husband’s side for decades!
It’s such a fun, simple game!
As I was starting my holiday shopping yesterday, I had this thought “Wish Mel’s game list was up!” Lo and behold, it showed up in my inbox this morning! Love this yearlylist and purchase a few from it every year. Play Nine, Code Names and Skull King have been our favorites this past year. Another new game we were introduced to is Viking Chess. Very fun….especially when played with extended family at Bear Lake using cell phones for light because we couldn’t end the games just because it was dark! So fun.
Is Viking Chess a yard game? I’m thinking it might be like Kub (or Kubb) which we love to play!
Definitely play LCR with a big group (post-pandemic!) and with dollar bills instead of chips. SO fun for the entire family. So easy and fun.
Um, totally doing this.
I look forward to this every year. Thank you!!!!
Thanks, Candace!
If you like Pandemic, you should try Pandemic Legacy. We played it with another couple friend and it was really fun because it changes and adds on. It’s a commitment because you have to play it once or twice a month for a year! You could do it as a family of course!
Thanks for the recommendation! Sounds super fun and we already love Pandemic, so I bet this one would be a fun addition.
Thanks so much for these gift guides every year!!! I seem to remember you posted about Cover your Assets in a past guide. We love that one and we recently got the new version called Cover Your Kingdoms. We love it! It is the same idea as “Assets” but you are managing two stacks and some cards allow you to manipulate other player’s stacks. There are also some wild cards. It has a Dungeons and Dragons sort of vibe with some good humor mixed in on the cards. I’m not a D&D player but my older boys are – we all really like this game! Definitely another winner from the Grandpa Beck line of games.
Thanks for the reminder of Cover Your Kingdom! I need to pull that one out and play it again with the family!
Wig Out is a fav in our house too!
It’s such a great, simple game!
Thank you for getting these out so quickly. I
Look forward to it every year.
You’re very welcome! I love putting these together.
THANK YOU!!!! My FAVORITE post of the year.
Thanks, Nancy! 🙂
Game suggestions are so fun! My hub and I used to frequent a board game group(all age inclusive)I miss those days. We actually like Pandemic and also have Azul. My favorite is still any version of Carcassonne. It’s just the two of us, so I think we have a 2 player version, but pretty sure we have the regular with a ton of expansions and I absolutely love it. The hub is always getting new ones that would work well for 2 player. Few years ago we took a road trip to Portland to revel in the board game shop (it was amazing). I think we got a game called Seismic Asphault and Paving. It’s interesting. But it bugged me the way the package for the all the tiles was lacking organization. lol
Andrea, Hello! I noticed your comment and was curious if you remember the exact name of the game store you visited. I live near to Portland and would love to visit the store. Thx! 🙂
A board game group?? What a fun idea! Visiting that shop would be a the culmination of all my game loving dreams! (Funny about the seismic game…I think I’d be annoyed by the same thing, haha)
Just making sure, Jokers & Marbles is worth the cost? Seller is taking orders for February . With shipping the game is $71. It’s worth it?
A board game store in Portland, Oregon? Do you remember the name? I live in Vancouver just across the river and that sounds like a fun place to visit.
We’ve played 100s of games of Monopoly Deal, too! Totally our favorite (and I loathe the regular board game, too)! One of my daughters questioned why anyone would even want to play the original and I quickly agreed!
Thanks for another awesome list and I’m looking forward to the other 2!
Your daughter and I have the same game values! Haha
Thanks,Mel! Not gonna lie when I read these lists I get mom guilt that perhaps I don’t play enough games with my kids haha but you’re awesome and your kids will have that memory of you. We play LCR every Christmas Eve at our family Christmas dinner. Everyone brings three $1 bills per person and so the winner usually ends up with $60-70 bucks. Hint: somehow it’s always a kid and they feel so RICH. Is it modified gambling, probably yes. But they all look forward to it so much. Thanks again!!
Oh gosh, NO mom guilt. Trust me, we aren’t playing games all day and singing campfire songs with our arms around each other. I promise! And very, very often, our family game playing ends in tears or someone throwing the game box, so…maybe set your sights a little higher. Haha. I LOVE that idea about LCR. Totally going to start that as a Christmas tradition!
I look forward to this every single year. I have purchased so many games off of your guides that have become our family favourites too.
Thank you, Lea!
I love your game gift guide every year!!
A game you need to try is Isle of Skye. We got it for ourselves for Christmas a few years ago and my husband and I played it every night for a week. Every time we play it with family it’s a favorite. The way you score points changes with each game so it’s like a new game each time.
Thanks for the recommendation, Jill!
Yes, agree, I want to play it right now! It has captivating art/design, and is so fun- you can be strategic (which my family loves) and also enjoy the unexpected and complete changes (which I love). The game depicts whiskey barrels, which we personalized to barrels of oats- goofy, but fits the game well and suits my love of oatmeal 🙂
Thanks for sharing these recommendations y’all
It makes me happy that you guys love games so much. My husband and I always hope there will be at least one couple in our ward that we can have game nights with, since our kids are too young( side note: we currently live in Central MN and I always wonder where you lived when you were here, because I’m a creeper like that apparently). It makes me oddly happy that we have many of your recommended games this year! I’ve wanted Patchwork for a long time. Maybe Christmas? Our recent favorites are Wits and Wagers, Dixit, and Blokus/ Blokus Duo. Dixit is better with expansions for variety. I also bought Battle for Hogwarts for Christmas for my husband and I can’t wait. I’ve heard great things about it. Oh, also Jumbulaya if you like word games like Boggle. It’s older and my sister found it at a thrift store, but it’s addicting! I’ll stop now, even though I could keep going.
Hey Janet! I love all those games you mentioned! I didn’t know that Dixit had expansions. I’m going to look into those! And I haven’t heard of the hogwarts game and Jumbulaya. Thank you! We lived in a little town called Roseau – it’s very close to the Canadian border.
I love these guides!! I’m def going to look into these! I can vouch for LCR we play it as a family and I agree it can get intense!! Thanks Mel!!
Thank you!! I’ve been waiting for your gift guides this year. I need ideas!
Thanks Trish and Alyson!