When you think about board games, you would probably have carrom, ludo, and chess at the top of your head. Having an option to choose from multiple board games is always better when planning a game night or looking for a fun game to play online while getting bored at home.
Is a game night without board games even fun? Here is a list of the best board games around the world you can choose from the next time you’re confused about which games to play to spice up your game night. The list contains a mix of offline and online games for adults and children. So, whether you are playing alone or with family and friends, this list will come in handy as it contains 1v1 games and multiplayer game categories for all ages.
A List of the Best Board Games for Adults
Everyone can agree that the board games below are perhaps the most popular in the USA. You can play these board games online or face to face with other players on a traditional board. These easy games can be played for free or for cash on a mobile gaming platform.
Carrom
Originated in India, the carrom board game is one of the best board games played between two to four players. Carrom can be played with family and friends on physical wooden boards. You can also play online carrom with random opponents to win cash rewards. The objective of the online carrom board game is to pot the assigned carrom men along with the queen and cover before the opponent to win the game. The board contains 19 carrom men in total, including the queen. Each player has to pot the 9 assigned carrom men and the queen followed by a cover.
Chess
Boring for some, intriguing for most, chess is one of the most popular strategy-based board games available online and offline. If you don’t have a chess board handy for your game night, fret not! You can play Chess online, that just takes a few minutes to play against a random opponent.
Each player is given a set timer to play and win the game. The aim is to make the correct set of moves and eventually checkmate the opponent. You could play free battles for a light-hearted game or try cash games to win real money.
Also Read: How to Play Chess – A Detailed Guide
Ludo
A fun board game for children and adults irrespective of age! Ludo is played between two to four players on a physical board or online. The gameplay remains the same; however, the online ludo game features fast-paced gaming as each player gets limited time to roll the dice. The objective is to race all four tokens to the home triangle before the opponents. You can play ludo online and stand a chance to win cash prizes.
Ludo is one of the most entertaining games to play with multiple players, especially when you kill the opponent’s pieces. Saving your pieces while killing the opponent, and trying to make it to the home column, is a challenging but fun race.
Bingo Clash
Bingo is a straightforward and entertaining board game when playing with a group of people. Bingo is usually played on physical flashcards where each player has to tick off the announced numbers and shout out Bingo when the player strikes off a column or row.
The mobile bingo clash game, available on MPL, is played between two to five players with the aim to tick off all numbers in a column or row before your opponent. The element of getting into a challenge with a random opponent makes this game thrilling.
21 Puzzle
21 Puzzle is a new online board game played with cards between two players. The objective is to place up to cards in the board’s five columns such that the cards’ total value adds up to 21 or less. If the count goes beyond 21, you lose a life. The player with the highest score, when the time ends, wins the game. Android and iOS users can play 21 Puzzle on the MPL app.
Keep-It-Classic Board Games
These classic board games have been around for ages, and every individual has played at least one of these games. If you have a last-minute game night and can’t think of games to play, use this list to pick any classic board games.
Scrabble
Old habits die hard, and it’s the same for the Scrabble board game. The green-colored board with white letter tiles will bring back memories from your childhood. If you haven’t played Scrabble before, you should know that it’s one of the best games in board games categories. Each player is given a few tiles, and the players have to use the tiles to make words on the board in a crossword format. The game ends when a player finishes all their tiles, and the score is evaluated to declare the winner.
Monopoly
Another classic game from 1935, Monopoly, has always been a popular property buying game. This board game involves risk and luck as you buy and sell properties while avoiding jail. Buy properties and make money by charging rent from other players.
The key to winning this great game is making the other players go bankrupt by buying a lot of property and creating a monopoly over the others. If you have a lot of time on hand, this game will keep you engrossed for a long time. Monopoly is available on the Play Store or can be purchased to play a face-to-face game with other players.
Game of Life
The game of life is literally all about life’s struggles and stages. In this classic board game, the objective for each player is to go around the board with a car and make intelligent life decisions about properties, degrees, jobs, etc. To win the game, you have to be the first player that retires with the most wealth.
This game is generally played on a physical board; however, it is also available on a mobile app. You can play alone or with a larger group and experience the fast-paced version of the game on the app.
Clue
If you are into murder mysteries, here’s a perfect board game for you. Clue is a game that’ll get your detective glasses on. The game is played between six people, where each player is a suspect and has to find the culprit of the murder. The players move their game pieces through secret passageways and rooms of a mansion and look for clues. No matter your age, you will certainly enjoy putting pieces together and finding the culprit before other players.
You can buy this classic board game from a store or download the online version on the app store.
Also Read: Top 35 Online Games to Play with Friends in 2022
Catan Universe
Catan Universe is the online version of the classic strategy game Catan. It is a 2 to 6 player game where players compete to create the largest settlements, army, roads, etc. The game is based on an uncharted island, and the players are required to build cities and roads to become the Lord or Lady of the island.
The game is available for download to iOS and Android users. You can also play other game expansions like Seafarers, Rise of the Inkas, and Cities & Knights through in-app purchases. Play the Catan card game with another player in a duel on the same app.
Play-With-Family Board Games
Planning a game night with the family? That calls for some light-hearted board games that would not take long to learn but are pretty entertaining. Try some of these great board games that can be played between multiple players with straightforward rules and gameplay.
Dominoes
The game that inspired the Domino’s Pizza logo! Dominoes is an age-old fun game for players of all ages. The game can be played between 2 to 8 players. Each player gets a set of tiles, and the objective is to finish the tiles by matching the number of the tile with the number of the tile in the center.
The round goes in a clockwise direction, and the players can pick more tiles from the draw pile if they have no tile to match. The first player to lay down all their tiles is the winner of the round. At the end of all the rounds, the player with 100 to 250 points in a 2-player or 3+ player game, respectively, is the winner of the game.
Ticket To Ride
Ticket to Ride is a superb game to develop planning skills while keeping the family entertained. This is a 2 to 4-player game that usually lasts 60 minutes. The players aim to build train tracks to connect the most number of cities with their trains. They complete unique tasks to score points.
The strategy involves choosing the routes to take, deciding the bonus cards to target, and reacting to the opponent’s placement. The game ends when a player is left with only two trains.
Pictionary
An exciting board game for all ages, Pictionary is similar to charades with the difference that players are required to draw the word rather than act them out. You can divide yourselves into two to four teams and take turns drawing the given word and guessing it. Each team is given a timer to guess the word that their teammate has drawn on the board.
In the original Pictionary board game, the team that guesses correctly gets to roll the dice and move their piece on the board to reach the last square to win. However, this game can be played even without the game board.
Pandemic
This board game is quite relatable as we’re all bearing the brunt of the pandemic. But this Pandemic game is definitely fun! This is a 1 to 5-player game where players have to work together to save the world from deadly diseases. Each player takes up a specific role like a scientist, researcher, or operations expert and uses their unique abilities to travel between cities to find the cause and the cure for the four diseases. The players work as a team and win the game if they find the cure in time.
Pandemic is available as an online game and can be played as a single-player, multiplayer game against an AI or other players through the remote play together feature.
Also Read: Enjoy These Casual Online Games in 2022
Scattergories
A perfect game for a game night with the family. Scattergories is an easy game that many players can play. The game comprises 12 different categories like vegetables, TV shows, country names, etc., and a dice that decides which letter to begin the categories with. Each player is required to fill in a word starting with that letter under every category before the timer ends. Players receive points for every unique answer, and at the end of the game, the player with the highest score wins.
This game can also be played without dice and with fewer categories. A popular version of this game is Name Place Animal Thing, wherein every player has to fill the four categories for a randomly generated letter.
Drawphone
The Drawphone game is quite similar to Pictionary. It is an online mobile game where a player draws something and passes it to the next player. The next player has to guess what the previous player was drawing and add to the drawing before passing it on to the other player. While the game doesn’t have any score or points involved, it is still entertaining and can get hilarious comparing the actual and final drawing led through guesses.
You can play drawphone online with random players, make your own paper game, and play with the family.
Strategy-Based Board Games
Board games that demand skill, patience, planning, plotting trails, and charting new territories can breathe life into your dull get-togethers. Make the room lively again by introducing these strategy-based board games where the rules are easy to learn, but it’s challenging to keep up with the pace of the other opponents.
Risk
Where strategy is involved, the risk is bound to be present. Risk is all about the strategy to conquer all the 43 territories of the world map on the game board. The players have to conquer territories and eliminate others by making and breaking alliances.
The player to conquer most territories eventually wins the game. However, you need to be cautious when breaking alliances as the other player will try to get back at you. Risk can go on for a long time, making it perfect for your gathering.
Backgammon
Backgammon has been around for a long time, and even though you may not have played it before, it’s not difficult to recognize the game. The playing board comprises 24 triangles of alternate colors and a bar in the middle. The players have to move a set of 15 checkers each by rolling two dice with an objective to remove all the checkers from the board. This two-player game demands strategy to be the first player who gets all the checkers out to win. Backgammon can be played both online and offline.
Chinese Checkers
Checkers is a multiplayer strategy game you can play with a large group. The playing board has several holes in the shape of a star with six points. Each point includes 10 colored marbles/pegs with the objective to be the first player to move all the pegs from your start point to the opposite point.
The pegs can only be moved one place at a time, and players take turns to move the pegs. The strategy lies in arranging the pegs in a way such that they can jump over the other players’ pegs and advance multiple spaces in a single turn. Chinese Checkers can be played on the traditional board or online.
Blokus
Blokus is one of the most entertaining strategy games to play when bored. Based on the popular game Tetris, Blokus comes with a twist. The players are given 21 tiles of a different shape but the same color and are required to place them on a 400-square board.
As the players place tiles on the board, placing more tiles becomes tricky. Only tiles of the same color can touch at one corner, while the others can touch multiple sides. Blokus physical board can be bought online, or you can try similar mobile app versions of the game.
Battleship
Battleship is a 2-player strategy game where players secretly arrange their ships on a 10×10 grid containing letters and numbers. The players have to locate the opponent’s ship then and destroy them. The board has two grids for each player where they can hide their vessels and track the hits.
The players take turns firing shots at the opponent’s grid plot points. The red or white peg indicates hitting or missing the strike, respectively. The goal is to sink the ships by hitting a strike on the opponent’s vessels.
Easy Board Games for All Ages
Having a game night with kids included? Some of the most entertaining board games that even kids can enjoy are here. From math-based games to card games, this list has it all. These board games for all ages include online and physical board games that you can buy from a store.
Uno
If you haven’t played Uno, you’re missing out on a fun card game. With just an Uno deck of 108 cards and simple rules, there’s no end to a fun game night. The special Uno cards like Skip, Draw, Wild, and Reverse add to the fun element. The objective is to finish your cards by playing cards of the same color or number to the card at the top of the pile.
Poker Puzzle
If you like playing card games like poker, you’ll undoubtedly love the poker puzzle online board game. This is a time-based cards puzzle where you have to make poker hands in rows or columns to clear cards and score points. Avoid busting a row or column without a poker hand, or the game will end after 5 busts. Challenge your friends in this fun board game involving cards.
Also Read: Challenging Online Card Games to Play for Real Money
Snakes & Ladders
Of course, Snakes & Ladders had to make it to this list of best board games. This game is loved by players irrespective of age. Racing your token to the end of the board by rolling the dice is thrilling, but there’s nothing better than watching your opponent get bit by a snake and roll down. This game usually comes attached to the physical ludo board game and can be played with the same tokens used in ludo.
Twister
Twister is one of the best board games played on a vinyl mat by multiple players. The mat is divided into four rows with different colored dots. A cardboard spinner tells which body part goes on which color dot. This game will have you laughing all the while seeing the players in strange positions on the mat. Any player who falls or touches the knee or elbow to the mat is eliminated. You can buy the twister board game from a store and play with friends.
Connect 4 Shots
Looking for entertaining board games for kids? Connect four is an interactive, engaging, competitive board game where the players have to throw a ball in a grid and get the same color line. Each player has different color balls, and the players throw the balls simultaneously to score points when they get a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line. Include this perfect game to keep the kids busy on your game night.
Qwirkle
Another one of the exciting board games to keep your kids engaged is Qwirkle. The game comes with 108 wooden tiles that have different colored shapes. The players draw 6 tiles randomly and create lines on the board on the same color or pattern. The objective is to create vertical or horizontal lines with the tiles and score more points. The game ends when a player has used all the tiles, but the player with a higher score wins. You can buy the game online and play on the physical boards with friends.
Words With Friends
Are word games your forte? The Words With Friends board game is not only entertaining but also boosts your word skills. It’s a crossword-style word game where the players place the letter tiles on a board to make words and score points. The game features team-based lightning rounds and head-to-head mode that will keep you going for hours. The game is available on the Play Store and App Store.
Conclusion
With this list of the best board games curated for all the gamers, nothing can stop your game night from being a hit. You can also play most of these games online with random players if you don’t have anyone physically around to play with. All you need is to choose the theme of your get-together and pick a game according to the number of players available.
