If you’re in Alabama, spin the bottle

Risk. World domination

Wits & Wagers, Letter Jam, Take 5, No Thanks, Love Letter.

Ouija

Chemicards. it’s like Uno on steroids.

I have an 8 year old, and I have enjoyed more cooperative games like Forbidden Island to be a good board game to get started.

In terms of other stuff, I have found a lot depends on how good at reading your kids are. I have also played Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Machi Koro with them too.

Unstable Unicorns and Here to Slay might be a good start.

Dungeon Mayhem is a fun little battler. All very comic-booky art.

Forbidden Desert and Forbidden Island are both good fun coop games.

Santorini might be a fit.

Sleeping Queens is super fun for all ages

My kids love Zombie Kids Evolution. We're still unlocking the whole game.

Also, Battle Sheep. My 5 year old is oddly really good at it. Like he's honestly beat me a few times.

Probably their favorite though is Chocobo's Crystal Hunt with the Dungeons and Monsters expansion. It's basically Go Fish, so it's really easy for them to understand, but it's more entertaining and less cutthroat with the expansion.

We just got the Scooby Doo Betrayal game but haven't played it yet.

I’ve got an 8 year old daughter and a 12 year old son. For our weekly game night (which is tonight, yay!) the most popular games have been Quacks of Quedlinberg, Camel Up, Cartographers, Ticket To Ride, Azul, and Catan.

I am so stoked for my little baby girl to grow old enough to play games with me. I hope she likes them.

I've had my eye on a number of games on this list; two that aren't on here and haven't been mentioned in this thread are The Color Monster and Stuffed Fables. Stuffed Fables in particular... I've read two separate reviews of that game recounting experiences so touching they choked me up.

My kids, 5 and 7, love this game.

Decrypto is another good one that my family likes.

Codenames is always a hit, although lately I got everyone hooked on Letter Jam. It's not as easy to teach, but people seem to embrace it quickly, especially Scrabble fans.

My family goes for Catan at the most complicated. I've been able to get them into Pandemic, Sherrif of Nottingham, Just One (they're obsessed with it), Codenames, Dixit, Hanabi, Incan Gold, and lately The Crew. Especially the last one for any families who like standard card games.

Ticket to Ride is a family favorite.

Just One is our new Codenames right now. My kids loved it.

My mother no longer invites me over for board games. She invites me over for Codenames lol

Settlers of Catan

Ticket to Ride

Carcassone

Apples to Apples

Scrabble

Telestrations

Telestrations

For people who actually wanna play a strategy game: Game of Thrones

Trivial pursuit.

Strip twister.

One of the advantages to not having kids.

Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, Kingdomino, King of Tokyo and Ticket To Ride are good for causal fun and playing with folks who aren't super into board games. Those are usually what I go to with family.

But, if I've got the time and the right group, like my cousins, Twilight Imperium and Dune. Also, if you can get 8 people together, drunk Captain Sonar is simultaneously tense as fuck and a hilarious shitshow.

Not sure how comfortable with complexity your family is or what you consider classics, but one game mine has enjoyed is Everdell. It's a bit heavier than some classics but still well within the range of being a family game. You build a town with woodland critters. Machi Koro 2 is also a really fun one where you construct a town with establishments such as coffee shops and stores.

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Cascadia and get its expansion landmarks too if you want up to 6 players

Tumblin’ Dice. Hands down.

Here's a list of the best family board games ever—the absolute classics, crowd-pleasers, and hidden gems. I'll explain each one in detail, highlighting what makes it special and why it’s a great choice for families. I’ve divided the games into categories to give you a well-rounded list.

Classic Board Games

1. Catan (Settlers of Catan)

Why it’s great: Players compete to settle an island by trading and building roads, settlements, and cities. The resource management and negotiation element (trading wheat for sheep!) make it engaging and strategic for all ages.

Family appeal: Kids and adults enjoy the strategy and trading dynamics.

Best for ages: 10+

2. Ticket to Ride

Why it’s great: A race to build train routes across the country! It’s simple to learn but has great strategic depth. You collect colored train cards to claim routes on a map, which feels satisfying and fun.

Family appeal: Easy rules with engaging gameplay.

Best for ages: 8+

3. Carcassonne

Why it’s great: A tile-placement game where players create medieval landscapes (cities, roads, fields) and score points by placing “meeples.” It’s highly replayable and quick to set up.

Family appeal: Simple mechanics with evolving strategy.

Best for ages: 8+

4. Scrabble

Why it’s great: A timeless word game where you score points by forming words on a board. It’s educational, competitive, and perfect for families who love words.

Family appeal: Great for kids learning new words and for wordsmiths.

Best for ages: 8+

5. Monopoly

Why it’s great: The classic property-buying game where players collect rent, build houses/hotels, and try to dominate the board.

Family appeal: It’s iconic and brings out healthy competition (and sometimes funny rivalries).

Best for ages: 8+

6. Clue (Cluedo)

Why it’s great: A whodunit mystery game where players deduce the suspect, weapon, and location of a crime.

Family appeal: It’s interactive and feels like solving a puzzle.

Best for ages: 8+

Cooperative Games (Work Together!)

7. Pandemic

Why it’s great: Players work as a team of scientists to stop global disease outbreaks. It’s intense, strategic, and rewarding when you win together.

Family appeal: Promotes teamwork and problem-solving.

Best for ages: 10+

8. Forbidden Island

Why it’s great: A cooperative game where players race against time to retrieve treasures before the island sinks. It’s fast-paced and perfect for beginners.

Family appeal: Beautifully designed and easy to learn.

Best for ages: 8+

9. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters

Why it’s great: A cooperative game where players enter a haunted house to collect treasures while avoiding ghosts.

Family appeal: Fun and suspenseful for kids and adults.

Best for ages: 6+

Party and Fast-Paced Games

10. Codenames

Why it’s great: Players give one-word clues to help their teammates identify secret words from a grid. It’s brilliant for large groups and wordplay lovers.

Family appeal: Quick, clever, and encourages creative thinking.

Best for ages: 10+

11. Exploding Kittens

Why it’s great: A fast-paced card game full of humor where players try to avoid drawing exploding kitten cards.

Family appeal: Hilarious and chaotic, with a simple setup.

Best for ages: 7+

12. Uno

Why it’s great: The iconic card game where players match colors or numbers, aiming to be the first to empty their hand. Simple and endlessly fun.

Family appeal: Perfect for all ages and occasions.

Best for ages: 6+

13. Pictionary

Why it’s great: Players draw clues while their teammates guess what they’re drawing. A classic for family game nights.

Family appeal: Creative and laugh-out-loud funny.

Best for ages: 8+

Games for Strategy Lovers

14. Risk

Why it’s great: A game of global domination where players use armies to conquer territories. It’s intense and deeply strategic.

Family appeal: Competitive and epic, especially for strategy buffs.

Best for ages: 10+

15. Azul

Why it’s great: A beautiful tile-placement game where players compete to decorate a palace. It’s elegant, quick, and strategic.

Family appeal: Stunning design and easy-to-learn mechanics.

Best for ages: 8+

16. Splendor

Why it’s great: Players collect gems to build a trading empire, balancing resources and strategy. Simple yet highly rewarding.

Family appeal: Perfect for introducing strategy to kids.

Best for ages: 10+

Games for Younger Kids

17. Guess Who?

Why it’s great: A guessing game where players ask yes/no questions to figure out the opponent’s chosen character.

Family appeal: Fast, fun, and great for younger kids.

Best for ages: 6+

18. Candy Land

Why it’s great: A colorful race through a sugary wonderland. It’s perfect for introducing board games to little ones.

Family appeal: Simple and visually engaging.

Best for ages: 3+

19. Zingo!

Why it’s great: A fast-paced bingo-style game for younger children learning numbers, words, and matching.

Family appeal: Educational and entertaining.

Best for ages: 4+

Modern Favorites

20. Wingspan

Why it’s great: A beautifully designed game where players build bird habitats, managing food, eggs, and bird cards. It’s relaxing and strategic.

Family appeal: Stunning visuals and unique theme.

Best for ages: 10+

21. Dixit

Why it’s great: A storytelling game where players describe whimsical images in creative ways.

Family appeal: Imaginative and artistic.

Best for ages: 8+

Hidden Gems

22. Kingdomino

Why it’s great: A tile-laying game where players build their kingdoms by matching terrains. Simple yet strategic.

Family appeal: Quick, family-friendly strategy.

Best for ages: 8+

23. Qwirkle

Why it’s great: A mix of Scrabble and Dominoes, where players match colors and shapes to score points.

Family appeal: Simple and satisfying gameplay.

Best for ages: 6+

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Conclusion Love you all and happy holidays!!

Peaceable Kingdom games! Theyre cooperative instead of competitive. There are several I like, but for a ~3yo I suggest Feed the Woozle.

Don’t break the ice has in a favorite with all of my kids! They also like hungry hungry hippo, though we have lost most of the balls

My almost 4 year old loves Don't Wake Daddy and I love the nostalgia. Candyland, Hi ho Cherrio, Cootie, Chutes and Ladders are others we play.

For my daughters 3rd birthday, someone bought her the Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game. It’s such a cute game and easy to follow! I recommend!

I love my 4yo he is garbage at Twilight Imperium.

We have Feed the Woozle even my 2yo likes, but we've also been going through Storytime Chess.

My family’s favourite is Azul. My parents doesn’t really like rules, so this one fits just fine. It is also text free, so that is a bonus for my non-English speaking parents

Survive: escape from Atlantis is SO much fun. I’ve played with my kids, their grandparents, gamers and non gamers. Never a bad game. It’s one of the most requested game in my collection due to ease of play and pure enjoyment. It’s a great combination of helping others while at the same time taking them out with the Kraken. Great player interaction and always laughs. Can’t recommend this family game enough.

Played Telestrations for the first time with my family last Saturday. I know its not super original, or new, but the adults at the table, including me, have never laughed like that as 'grown-ups'. My stomach hurt the next day from laughing so much. We had so much fun that we just didn't even bother scoring, because we just forgot to.

Not an intellectual game, but if you've got 6 or so people to play with, (especially family) this has to be in your game roster.

A new favorite with my family is Horrified. Not too difficult but has a great theme and changing up difficulty is easy by the number and types of monsters you use.

Just discovered Horrified, It's based on some Pandemic mechanics but set in the Universal studio Monsters universe: Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein, the Invisible man... I usually go for more advanced games but this one was a nice surprise. It's a coop game it plays fairly quickly and is a lot of fun.

not a board game, But “Taco, Cat , Goat, Cheese Pizza” is one of my kids fav ( ages 5+6)

One of the best games we have for that age is called Wee Little Piggies. Not sure if any new games are being made of it so you may have to get it from ebay. It's based on the 3 little pigs nursery rhyme and is amazing for helping memory and also taking turns. It's also interactive and my kids loved it and still do. You can watch videos online if the game play. It's easily the best game we've played for that age range.

Other games my youngest two like (aged 4 and 6):

Trash Stash - a garbage truck game where you have to be the first to put all of your garbage in the truck.

Hungry Hippos - noisy, but always popular

Pop the Pig or Pop up Pirate - always good fun.

Zingo - a bingo game with pictures. Good for memory and picture matching

Surprise Slides game (we have PJ Masks and Lightning McQueen version) - good for turn taking and learning how to follow rules.

Once they get older our favourite game to play with my oldest (age 11) is Ticket to Ride.

At that age, we liked animal upon animal, rhino hero, sneaky snacky squirrel, uno, and the eye spot it games.

Outfoxed, the littlest orchard and the little orchard, sequence, racko

Catan is a fun game. My youngest (now 7) can play it without an adult helping him. He loves offering unhinged deals to get cards. Even if they make no sense