Board Game Gift Guide 2023 – 45 Favorites!

We’ve posted a Board Game Gift Guide for the past 12 years. And each year we’ve recommended around 40 games to get your friends and family as gifts.

Which means that through our annual gift guides, we’ve shared close to 500 game ideas!

Well, rather than give another list of new games to check out, we’ve decided to roll back through our 12 years of game gift guides and pick out our very favorites to recommend for 2023.

So, without further ado, here are our recommended favorites in each category.

Scroll through the whole list or jump to the category you’re interested in:

• Children’s Games
• Family Games
• Cooperative Games
• 2-Player Games
• Party Games
• Abstract Games
• Dice Games
• Deduction Games
• Gamer Games

 

---

Children’s Games

While we may not currently have young kids at home to play games with, from our past experience, here are 5 great games kids love to play.

Animal Upon Animal

Ages: 4+, Players: 2-4, Time: 15 min
Animal Upon Animal is about stacking wooden animals on top of each other without them falling. Players try to be the first to get all their animals safely onto the stack. Each turn, players roll a die and either place 1 or 2 animals on the stack of animals, pass one of their animals to another player for them to place, or place an animal on the table, extending the base for future stacking. With all the different shaped animals to stack it’s quite the game. And kids definitely enjoy playing with the animal pieces. HABA knows how to make great children’s games.

See our review of Animal Upon Animal.
Get a copy of Animal Upon Animal for ~$25.

Drop It

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
In Drop It, by Kosmos, players take turns dropping their various colored shapes into a central plated pillar to score points. However, if the new piece comes to rest touching a piece of the same color or of the same shape, the player doesn’t score any points. Also, if the piece is touching the edge of the board in an area that shows it’s not allowed, it also scores nothing. It’s more challenging that it originally looks which draws kids into playing over and over.

See our review of Drop It.
Get a copy of Drop It for ~$32.

Ice Cool

Ages: 6+, Players: 2-4, Time: 20 min
In Ice Cool, by Brain Games, players flick penguins around rooms in an icy school to collect fish for points. It’s played over a number of rounds with one person playing the penguin “catcher” while the others are “runners”. The catcher is trying to flick his penguin into the others and they’re trying to flick their penguins through various doorways. It’s a game best played standing up. So if you’re looking for a fun game that keeps players on their feet, Ice Cool is a sure hit.

See our review of Ice Cool.
Get a copy of Ice Cool for ~$25.

Dr Eureka

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-4, Time: 15 min
In Dr. Eureka, by Blue Orange Games, players are scientist working for the famed doctor. Players race to help complete his experiments by placing the right elements together in their test tubes in the correct order. But the winner isn’t always the person moving the fastest because solving the patterns requires some thinking too. It’s a good thing the balls and test tubes are nice and durable because Dr. Eureka is a fast-paced game kids will love to play over and over.

Get a copy of Dr. Eureka for ~$25.

Outfoxed

Ages: 5+, Players: 2-4, Time: 20 min
Outfoxed, by Gamewright, is a cooperative, deduction game by Gamewright. Players move around the board gathering clues and use a special evidence scanner to rule out suspects and determine which of the various foxes is guilty of stealing Mrs. Plumpert’s pie. The game is simple enough for a young child to understand, yet complex enough to expand their thinking and reasoning capabilities. Plus, the decoder is an awesome game component to play with.

Get a copy of Outfoxed for ~$18.

 

---

Family Games

Family board games are what we’re all about! This is the sweet spot for our game playing. So you can rest assured that these 5 games are poised to be big hits for playing with your family.

Skull King

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-8, Time: 35 min
From the first time we played Skull King, we were hooked. Skull King, by Grandpa Beck’s Games, is a trick-taking card game where players declare how many tricks they’ll win each round. Players score points based on how well they guess the number of tricks they get as well as potential bonus points. The catch is that players make their declarations simultaneously before each round. With each higher round, players will have more cards in their hand. So as the game progresses, both the potential scores and the anticipation of each winning trick increases. We highly recommend the updated version with the white whale!

See our review of the new Skull King.
Get a copy of Skull King for ~$17.

Quacks of Quedlinburg

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
The Quacks of Quedlinburg, by Schmidt Spiele, is about miracle doctor “quacks” showcasing their healing remedies. In reality, the board game is a fun press-your-luck, bag-building game where players compete in mixing the best potions. Players start with a certain number of ingredient chips in their personal bag and use currency during the game to acquire more chips to add to their bag. Thus, they fill their bag with more and better chips that allow them to do more powerful things as the game progresses. It’s been one of our “go to” games ever since we first played it.

See our review of Quacks of Quedlinburg.
Get a copy of Quacks of Quedlinburg for ~$40.

Dominion & Expansions

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
Dominion, by Rio Grande Games, is on our “Must Have” Family Card Games list for a reason – it rocks! And if you throw in a couple of expansions (which there are more than 10 now), the variety is fantastic. When I look at my list of most-played games, Dominion is near the top every year. It changed the board game industry when it arrived in 2008 due to its unique and fresh game play. Since then, many “deck-building” games have tried to copy its success. But Dominion is still the king.

See our full review of Dominion.
Get a copy of Dominion for ~$40.

Century: Golem Edition

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-5, Time: 30-45 min
Century: Golem edition, by Plan B Games, is one of our most-played games. Players collect and exchange gems based on the action cards they play to get the right combos of gems to acquire Golem cards for points. It’s simple to set up and easy to play. And because each players’ turn go so quickly, each game seems to fly by. Better still, it’s a game that everyone in our family loves playing. The original Century game is themed around spice merchants. But we love the golem theme. The gems themselves are nice and chunky and the artwork on every card is awesome. Another hearty game recommendation from our family.

See our review of Century: Golem Edition.
Get a copy of Century: Golem Edition for ~$40.

Ticket to Ride: Europe

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-5, Time: 45 min
Ticket to Ride, by Days of Wonder, is one of our suggested “must have” family board games for a reason. With simple gameplay, it can be learned quickly and has a great balance of luck and strategic decisions every turn. Players collect cards of various types of train cars that they then use to claim railway routes. The longer the routes, the more points they achieve. There are various versions of Ticket to Ride of different parts of the world. Our favorite is still Ticket to Ride: Europe.

See our review of Ticket to Ride: Europe.
Get a copy of Ticket to Ride: Europe for ~$35.

 

---

Cooperative Games

Cooperative board games are fantastic because you either all win or all lose together!

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-5, Time: 20 min
Three years ago we recommended The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine on our 2020 Board Game Gift Guide. Then Kosmos went ahead and made this cooperative, trick-taking card game even better when they released The Crew: Mission Deep Sea! It’s hard to keep track of how many times we’ve played the game since because we absolutely love it. Players work together to complete missions in a logbook with progressively harder challenges. But with this new implementation, the challenges are even more vast and even more varied.

See our full review of The Crew: Mission Deep Sea.
Get a copy of The Crew: Mission Deep Sea for ~$15.

Forbidden Island

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
Forbidden Island, by Gamewright, is a fantastic way to jump into cooperative board games as a family. In Forbidden Island, you work together to find relics and fly off the island before it sinks. Every player takes on a different role with different abilities so you’ll have to work together to win. And since the board is made up of individual tiles that are set up randomly, it’s different every time you play. And at only $15, we still believe it’s one of the best valued family board games available

See our full review of Forbidden Island.
Get a copy of Forbidden Island for ~$20.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle

Ages: 11+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30-60 min
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, by The Op, is a deck-building game where players start with a basic deck of cards and acquire more cards throughout the game to add to their deck and make it more powerful in future turns. In HP: Hogwarts Battle players are also working together to defeat villains from the Harry Potter books. The game is set up to correspond to the 7 books in the series. As players progress, they open new boxes of cards that add more characters and elements to the game play. Players can keep the cards separated as books or combine them all for future games.

See our review of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle.
Get a copy of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle for ~$35.

Castle Panic

Ages: 10+, Players: 1-6, Time: 60 min
With Castle Panic, by Fireside Games, the game name says it all: “Panic”. From the moment you begin, you’ll feel the panic as creatures start descending on your castle. Before you know it, they’ll be knocking down your walls and castle towers. And you’ll really have to work together to find ways to beat off the onslaught before your last tower falls. Castle Panic was first published in 2009 and is still a great cooperative board game.

See our full review of Castle Panic.
Get a copy of Castle Panic Second Edition for ~$35.

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Ages: 13+, Players: 2-5, Time: 60-75 min
Dead Men Tell No Tales is still one of our favorite cooperative board games. We’ve only managed to win a handful of times, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had a great time trying. It only makes us more determined to do a better job next time storming onto the burning ship in search of loot. The challenge is that powder kegs and rooms are exploding all around as we battle skeleton crew, guards, and pesky deckhands. It’s a very fun pirate-themed, cooperative game.

See our review of Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Get a copy of Dead Men Tell No Tales for ~$45.

 

---

2-Player Games

Now that my wife and I are empty-nesters, we’re playing a lot of games with just 2 players. While many games for 4 players can easily be played with just 2 players, here are 5 of our favorite games specifically made for just 2 players.

Telepathy

Ages: 12+, Players: 2, Time: 20 min
Telepathy is a puzzle solving challenge of deduction, logic and intuition, where players face off to see who can be the first to guess their opponent’s secret space. It’s a head-to-head challenge we love to play over and over. The dry erase boards make it so simple to throw down challenge after challenge. We previously reviewed Telepathy Magic Minds and Brain Freeze. But in 2018 Mighty Fun published an updated version of Telepathy that’s even better looking. The artwork is cleaner than the original and the new components are top notch.

See our review of Telepathy.
Get a copy of a Telepathy for ~$30.

7 Wonders Duel

Ages: 10+, Players: 2, Time: 30 min
As big 7 Wonders fans, it was inevitable we’d buy 7 Wonders Duel. Because when mom likes a game, you can bet we’ll get more of it. And that’s the case with 7 Wonders. However, 7 Wonders Duel isn’t more of 7 Wonders – it’s a whole new game. As the name suggests 7 Wonders Duel is a 2-player head-to-head match up. The familiar symbols and artwork of 7 Wonders are still there but the game play is different. And we really enjoy it!

Get a copy of 7 Wonders Duel for ~$25.

Yinsh

Ages: 9+, Players: 2, Time: 30 min
Yinsh is a great abstract strategy board game for 2 players that requires some mental effort to figure out how to play well. But that also means Yinsh is a game where your ability to play well will improve the more you play it. Since Yinsh doesn’t have any elements that rely on luck, it’s all about how much mental effort you put into it. It can also be a tough game to find in stores. So when you see it available, it’s good to jump on it.

See our review of Yinsh.
Get a copy of Yinsh for ~$35.

Hive

Ages: 9+, Players: 2, Time: 15 min
When we published our first Board Game Gift Guide in 2011, Hive was our favorite 2-player game. And the beautiful thing is that it’s still great in so many ways. It’s easy to learn, quick to play, and takes some strategic thinking. The playing pieces represent different insects with different movement abilities and they’re extremely durable and can be played almost anywhere (yes, we’ve even played on wilderness camp outs). There’s even a pocket version of Hive with smaller pieces for even easier portability.

See our original review of Hive.
Get a copy of Hive for ~$40.

Onitama

Ages: 8+, Players: 2, Time: 15 min
In Onitama, by Arcane Wonders, players try to either take out their opponent’s Master piece or move their own Master onto their opponent’s Temple Arch. But it’s the unique way players maneuver their pieces that really makes this game shine! Each game of Onitama is played with 5 random movement cards (out of a 16-card deck). On their turn, a player must choose one of the movement pattern cards in front of them to use. They move one of their pieces in a like manner and then pass this movement card to their opponent. Thus, the movement cards used get recycled by both players over the course of the game. It’s very unique and delivers a solid, and challenging 2-player game experience.

See our review of Onitama.
Get a copy of Onitama for ~$30.

 

---

Party Games

Are you ready to party? Because this section of recommended games is all about getting more people involved in the fun.

Telestrations

Ages: 13+, Players: 4-12, Time: 30 min
We’ve shared about Telestrations many times over the years because it’s such a fun, fun, party game. Telestrations is like a game of “Telephone” – but instead of whispering, it’s a mix of words and drawings. In Telestrations one person writes a phrase, then the next person draws a picture of that phrase. Then the picture is passed to another person and they write what they think the picture is. Then it goes to another person who draws a picture of that new phrase. And on it goes. See how messed up it gets from beginning to end. You can also get the 12 player party pack with enough dry erase pads for 12 players – awesome!

See our original review of Telestrations.
Get a copy of Telestrations Party Pack for ~$40.

Fun Facts

Ages: 8+, Players: 4-8, Time: 30 min
Fun Facts, by Repos Production, is a party game we first played last year and it’s been a huge hit ever since. It’s a cooperative party game where players try to place their answers in order to score the most points collectively. In each round, a question is read and all players secretly write their answer on their dry erase arrow board. All questions have a numeric answer. Like “How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?” or “How much do you enjoy abstract art (on a scale of 0-100)?” The first player places their answer face down in the center of the table and then in turn order the other players place their answers in the location they think it fits. Once all answers are in, the results are revealed and the team scores points for how many are in consecutive order.

See our full review of Fun Facts.
Get a copy of Fun Facts for ~$20.

Just One

Ages: 8+, Players: 3-7, Time: 20 min
Just One, also by Repos Production, is a cooperative party game in which you play together to discover as many mystery words as possible. Players take turns trying to guess a one-word answer based on single-word clues from the other players. But players must try to create unique clues because all identical clues will be cancelled. The game includes white erase boards and markers that make playing super simple. If you’ve got word game lovers around, Just One will scratch both the word game and party game itch.

See our full review of Just One.
Get a copy of Just One for ~$22.

Hive Mind

Ages: 8+, Players: 3-12, Time: 45 min
We first reviewed Hive Mind in 2017. However, earlier this year, Calliope Games published an even better version of the game. Hive Mind is a game where players write down their answers to different questions and hope their answers match what other players write (think like the hive). The players who get the lowest score each round move down in the hive – on their way to getting kicked out. If you fall off the board, you lose and everyone else wins.

See our review of the new Hive Mind.
Get a copy of Hive Mind for ~$30.

Codenames: Pictures

Ages: 14+, Players: 2-8, Time: 15 min
Codenames, by Czech Games Edition, has taken the world by storm. It has become a popular party game all over. And they continue to release new versions almost every year. However, our favorite version continues to be the Codename: Pictures version. If you’re not familiar with Codenames, players split into two teams and each team assigns one player to be the spymaster. It’s their job to get the rest of their team to correctly guess their secret agents before the other team identifies all theirs. The major restriction is that the spymasters can only use single words as clues. It’s a fun game that we can never stop playing after just one game.

See our review of Codenames: Pictures.
Get a copy of Codenames: Pictures for ~$25.

 

---

Abstract Games

If you’re looking for games with plenty of strategy, it’s good to turn to some solid abstract strategy board games. Here are the top 5 abstract games we’d recommend getting as gifts for your friends and family.

Quarto

Ages: 6+, Players: 2, Time: 10 min
Quarto is a quick playing game where you try to get 4 matching pieces in a row. The challenge is that every piece has 4 characteristics and you can match up any of these characteristics to win. So you have to watch out for what your opponent is doing every turn. But the best twist is that you select which piece your opponent must play. It’s a great mental challenge that will keep you playing over and over.

See our review of Quarto.
Get a copy of Quarto for ~$25.

Azul

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
While Azul, by Plan B Games, technically does have a theme, when we play the game, all we’re focused on are the various colored tiles and where to place them. And that’s just fine with us because we like abstract strategy games. We don’t need a big theme tie-in with this tile game. During a round, players take turns collecting tiles from the central board to place on their own personal boards. There are many things to consider with each collection and placement to keep you thinking.

See our review of Azul.
Get a copy of Azul for ~$25.

NMBR 9

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-4, Time: 20 min
NMBR 9 was an immediate hit with our family when we got it a few years ago. We think it’s highly likely it will be in your family as well. Players stack grid-like numbers (0-9) on top of each other in their own play area to earn the most points. The higher the level a number is on, the more points it will score. The Tetris-like shaped tiles can be challenging to place because players can’t leave empty spaces below a tile. Carefully planning and anticipation can payoff well.

See our full review of NMBR 9.
Get a copy of NMBR 9 for ~$30.

Ingenious

Ages: 10+, Players: 1-4, Time: 45 min
Ingenious is one of the first games we reviewed on this site – and it still holds up amazingly well. When you first see Ingenious you may think it’s just a simple children’s game. Sure it’s a simple tile placement game, and kids will have fun matching tiles from what they draw, but by throwing in a unique scoring element and game winning condition, you’ll find yourself putting a lot of thought into each move to get the best result.

See our full review of Ingenious.
Get a copy of Ingenious for ~$40.

Blokus

Ages: 5+, Players: 1-4, Time: 20 min
Blokus has been around for a long time and is still one of the most popular family abstract games available. It’s popular because it’s so great for players of any age. It has also spawned many iterations of the game including Blokus Trigon, Travel Blokus, and Blokus 3D. Giving Blokus for a family game gift is a fantastic idea and it’s easy to find in most stores that sell games.

See our original review of Blokus.
Get a copy of Blokus for ~$28.

 

---

Dice Games

If you’d rather roll with the luck of dice rolls, then these top 5 dice games are for you.

That’s Pretty Clever

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-4, Time: 30 min
That’s Pretty Clever, by Schmidt Spiele, continues to be one of our most-played games for a good reason — it’s addictive fun. Once you figure out how all the different colored dice score, it’s hard to stop playing. It combines the luck of simple dice rolling with the decisions of which dice to score when. And because we’ve played so much, we laminated the last score sheets from the pad that comes with the game and use dry erase markers so we’ll never run out of score sheets!

See our full review of That’s Pretty Clever.
Get a copy of That’s Pretty Clever for ~$22.

Qwinto

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-6, Time: 15 min
Qwinto, by Pandasaurus Games, is a “roll-and-write” game where players roll dice and write something on their personal sheets. Qwinto has been such a hit in our family that we rattled through the whole pad of sheets in the first month. So we laminated the last 6 sheets and now use a dry-erase marker when playing the game. All players are engaged the whole time because they can even write down numbers when it’s another player’s turn. It’s interesting that a game with just 3 colored dice can be such a crowd-pleaser game to play.

See our review of Qwinto.
Get a copy of Qwinto for ~$15.

King of Tokyo

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-6, Time: 30 min
King of Tokyo, by iello, is a light and fun “king of the hill” type board game that’s also great for parties. In a Yahtzee style mechanic, players take turns rolling dice up to 3 times to get the combinations they like. The big difference is that with these dice, players are gaining points, gaining energy, attacking other players, or reviving their health. It’s a bunch of fun for both family and friends. It’s also a good “go-to” game with our guys game night. Lots of fun and another great board game gift idea with dice!

See our review of the new King of Tokyo Dark Edition.
Get a copy of King of Tokyo for ~$40.

Dice Forge

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
Dice Forge, by Asmodee, is a unique dice game where players get to change the face of their dice throughout the game! The awesome, customizable dice may sound like a novelty, but Dice Forge also packs in fun game play. Players roll their dice and collect the resources indicated on every turn – not just on their own turn. When it is their turn, they can spend those resources to upgrade their dice faces or purchase heroic feat cards that give points and special powers.

See our review of Dice Forge.
Get a copy of Dice Forge for ~$45.

Roll Through the Ages

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-4, Time: 30 min
Roll Through the Ages players compete to expand their civilizations by building cities, constructing monuments, and gaining societal developments. They do this by rolling custom wooden dice and carefully selecting which to keep and which to re-roll. It’s great to think all grandiose, but expanding too fast may leave you without food for your population in which case you’ll suffer disasters. Nice, light, fun family dice game.

See our original review of Roll Through the Ages.
Get a copy of Roll Through the Ages for ~$38.

 

---

Deduction Games

If your friends and family love games that make them think, then take a serious look at our top 5 favorite deduction games.

Dinosaur Tea Party

Ages: 7+, Players: 3-5, Time: 20 min
Dinosaur Tea Party, by Restoration Games, is a super fun family board game of deduction. It’s a restoration of the 1976 game Whosit? with awesome dinosaur artwork. Players have to deduce who their fellow tea party guests are based on the characteristics of all the dinosaurs at the party. The artwork is wonderful and the game play is addicting. It’s been a hit with everyone we’ve recommended it to.

See our full review of Dinosaur Tea Party.
Get a copy of Dinosaur Tea Party for ~$20.

Decrypto

Ages: 12+, Players: 3-8, Time: 30 min
Decrypto is a team game where players compete trying to correctly interpret the coded messages presented to them by their teammates. At the same time, they’re trying to intercept and crack the codes from the opposing team. The tricky part is that the object of the game isn’t to guess the words, it’s to guess the order of the clues for the words. It can be a brain burner for some and others will love the word guessing intrigue.

See our review of Decrypto.
Get a copy of Decrypto for ~$25.

Scotland Yard

Ages: 10+, Players: 3-6, Time: 45 min
Scotland Yard is a fun semi-cooperative game of hidden movement and deduction. One player takes on the role of the criminal Mr. X who moves around London unseen except for a few turns when he “surfaces”. The rest of the players are detectives working together to catch him by moving onto the same location he is on by using various modes of transportation such as taxi, train, or bus. It’s an older game, but still a blast.

See our review of Scotland Yard.
Get a copy of Scotland Yard for ~$30.

The Grimm Masquerade

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-5, Time: 40 min
The Grimm Masquerade, by Druid City Games, is a hidden identity, deduction game with the Brother’s Grimm characters. Players are dealt a secret character in each of the 3 rounds that other players are trying to unmask. Each character has a Boon and a Bane artifact that will either hurt or help them. If a player gains 3 of their Boon cards, they win the round. If they get 2 of their Bane cards, they’re unmasked and are out for the round. The fun mechanic is that on each player’s turn they will draw 2 cards. They first draw 1 card and decide to either keep it face up in front of them or give to another player. Then they draw their 2nd card and must do the opposite of what they did with the first card. It can be risky because in doing so, you may even unmask yourself!

Get a copy of The Grimm Masquerade for ~$25.

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Ages: 14+, Players: 4-12, Time: 20 min
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong quickly became a family favorite after first getting it in 2016. And it’s held up strong over the years with plenty of plays every year. One of the players is secretly the “murderer” and players have to correctly identify the method and means by evaluating the 8 images in front of all the players. Another player, who remains silent the whole game, gives clues to help the investigators solve the case. Trying to deduce the murderer from the vague clues given is a lot of fun.

See our full review of Deception: Murder in Hong Kong.
Get a copy of Deception: Murder in Hong Kong for ~$33.

 

---

Gamer Games

It’s time to check out the heavier games for the true gamer in your family. These are the meaty games they’re going to love.

Scythe

Ages: 14+, Players: 1-5, Time: 90-120 min
With a playtime around 2 hours, Scythe isn’t going to appeal to everyone. But if you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves strategy board games, Scythe, by Stonemaier Games, should be near the top of your list. In Scythe players expand their faction through strategic choices, territory control, resource management, construction, upgrades, and combat. There’s not enough space in this short blurb to adequately describe Scythe so we’ll recommend you check out our full review of “17 Thing I Love About Scythe”.

See our full review of Scythe.
Get a copy of Scythe for ~$70.

Power Grid

Ages: 12+, Players: 2-6, Time: 120 min
I love Power Grid because there’s so much thinking involved. While the theme of building out a power network may not be very exciting, the game has me thinking constantly the whole time. From the auctions, to the area control, and the fluctuating resource market, every element needs to be watched and evaluated to determine when the right time is to make a move.  For people that love strategic planning in their board games, Power Grid may be just right.

See our review of Power Grid.
Get a copy of Power Grid for ~$45.

Raiders of the North Sea

Ages: 12+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60-120 min
Raiders of the North Sea, by Garphill Games, is a work-placement game where players take actions depending on the location where they’re stationed and what resources they have at their disposal. The game is set in the central years of the Viking Age. As Viking warriors, players seek to impress the Chieftain by raiding unsuspecting settlements. Players will need to assemble a crew, collect provisions and journey north to plunder gold, iron and livestock. There’s glory to be found in battle, even at the hands of the Valkyrie. So gather your warriors, it’s raiding season!

See our review of Raiders of the North Sea.
Get a copy of Raiders of the North Sea for ~$50.

Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

Ages: 13+, Players: 2-5, Time: 100 min
In Dead of Winter, by Plaid Hat Games, players work together to fend of the zombie hordes. Even though I really don’t like zombie-themed anything, for some reason, I really enjoy playing Dead of Winter. It’s also a semi-cooperative game because even though players are working together, there may be a hidden traitor in the midst. Plus everyone has individual objectives. So even though the team may win overall, if you don’t accomplish your personal hidden objective, you’re out of luck.

See our review of Dead of Winter.
Get a copy of Dead of Winter for ~$40.

Star Wars Rebellion

Ages: 14+, Players: 2-4, Time: 180 min
If you’re looking for an immersive Star Wars game that feels like you’re really battling for the fate of the galaxy, Star Wars Rebellion, by Fantasy Flight Games, is that game! It’s a heafty 2-player epic battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire that lasts a few hours. Players take the sides of either the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance – each with their unique abilities and their own way to win. The Imperial player must find and conquer the Rebel base and the Rebel player must achieve a number of objectives before it’s too late. Of all the Star Wars games I’ve played, this is the one that makes me truly feel like I’m in Star Wars.

See our review of Star Wars Rebellion.
Get a copy of Star Wars Rebellion for ~$90.

---

Are you interested in seeing the full list from each year instead?
Take a look at our Board Game Gift Guides from years past.

• 2022 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2021 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2020 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2019 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2018 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2017 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2016 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2015 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2014 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2013 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2012 Board Game Gift Guide
• 2011 Board Game Gift Guide

 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com links.