Board Game Gift Guide 2018!
It’s time again for our annual Board Game Gift Guide!
This time of year, most people looking for board games are doing so as gifts for family and friends. And that’s where we’re very happy to help!
This year’s Board Game Gift Guide includes 31 great game ideas!
You can scroll through the whole list or jump to the categories you’re interested in by clicking on a category title:
- Children’s Games
- Family Games
- Cooperative Games
- 2-Player Games
- Party Games
- Deduction Games
- Gamer Games
- Harry Potter Games
Children’s Games
With a family audience, we always like to start off with children’s games. Here are 4 games children will both enjoy and learn from.
Long Cow
Ages: 8+, Players: 2-5, Time: 20 min
As Gamewright says, “Long Cow is the moo-mentous card game of competitive cattle construction.” In the card game, 2-5 players compete to grow the largest herd filled with the longest cows. They do so by playing cards of cow parts to make cows of different types and lengths while playing attack cards on their opponents. Long Cow is a very simple set-collection, kids card game with super cute artwork. It’s fun trying to build long cows and watch your herd grow during the game. And mixing in Wild cards makes the cows look even sillier, which kids love.
See our full review of Long Cow.
Get a copy of Long Cow.
Make 7
Ages: 7+, Players: 2, Time: 10 min
When you first look at Make 7, by Pressman Toy, you may think you’re about to play Connect 4. The game area is a vertical wall with slots where players place their plastic colored pieces to let them fall into place trying to get them in horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines. However, in Make 7 two players go head to head to get their pieces to add up to 7 in a line to win. The pieces have values of 1, 2, or 3. Not only do players need to choose where to place their pieces, but they also must plan out how they’ll add up to 7.
See our full review of Make 7.
Get a copy of Make 7.
Monster Crunch: The Breakfast Battle Game
Ages: 9+, Players: 2-5, Time: 20 min
In Monster Crunch, by Big G Creative, 2-5 players compete to see who can eat the most cereal. Ok, you’re not really eating cereal. Rather players are trying to end the game with more cereal cards collected than the other players. Over the course of 3 rounds, players play cards from their personal deck of 36 cereal cards (Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute, or Fruity Yummy Mummy) to their matching cereal bowl board. The catch is in how players are able to play cards so they can get more “eaten” than the other players.
See our full review of Monster Crunch.
Get a copy of Monster Crunch.
Super Mario: Level Up
Ages: 8+, Players: 3-6, Time: 30 min
In Super Mario: Level Up, players compete over 3 rounds to get the most points from correctly guessing which level the characters will end up on of the stair-stepping game board. The beauty is that players aren’t just one character. Instead, they’ll secretly have 6 total characters (out of 13) they’re hoping to score points for. So even if one of their characters is eliminated from the game, the player isn’t out. They’ll still have 5 other characters in play.
See our full review of Super Mario: Level Up.
Get a copy Super Mario: Level Up.
Family Games
While we consider all games we review “family games”, here are 5 games that perfectly fit the bill as great games for the whole family.
Azul
Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
Azul, by Next Move Games, is an abstract strategy board game that looks very simple but carries solid depth. Players draft colored tiles from the central boards, place them in a queue on their personal boards, and then load them into their final spaces to score points. With player boards you may think it’s almost a solitaire game. But that would be wrong because player choices will definitely impact the other players. The components are also top notch. Azul gets our hearty recommendation for a great family board game.
See our full review of Azul.
Get a copy of Azul.
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 of the year. 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’ turns 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 and gem 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 full review of Century: Golem Edition.
Get a copy of Century: Golem Edition.
Bob Ross: Art of Chill
Ages: 12+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
Bob Ross: Art of Chill, by Big G Creative, is all about earning Chill Points by painting landscape features of paintings, learning special techniques, and gaining bonus points along the way. The first player to reach the end of the Chill meter is the winner. The game is a set-collection game where players exchange sets of paint and brush cards that match the colors of different features on paintings. Yet there’s also a number of other game play elements that make it unique and tie it very well to the Bob Ross painting theme.
See our full review of Bob Ross: Art of Chill.
Get a copy of Bob Ross: Art of Chill.
Blue Lagoon
Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
Blue Lagoon, by Blue Orange Games, is a family board game that combines area control and set collection in a fulfilling experience. It’s a light strategy board game that requires a bit of planning as you set out to settle villages, expand your routes, and gain resources for points. There’s more depth in Blue Lagoon than we first realized and that’s a great thing. The game is played over 2 phases that seem similar but players quickly learn are different enough to keep things interesting. It’s a quick placement game with lots of ways to score points. In fact, there are so many ways to score points it may be hard to know what to focus on.
See our full review of Blue Lagoon.
Get a copy of Blue Lagoon.
Bunny Kingdom
Ages: 12+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60 min
In Bunny Kingdom, by Iello, players draft cards that allow them to place their bunnies in different spaces on the board. Players score points based on connected spaces that generate resources. Additional points can be scored at the end of the game from cards collected along the way. We love both the variety of choices and simultaneous play. Rather than taking turns, players are continuously deciding which of the cards in their hands to draft before passing them to the next player. Once chosen, all players quickly carry out the action of their cards before picking up the cards passed to them and choosing again. The final view is one of the busiest looking games boards I’ve played but it’s a lot of fun.
See our full review of Bunny Kingdom.
Get a copy of Bunny Kingdom.
Cooperative Games
Do you enjoy playing games where everyone works together rather than competes against each other? If you haven’t played a cooperative board game before, you’re missing out. Get a copy of one of these great games and have fun working together in a common cause.
Thanos Rising: Avengers Infinity War
Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60-90 min
The Avengers have their work cut out for them fending off Thanos and his minions. In Thanos Rising, by USAopoly, you and your friends / family work together to recruit heroes and gain more powers to beat Thanos’s villains before he captures all the Infinity Stones. Like many cooperative board games, there’s one way to win and many ways to lose. Since the game involves plenty of dice rolling, there’s a big luck element of the game. The good news though is that there’s still plenty of choices to make as you work together for a common goal.
See our full review of Thanos Rising.
Get a copy of Thanos Rising.
Forbidden Sky
Ages: 10+, Players: 2-5, Time: 60 min
Forbidden Sky is the third cooperative game in the line of “Forbidden” games by Gamewright. Following Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert, players now work as a team to explore a mysterious platform that floats at the center of a savage storm. Players must connect a circuit of cables to launch a secret rocket — all before being struck by lightning or blown off the platforms to the depths below. There’s a huge toy / science factor to this cooperative board game because besides making good choices about card play and tile placement, players must build a physical circuit connecting lines to launch the rocket. It’s more challenging than the other games in the series. But we believe you’re up for the challenge.
See our full review of Forbidden Sky.
Get a copy of Forbidden Sky.
Jurassic Park: Danger!
Ages: 10+, Players: 2-5, Time: 50 min
Jurassic Park: Danger, by Ravensburger, is a semi-cooperative game where one player takes on the role of the dinosaurs while the other players take on the role of other members from the original Jurassic Park movie. And just like in the movie, the human characters face an uphill battle in getting out alive. Over the years there have been a number of attempts at creating a Jurassic Park board game. But none of those have come close to recreating the feel of being on Isla Nublar with dinosaurs like Jurassic Park Danger does!
See our full review of Jurassic Park: Danger!.
Get a copy of Jurassic Park: Danger!.
Hellapagos
Ages: 8+, Players: 3-12, Time: 20 min
You and your fellow castaways are shipwrecked on an island with an approaching hurricane in the distance. You must work together to have any hope of getting off the island before the hurricane strikes. Or maybe at least some of you can make it off alive…
Hellapagos, by Gigamic, is a cooperative board game for up to 12 players that’s super challenging to all win together. But you have to try. Because if you don’t work together, no one will survive. By working together, there’s at least a chance you can make it. Do you have what it takes to be one of the survivors?
See our full review of Hellapagos.
Get a copy of Hellapagos.
2-Player Games
Here are a few 2-player games to consider when you’re in the mood for some head-to-head battles.
Codenames: Duet
Ages: 11+, Players: 2, Time: 20 min
Frequent visitors to our site will already know how much we love Codenames. We have various versions of this super popular game because we have such a great time playing. The original Codenames and well as Codenames Pictures have appeared in previous Board Game Gift Guides. They’re great for groups. But Czech Games have also released a version specifically for 2-players (which is fantastic for my wife and I). Codenames Duet keeps the basic elements of Codenames — give one-word clues to try to get someone to identify your agents among those on the table — but now you’re working together as a team to find all of your agents. And playing with a spouse is great because you get to see how much you can get your thinking on the same wavelength.
Get a copy of Codenames: Duet.
Khet
Ages: 9+, Players: 2, Time: 20 min
In Khet, 2 players face off bouncing lasers around the chess-like game board trying to zap their opponent’s pharaoh. Like many abstract strategy games, Khet is a great game for a mental challenge. Yet it’s more than just a challenge about moving pieces on a board. It’s a spacial and geometric challenge as well.In a lot of strategy games, the piece that gets moved is the one that does the capturing. However, in Khet a winning move is often far away from the actual target. So players have to keep an eye on multiple options when pieces are moved and rotated. It’s great for young kids as they develop their minds in many ways. It’s great for older kids to hone their strategic thinking. And it’s great for adults as well to keep their minds sharp.
See our full review of Khet.
Get a copy of Khet.
Sonar
Ages: 8+, Players: 2, Time: 30 min
A couple years ago Captain Sonar came on the gaming scene to amazing fanfare. Teams of 4 would face off in a tense, real-time submarine battle. Each player would have their specific role and shout out commands trying to maneuver and sink the other team’s submarine. This past year, Matagot released a 2-player version of the game that we love – known simply as Sonar. The frantic pace has dropped as players now take turns with their commands. But the cat-and-mouse aspect of the game is alive and well. Sonar is a fantastic family, 2-player board game!
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 square. 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 Mighty Fun has release an updated version of Telepathy that’s fantastic. The artwork is cleaner than the original and the new components are top notch.
See our full review of Telepathy Magic Minds.
Get a copy of Telepathy.
Party Games
Party games are great to play over the holidays with family and friends. Here are a few party game suggestions to give as gifts.
Spoils of War
Ages: 14+, Players: 3-5, Time: 45 min
In Spoils of War, by Arcane Wonders, players are victorious Vikings dividing the spoils of treasure from their exploits. There are all sorts of treasure to be had – from weapons and armor to jewelry and dragon eggs (yep dragon eggs). Plus there are magical artifacts scattered among the loot. But to get their share, the Vikings have to come out on top in each round’s dice challenge. It’s a game full of guessing, bluffing, bidding, and set collecting. It’s also a game that everyone we’ve played it with has enjoyed.
See our full review of Spoils of War.
Get a copy of Spoils of War.
Happy Salmon
Ages: 6+, Players: 3-6, Time: 3 min
Happy a Salmon, by North Star Games, is super simple and quick game to play. Players each take their stack of 12 colored cards in hand. At the same time, everyone turns their hand over so the first card in the stack is face up. Players then have to perform the action of that card. Once they’ve performed it, they discard the card and do the next one in their stack. The first player to get rid of all 12 of their cards, wins the game. The catch is that the actions require two people to complete them!
So players are constantly shouting out what card they have to get the attention of other players who may also have the same card so they can do them together (like a high five or a fist bump). It’s a quick game that must be played standing up because one of the actions is to switch places. Add some frantic fun to your party with Happy Salmon.
See our full review of Happy Salmon.
Get a copy of Happy Salmon.
New York Slice
Ages: 8+, Players: 2-6, Time: 30 min
What’s a party without pizza? New York Slice, by Bezíer Games, is a game where one person splits up a pizza into groups of slices and then everyone gets to pick a set of slices — with the person who split the pizza choosing last. Points are scored by players who collect the most slices of each value. So the person who collects the most “8” value slices will score 8 points. There’s plenty of variety in the pizza slices along with special power in play each round. It’s a quick and fun game of “I divide, you choose.”
Spyfall 2
Ages: 13+, Players: 3-12, Time: 10 min
Like the original, Spyfall 2, by Hobby World, is both a party game and a deduction game. At the start of each round all players receive cards showing the same location except for one player who receives a card that says “Spy” instead of the location. Players take turns asking and answering questions that will help them reach their goal. Most of the players are trying to figure out who the spy is while the spy is trying to figure out the location. If the spy is uncovered, all other players score points. But if the spy correctly guesses where they are, only the spy scores points.
See our full review of Spyfall 2.
Get a copy of Spyfall 2.
Deduction Games
Maybe your friends and family members love games that challenge their powers of deduction (even if that means determining if someone is bluffing). Then you may want to consider these couple games.
Unlock! Adventures
Ages: 10+, Players: 2-6, Time: 45-90 min
What does a submarine, train, buried treasure, hieroglyphics, mouse, and the emerald city have in common? They’re all things you’ll discover playing Unlock! Escape Adventure games by Asmodee. Unlock! is a series of “escape-room” type games that are completely card driven. All cards in the deck but one are face down and players shouldn’t look at any of the cards before beginning. Simply read the first card and do what it says. It will set the stage for what’s happening and then instruct you to flip it over.
As soon as you do, you’ll see a scene before you with elements to inspect. Any numbers you see on the scene are cards you find in the deck and turn over. Those cards in turn will present you with different parts of the story, objects, or parts of a puzzle to be solved. From there every game follows its own path.
See our full review of various Unlock! games.
Get a copy of an Unlock! game.
Oh Captain
Ages: 8+, Players: 3-6, Time: 30 min
Oh Captain! is a bluffing game from Ludonaute and Asmodee where players compete for the best treasure. And along the way, they can also use the items they find (or what they say they find) to take action against other players. But they have to run it by the Captain first. Because the Captain may want to use that item instead. And there’s also the opportunity for anyone to stage a mutiny and take over the captain’s spot. When you bluff among fellow pirates, all may not go according to plan. You’ll just have to take your chances.
See our full review of Oh Captain.
Get a copy of Oh Captain.
Gamer Games
Who do you know that really, really loves board games? Check out these board games that require a bit more strategy or are dripping with a lot of theme.
Thunderstone: Quest
Ages: 14+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60-90 min
If you’re looking for a good game for you gamer friends and family members. Thunderstone Quest, by AEG, is a sweet choice. We’ve replaced all our original Thunderstone and expansions with Thunderstone Quest because the improvements make it even more awesome! It’s a deck-building card game with miniatures. Players recruit heroes, level them up, equip them with weapons and spells, and send them to the dungeons to fight monsters. With hundreds of randomized cards, every game is a new adventure.
See our full review of Thunderstone: Quest.
Get a copy of Thunderstone: Quest.
Ethnos
Ages: 14+, Players: 2-6, Time: 45-60 min
In Ethnos, by CMON, players channel the help of giants, merfolk, halflings, minotaurs, and other fantasy tribes to help them gain control of the land and gain Glory. After 3 Ages of play, whoever has the most Glory wins!
Right from the start, players will be hit with a unique game set up every time. The random placement of the Glory tiles across the different Kingdoms means the hotly contested Kingdoms will change each game as well as which Ages of the game will be most important for control of such Kingdoms. The vast variability is also apparent in the random mix of which Tribes are in play each game. With only 6 of the possible 12 Tribes in play each game, players are faced with a unique mix of abilities to command with every play.
See our full review of Ethnos.
Get a copy of Ethnos.
Near and Far
Ages: 13+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60-120 min
In Near and Far, by Red Raven Games, players explore many different maps in a search for the Last Ruin, recruiting adventurers, hunting for treasure, and competing to be the most storied traveler. Players must collect food and equipment at town for long journeys to mysterious locales, making sure not to forget enough weapons to fight off bandits, living statues, and rusty robots. Rather than a single board to play on, the game board is a spiral bound book with various maps on every page! Every chapter is a new adventure with the game play storyline to go along with it.
Raiders of the North Sea
Ages: 12+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60-120 min
Raiders of the North Sea is a work-placement game where player 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 full review of Raiders of the North Sea.
Get a copy of Raiders of the North Sea.
Harry Potter Games
Once again, this year superhero movies have been all the rage. It’s not surprising with the rise of so many good superhero movies over the last decade that superhero-themed board games would follow. Here are some fun games to consider for your superhero obsessed friends and family.
Fantastic Beasts: Perilous Pursuit
Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45-60 min
In Fantastic Beasts: Perilous Pursuit, by USAopoly, players take on the role of Newt, Tina, Jacob and Queenie on an exciting adventure as they try to return all the beasts to Newt’s suitcase before they draw the attention of the non-magical community. To do this, they need to collect sets of dice to take actions that allow them to shield each other, draw cards, and most importantly, get the beasts back into his suitcase before havoc ensues.
See our full review of Fantastic Beasts: Perilous Pursuit.
Get a copy of Fantastic Beasts: Perilous Pursuit.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
Ages: 11+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30-60 min
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle 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 also set up to correspond to the 7 books in the series. As players progress, they open new boxes of cards that add more elements to the game play. Players can keep the cards separated as books or combine them all for future games.
See our full review of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle.
Get a copy of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle.
Clue: Harry Potter
Ages: 9+, Players: 3-5, Time: 30 min
There are a ton of different version of Clue. But only one of them has moving staircases that switch which rooms connect to each other. And only one of them has House Points that players can lose along the way – reducing their chances of winning. That’s the Harry Potter version of clue. If you’d like to throw a little magic in your games of clue, check out Clue: Harry Potter.
See our full review of Clue: Harry Potter.
Get a copy of Clue: Harry Potter.
Harry Potter Magical Beasts
Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
Set in the Harry Potter world, you play as one of the four characters, Harry, Ron, Hermione or Ginny in a race to discover the magical beasts. You will collect clues to track down creatures inside and outside Hogwarts. The objective is to obtain four cards that corresponds to one beast. Each turn, a player will roll the dice which will correspond to the number of spaces a player moves. When a player lands on a tile that indicates a type of a card, they get to take one card from that pile. With the roll of the die, the game board may also shift – moving players from inside Hogwarts to the grounds outside.
Get a copy of Harry Potter Magical Beasts.
Need more ideas? Take a look at our Board Game Gift Guides from years past.
- 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
Great list of games!
Thanks Michelle!
I still got my eye on that Make 7, and Jurassic Park is tempting as well. Another kids game we just picked up for under the tree is Dragon’s Breath. I’m excited about that one. Thanks for the list!