The holiday season is finally here, and what better way to spend it than being with your family and loved ones. But why stop at just sharing a hearty Christmas dinner with maybe some wine and cheese after, and opening presents?
Aside from a good meal, we believe that there is no better household unifier than playing some board games together. Regardless of whether it’s a game involving everyone working together, battling it out to be the last man (or woman) standing, or a little bit of both, there’s certainly tons of fun to be had for families with tabletop games.
Even if not everyone is taking part and just spectating, this interactive medium is one of the best ways to engage the entire household together without having to stare at a screen incessantly for hours on end until your eyeballs melt into their sockets.
Without further ado, here are some of the top board games one can enjoy with their family at the table!
Kingdomino
Players: 2 – 4
Play Time: 15 – 30 minutes
One of the simplest games to play on this list, Kingdomino’s simplicity is what makes it a family favourite. In this game, players will play the role of kings looking to expand their kingdom in the most efficient way possible.
Each round, players will then bid on random tiles that, when chosen, will yield various types of land. Once picked, these tiles will then be placed adjacent to the player’s castle, after which the next round of tile-picking will begin, until there are no more tiles left. Each tile bears various types of landscapes, such as fields, rivers, and mines. Points are acquired by linking up two or more of the same type of landscapes together. The scoring is multiplicative, so the aim is to chain as many as possible in order to come out on top!
Dr. Eureka
Players: 2 – 4
Play Time: 15 minutes
Science class might be boring for some, but not when it involves mixing chemicals around. Dr Eureka lets players be mad geniuses of their own by performing various experiments by mixing the coloured chemicals in three test tubes. But here’s the catch — you’ll have to do so without dropping a single one, if not you’ll have to start over.
Each player draws a challenge card, which indicates where each chemical ingredient needs to be. Players will then try to move the ingredients around without dropping them to the best of their ability. Dropping one means they have to start over, and completing a challenge allows players to move on to the next one. It’s as simple as it gets, and the dexterity aspect makes it one of the most interactive games on this list.
Forbidden Island
Players: 2 – 4
Play Time: 30 minutes
If you’re a fan of escape rooms, or just like a good team-building experience, then Forbidden Island will scratch that itch for you. Players will play as explorers stranded on an unassuming but dangerous island, and their goal is to find the missing parts of a teleportation device that will transport them out of the place, before the island is swallowed whole by the tides.
You and the other players will take turns exploring the individual tiles that are laid out in front of you. You can also use your action to explore the tile you’re standing on, in hopes of uncovering a part of the teleporter. However, as the game progresses, the island starts to flood, making parts of it inaccessible for a time. You and your group must then communicate and act effectively in order to find and assemble all the parts before it’s too late!
Azul
Players: 2 – 4
Play Time: 30 – 40 minutes
The elevator pitch version of this game is to make your toilet look beautiful. If your raising your eyes by now, we get it. But it’s true, as in Azul, the players’ aim is to be the most creative (read: high-scoring) interior designer of the king’s bathroom by laying the most colourful tiles on the bathroom floor.
Think Tetris meets Tic Tac Toe, and you’ve basically got Azul, which is why we consider this to be quite simple to pick up. Players have to build their toilet by placing randomly-drawn coloured tiles in the space matching their respective colours on the board. If there’s no space for any tiles, they get placed to the side, which leads to negative points at the end of the game. The aim is to match as many tiles as possible without too many rejected tiles, so it’s a little bit of luck and a little bit of knowing when to best use your resources.
Ticket To Ride
Players: 2 – 5
Play Time: 30 – 60 minutes
Even if you’ve never played Ticket To Ride, you might have certainly heard of it. This is one of the most popular board games of all time for many reasons, mainly because it’s thematically strong, is easy to pick up yet leaves enough to tons of replay value.
Each player’s aim is to be the first to construct two railway systems by lining up two cities across the USA by laying coloured tracks from point A to point B. However, other players can block the routes inadvertently as they’re also out to complete their own routes using similar tracks. It’s then a matter of trying to make the most out of the situation and working your way around the tracks constructed by other players, and vice versa.
Disney Villainous
Players: 2 – 6
Play Time: 45 – 60 minutes
Yes, yes, Disney heroes and princesses are all the rage, but ever wondered what it would be like to play as a Disney villain? In Wonder Forge’s Disney Villainous, players can certainly do so as they scheme and plot their way to victory. This game is great for families not just because of the Disney namesake, but also because it’s an actually good board game which is easy to pick up.
Players take on one of 6 Disney villains including Maleficent, Jafar and Ursula. The goal is to be the first achieve their own individual objectives by collecting and spending power tokens, and playing various cards. These effects range from granting the player benefits, to forcing other players to draw from the Fate deck, which forces them to deal with the hero of their respective story. The coolest aspect of Villainous is that each villain plays differently from the other, meaning gameplay is always different each time you play. It’s then a matter of, as Scar would put it, being prepared for anything that will happen in the game.
Also, if you’re more of a comic book kind of person, there’s also Marvel Villainous: Infinite Power, which is the exact same game, but with the baddies from the Marvel universe.
Catan
Players: 2 – 5
Play Time: 45 – 60 minutes
Ah, good old Catan. This resource-collecting and civilisation-building game still ranks among one of the best out there, simply because it’s super easy to pick up, and super competitive, though it doesn’t initially look the part. In essence, it’s the quintessential family board game on this list, and for good reason.
Players are all vying to be the most successful civilisation by taking over as much of the land as possible. Everyone starts out with just one plot of land and one building, and has to expand by acquiring resources such as lumber, bricks, and grain in order to build roads, cities or settlements. Players can also trade amongst themselves, should anyone be lacking in resources, though they can be declined as well. It’s a matter of managing your resources wisely and taking advantage of other players (while not letting them do the same to you) in order to win. Simple!
Wingspan
Players: 1 – 5
Play Time: 40 – 70 minutes
This title is another Euro game in the same vein as Catan, but let’s just say it’s a lot less punishing and way more relaxing.
You each play as bird enthusiasts, all of whom are looking to make their aviary the most attractive one. Each player will “collect” various birds by luring them with food by rolling custom dice, and then adding them to their collection to earn points. Each bird then has their own set of unique effects when played, which will in turn aid you in your collection of more birds. It’s a simple enough game to learn for the family, while intense enough to keep folks at the edge of their seats. Oh, and did we forget to mention just how gorgeous the art in this game looks?
Stuffed Fables
Players: 2 – 4
Play Time: 60 – 90 minutes
Lulling your kids to bed with storybooks is no doubt one of the best ways to spend some quality family time together. But what if you could actually take part in these storybooks in an adventure together? That’s what Stuffed Fables aims to let players explore, as they take on the roles of — you guessed it — stuffed toys in a storybook. And yes, the storybook is the board itself!
Unlike most games here, Stuffed Fables is a purely cooperative experience. The left side of the storybook contains the scenario and objectives, of which players need to work together in order to unlock the next part of the story. These scenarios can range from solving puzzles, to defeating baddies using each character’s special abilities — much like a very condensed version of D&D. Of all the games on this list, this is arguably the most immersive of them all.
Pandemic
Players: 2 – 4
Play Time: 45 – 60 minutes
Rounding off this list is something a little tongue-in-cheek at the time of writing. Pandemic puts players in the shoes of various members of the healthcare industry as they take on a worldwide pandemic that is sweeping the globe.
There are four deadly diseases that will start spreading across the globe, and they each have to be contained by combining the abilities of the various players at the table. Each round, players can play cards that match the colour of each disease. These cards allow players to either traverse across the map to administrate cures or attempt to discover a cure itself. However, the diseases will continue to spread with each passing round, meaning players will have to think on their toes and react as quickly as possible before the pandemics take over the map completely!
And there’re even expansion packs to be had, On The Brink and In The Lab.
In reality, this list is really just scratching the surface of an even wider berth of tabletop games available for all sorts of crowds out there. We just sussed out a good range for virtually all age groups, demographics, and playing styles, and with that, we certainly hope this suggestion helps you find the perfect game to while the festive season away with your family at home.
Happy geek holidays!
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Gerald
Edwin Teo
