Yahoo Movies These are the best board games to buy at Amazon for the holidays
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Nobody doesn’t love a board game. Sure, the concept seems antiquated in an era of curved monitors, VR headsets and game consoles you can play on the toilet, but nothing brings a room full of family and friends together than an interesting concept and the thrill of rolling a die.
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While there’s nothing wrong with the classics like Monopoly or Clue, there are tons of hidden gems available for even the pickiest players, along with new spins on old favorites. Nothing beats the clarion call of a board game than a holiday get-together. It beats arguing over politics, in any case. This goes double when the temperatures dip into the low 30s and all you want to do is enjoy a cozy evening at home tossing dice and building Jenga towers. Here are some of our favorite board games that are perfect any season, and for every kind of player.
►Need more Christmas gift ideas? Here are the best Christmas gifts for anyone on your list
Best family board games
For retro gamers: Super Mario Jenga
Board games don’t get much tenser than the strategic tower-building challenge Jenga. You can play competitively or co-operatively, with a group or even alone. This version not only adds a smack of Nintendo charm to the game but also another layer of strategy and chance. Players must build a Jenga tower while climbing it as one of four characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad) and ultimately topple King Bowser, just like in the classic video game series.
For all ages: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
This card game is equal parts addictive and adorable, and friendly for just about all ages. Learning to play takes about a minute, and rounds can quickly become hectic and exhilarating. Up to eight players slap cards while reciting the titular words. Once a card matches with the word spoken, players must rush to slap the pile of cards and claim it as their own. A simple and inspired concept, and way more fun than it has any right to be.
For G-rated Fun: Sushi Go Party! Deluxe
Strategic pick-up-and-pass card games are nothing new, but Sushi Go Party! Deluxe adds anthropomorphic Japanese food into the mix, making it an instant favorite. Not only are the cards kawaii as heck, but there’s a convenient efficiency to the game, which lays out scores on the game board so everyone knows where they stand during any given round. Unlike busier offerings, this board game is low profile enough for those with limited space.
For hilarious moments: Cranium
At this point in board game history, Cranium has easily earned a spot on the Mount Rushmore of greats alongside the likes of Monopoly and Uno. Cranium splits players into teams to compete in mind and body challenges. These feats include drawing, acting and even sculpting, with some brain-melting trivia tossed in for good measure. Unlike games with built-in humor like Cards Against Humanity, Cranium’s hilarity comes naturally and hits a little harder because of it.
For super sleuths: Scooby-Doo! Clue
It’s only natural that one of the most iconic murder mystery games eventually teamed up with the equally iconic crime-solving Great Dane Scooby-Doo. Every game practically feels like an episode featuring Mystery Inc, which must use the process of elimination to discover the particulars of an abduction in Mrs. White’s mansion. The only thing missing is a villain complaining about meddling kids, but players can always toss that in themselves.
For a new spin on a classic: Monopoly Ultimate Banking
There are countless versions of Monopoly, and they all more or less run together, save for the different brands they are representing from Game of Thrones to Jurassic Park. Monopoly Ultimate Banking replaces all that cumbersome cash by issuing two to four players their own credit card which can be charged with money at will. Investing in real estate has never been so streamlined. Best of all, going plastic should make it harder for your dad to cheat too.
Best two-player board games
For Star Wars fans: Rebellion
One of the best asymmetrical two-player strategy games around, Rebellion pits the scrappy rebellion against the Imperial Navy's oppressive might as the rebels try and keep their base hidden from the Death Star. There are rules to expand the table to four players, but the game shines with just two. An expansion updates some battle rules and adds new characters and mechanics for slightly improved gameplay. The combination of setup and play is an investment, so be sure to set aside a full night for a game.
For kaiju fans: King of Tokyo
Anyone who’s ever stomped sand castles on the beach knows how appealing becoming a city decimating Kaiju monster can be, and King of Tokyo allows two to six players to do just that. Every game pits monsters against each other and the world, in a strategic game for players 10 and up. Each game can be played in as little as 30 minutes, allowing for all manner of devastating possibilities.
For fantasy fans: Summoner Wars
Spells fly in this fantasy head-to-head card game that plays out on a battlefield grid and is full of interesting tactical decisions, but is still easy to learn. The Summoner Wars Second Edition Master Set is an update to the game that originally came out in 2009. It's a deck-building game (think Magic: The Gathering) with pre-built decks for six different factions that offer a variety of tactics without having to buy separate booster packs. If you're curious about it, you can even try it for free online.
For quick competition: Klask
Touted as a combination of air hockey and foosball, Klask is a face-paced game that perfect for head-to-head competition for anyone. You control your pawns with magnets under the game board and each match lasts around 10 minutes. The board is well made and small enough to transport easily, so it's easy to play at home, at a friend's house or out at the bar.
For strategists: Azul
The basics of Azul are simple: fill your card with pretty tiles before your opponent does the same. But there's a beautiful intricacy to the game that is sure to please any strategic minds. While the game plays best with two players, it supports up to four, so it is also a great choice for family game night. And with each game lasting between 30-45 minutes, it's a nice and quick option when time is limited.
For campaign fans: Journeys in Middle-Earth
If your days somehow disappear whenever you come across Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings on TV, then The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth deserves a spot in your gaming library. The campaign evolves as you level your characters and play through a bunch of scenarios. It utilizes an app to aid with storytelling and after you play through the included story, and there are two different expansions to continue the fun. You can play with up to five players, but it's excellent with just two. It's also easier to get two people together for a long-running campaign than five (ask any Dungeons and Dragons DM).
Best board games for adults
For cutthroat competition: Ticket to Ride
Train travel doesn’t have the allure of flying through the skies, but I’d like to see any plane-related board game be half as fun. Ticket to Ride pits two to five players against each other as gilded-age rail barons, who must strategically build railways across the map and become trans-continental travel kingpins. Trust me, it’s way more engaging than it sounds. Ticket to Ride is truly one of those games that don’t click until you’ve played a round or two. Once you do, you’ll undoubtedly see what all the fuss is about.
For ornithologists: Wingspan
Wingspan delivers bird facts as much as it delivers a gorgeous and engaging gaming experience. In a world of high-intensity, combative games, Wingspan has a serenity about it mixed with the strategy of getting as many birds as possible to come to your wildlife preserves. It's relatively easy to pick up with good depth of play, but the real winner here is the beautiful images of birds on the cards. We strongly recommend it.
For planners: Scythe
Set in an alternate-reality 1920s Eastern Europe, Scythe is an asymmetric engine-building game which has you leading one of five factions to complete milestones by upgrading buildings, deploying mechs or placing all of your workers. The game relies mostly on player strategies and rewards those that plan, and each faction offers different playstyles. Play moves pretty fast, but the game does take a couple hours to complete so set aside an evening for play.
For sneaky saboteurs: The Thing: Infection at Outpost 13
Jon Carpenter’s The Thing remains one of the most chilling pieces of science fiction horror. Now, you can capture the tension and threat of an alien interloper in a board game. Players must work together to accomplish various missions while trying to deduce the saboteur amongst them. (Think of it as an incredibly lo-fi version of Among Us.) The game even features the same classic characters from the film, including MacReady, Palmer and Blair.
For woodland domination: Root
Have you ever dreamed of being a woodland creature that fights for dominance in the forest? Then Root is for you. The four different animal factions have their own philosophies and goals for gaining control of the land, ranging from constructing buildings to protecting roosts to spreading sympathy to harming other factions. The beautiful art design belies some of the tense undercurrent, but nonetheless it's a fun time for all.
For immersive competition: Catan
You can’t build an empire without cracking a few skulls, or at the very least, bruising a few friendships. Three to four adventurers must compete to settle the Catan, harvest valuable resources and make strategic trades to develop the fledgling isle into a robust new outpost. Like the Civilization series, no game of Catan is like the last, and once you learn to play, you’ll likely learn new strategies to break out on future play-throughs. Be careful: As enriching as a playthrough can be, the competition can get white hot.
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