Family Board Game for Teens & Adults - What Are Your Favorites??

Updated on January 05, 2010
P.M. asks from Germantown, MD
30 answers

Every year for Christmas, I try and buy a family board game that the entire family will enjoy. In the past, it's been Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Last Word, etc. I'm looking for one this year and want to get everyone's opinion. My kids are 12 and 14 and we love to take it on vacation with us in the summer or break out the game on the weekends when nothing much is going on. Let me know your thoughts....Thanks!!!

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J.J.

answers from Richmond on

My daughter's only 7, but we have my nieces a lot who are the same age- I HIGHLY recommend "Catch Phrase." If they're too cool, there's Wits & Wagers (it's fun & you learn a lot of useless facts) or boggle- but come up with a "theme" for them. There's always a kid waiting to come out in charades- especially when it's tied to an incintive- no dishes for a week for the winner...mom will wash, dry & fold 2 loads of laundry for the winner, OR they will do it for mom....:) Wow, I have to remember that for myself!

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M.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Monopoly just came out with a card game version that in my family's opinion is WAY better than the board game. First, games only last 20-30 minutes, second there are several strategies that can be involved that weren't involved in the board game. We love it, and play it often.
Good luck!
Board games rock!

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V.D.

answers from Washington DC on

Catchprase is a great game, it's an electronic hand held game that you can take in the car, etc., and we play it with my niece who's 14, she loves it and they have categories from easy to very difficult!

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J.B.

answers from Medford on

My families favorites are Taboo, Mad Gab, Scategories, and In a Pickle, Have fun!!!!!!

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M.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Cranium is my favorite. Catch Phrase is also a lot of fun.

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S.H.

answers from Richmond on

This is a card game, not a board game (don't know if that matters). Phase 10. EVERYONE who I have played with (older kids and adults) all love it. My 13 year old begs to play! The other game we have a lot of fun with is Mexican Train Dominoes. Super fun and you can get double 12 dominoes at Walmart really cheap.

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K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

Definitely get "Catch Phrase"!!!! So much fun! My nieces, who are 10, 13 and 15 love it (and so do all the adults) One of my other favorites is "Bioscopy". It's old though, so I'm not sure if you can still find it. Worth looking for though. Have fun!

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K.F.

answers from Washington DC on

We love Scattegories, Balderdash, SkipBo, Sorry!, Cranium, DVD Trivial Pursuit, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (harder than 5th grade q's!), and of course a party favorite - Jenga!!

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K.S.

answers from Washington DC on

We enjoy Scattergories, Taboo, Balderdash (make up definitions-funny to hear what the kids come up with) & Sequence. There are so many fun games out there. Uno Hearts is also fun (& inexpensive!)

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C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

We were introduced to a new game last year called TRANS AMERICA. You have a map of the continental US with lots of the cities identified, and you try to connect them to create rail road routes. Helps teach geography. Also, here's a neat link I found:
http://www.boardgamecentral.com/

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M.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Here's one that my husband, teenagers and I played for the first time last night. Imaginiff. It was great fun.

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A.F.

answers from Washington DC on

My family likes dominoes. AF

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K.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Yahtzee and Cranium!!!....

Have fun, and Merry Christmas!

LOVE the idea of having family game time!

KATIE

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M.G.

answers from Washington DC on

well i love to do attack uno.

its not a board game its a fun fast card game not like the normal uno.

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N.B.

answers from Washington DC on

We love Pictionary, Taboo, Catch Phrase, Claymania, and Cranium. Cranium combines Claymania, charades (sp?), pictionary, & more! Good luck and have fun!

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A.B.

answers from Washington DC on

My family LOVES Blokus! Great game for all ages, always different. Can be pretty pricey as games go. Try to find on sale.

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S.S.

answers from Santa Barbara on

What about pictionary and trivial pursuit?

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S.S.

answers from Charlottesville on

I would highly recommend Settlers of Cataan. It has won awards, is easy to learn, and because the board is different every game, doesn't get boring too fast. Besides that, it has several expansion sets that, if your family likes the game can be added over the next couple of years. It also teaches the basics of economy, always a plus when a game is educational as well as fun.

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R.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Not a board game but Guesstures is always fun. It's like charades but you have a time limit to act out 3 or 4 things. It's always a hoot!

L.C.

answers from Washington DC on

We like Uno, Mile Bornes, Sequence, Thinkin' Things...

I'm sure you already have Monopoly...

Good Luck!
LBC

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N.L.

answers from Washington DC on

We love Scategories and Taboo. Neither are board games, but are lots of fun and include lots of interaction. I've seen my friend's teens mad at us b/c we didn't bring the games over to play b/c they had so much fun the last time we all played. They are 14 and 17.

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T.R.

answers from Washington DC on

Good Morning,

Our family plays scatagories at every function and we all have a blast. Your kids would love this one too.

T.

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S.B.

answers from Richmond on

Catch Phrase is really fun and fast-paced!

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M.G.

answers from Washington DC on

This is late but it your question was featured so I HAD to reply. On New Year's Day, my brother in law brought over The Settlers of Catan and we LOVED it. It's a strategy board game where you have to trade, build roads and settlements, etc. We're going to get our own game now. It won a lot of awards. I think it originated in Germany. Everybody loved it, from my 10 yr old nephew to my dad (grandpa).

Another family game that we like that is not a board game is Mexican Train, a form of dominoes. I personally like Balderdash.

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K.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi. We love Pictureka. My daughter is 12 and she really enjoys it. It's not really a board game but they've come out with a new Connect Four that is fun. Clue is always good, we prefer the master detective version or the clue f/x. Hope this helps!

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L.P.

answers from Washington DC on

My husband and I created a family card game called PRIME. We recently launched a website to sell it www.PRIMEtheCardGame.com - after several years of development and testing. It's brand new on the market and it's fun and educational.

The deck is made up of prime numbers, bonus cards, letter cards and wild cards. The goal is to collect one of each number for your seven card hand. Each person has 7 turns so the game can be very quick - just one hand - or you can play to a point total - several hands. Each number card has a fun fact about the world: psychology, biology, math, geography, other cultures (often with humor). These facts are not integral to the game, but give you something to do (and hopefully a chuckle or two) while you're waiting your next turn. And, each number card has its number written in another language as well.

The best part about it is that kids can play at a kid level against grownups playing at an adult level -- and just as often the kids will win! We have a 6 year old, so that's a plus! Your kids are old enough to play at the adult level so maybe that won't be such a big draw for you.

The advanced version creates even more excitement because the letter cards give you special advantages. Strategy is a big part of the advanced version. We have played this game thousands of times and each game provides new and interesting challenges and outcomes.

The website has a couple of videos so you can see how the game is played before you decide to buy it. It's only $11 per deck and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there's no risk. If you try it, we'd love to hear your feedback!

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J.D.

answers from Washington DC on

Top 2 favorite board games:

Clue
Pictionary

Other favorites:

Trivia Pursuit (they have different packs of cards so you can have various levels of difficulty)
Monopoly
Life

Enjoy!!
Jules

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M.W.

answers from Washington DC on

One of our favorite games is Cranium. There is something for everyone in that game. There are 4 different categories that range from data to acting...it's so much fun. We play it alot when we have friends over, everyone loves that game!! Scategories is fun too!!

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R.H.

answers from Norfolk on

I grew up on "Mille Bornes - The French Auto Race Card Game". I loved this game and now my children do too. You have red lights, out of gas, flat tires, accidents, speed limits and so much more in this thrilling card game. You also have cards that can protect you from these or gets you out of trouble. Your kids are close to driving age so this may even be more exciting for them. My kids are 11 and 9 and they are a little to young but love to play with me and my family. Good Luck and have fun!!!

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Othello
Battleship

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