Who says children should have all the fun?
Nothing brings out the competitive spirit in all ages like a good old fashioned board game. It’s a great way to bond with rarely-seen family members and perfect for whiling away several hours with friends over a bottle (or three) of wine. Hopefully, you’ll even manage to get through the whole game without falling out…
There’s no need to dig out the battered boxes from your childhood either. There’s now a game for every occasion, whether you’re playing with self-styled TV or music buffs, want to show off your word skills or prefer to revel in unbridled nostalgia. There are games to play with your other half, in a crowd and of course, top choices for the whole family, if you can drag the children away from a screen to join you.
We played all these games with a gaggle of grown-ups to see which ones had us shouting and laughing, which kept us up late because we were all so desperate to win and whether any made us want to play again and again. Above all, we looked for games that were fun and included everyone and ones that didn’t have vast complicated rules to decipher. Then we let the games begin…
Wavelength board game
It’s not just the best-looking box of the bunch, this ingenious board game is great for a group looking for laughs. Aimed at over 14s, the premise sounds a bit baffling but it’s a doddle once you get started and we were playing within seconds of opening the psychedelic-looking box.
The action centres on a spinning dial in the middle of the table which will give you a hilarious insight into just how well you know the other players. Each team draws a card – for instance Sad Song vs Happy Song - then one person rotates the dial to determine the scoring zone. That person must then give their teammates a clue to get close to the bullseye - a song they think is extremely sad for instance if the zone falls all the way to one side. The team then discuss where they think the point is located and turn the dial to match it. The closer they get, the higher they score. Honestly, it’s more fun and not as confusing as it sounds once you get started.
We loved the fact the topics sparked all sorts of conversations from the best pizza topping to bad actors and everyone had a great time playing it. We all agreed we were keen to give it another go after finishing too. Just be aware that although it’s recommended for between two and twelve players, we reckon you need at least six to play it at its best.
Buy now £29.99, Ryman
Netflix: Trending Now
If you’re obsessed with Emily in Paris or binged on Squid Games, this is your chance to go one better. This easy-to-play game is for anyone over the age of 14 but up to ten people can play, so it’s perfect to whip out at a dinner party.
The aim is to create the next Netflix hit show inspired by cards that provide content and plot twists. There are over 20,000 possible show combinations to keep the game fresh every time you play, while 30 Drama cards can add a curveball when you least expect it. The winner is the player who has their show picked by the Judge, though TV-phobics will be happy to hear it’s perfectly possible to play even if you’ve never watched Netflix.
Though some of the plot twists are more than a little silly, this is a very sociable game that requires very little concentration so it’s perfect after a few drinks. Better still, it took us a little over half an hour to play so you won’t have to keep a whole night free.
Buy now £22.00, Argos
Quantik board game
Want a face-off with your housemate or to go head-to-head with your partner? This challenging strategy game is designed for just two so there’s nowhere to hide. It’s perfect if you loathe games with questions and just want a little mindfulness to de-stress after a busy week.
The premise is simple enough. Each player takes in turns to place a piece on an empty space. There’s just one rule: you can’t put a shape in a row, column or region in which your opponent has a piece of the same shape. Each player battles to be the first to place the fourth unique shape in any column, row or square to win. Think noughts and crosses with bells on.
We took a couple of gos to get the hang of it - and stop helping our opponent to victory - but it’s oddly compelling once you do. We also loved the chunky wooden pieces which will mean this game will last a lifetime.
Also available at Quantik
Buy now £39.80, Amazon
John Adams Scrabble Classic
There’s a good reason this game is an all-time classic. It’s a board game everyone can play that never dates, never runs out of questions and always brings out a fierce competitive spirit in everyone who plays it. What more do you need from a game?
Though there are various Scrabble versions available, this is a special – if pricey - recreation of the original game first sold in the UK in the 1950s. It’s a delight for collectors, with real wood tiles and wooden racks which make it something that can be played for generations.
As always, the rules seem simple enough until you start bickering over words. Just build the longest words possible, add up the points per letter and the person with the most points wins. It’s maddeningly frustrating but also completely engaging and sparked a fair few ‘friendly’ differences of opinion when we played it.
The whole family can join in (if you’re prepared to go easy on the younger players) but it takes on a whole new life when played with a group of adults, who will all be determined to be crowned the undisputed Scrabble champion. Just be prepared for arguments…
Buy now £66.51, Amazon
ZILCH!
Okay, we know it’s more of a card game than a board game but this one’s a winner for travelling and can be played with up to eight players of any age. Think of it like a super-powered Scrabble.
To start, the dealer lays eight cards face up in the middle of the table then any player including the dealer can call out words of four or more letters – behave, please - that can be formed from those eight. The first person to claim a valid word collects the letters and keeps them, then play starts again so there are always eight face up cards. Anyone who calls out a word before the eighth card is dealt is frozen for one round and the winner is the person with the most cards at the end.
The other rules – including what happens if two people shout the same word or if no word is possible – are very easy to understand and clearly explained, so you can get playing in moments.
It can easily be adapted if children are playing too – as long as you watch particular four letter words of course.
Buy now £14.99, Amazon
Beat The Parents
Though anyone over six can play this, we’ve included it here as it was easily one of the most fun board games we tested and brilliant for a family of all ages. Parents need to answer questions their children will know and vice versa – and it’s a useful way for younger ones to learn trivia along the way too.
Players move across the board with every correct response, completing extra challenges like racing paper aeroplanes or battling in a staring match along the way. We particularly liked the fact each team must write a wager before the game begins to add real motivation to win – our junior testers earned takeaway pizza that night for their win.
Adults playing alone could just ask each other the questions aimed at parents and the challenges would be just as much fun, while you can let your imagination run wild coming up with wagers. Our only gripe is that we feel we’d run out of questions after just a few plays so would love it if extra packs were available to buy.
Buy now £10.00, Amazon
Confident?
If your general knowledge is ropey at best, you won’t need to panic with this game. Rather than answer specific questions, you hazard a guess within a range so anyone can try their luck and win. However, the smaller the range, the more you score so confidence counts for everything. There are no rules to work out and no small pieces so you can play it with your feet up on the sofa – a real bonus in our book. It also works well with a group of adults or a family of all ages and if you play in teams, up to 30 people can join in.
Even better, extra question packs are available once you’ve exhausted the ones that come with the game including a Personal Expansion Pack (£8.99) to help learn facts about your fellow players – a must buy for adults playing together.
We also love the fact this the game is entirely carbon neutral, made from recycled or sustainable paper with a tree planted for every game sold.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
Popmaster Board Game
Play the classic Ken Bruce show in the comfort of your own home with this music-based board game, perfect for anyone who knows their Abba from their Arctic Monkeys.
If you listen on the radio, you’ll already know what to do: players are asked ten questions based on popular music from the 1950s to the present day. There are multiple choice and individual bonus rounds and best of all, you can even have some questions read by Ken himself if you scan the QR code. It’s designed for anyone over the age of 14 but many questions would be far too obscure for most teenagers so this one is strictly for the grown-ups.
Buy now £24.99, IWOOT
Rummikub
We love a game without questions as it won’t date and you’ll never get to the point where you already know all the answers.
Rummikub is already a classic though it was our first time playing it so we had to get our head around the rules first. Played with 106 tiles numbered 1 to 13 in four different colours, it felt a bit like Scrabble with numbers and we were a bit flummoxed to start with. The idea is to lay down runs of numbers from your rack or add to existing sets on the table. These must include at least three numbers of the same colour that follow each other consecutively. You can also make a group of the same number in different colours and the winner is the first player to clear their rack and shout ‘Rummikub’.
We can’t lie – our brain hurt a little when we first had a go but we reckon this is a game we’ll keep playing for years.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
Ann Summers Monogamy Couples Board Game
Definitely not one for the whole family, this is a board game for two if you’re yearning for a little spice in your life.
It looks just like any other board game – but don’t be fooled. Roll the dice, move the piece and the square you land on dictates your next action or what card you pick up. There are three levels – ‘Intimate’ is designed to help you relax and learn more about your partner, ‘Passionate’ builds anticipation and ‘Steamy’ aims to help you really drop your guard. There are also ‘Treats’ cards to be carried out at a time to suit you in the future and, in a very adult twist on Monopoly, everyone picks up one of 50 ‘Fantasy’ cards every time they pass Go. Each player can only hold onto two of these and the winner can choose their favourite to re-enact.
One thing’s for sure: you definitely won’t be bringing this game out at Christmas to play with all the family.
Buy now £26.99, Amazon
The Good Life
If you’ve long harboured hopes of ditching the rat race, moving to the country and growing your own vegetables, take baby steps and start with this board game instead. Along the same lines as Monopoly, players move around the board with brightly coloured wheelbarrows to buy and sell pigs and chickens instead of London streets and collect produce rather than apartments on Bond Street.
As any ardent gardener will tell you, nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it seems. Along the way, you’ll have to sell livestock at the village hall, avoid bird flu and even dodge foxes trying to steal your chickens. Anyone over seven can play but there are a lot of rules to get your head round and some questions are tricky so it definitely doesn’t feel too childish for adults on their own. In fact, even the most devoted city slicker will be charmed by the attractive board and eco-friendly aspects and the whole game feels like a real breath of fresh air to play.
Buy now £29.95, John Lewis
Cluedo Mystery Board Game – Sherlock Edition
Even if you’ve never played Cluedo in your life, we’re all familiar with the idea of characters getting bumped off in the library with a candlestick. This version takes inspiration from the Benedict Cumberbatch TV series Sherlock to bring it bang up to date though the rules remain essentially the same as for the classic game.
The main difference is that the places featured are locations around London rather than rooms in a manor house and include Battersea Power Station, Baker Street and the Tower of London. As you might expect, you need to work out who killed your favourite character from Sherlock in which location and with what weapon. Once everyone had got to grips with the rules, we really enjoyed playing this one and liked the modern makeover. We were also relieved to see the candlestick remains as dangerous as ever…
Buy now £22.99, The Hut
Verdict
You can’t go wrong with a cupboard full of all these games so you can choose the one that takes your fancy when it’s time to play. However, we loved Wavelength board game for its surprising topics, simple rules and fantastic team appeal. If you want a real collector’s piece that any board game devotee will love, John Adams Scrabble Classic is a reliable go-to that will appeal to everyone, is fantastic quality and never fails to entertain.
