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New titles see the light every year, but nothing beats the classic board games! From the masterpieces that you’ve played since childhood, like Monopoly and Clue, to more recent ones like Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme?, there’s a whole world of old-school fun waiting for you to discover. We think you should really consider adding some of the best board games to your collection — because if you want to be the cool kid at the party (or just the cool person in general), you need to know how to play these classics.

Nothing beats a game party night when it comes to getting your friends together, cracking open some beers, and having a good time. So get ready for some good old-fashioned delight; you’ll be surprised at how easily you can get sucked into these games — and before long, everyone will be clamoring for their turn at bat!

#1

Scrabble

Picture of Scrabble game box

1938 | 2-4 players | Age: 8+

Scrabble is still a pretty popular board game, and word-puzzle enthusiasts all over the world have fallen in love with it! There’s just something about the way the tiles sound when you lay them on the board or how your brain goes into overdrive as you try to come up with words you’ve probably never used before. The latest editions of the game added new possible words and neologisms.

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    #2

    Sorry!

    Picture of Sorry! game box

    1929 | 2-4 players | Age: 6+

    Sorry! is a board game based on Pachisi, a cross-and-circle game that originated in ancient India. Sold for the first time in 1929, it’s stood the test of time to the point that it’s soon gonna celebrate 100 years of success! The goal is pretty simple. To win, players move their pieces around a board, attempting to get them all “home” before any other player. A PC video game version was released in 1998.

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    #3

    Trouble

    Picture of Trouble game box

    1965 | 2-4 players | Age: 5+

    Trouble is a popular family board game and the perfect way to spend time with your loved ones. Thanks to a device called “Pop-O-Matic,” players compete to push four pieces all the way around a board. Trouble’s concept and gameplay are based on an Indian game called Ludo.

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    LMW
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My family and I played this game for hours on Christmas Eve 🎄

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    #4

    Trivial Pursuit

    Picture of Trivial Pursuit game box

    1981 | 2-6 players | Age: 16+

    Ready to find out which one of you is the real smartass? The classic game of Trivial Pursuit is a staple in many households, and for good reason: it’s fun and challenges you to learn new things! If you haven’t played it in a while, now’s the time to dust off the board game box and start playing.

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    Foxxy says goodbye.
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I absolutely love trivia games. I have a few versions of trivial pursuit but I prefer the family edition. I am terrible with the genius edition.

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    #5

    Monopoly

    Picture of Monopoly game box

    1935 | 2-8 players | Age: 7+

    A classic among classics, Monopoly has been around since 1935, and it’s still going strong. The franchise blessed us with new versions of the game over the years, like Monopoly Junior, Monopoly Empire, and even a Star Wars edition! But the premise of the game stays the same: it’s all about buying property and making money off other people’s misfortune… and that’s what makes it one of the best board games of all time!

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    #6

    Clue

    Picture of Clue game box

    1949 | 2-6 players | Age: 8+

    If you love a good mystery (and who doesn’t?), then Clue is an excellent choice for your next board game night. It’s a classic game of investigation and intrigue, where players take on the roles of different suspects as they try to solve a murder. The game is all about guessing the victim’s killer, the location of the crime, and the murder weapon. Ready to find out who done it?

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    #7

    Guess Who?

    Picture of Guess Who? game box

    1979 | 2 players | Age: 6+

    Choose your character and keep your identity secret as long as you can! Whether you’re playing with your grandma, your dad, or your kids, Guess Who? has been around for ages and shows no sign of giving up its special place on the podium. Despite how good the game is in its simplicity, it took so long for the creators to finally add some diversity to it: the original edition included only five women out of 24 characters, with the game featuring only one non-white character.

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    #8

    Boggle

    Picture of Boggle game

    1972 | 2+ players | Age: 8+

    You remember Ruzzle, right? The mobile game that took the world by storm in 2013? Boggle is the original game that inspired Ruzzle, and it’s still as fun and challenging as it was back in the 1970s. The best part about Boggle is that it’s easy to learn and quick to play, so even if you’re not much of a board game person, you can still enjoy a game party with your favorite people!

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    #9

    The Game Of Life

    Picture of The Game of Life game box

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    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    We did a live action version of this game in our Economy and Society class at school. I've never played the board game though.

    #10

    Rummikub

    Picture of Rummikub game box

    1978 | 2-4 players | Age: 8+

    Pronounced “rummy-cube,” this tile-based game combines elements of other famous games like rummy and mahjong. Players take turns placing numbered tiles, trying to create runs and groups of the same. Don’t have Rummikub at home? Time to visit your local board game store!

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    #14

    Settlers Of Catan

    Picture of Settlers of Catan game box

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    #15

    Pictionary

    Picture of Pictionary game box

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    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love this game but no one will play it with me because I'm really good at both drawing and guessing but they aren't :)

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    #16

    Sequence

    Picture of Sequence game box

    1982 | 2+ players | Age: 7+
     

    Sequence is an exciting board-and-card game, part of the ever-popular family of strategy games. The object here is to form rows of five chips on the board by placing them on the board spaces corresponding to cards played from the player’s hand. The first player or team who completes two sequences wins!

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    #17

    Connect Four

    Picture of Connect Four game box

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    K.H.M.
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I remember only once beating my brother. He was really good!

    #19

    Wit’s End

    Picture of Wit’s End game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I pride myself on my boardgame knowledge. I've never heard of this.

    #21

    Aggravation

    Picture of Aggravation game box

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    #22

    Cards Against Humanity

    Picture of Cards Against Humanity game box

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    Foxxy says goodbye.
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not a game if you're easily offended or triggered. Perfect game for me lol. It's so wrong and inappropriate but bloody hilarious. Never a dull moment.

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    #24

    Mancala

    Mancala board with colorful marbles

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As much as i like this game... i don't think this is a games night game... this is a date night game.

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    #27

    Ticket To Ride

    Picture of Ticket to Ride game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Best version is Europe. It has some extra spicy mechanics that feel well integrated.

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    #29

    Backgammon

    Backgammon board with figures

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This brings me back memories of sitting with my grandfather in the cancer watd and playing this with him during his chemo. It is such a fun game with a fair bit of nuanced strategy.

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    #31

    Chinese Checkers

    Chinese Checkers board with figures

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    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My grandad built a set, using marbles for playing pieces. He kept the set in a particular drawer of a coffee table he built. The drawer always had a particular smell. Years later I inherited the coffee table and when I opened the drawer it still had the smell! I don't know where the game went though. My siblings both would love to have it too, so there may be a fight in the future :)

    #32

    Dominoes

    Dominoes game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So... I have a story. In the west indies dominoes are called bones. I got my grandfather (from barbados) a fancy set dominoes in this lovely leather case. The case came with a plaque you could get engraved so i went to a shop, gave them the plaque and asked them to write "Bumpa's Bones" because I've called them bones my whole life I assumed everyone in Canada would draw that mental connection. The woman clearly hadn't as she looked mortified. Me, being oblivious, thought maybe she didn't understand the name and explained that Bumpa is what I call my grandfather (as I'm holding a box of lightly clinking unseen items). That made it worse. She wouldn't do it and wanted me to remove the box from her store. I was very confused but after some back and forth realised she thought i was holding my grandfather's bones and she's superstitious. Cut to me trying to prove they are dominoes and her holding the box shut afraid of bad luck. Bumpa loved the story.

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    #33

    Taboo

    Picture of Taboo game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    LOVE THIS GAME!! Playing it as a kid helped me develop my vocabulary and lateral thinking skills. I got really good at coming up with synonyms to describe things which served me well in university let me tell you!

    #38

    Carcassonne

    Picture of Carcassonne game box

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    Kipper
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The best game on the market. Play it regularly and have for years.

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    #46

    Don’t Break The Ice

    Picture of Don’t Break the Ice game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There's a hilarious video of nba players playing this on YouTube. Had me in stitches.

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    #55

    Exploding Kittens

    Picture of Exploding Kittens game box

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    #59

    Mysterium

    Picture of Mysterium game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Love this game. It is flawless. My favorite was being the ghost and the drunkest guy there was always perfectly on my wavelength but no one ever listened to him the whole game on account of being sloshed. He nailed my logic every single round even my sketchy ones.

    #60

    Disney Villainous

    Picture of Disney Villainous game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not a fun game night game. You play pretty much separately and there's minimal interaction between people.

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    #63

    221B Baker Street

    Picture of 221B Baker Street game box

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    #64

    Catchphrase

    Picture of Catchphrase game box

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    James016
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZna1zkWUF8&ab_channel=spikeyroberto - a classic clip from the TV show

    #69

    Five Tribes

    Picture of Five Tribes game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Fun game but we're really stretching "Classic board game"

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    #70

    Snakes And Ladders

    Picture of Snakes and Ladders game box

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    #78

    Archipelago

    Picture of Archipelago game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    At the risk of repeating myself but "Classic board game?"

    #79

    Battle Sheep

    Picture of Battle Sheep game box

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    #83

    Crokinole

    Picture of Crokinole game box

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    Hales M
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Great game hurts your nails after a full afternoon playing. This was a favorite of my late grandmother... we played this every morning after breakfast for a couple of hours a day. Really build up the muscles in your shooting finger.

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    #87

    Say Anything

    Picture of Say Anything game box

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    #88

    The Game Of Things

    Picture of The Game of Things game box

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    #89

    Unspeakable Words

    Picture of Unspeakable Words game box

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    #90

    Wits And Wagers

    Picture of Wits and Wagers game box

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