15 Best Family Board Games for Friendly Competition

This game is hard not to love! Using just a few words, each player has to try and get as close to the described color as possible—and with 480 color squares to choose from, you can see how it can easily turn into a friendly game of competition! For lovers of all things color and design, this game will be a favorite.

If you have little ones who are just starting to get into the fun of word play and reading, then this youngster-approved game of Bananagrams is sure to be a hit in your house. With 80 lowercase letter tiles and 13 combo-letter tiles, you and your little bunch can have fun making words and phrases together (and learning how to spell along the way!).

For families with teens, sometimes you want to try a new board game that tests your creative thinking skills in a new way. With Codenames, two teams race to identify their agents with guidance from the spymaster who knows each card’s identity. Match the clues but be sure to avoid the other team’s agents, bystanders, and— most importantly—the assassin!

Calling all Potterheads! This special edition of Monopoly combines the Wizarding World with the classic Monopoly gameplay, with themed artwork, locations, and characters from Hogwarts.  

Get your game face on… It’s time to guess who! Play detective with this classic guessing game where players ask yes or no questions to uncover each other’s secret identity. It’s easy to learn, quick to play, and full of laughs—not to mention the nostalgia factor for parents who played as kids.

Welcome to the world of Catan! Dive into this cult-favorite strategy game where you have to trade, build, and settle your way across the island of Catan. It’s a great pick for families because it gets everyone talking, strategizing, and collaborating as they compete to become the island’s top settler.

Think you’re the smartest one in the house? Put your knowledge to the test with this live quiz show-style game featuring over 10,000 pop culture questions on everything from Harry Potter to Friends to Game of Thrones. With a clever app that lets up to six devices join from anywhere, it’s the ultimate pick for family trivia night.

We know Jonathan and Zooey love escape rooms, but this game puts a whole new twist on it! The whole premise guarantees your family won’t zone out on their smart devices on game night, because their phones will be under lock and key. Together, players solve riddles to reveal the code and get the phones out of jail. It’s a suspense-filled adventure that turns screen time into team time in the best way possible.

Your next trip just got way more fun with this classic. Match colors and numbers, play wild cards, and race to be the first to shout “UNO!” before your hand runs out. Whether you’re shopping for someone else or replacing your tattered, years-old deck, this travel-friendly edition is the perfect find. It’s fast, fun, and easy to pack for family getaways thanks to its durable travel tin.

Is your family group chat constantly being flooded with hilarious memes? Now you can share the laughter IRL with this fun family game that asks players to pair clever captions with eye-catching photos. It’s a quick, lighthearted game that highlights everyone’s sense of humor (and finally settles the debate over who’s the funniest).

Strategy meets excitement meets math in this game that will have the whole family putting on their thinking caps. Players will roll the dice, add up the totals, and flip down the numbered tiles to “shut the box” before running out of moves. It’s easy to learn—and even more fun to master.

Why pick just one game when you can take home nine? Players can switch between classics like chess, backgammon, Mancala, and dominoes—all in one beautifully crafted wooden box. It’s a timeless set that’s sure to keep the family entertained for years to come.

Family bonding disguised as competition? We’re in! Players will answer fun questions and complete silly challenges to see how well they really know each other. It’s a great bonding game that’s equal parts competition and connection.

This creative guessing game all comes down to one question: What am I? Players wear a mystery card on their headband and ask yes-or-no questions to figure out their identity. Amusement ensues as players shout clues to help each other guess the person, place, or thing displayed on their headbands. It’s fast, silly, and full of laugh-out-loud moments.

Classics are classics for a reason, and Jenga has been entertaining families, friends, and brewery-goers for decades. The game is simple: Take turns stacking and removing wooden blocks without toppling the tower. It’s simple, suspenseful, and always ends with laughter (and a crash!).