I thought I’d put together a list of our current favorite board games (ages 6 and up)!
Top 5 Family Board Games
1. Hasbro Sorry! Game 2013 Version (with the Fire and Ice Power-Ups)
Hasbro Sorry! Game 2013 Version (with the Fire and Ice Power-Ups) is definitely not the old version. It has 3 pawns instead of 4, but it makes for a bit of faster gameplay.
You can also either play the regular way, or you can add the fire and ice twist. We enjoy the fire and ice twist, as it lets us freeze each other or soar on to the finish line. By drawing cards, players move their game pieces around the board, hoping to eventually accumulate all their pieces at the final destination — home.
My son has gotten so good at strategizing with this game. If you draw a 7, you can split up moves between two pawns and he has figured out how to divide it up and knock one of us back home!!
This game is listed on Amazon for ages 6+.
2. Battleship
Battleship (We have the travel version, fun on the run). We love Battleship. It’s a two-player game, but it works out great for this small family. My son and I can play alone without the need for an extra player.
With the travel version, we often pile into his bed or on the couch to play as well. It’s great for a strategy game, as you try and sink the others battleship!
Amazon has this listed ages 7+.
3. Catan: Junior
This is the junior version of the very popular Settlers of Catan game. It is designed for players as young as 6 and is a perfect introduction to the Catan series of games for kids and families.
Catan: Junior takes place on a ring of islands where 2 to 4 players build hideouts, and the mysterious Spooky Island, where the Ghost Captain lives. Each island generates a specific resource: wood, goats, molasses or swords and players can acquire gold.
Each player starts with two pirate hideouts, then builds ships in order to expand their network. The more hideouts you build, the more resources you may receive. You use your resources to build ships, hideouts or get help from Coco the Parrot. Just watch out for the dreaded Ghost Captain. Be the first player to control seven pirate hideouts and you win the game.
We have played and played and played this game. We are very close to being able to graduate to the adult version of the game. My son has it mastered, and loves getting help from Coco the Parrot while doing it! It also plays well as a 2 player game due to a separate board format for 2 player games vs. 3 or 4 players.
Amazon has this game listed for ages 6+.
4. Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride
The Ticket To Ride Board Game is a cross-country train adventure. The objective of this train board game is to see who can travel by rail to the most cities in North America in just seven days. There are 225 colored train cars and players have to collect cards that allow them to use the different railway routes connecting the cities across the USA. This Ticket To Ride Board Game comes complete with a detailed board, game cards, help cards, rules, train miniatures and more.
I love that this game is educational, as well. My son likes to figure out which cities he is going to build trains from.
We loved it so much, we got an expansion pack (The 1910 Expansion Pack) for the game as well. It comes with 181 large format cards with 39 new destination tickets and a rule booklet with 3 new ways to play.
Amazon has listed this game for ages 8+. Can be played by 2-5 players.
5. Hasbro Trivial Pursuit Family Edition Game
With cards for kids and adults, the whole family can enjoy this fun-filled Family Edition of Trivial Pursuit! Family members of all ages can test their smarts with question after question in 6 categories. The game’s fresh questions and faster pace make for quick-play trivia, and with 1,200 questions (600 for adults, 600 for kids) you’ll never run out.
Again, it’s educational, which makes it more valuable to us! My son absolutely loves it. He likes to try and answer the adult questions, so he’s allowed to try those first. If he doesn’t get the adult question right, we let him try the children’s questions!
This is apparently an Amazon exclusive – and yes, this is the one we have exactly. Amazon has this listed for ages 8+.
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I’d love to hear about your favorite board games, and what makes them your favorites! I’m sure there are many more fun games out there that we can add to our rotation!
Thank you for this! I’m always looking for new games for us to play!!! My son is 7 and I think he will enjoys these.
Paige- I’m glad this was valuable for you!! We love board games, and at that age they start truly understanding rules and developing logic! So fun!
How fun! I love board games and honestly haven’t heard of half of these will def check it out
Mayra – so glad I could help you discover some new board games!
Thanks for the list, Manda! We are big fans of Catan Jr. as well. And we haven’t tried the Trivial Pursuit Family Edition yet, thanks for the suggestion. We’re trying to get new ideas. Have you tried any cooperative games with your family yet? We just wrote about one by Peaceable Kingdom on our blog at dadsuggests.com
Hi Ryan, No I haven’t tried a cooperative game yet. Can’t wait to check out your site and recommendations!