What are the best board games for adults?

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Nov 7, 2022

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9 Options Considered

Best board games for adults	Price	# Players	Play Time
-- Carcassonne	$34.99	2-5	30 - 45 Minutes
-- Codenames	$12.99	2 to 4	15 minutes
-- The Voting Game	$24.99	-	-
-- Catan	$39.20	2 to 4	45–90 Minutes
-- Sheriff of Nottingham	-	-	-

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score 2 · Answer 1

Carcassonne

Play Time:30 - 45 Minutes

score 3 · Answer 2

Codenames

Top Pro

Players can easily drop in and out of the game

Codenames is a very accessible deduction game, where players guess words based on one clue from the Spy Master. A lot of people have been in the situation where a game is already in progress, but someone shows up and wants to join in - with Codenames this isn't a problem. A player can easily join a team and take part in the debates for the correct guess. There is no plot, and no intricate mechanic that needs to be explained to people before they can play. You could even switch the players after every turn, and it wouldn't change the gameplay. See More

Top Con

Requires some higher language comprehension

This wouldn't be the best game to play with people with a limited vocabulary, such as children or non-native speakers. The whole game is based on guessing various words, so players need to be able to understand the words and create associations in order to play. See More

Specs

# Players:2 to 4

Play Time:15 minutes

Age:10+

Top Pro

Can be played by a lot of players

With an official player count of 2-10 players, there really isn't an upper limit to the number of players that can play Codenames together, which makes Codenames a perfect game for big parties or other events with a lot of people. To play, players divide into two teams with each team having 1 Spy Master who gives clues to the rest of the team. This means that adding more players doesn't change the way the game is played, merely how many people the Spy Masters are giving clues to. See More

Top Con

Not great for small groups

The game really starts to shine from 4 players and more, which can quite often be difficult to assemble. Anything under that doesn't really work. There's a variation for two players that basically makes you work together against an enemy that gets one agent every turn, but this takes away a lot of what makes the game fun in the first place - the competition between teams, the debating, the strategy, etc. Furthermore, the three-player variation is either the same as the two-player variant, albeit a little better because of the debating, or a competition between Spy Masters on who can give the best clues to the operative, which can give that player quite a lot of strain. See More

Top Pro

Nearly endless replayability

You will almost never play the exact same game twice. You could play this game for years and you'll still have to stop and think of clues to give your operatives or ways to interpret what's been said to you. Codenames comes with 200 double-sided codename cards, of which you use 25 per game. Moreover, there are 40 key cards showing the layout of the agents that can each be orientated in 4 different ways. See More

Top Con

Spy Masters must be kept in check

There are a lot of nuances in the rulebook regarding the responsibilities of the Spy Masters - what kind of clues you can give, how you react, what you say, etc. Of course, there are some variables and flexible rules, but the main gist stays the same. The Spy Master can't show reactions to guesses, be it a nod, a reply, or anything else because this might mislead the operatives or, on the contrary, reveal too much. This can get very difficult in more intense situations, so it's important for the opponents to be on the look out. See More

Top Pro

Hilarious

The game can lead to some hilarious moments when either guessing the answer or debating to find it. The key is to understand the Spy Master's thought process, but this is a harder task than it might seem at the start. Since the Spy Master can't speak, the team often miscommunicates, which results in laughter for the other team and some frustration for the guessers, more often than not accompanied with a comment about how bad the Spy Master is. The debating process can be quite funny as well - the operatives might argue about who's right and what the Spy Master might've thought, or be completely confident in their guess and still fail. No matter the outcome, when the game ends the Spy Master can finally vent all of his built-up frustration, which can result in some good laughs too. See More

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score 2 · Answer 3

The Voting Game

Top Pro

A lot of hilarious player interaction

Players are constantly socializing with each other, be it by laughing along at the questions and results or explaining their choices. This leads to many stories being told throughout the whole game, which can also lead to inside jokes and throwbacks in the next questions, making the game a memorable and fun experience for everyone involved. See More

Top Con

Highly player dependent

The game changes drastically depending on the people you play it with. Players need be in the right mindset and mood - if there is someone shy, easily offended or easily embarrassed in your group, then the game can turn into an unpleasant experience very quickly. See More

Top Pro

Good replay value and variability

The Voting Game is highly replayable because of the large amount of possible house rules and four official expansions. There are some rules mentioned in the official instructions that can help change up the game, for example, by allowing players to vote for themselves or transforming the game into a drinking game. You’re also free to add your own house rules, change the win condition or just play for fun. The Voting Game has four unique expansion packs – NSFW, Fill In The Blank, Political, and Create Your Own Expansion. Each of these brings new thematic questions to the table that adds to the replay value and fun. For example, the Create Your Own Expansion lets the players themselves create some unique questions before the game begins, whereas the Fill In The Blank expansion adds question cards with blank spaces that are filled in when it’s your turn. See More

Top Con

Not very replayable if played with the same group

If you play The Voting Game with the same people repeatedly, then the game can quickly lose its charm. It’s possible to exhaust too many questions in your initial playthrough, which can lead to you having to answer the same questions in your future plays, which, in turn, creates repetitive answers and situations. See More

Top Pro

Players can come and go

If you’re playing the game just for fun without a win condition, then players can join or leave as they please without impacting the game too much. It is very easy to deal in another player to a game already in progress once a question is finished. Similarly, if someone has to go, then the game can continue without interruption simply by removing the player’s number from the other player’s hands. See More

Top Pro

Large player count

The Voting Game is great for a larger party with a lot of people because it’s made for a maximum of 10 players. This means that usually nobody will be left out of the fun. See More

Top Pro

Very simple

The game is very straightforward and easy, making it possible to teach it to anyone in a few sentences. Each player is assigned a number and given a deck of number cards with the same amount of cards as players in the game. Every turn a new question is revealed, for example, “Who would find a way to break out of prison and succeed?” The players then vote for the player who, in their opinion, fits the description. The player that received the most votes gets a point. If it’s a tie, then the reader decides the winner. The first player to get 10 points wins the game. See More

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score 1 · Answer 4

Catan

Top Pro

Fun social experience

This is a game that promotes casual conversation during gameplay. You can haggle for resources with other players. You can create drama by intervening in your opponents plans, for example, by breaking their chain of roads, or building a town in their way to the port. You can also make alliances with other players and then betray them when a better offer comes along. See More

Top Con

Not a good game for a younger audience

Success is heavily dependent on thinking ahead and planning. Even though the recommended age is 10+, it is not a good game for children who may lack the skills needed to get the most out of the game. See More

Specs

# Players:2 to 4

Play Time:45–90 Minutes

Age:10+

Top Pro

An intellectually rewarding strategy game

This game allows you to try different, rewarding strategies. For example, you can create a monopoly over one resource, use the ports to trade with the bank for cheaper or try to buy the majority of victory points using the special abilities cards. There are a lot of options, and you can adapt and switch things up as the game goes on. You also have to think ahead and pay attention to what your opponents are up to. For example, if you've decided to go for the 2 victory points for having built the longest road, you have to watch if anyone else is doing the same thing, because there can only be one longest road. See More

Top Con

Constant haggling

One of the more prominent characteristics of Settlers of Catan is haggling, which can get tiresome if you're not into that sort of thing. You can expect to be bargaining for resources throughout the whole game, since your placement of villages does not guarantee getting a constant supply of a particular resource. See More

Top Pro

Players have control over the pace of the game

A game of Catan can take around 2 hours in a 4-player game. It's not a frantic game, there is no penalty for taking a while to figure out how you want to play your cards. You can keep it leisurely, or speed it up if you want to. See More

Top Con

No official two-player rules

There are no official two- player rules thought there are some two-player rules that users have created and can be found online. See More

Top Pro

You can increase replayability with different expansions

There are expansions for Catan such as Explorers & Pirates, Cities & Knights, Seafarers, and many more. Each one expands on the base game by adding extra mechanics. For example, the expansion Cities & Knights introduces city improvements that give various benefits to the player, and knights that protect them from invading barbarians. Expansion packs usually add game length and tactical complexity, which in turn greatly improves replayability. See More

Top Con

Chaotic expansions

Due to the game's popularity, there have been quite a lot of expansions over the years. While you can combine some of them easily, others not so much. It can be quite messy to figure it all out by yourself. There is a guide on the Catan website containing rules for combining expansions. See More

Top Pro

Teaches you about basic economic principles

This game teaches how to bargain, the meaning of scarcity, and how free markets work by forcing players to experience these firsthand. You can play without bargaining, but it is more fun to embrace the economy aspect of this game as it's a great learning tool. See More

Top Pro

Allows for multiple strategies in a single game

There are distinct stages in the game (early, middle and end-game), which have different strategies. For example, when the game has just started out, you won't have much other options except rolling the dice to gather more resources. In contrast, the end-game is a lot more alert, because multiple players at a time can be just 1 or 2 points away from victory. The game changes between these stages fluidly, and you have to be present and engaged at all times to stay ahead. See More

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score 1 · Answer 5

Sheriff of Nottingham

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score 2 · Answer 6

Sushi Go!

Top Pro

No waiting for other people's turns

Top Con

Not great with 2 players

TolerantElegua's Experience

If you are asking what are the best board games for adults, then you are probably best going with the gateway games for modern board games. Sushi Go is a great quick card game where each round you select a card from a hand of cards and pass it on to the next person on your right (like a revolving conveyor belt in a sushi restaurant). You select a card based on what it is worth but you may need 2, 3, 4 or even 5 of a kind to score or different combinations, therein lies the risk if someone else is also collecting it. Great fun, quick to learn and play and no waiting for other people as everyone takes their turn at the same time. I throughly enjoyed this the first time I played it and still own a copy of "Sushi Go Party". See More

Specs

# Players:2 to 5

Play Time:15 minutes

Age:8+

Top Pro

Reasonable price

Top Pro

Quick to play

Top Pro

Quick to learn

This game is so easy to learn everyone will be trying to win on their first game, yet there is enough strategy to keep you entertained. See More

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score 2 · Answer 7

Cards Against Humanity

Top Pro

Audacious and funny concept for those who enjoy dark humor

The creators of CAH took already used game mechanics (using cards with words to form sentences - see "Apples to Apples", for example) and gave it an audacious twist. The game's cards potentiate the vile and sordid corners of our brains, making us use them to make humorous and reprehensible expressions. The results are funny and as awkward and contemptible as those playing the game. See More

Top Con

A kind of humor that's not for everyone

Not everyone finds CAH's humor funny. Many will find it crude, distasteful and disrespectful. On top of that, there are many scenarios where players need to have knowledge on some pretty shady subjects to understand the cards and the sentences they form. See More

Specs

Playing time:30-90 minutes

Age range:17 and up

Number of players:4 to 20

Top Pro

Straightforward and easy to explain

The mechanics of the game are pretty straightforward and it's easy and quick to get someone who has never heard of CAH before playing and enjoying him/herself. Of course, they have to appreciate this kind of humor. See More

Top Con

Simplistic gameplay

As original and fun as this game can be, and even challenging, the gameplay itself is very simplistic. It really is basically an "Apples to Apples" with different words. Those used to more demanding and complex games may be disapointed with this. See More

Top Pro

Crazy, long list of expansion packs

CAH is one of the card games currently on the market that has more expansion packs (just over 20 as of Nov. 2016 ). And there are expansions with themes for all tastes: there's the "90s Nostalgia" Pack, the "Jew" Pack, the "Vote for Trump" Pack, the "Post-Trump" Pack and the "Fantasy" Pack, just to name a few. See More

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score 1 · Answer 8

Monopoly

Top Pro

Easy enough to understand for children

Monopoly is easy enough to understand the rules of and follow the gameplay for children above the age of 8. See More

Specs

# Players:2 to 8

Play Time:180 Minutes

Age:8+

Top Pro

2 to 6 playes

Monopoly can be played with as little as two players and as many as six. This makes it a very versatile game as it can be played one on one or with small gatherings. See More

Top Pro

Many different editions

There are many different editions of Monopoly available including Junior and Anniversary. There is also a slew of themed Monopoly games such as Disney and Star Wars. See More

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score 1 · Answer 9

Dare or Dare

9 Options Considered

My Recommendation for Carcassonne

My Recommendation for Carcassonne

My Recommendation for Codenames

My Recommendation for Codenames

Players can easily drop in and out of the game

Requires some higher language comprehension

Can be played by a lot of players

Not great for small groups

Nearly endless replayability

Spy Masters must be kept in check

Hilarious

My Recommendation for The Voting Game

My Recommendation for The Voting Game

A lot of hilarious player interaction

Highly player dependent

Good replay value and variability

Not very replayable if played with the same group

Players can come and go

Large player count

Very simple

My Recommendation for Catan

My Recommendation for Catan

Fun social experience

Not a good game for a younger audience

An intellectually rewarding strategy game

Constant haggling

Players have control over the pace of the game

No official two-player rules

You can increase replayability with different expansions

Chaotic expansions

Teaches you about basic economic principles

Allows for multiple strategies in a single game

My Recommendation for Sheriff of Nottingham

My Recommendation for Sheriff of Nottingham

My Recommendation for Sushi Go!

My Recommendation for Sushi Go!

No waiting for other people's turns

Not great with 2 players

Reasonable price

Quick to play

Quick to learn

My Recommendation for Cards Against Humanity

My Recommendation for Cards Against Humanity

Audacious and funny concept for those who enjoy dark humor

A kind of humor that's not for everyone

Straightforward and easy to explain

Simplistic gameplay

Crazy, long list of expansion packs

My Recommendation for Monopoly

My Recommendation for Monopoly

Easy enough to understand for children

2 to 6 playes

Many different editions

My Recommendation for Dare or Dare

My Recommendation for Dare or Dare

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