Board Games to Play with Family and Friends

Board games are a great way to have fun during family events and game nights with friends. They help us create, maintain and develop relationships with people in an intimate, enjoyable environment and experience.

In a world where we see more and more games played online, more time spent looking at our TV and phone screens, and less time being social in real life, board games can provide what feels like a unique experience!

There are a wealth of board games to fit all kinds of needs and desires, from classics like Monopoly, newer hits like Settlers of Catan, and a multitude of new games coming out every year, such as the more contemporary title Beat It!

If you have a family gathering over the holidays or simply want to kick back with some friends on a rainy Thursday evening, some of the games below may spark your interest!

Monopoly

Initially derived by The Landlord's Game by anti-monopolists Leslie Maggie and Charles David in 1935, Monopoly is an economics-themed game for two players and up. Its initial design was intended to show how monopolies were bad, but nowadays, the brand somewhat idolizes it.

Players must make their way around a clockwise board, rolling two dice and deciding whether or not to invest in properties that will charge rent should another player land on them. Monopoly has many components of both luck and strategy, ensuring that each game is different from the last.

Monopoly is a true classic in the board game industry; having been translated into 47 languages and selling over 275 million copies, the game has been a thrilling success.

After Hasbro acquired the game in 1991, they decided the best way to distribute the game would be to license it and create many variations with other popular consumer entertainment brands, such as The Walking Dead and Fortnite in recent years.

Beat That!

Beat That! is a crazy new game full of wacky challenges for between two and eight players.

At the beginning of each game, players are dealt ten betting tokens with varying values. Next, players bet on their ability to complete the challenges, in which each player completes the same. If a player bets their token and successfully completes the challenge, they add it to their bank. The person with the most points at the end of ten rounds is the winner!

Players will find 160 crazy challenges in four categories: solo, buddy up, duel, and battle royale.

For example, solo challenges could see you stacking dice with chopsticks against a timer, and buddy ups might have you guessing a song that your buddy is gargling with a mouth full of water!

Guess Who

Guess Who is the game that will have players asking questions to eliminate the possibility of a candidate, such as, "are they wearing a monocle?"

Players take turns asking yes or no questions until someone has just one candidate left and can correctly guess who the other person's character is.

Originally created by Ora and Theo Coster of Theora Design, it was manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1979 and is now owned by Hasbro.

The Game of Life

This board game life simulator will have between two and six players traversing through common life occurrences, such as going to college, buying a home, raising a family, having a career, and then enjoying retirement.

Players make their way through a semi-linear board by spinning a wheel with numbers from 1-10 that sits in the middle of the board, with various intersections that send the player off the main track for a while.

The objective of Life is to have as many assets as possible by the end of the game. There are various ways to acquire assets as you move through the game, primarily through working or obtaining tokens with dollar amounts.

The game presents players with options regarding investments and such, although it is quite luck-based and so is suitable for younger players who might not understand a more advanced strategy.

Widely regarded as America's first popular board game, the initial conception was the brainchild of Milton Bradley in 1860, with the modern version being published in 1960, 100 years later! Also, thanks to its success, The Game of Life is now part of the Smithsonian's permanent collection and is a part of the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Catan

Catan (previously known as Settlers of Catan) sees players building settlements, cities, armies, and roads in order to earn victory points.

Players set up the game with various hexagonal tiles depicting resources, desert, or water to form an almost unique game board with every new game. Players use these resources within the game to build, making them very precious!

Players earn one point for each settlement they establish, two points for each city, and a point for meeting specific achievements, such as having the longest road or the largest army.

Originally published in 1995, Catan's success has led to many expansions and variations of the game, which provide interesting and unique takes on the original. The game is prized for its ability to attract new and experienced board game enthusiasts alike.

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