Fewer things incite more laughs or playful banter than a good game night. In recent years, board games have expanded well past Monopoly or Life — and while there’s nothing wrong with these certified classics, different moods or number of players might call for new options to try out.
Whether you are looking for an easy-going option to unwind after work, an exciting party game or immersive narrative puzzles, we compiled a list of the best board games for adults according to NBC Select staff and expert recommendations.
SKIP AHEAD The best board games for adults
How we picked the best board games for adults
We consulted experts from the board game review sites BoardGameGeek and Board Game Quest for their recommendations. When looking for the best board games, they recommend keeping in mind the following factors:
- Skill level: An accessible ruleset is important for casual players, says Tony Mastrangeli, art director and graphic designer at North Star Games. “You want to get games that are really easy to get to the table and understand,” he says. “For new players, I look for an accessible theme, light rules, and a shorter play time.” He also recommends cooperative tabletop games for newcomers that involve players working together as opposed to competing against each other.
- Number of players: The right board game can heavily depend on how many people are playing. While many board games are better suited for smaller groups, party games like Codenames, which facilitate social interaction, are ideal for larger groups, says Mastrangeli. “They feel like a mass market game, but they’re more about the lively group settings,” he says.
- Engaging themes: Finding board games with engaging themes can also increase their appeal to players, especially older ones. “When we’re talking about adults, especially in this current environment, people are looking for things that are interesting or something they haven’t seen before,” says ATTA committee member Eric Yurko.
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Best board games for adults
Below, we compiled expert- and NBC Select staff-recommended board games for adults. We also noted the number of players and approximate play time for each.
Hasbro Gaming Road Trip Series Scrabble
Scrabble is perfect for word game lovers and spelling bee whizzes. Players take turns constructing words using seven letter tiles, each worth a different amount of points. NBC Page Hannah Feuchtman loves this mini version that lets her play on-the-go while traveling with friends and family. “It’s portable and compact, fits easily into a bag, and has all the original parts of the traditional game,” says Feuchtman.
Players: 2-4 | Playtime: 50-90 minutes
Cascadia
Set in the Pacific Northwest, this easy-going, tile-laying wildlife game is perfect to play after work, says Yurko. The goal is to build terrains and populate them with wildlife to create the largest ecosystem. “It’s pretty straightforward and very pretty, and the theme is very engaging,” says Yurko.
Players: 1-4 | Playtime: 30-45 minutes
Game That Song
For music lovers, this party game tests how well players know each other’s music tastes. “I come from a family of music snobs, so I knew a game like this would be really fun and competitive,” says NBC Select SEO editor Nikki Brown. Every round, there is a “judge” that picks a card describing a scenario. The other players will each choose a song they believe best fits that scenario, and then the judge chooses a winner. “You have to pick a song that compliments their personal taste, so there’s definitely some strategy involved,” says Brown.
Players: 3-6 (up to 10 with teams) | Playtime: Varies
Wavelength
This guessing game “revels in the thought process of people in the room,” says NBC Select video producer Joshua Rios. Two teams compete to read each other’s minds by taking turns rotating a dial to where they think a hidden target is placed on a spectrum. One player — the Psychic — knows where the target is and gives a clue based on a card with two opposing ideas (for example, “HOT/COLD”). The teams then move the dial on the spectrum depending on the Psychic’s hint. “It’s a great game for a casual board game night that changes every time you play,” says Rios.
Players: 2-12 | Playtime: 30 minutes
Catan
Catan, previously The Settlers of Catan, is a strategy game with a deeply dedicated fan base. The game involves building settlements, cities and roads on an island (the board) with finite resources. You’ll roll dice to collect resources like wheat, ore, brick and wool, which allows you to expand your territory and earn victory points. The first player to ten victory points wins the game. The game has several expansions, including Explorers and Pirates and Seafarers. You can also purchase a board extension for up to six players (the base game allows up to four).
“Catan is a great board game for adults and older kids looking for a slightly more strategic board game night,” says NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz. “The best part is there are lots of different ways to win, meaning each player can have a different strategy. And the board changes with every game, so it doesn’t get stale.”
Players: 3-4 | Playtime: 60 minutes
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a tile-replacement game based on the eponymous fortified city in southern France and recommended by Mastrangeli. Players use tiles representing fields, roads, cities and monasteries to create an expansive medieval town where they can place knights, monks, farmers and thieves. By using tiles to block other players or expanding your own territory, Carcassonne is a great strategy game that is still approachable for beginners, says Mastrangeli.
Players: 2-5 | Playtime: 30-45 minutes
Clue
A board game that needs no introduction, Clue is a classic murder mystery that defined the genre. Players aim to figure out who murdered the victim, where and with what weapon. Each player is assigned a suspect (like iconic characters Colonel Mustard or Mrs. Peacock) and strategically moves across the game board of various rooms within a mansion. NBC Select managing editor Leah Ginsberg recently played Clue for the first time since childhood and says it still holds up: “It was the only interesting board game our AirBnb had to play on a rainy vacation day. I had forgotten how much fun it is,” she says.
Players: 2-6 | Playtime: 60 minutes
Wingspan
Wingspan is NBC Select updates editor Mili Godio’s favorite board game, and turns bird watching into a fun wildlife game. “It’s so wholesome, and it’s a visually beautiful game too,” says Godio. Drawing from 180 unique bird cards, players gather birds into their aviary to grow their habitats. Use food tokens from a custom bird feeder dice tower and lay eggs — represented by miniature egg pieces — to create the most harmonious ecosystem for your birds.
Players: 1-5 | Playtime: 40-70 minutes
Anomia
A favorite of NBC Select SEO associate reporter Ashley Morris, Anomia is a high pressure card game that tests your quick thinking skills. A deck of cards that each have a symbol and topic is placed face down. Players take turns flipping cards from a deck until another two people have cards with matching symbols. The two players race to give an example of the topic on their opponent’s card, and whoever is able to answer the quickest takes that card. It’s an easy yet fast-paced game that can build up into exciting chaos.
Players: 3-6 | Playtime: 30 minutes
Burgle Bros.
Pull off the ultimate heist in one of Yurko’s favorite cooperative games. Crew members break into the building (represented by tiles), crack each floor’s safe and escape without getting caught by the “guards” (represented by tokens). Players get through the floors by solving puzzles, using stealth tokens and working together to evade tense situations. “It’s thematically very fun, a lot of people really like it,” says Yurko. “I’ve probably played it 200 times at this point. It’s a game I just keep coming back to.”
Players: 1-4 | Playtime: 45-90 minutes
Azul
One of the more visually aesthetic games on this list, Azul is a “strategic Tetris like game that forces you to look across the board as you build your masterpiece,” says Rios. Based on Portuguese tiles called azulejos, players collect and place colorful geometric tiles onto a 5x5 grid board and score points based on their placements. You can score extra points with specific patterns and by completing rows, while watching out for other players who may try to block your tiles with their own patterns.
Players: 2-4 | Playtime: 30-45 minutes
Kingdomino
For those who are looking for the feel of a classic domino matching game, Mastrangeli recommends this strategic tile placement option. Players match dominoes representing different landscapes to build their kingdoms and expand their terrain. It’s a quick and easy introduction to strategy board games and a more fantastical alternative to classic dominoes, according to the brand.
Players: 2-4 | Playtime: 15-20 minutes
Codenames
Codenames is a strategic, high energy game that encourages heavy teamwork and understanding of each other’s thinking process. It’s one of my favorite party games because it accommodates four or more players. The players are split into two teams, each with a “spymaster.” Each card has one word on it, and the spymasters are able to see which cards represent their agents — teams guess those cards based on the spymaster’s one-word clues. Teammates have to find all their agents but avoid words that represent the other team’s cards, innocent bystanders and the assassin (which means an automatic loss).
Players: 4-8+ | Playtime: 15-30 minutes
Ticket to Ride
Players can travel through cities in A Ticket to Ride by drawing train cards and building railroad systems. Although it’s a simple idea, the competition to create the longest routes and collect points can create a lot of fun tension. “It’s my favorite family game night option,” says Godio. “I love that there’s some strategy behind it, but it’s still easy to learn.” It even has its own Amazon Alexa skill to teach new players and help track scores.
Players: 2-5 | Playtime: 30-60 minutes
The Light in the Mist
For fans of tarot cards, this narrative adventure is “one of the best puzzle games” Yurko has ever played. As your friend goes missing in a mysterious forest, players solve logic and word problems to find hidden messages and unlock a journey through time. It offers over five hours of gameplay, and can often be stretched to weeks depending on your pace. “It’s visually breathtaking, and the way the art, plot and gameplay all integrate together is sublime,” says Yurko.
Players: 1-4 | Playtime: 5+ hours
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Eric Yurko is an American Table Top Awards committee member
- Tony Mastrangeli is the publisher of Board Game Quest and art director and graphic designer at North Star Games.
Why trust NBC Select?
Jaures Yip is an intern at NBC Select. For this story, she spoke to two board game reviewers and compiled their recommendations for the best board games for adults to shop. Yip also researched dozens of highly rated board games on the market and listed NBC Select staff favorites.
Christina Colizza is a former editor at Select and has been a product reviewer since 2018. She covers a range of self care and skin care topics like shampoos, eyebrow serums, body lotions and more.
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