Over the years we have built a large collection of board games for family game night. Family game night is something that everyone in our family looks forward to. When the children were younger we’d let each young player team up with either mom or dad so they could learn the ropes – then when they become old enough to play they were already adding to the competition! We do our best to add new board games for family game night a couple times each year during big sales (ie: Black Friday, after Christmas, etc). Here are 13 board games for family game night that our family couldn’t do without over the years!

13 Must Have Board Games for Family Game Night

Ticket To Ride – October 2, 1900 – it’s 28 years to the day that noted London eccentric, Phileas Fogg accepted and then won a bet that he could travel “Around the World in 80 Days.” Now, at the dawn of the century, some old friends have gathered to celebrate Fogg’s impetuous and lucrative gamble – and to propose a new wager of their own. The stakes: $1 million in a winner-takes-all competition. The objective: to see the most cities in North America – in just 7 days. Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure game. Players collect train cards that enable them to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway. For 2 to 5 players ages 8 and older.
Operation Game (Classic Version) is a game that every family should experience. We have had so many nights full of laughter with this one! You’re the doctor when you play Operation. Take turns removing various “ailments” from the patient’s body with tweezers, but watch out! Don’t set off the buzzer! This classic game is great fun for everyone. Definitely a must have board game for family game night.

Jenga Classic Game -It’s the classic block-stacking, stack-crashing game of Jenga. How will you stack up against the law of gravity? Stack the wooden blocks in a sturdy tower, then take turns pulling out blocks one by one until the whole stack crashes down. Is your hand steady enough to pull out the last block before the tower collapses?

Connect 4 is one game that has been around in our family for nearly 15 years! Challenge a friend to disc-dropping fun with the classic game of Connect 4! Drop your red or yellow discs in the grid and be the first to get 4 in a row to win. If your opponent is getting too close to 4 in a row, block them with your own disc! Whoever wins can pull out the slider bar to release all the discs and start the fun all over again!

Clue – The mystery you love to solve again and again is even more intense! Clue is back with a modern twist, and you have to find out who is responsible for murdering the host at a millionaire’s mansion or a boardwalk. Get the scoop on the updated rooms, weapons and guests, and start detecting! Was it Plum with the wrench in the bedroom? Or Green with the pistol in the kitchen? Narrow down what you know and make your accusation! If you’re right about the location, weapon and suspect, you’re the mystery winner!

Settlers of Catan (5th Edition) – Guide your settlers to victory by clever trading and cunning development. Use resource combinations— grain, wool, ore, brick, and lumber—to buy handy development cards and build roads, settlements, and cities. Acquire your resources through trades, cards, or lucky dice (even outside your turn). But beware! Someone might cut off your road or buy a monopoly. And you never know when the wily robber might steal some of your precious gains!

After owning quite a few different editions over the years, Monopoly The Mega Edition has won this family’s heart. Everyone loves the timeless game-play of Monopoly. Now, with Monopoly: The Mega Edition, you’ll be able to own more properties, build more buildings, handle more cash, and -amazingly- play faster than ever before!
Electronic Battleship Game has been a favorite of both my husband and I over the years and that love has transferred on down to our children! The excitement keeps growing as you command your fleet of ships while avoiding enemy attacks in this classic game of combat and strategy.

Uno Card Game is staple in this house. We never tire of busting out the Uno deck and having a lot of fun! This is also a great game to take on the road when traveling because these cards can easily fit in a purse, backpack, or large pocket! Be the first player or team to score 500 points. Points are scored by being the first to rid yourself of all the cards in your hand before your opponents.

Chess is a game that all of our children learned to play at a very young age. Chess is an ancient strategy game who took on its earliest forms around the 6th century. This beautiful chess board comes with Staunton style pieces and is the perfect size board for beginners and experienced players. A chess quick start guide comes with each set for those new to the game.
Scrabble! Put letters together, build words, add up your points and win! This classic game features the classic Scrabble equipment for a big-time word-on-word showdown. Do you see a word your opponent hasn’t seen. A double or triple letter or word space that will let you earn big points. Could the luck of the draw win you the game. Use your letters to score points and challenge your family and friends. It’s your word against theirs!

Classic Yahtzee the fabulously famous dice game, introduced over 50 years ago, continues to delight millions of players. This edition has the same styling as the original game with an aluminum-rimmed dice cup, five dice, score pad, and bonus chips. The object of the game is to score the most points by rolling five dice to make certain combinations. The dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make one of the 13 possible scoring combinations. A game consists of thirteen rounds during which the player chooses which scoring combination is to be used in that round.

HedBanz Game the quick question game of “What am I?” Ask “yes” or “no” questions to figure out if the cartoon on your head is an animal, food or man-made object. Be the first player to guess what you are and win! Hedbanz – the game where everybody knows by you!

What are your family’s favorite go-to board games for family night?

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