It's time to add game night to your calendar.
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Whether game night is a regular staple on your calendar or you're looking for more fun things to do at home, adding to your board game collection is always a good idea. But if you're looking for games that adults will love—whether or not you have kids— it can be a challenge to find ones you'll actually enjoy playing. There are so many different board games on the market these days, and many that are more beloved by children than grown-ups who prefer a game that pairs well with their favorite bottle of wine.
Whether you're playing with a few friends and family members or a whole party, these are some of the best board games for adults out there. From classics like Clue and Parcheesi to new, modern games like Codenames and Photosynthesis, these are the board games you need to check out.
A fan-favorite game from The Ellen Show, Heads Up! is an easy game to play (just get the person whose turn it is to guess what's on their card without saying any of the words on it) that's fun both in big groups and one-on-one. And what makes Heads Up! even better is that you don't necessarily need the physical board game to play—you can also download the app on your phone and purchase your favorite playing decks.
Codenames is a strategy game where the board is full of code words that correlate with secret agents, which each team's spymaster will give clues for. The goal is for each team to uncover their own agents without choosing the other's team's words, so teams really have to work together to come up with their best guesses to win.
If you and your friends and family are really into strategy games, Catan is a classic. The goal is to settle the isle of Catan, which involves trading resources, building roads and cities, and more. The best part of Catan? No two games are the same, so it's always an adventure, no matter how often you play.
For those who prefer a game that's essentially designed to make them laugh, Telestrations is a good bet. Consider it a hilarious mix of Telephone (where you pass along a message by whispering into a person's ear, and they pass it on to the next person, and so on) and Pictionary.
Rummikub is a classic game that's easy to learn but involves critical thinking. It's similar to the card game Rummy, but uses tiles—and the addition of joker tiles gives the game a little extra challenge. Games can be quick or go on for a while, but you'll want to play again and again.
Trivial Pursuit is a classic and a fun way to pass the time with anyone who enjoys trivia. But, if general trivia isn't your thing, you can always go with a more specific version of the game to match up with your interests. Golden Girls Trivial Pursuit, anyone? (There's also a Harry Potter edition!)
Bananagrams has been a hit for awhile now, but if you've never played, think of it as Scrabble with a twist. The twist is, you're racing against the other players to complete your board of words first—and correctly—all the while picking up new tiles to fit in whenever you or your fellow players run out.
No board game list is complete without the classics, and Clue is one of those must-have games that everyone loves. Play detective and try to figure out which one of the game's iconic characters committed murder—and where and with what weapon. It's a game that adults and older kids alike can enjoy, so really, the whole family can play.
The Chameleon only takes two minutes to learn and around 15 minutes to get through a game, so if you like quick-moving board games that you can play again and again, try this one out. One player gets a Chameleon card, while the rest of the players get to know a secret word. The other players have to find the Chameleon by way of social deduction, hidden codes, and careful guesses.
Disney fans need Villainous, a game where players get to be their favorite villains (think Maleficent and Jafar) and play through events from classic Disney movies. Each player has their own special objective to complete, and the one who manages to do so in the end wins.
If you're looking for a board game that's as beautiful as it is fun to play, check out Azul. It's beloved by reviewers and turns Moorish art into a challenging strategy game where players compete as artisans to decorate the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora with decorative tiles.
You've probably played this classic game as a kid—why not revisit it with some grown-up perspective? Playing the stock market is more fun when it's in the form of a low-stakes board game, after all.
Not only does this nature-themed game show off 11 stunning national park illustrations done by a collection of renowned artists, but a portion of each sale goes directly to the National Park Service.
This classic, fast-paced game challenges players to give answers to different categories while racing against the clock. Creative answers give you more points, so this is a great game for anyone who's good at thinking on their feet.
Another can't-go-wrong classic? Parcheesi, especially in this pretty, graphic Royal Edition. The goal is simple: get all of your own pawns to the center of the board without getting captured and sent back to the beginning. The first person to get all of their pawns to the finish line first wins.
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