Watching our kids grow up is kind of bittersweet. Sometimes you wish they could stay young forever, other times you just want them to grow out of whatever difficult phase they’re currently in! One benefit of your kids growing out of their really little stage is the joy of teaching them new board games, so you can play as a family! At some point, my two oldest moved from “little kid” games to playing family games (and even some complex strategy games).

As a result, these days the bulk of what I play is with my family. It has completely changed how I think about the games I purchase and choose to keep in my collection. It has also made me appreciate the lighter side of gaming and be less of a snob about games like Uno and Monopoly (well, okay, Monopoly is still pretty awful).

Maybe you are looking for just the right game to hook your family on the hobby? Well, there are never any guarantees, but here are 10 games you might want to try!

Top 10 Family Board Games

Honorable mention: Root

I cannot make this list without mentioning one of our most played games as a family! Not what you were expecting? Okay, hear me out. The average family has two kids. Do you know what game is perfect with exactly four players? Root! The other benefit of playing games as a family is that you can play at a more casual pace, and you can help walk your kids through their first few turns without worrying that you’re taking too much time for the other players at the table. So we taught our kids how to play, and they fell in love! Is this going to be a good fit for every family? No, but if you do find you have the patience to teach your kids, just consider it an investment in the future! Soon it will pay dividends. But if this feels a little too intimidating to take on with the kids, that’s okay; the rest of this list will be much lighter.

2-4 Players • Ages 12+ • 60-90 minutes • $50

10. Just Desserts

If I had to guess which game we’ve played the most as a family, it would probably be Root or this one. This game is simple—you’re trying to feed guests the best desserts by either discarding their favorite from your hand or combining ingredients to make something they’ll love. It’s just simple set collection, but it’s also a fun little game. Unlike most of the games later on my list, this is one I play almost exclusively with my kids. I probably wouldn’t take it out with serious gamers, but with casual players and kids, it’s a fun choice with some amusing easter eggs hidden within.

2-5 Players • Ages 6+ • 25 minutes • $20

9. Flamecraft

I don’t know about your kids, but when I was a kid, I never really liked the idea of fighting dragons—I wanted to ride them, or befriend them, or visit a friendly village inhabited by them! That’s exactly what players get to do in Flamecraft. It’s a great choice for a non-violent fantasy theme that will draw people in with its whimsical art and happy little dragons. At its heart, it’s worker placement and resource management, with some pretty interesting strategies to pursue. The only downside here is that I do feel games can last a little long, so it might not be the best choice if your kids can get restless during games. Then again, my daughter won’t play most long games, but she loves this one!

1-5 Players • Ages 8+ • 60 minutes • $50

8. Disney Robin Hood: Sheriff of Nottingham

It might just be that my kids like having the opportunity to lie through their teeth without consequences, but this is one of the games they most often request to play. There are other versions of it, of course, and this one is not the original, but I think the Disney Robin Hood theme makes it more accessible for families, whereas the sheriff on the cover of the current edition just looks kind of creepy! In this game, players try to bluff their way past the sheriff by sneaking treasures, along with their goods, past customs without getting caught! And if there’s a player who doesn’t like lying, there are ways to legitimately earn points by collecting enough sets of legal goods.

3-5 Players • Ages 10+ • 45 minutes • $10

7. Camel Up Second Edition

This game is always a good time! Add the toy factor and the cool 3D palm tree on the board, and what kid won’t be excited to play? It’s just the right balance of strategy and chaos, making it ideal for different skill levels. And it’s always a lot of fun when one of the camels lands on a crazy camel and gets carried the wrong way! A nice, not too complex, “betting on the races” game that works well for different age groups.

3-8 Players • Ages 8+ • 45 minutes • $45

6. Dice Forge

This dice in this game have interchangeable faces, which makes it kind of like Lego and therefore totally cool! But on top of that, this is one of those games that every time I play, I think “Wow, this is a lot of fun. I should play it more often!”. Players will hop around the board, fighting baddies and proving their divine prowess, as they earn resources to make their dice stronger with each turn! This one has been in my collection for several years, but my kids recently rediscovered it and have had a blast playing.

2-4 Players • Ages 18+ • 60 minutes • $45

5. Gizmos

Here again you’ll find the toy factor, this time in the form of marbles (so keep it away from really little kids!). I always compare this one in my mind to Splendor, but with special abilities and cool comboing potential! This is another we’ve played a lot of as a family, but we’ve also had success introducing it to others. Building your engine and getting just the right combos can be really satisfying. Pro tip: we give our kids bowls to keep their marbles in, which means they spend half of the game swirling them as fast as they can. Sure, sometimes a few stray marbles fly across the room, but it keeps them happy!

2-4 Players • Ages 8+ • 45 minutes • $45

4. Villainous

I will start off by saying this game can run a little long, and four players is the highest count I’d recommend it at, but take away that factor, and it’s a pretty neat game! You play as your favorite Disney villain, each with a unique asymmetric power, but they’re not so different as to be confusing (like, for example, in Root). And the characters in the game will be familiar to most kids, even if, like mine, they’d rather play as the heroes than the villains!

2-6 Players • Ages 10+ • 45-60 minutes • $29

3. Galaxy Trucker

Playing games with kids is already chaotic, so why not lean into that, ya know? We are friendly when it comes to time limitations in this game, usually giving the kids time to build a ship that will hold up, or helping them if they struggle to find a tile they need. In the end, everyone has a ship they’re happy with, and usually everyone gets to finish the run. I especially love how the rules say that everybody who made money in the end wins, so no matter who made the most, I can happily declare to our kids, “We all won!” That’s my kind of game.

2-4 Players • Ages 8+ • 30 minutes • $79

2. Sea Salt and Paper

This little card game is perfect for when you’re not up to anything too heavy, but still want a bit of strategy. There’s not too much happening at once, which makes it easy for kids to catch on, and yet the choice provided by the two discard piles and a few simple card powers makes it fun for adults to play too! I would recommend this one to any gamers, families, or otherwise.

2-4 Players • Ages 8+ • 30 minutes • $17

1. Marvel United

There are several reasons Marvel United is, in my opinion, an excellent family game: light rules, cooperative game play, reasonable playtime, familiar theme, and adjustable difficulty. Oh, and it’s loads of fun! People often suggest co-op games for families with kids who struggle with losing (and, let’s be honest, most adults, let alone kids, don’t like to lose!), but the problem with a lot of them is that they’re so hard to beat that nobody is happy in the end! The nice thing about Marvel United is that you can choose to fight the easier villains or select heroes especially suited to face them. In my opinion, this is one of the best lighter co-op games out there.

1-4 Players • Ages 8+ • 30-45 minutes • $35