Best Board Games For Adults: 20 That Are Worth The Table Space
Adult game nights fail for one of two reasons: the game takes ninety minutes to explain, or it ends before the second drink. These picks avoid both.
Sorted by the kind of evening you're having, with rough playing times so you can plan around a takeaway.
Cards for the people you play with
Funny cards, blank inside, drawn and printed by us in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
"Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day Card From The Cats
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day, My Love (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
You're Purr-fect To Me (Cat Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
£3.87
The best all-rounders
- Codenames - two teams, one-word clues, twenty minutes. Works with four people or twelve.
- Catan - the classic gateway strategy game. Ninety minutes, and it will test at least one friendship.
- Ticket to Ride - simple enough for the friend who says they don't like board games. Forty-five minutes.
- 7 Wonders - seven players, thirty minutes, because everyone plays at the same time.
- Wingspan - calm, beautiful, engine-building. Best with people who like to think.
Party games for a bigger night
- Articulate - shouting, timers, and a board nobody really looks at.
- Wavelength - guess where on a scale your teammate is thinking. Better than it sounds.
- Just One - cooperative word guessing, five minutes to learn.
- The Chameleon - light social deduction that doesn't ruin anyone's evening.
- Cards Against Humanity - only with the right crowd, and read the room first.
When you want something meatier
- Azul - tile drafting, gorgeous, forty minutes, deceptively vicious.
- Pandemic - cooperative, so the argument is with the game rather than each other.
- Everdell, Splendor and Carcassonne all sit in the same comfortable hour-long bracket.
- Betrayal at House on the Hill if you want a story and don't mind fiddly rules.
Games that finish in under half an hour
- Sushi Go Party, Love Letter, Coup, No Thanks and For Sale.
- All cheap, all pocket-sized, all better than they look on the shelf.
How to write it so it lands
- Teach the rules while people are still eating, not after.
- Pick the length before you pick the game. Everything else follows.
- Have one thirty-minute game in reserve for when the long one ends early.
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We make cards, pin badges, prints and party bits in house. These are from other shops we rate, and buying through the link costs you nothing extra.
Toy Story Jessie Outfit Adult
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best board game for adults?
Codenames if there are more than four of you, Catan if you want something longer and properly strategic, Azul if you want beautiful and quick. All three are easy to find in the UK.
What board games are good for a small group of adults?
With three or four people, Ticket to Ride, Azul, Splendor and Wingspan all shine. Party games like Codenames need at least four, ideally six.
Do you sell board games?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, so these picks are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. The cards on this page are ours.