Best TV Show Board Games That Are Actually Good Fun

Most TV tie-in games are a logo slapped on a roll-and-move board. A handful are the real thing - properly designed games that happen to carry a show's name.

Here are the ones worth the shelf space, and a quick note on how to spot the cash-ins.

The ones that genuinely work

• The Traitors - the format was always a board game pretending to be a TV show, so the box version is a natural fit. Roles, murders, missions, roundtable.
• Taskmaster: The Board Game - real tasks, a timer and a judge. Closest thing to the show you can do in a living room.
• The 1% Club - the questions are logic puzzles rather than trivia, so nobody's punished for not reading the news.
• Only Connect - the wall works brilliantly on a table and it's a proper challenge.
• Would I Lie To You? - you already play a version of this at dinner; the box just gives it structure.
• Richard Osman's House of Games - a bundle of short round types, so it never outstays its welcome.
• The Crystal Maze board game - surprisingly fun with kids, and the nostalgia does a lot of work.

Fine, with the right group

• Pointless - good pub-style trivia, though it lives or dies on how current the questions are.
• Countdown and Blockbusters - solid for a family Christmas afternoon.
• Friends and The Office themed games - trivia for superfans, dull for anyone else.
• Bake Off style games - the theme is better than the mechanics; just bake instead.

How to spot a cash-in

• If the back of the box shows a spinner and a track of coloured squares, it's a cash-in.
• If the only rule is 'answer a trivia question, move forward', you're buying a quiz book with a board.
• Check the player count - genuine designs list a range; cash-ins say 'two or more'.
• Check whether a real designer or studio is credited anywhere on the box.
• If the fun depends entirely on having seen every episode, it's merchandise, not a game.

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How to write it so it lands

• Buy the game for the format, not the logo. If you'd play it unbranded, it's a good game.
• Trivia games date fast - check when the edition was published.
• Play a test round with two people before a party, so you're not learning it in front of twelve.

Where to shop next

• Board games hub
• How to host a Traitors theme night
• Best board games for a weekend away with friends
• Best social deduction board games
• Low-key hen do games
• After-dinner board games for adults
• Board games for adults
• Board games for big groups
• Free feel good tools
• Shop all cards
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• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What's the best TV show board game?

The Traitors and Taskmaster are the two that translate best, because both shows are built on a game format in the first place. Only Connect and The 1% Club are the pick for quizzier groups.

Are TV board games worth buying?

The good ones are. Look for games where the show's format is a real game - deduction, tasks, puzzles - rather than trivia about the show itself, which stops being fun once the superfan has won twice.

What TV game works for a family Christmas?

House of Games, The 1% Club or Blockbusters. Short rounds, mixed skills, and grandparents and teenagers can both win.

Do you sell board games?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so the games here are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. Some links go to other shops and may earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you.