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Planning a family night with your teen? Or maybe you are having youth event or retreat in the near future. Game nights are excellent activities to keep teens engaged and thinking critically.
Here are my TOP 10 SUGGESTIONS you need to check out and try!
#10
# of Players: 2 – 6 (We found the best number of players was 4. Less and it was too easy. More and there was a long wait time.)
Age: 10+
Game Time: 30 minutes – 1 hour (after you learn to play)
Description: In this game, each player is a Disney villain trying to defeat the other villains. Each player has to complete their objective to win. A twist from most games, each player has a unique objective.
Why I recommend this game: This game is creative and challenging. The players have to both complete their objective but also try to stop the others from succeeding. While slightly confusing at the start, it is easy to play after you have completed one game. Time to pick your favorite villain!
#9
# of Players: 2 – 4 (I recommend at least 3)
Age: 8+
Game Time: Several minutes per round – depends how many points you choose to play to.
Description: This is a VERY fast paced game. Each player is trying to get through their Blitz pile before the other players finish their’s. The players all build on community piles, similar to the game solitaire. Fun whether you play one round or twenty!
Why I recommend this game: This game is easy to learn but takes a long time to master. It is the perfect size to take on a trip, which is always a plus in my book! There are also optional levels of complexity depending on your skill level.
#9.5
# of Players: up to 8 players
Why I recommend this game: The expansion pack allows you to have up to eight players with the same amount of fun!
#8
# of Players: 2 – 4
Age: 10+
Game Time: 60 minutes
Description: This is a co-operative game where players are working to rid the world of a virus that is currently spreading throughout the world.
Why I recommend this game: This is a challenging game which encourages critical thinking and team work. The difficulty can be increased as players master this game.
#7
# of Players: 2 – 5
Age: 8+
Game Time: 30 – 60 minutes
Description: Ticket to Ride is a simple game to learn. Players earn points by connecting two destinations with railroad cars.
Why I recommend this game: Every game is different from the last…especially since there are so many expansion versions. Each version has it’s own unique game twists.
#6
# of Players: 2 – 5
Age: 10+
Game Time: 30 – 60 minutes
Description: This game is similar to ‘Ticket to Ride‘ in that you will be traveling from one destination to another. This game has multiple ways to collect points as you travel around board. Check out this VIDEO for a full description of how to play the game.
Why I recommend this game: My family has always enjoyed visiting National Parks and this is a wonderful way to reminisce or learn about the United States National Parks. This game is creative and with many ways to get points it is challenging to guess who will win.
#5
# of Players: 2 – 6
Age: 7+
Game Time: Each round takes about 15 minutes
Description: This game is similar to BINGO but with more player control. While it is an older game and easy to learn, that doesn’t take away from the fun. The game is played as individuals or teams and each team is trying to get five in a row…twice. The players select a card from their hand and place a token on a corresponding space…and just when you think you won, someone might remove one of your tokens with the Jack card.
Why I recommend this game: This is the perfect game for playing and conversing at the same time…just be sure to limit ‘game table talk’. While the game is easy, it is easy to get competitive when you are only ‘one space away’.
#4
# of Players: 2 – 4
Age: 8+
Game Time: 30 – 40 minutes
Description: This game appears simple at first glance with easy rules and playability are easy, however, it requires some strategy to win. Players collect tiles from the middle of the table and try to fill their boards with the required tiles. This task becomes more challenging as the game proceeds.
Why I recommend this game: First, it is a beautiful game with its colorful tiles. This game is easy to enjoy regardless of the players strategy level. Players are faced with many options at each turn….finish your board or select the tiles another player needs.
#3
# of Players: 2 – 4
Age: 10+
Game Time: 30 minutes
Description: The goal of this game is to collect the most points by purchasing ‘gems’ and hiring workers. Each is purchased using a unique combination of colored tokens so it is important to plan several steps ahead.
Why I recommend this game: Like many of the games on this list, it is easy to play but challenging to master. This is one of my favorites because there are many strategies to win. Beware…it can end faster than you would expect.
#2
# of Players: 2 – 7
Age: 13+
Game Time: 30 minutes
Description: The player’s goal is to create the most ‘profitable’ city by selecting the most beneficial resources and buildings. The game is fast paced and everyone plays at once, so you are never bored! This game is slightly challenging to understand at first, so I would recommend a ‘teaching round’ rather than trying to explain the directions.
Why I recommend this game: This game offers players a lot of variety and replayability There are seven city cards and each has it’s own unique advantages. It is a quick game so we usually play multiple rounds in one sitting.
#1
# of Players: 2+ (I recommend at least 6 but I have played with over 20 family members! Crazy times!)
Age: 14+
Game Time: Each round takes about 15 minutes
Description: The game begins with 25 ‘Codename’ cards spread out for all the players to see. There are two teams in this game and both are trying to guess which ‘codenames’ are theirs without guessing the opposing teams words. One member from each team is providing one word clues to guide the rest of the team to select the correct cards.
Why I recommend this game: This is a family favorite! As I mentioned above, I played this at our family reunion with 20+ people. It was very loud and kept us all entertained for several hours. This is a great team building game and is always filled with laughter!
BONUS
# of Players: 2 – 5
Age: 13+
Game Time: 30 minutes
Description: This is a humorous game with cartoon pictures. Each player is trying to collect heads as the individuals are ‘decapitated’. Each head is worth a different point value, so you will want to use your action cards to move the line around for your benefit.
*this game is not graphic or morbid
Why I recommend this game: If you are looking for a humorous game, look no further. This game is the perfect combination of strategy and luck. It is always a go to on game nights at our house.
