The Best Family Board Games

Updated on 18 January 2023

After 9 hours of comparing and testing several of the most popular titles, from our favourite Similo Animals to the must-have Time’s up, here is our selection of the best family board games.

This comparison is certified 100% impartial and follows our selection process.

The editorial team’s recommendations

Our ChoiceThe must-haveFor budding detectivesOne of the most entertainingAn attractive version
Similo Animals Time's up ! CodeNames Disney Cockroach Salad UNO FLIP!
In this game, you must try to make the other players discover your secret animal among the 12 available using only the differences and similarities with the animals in your hand. This card game is composed of words on different themes (objects, animals and jobs). In teams, you have to find out as many of these words as possible in 3 rounds. Combining imagination and fun, Secret Code is a game whose objective is to discover a maximum of predefined words by giving just one. Can you make the right associations? Being fast without impairing thinking is not easy. But that is the challenge of the game. Fun and dynamic, it will appeal to all those who like to get together and have a good time. A 'UNO' that changes all the time? That was not our idea. In this version, you also play with the back of the cards. As soon as you turn the deck over, you find other colours and special rules...
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£ 6.79 on Amazon

 

Our Choice

Similo Animals

In this game, you must try to make the other players discover your secret animal among the 12 available using only the differences and similarities with the animals in your hand.

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Similo Animaux

This cooperative game for 2-8 players can be played from the age of 7. Atypical, it only requires you to say “looks like” or “is different from”. You will find yourself in games where you will have to discover the mouse, for example, by using the goose and saying: _Is it different from the goose? With the first clue card, players have to eliminate one of the 12 animals on the table. With the second card, they have to eliminate 2, and so on until there is only one left: your secret animal. If your animal is eliminated, the game is lost for everyone. In our opinion, this is a good introduction to the world of cooperative games for youngsters. And after our tests, we invite you to play it with 3 to 5 or even 6 players.

 

The must-have

Time's up !

This card game is composed of words on different themes (objects, animals and jobs). In teams, you have to find out as many of these words as possible in 3 rounds.

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A real must for family board games, Family Time! is sure to make you laugh. Between the amusing situations on the one hand and the overflowing imagination of some on the other, the 30 minutes of this game may pass much more quickly than expected, even for adults. For 4 to 12 players, it can be played from the age of 8, as you need to be able to read the cards easily. Based on our tests, we encourage you to play with 6 or more players, as the laughs will be even greater. Please note that there is also an orange version in the unlikely but possible event that you know all the cards in that square. And if you want to play with younger children, the Kid’s version (Spanish version) can be played from the age of 4 years and up.

 

For budding detectives

CodeNames Disney

Combining imagination and fun, Secret Code is a game whose objective is to discover a maximum of predefined words by giving just one. Can you make the right associations?

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Codenames Disney

In just a few years, this spy-themed game has become one of the best board games thanks to its simple mechanics, which nevertheless require a lot of concentration and know-how. And with the Disney version, it is once again a hit! It requires 2 to 8 players, and this version can be played from the age of 8 (+12 in the original). It makes you work on your memory a bit, because characters, objects, places and other themes from famous Disney cartoons and animated films appear in the game. You also have to think about the best way to combine the ideas. In short, you have to outsmart the opposing team if you want to win the game. In our opinion, this version is for true fans of the Disney theme.

 

One of the most entertaining

Cockroach Salad

Being fast without impairing thinking is not easy. But that is the challenge of the game. Fun and dynamic, it will appeal to all those who like to get together and have a good time.

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Salade de cafards

Cockroach Salad is a very fun game that makes you laugh. However, it requires no less thought on your part, as a wrong answer could cause you to lose. Accessible from the age of 6, it is played by 2 to 6 players in games of 10 and 20 minutes only. Each player, in turn, must place a vegetable card in the centre of the table. The problem is that you also have to say the name of the corresponding vegetable when you put it down unless you have just mentioned the name of the vegetable or it is temporarily forbidden to say it. To win the round, you will have to juggle between truth and forced lies. Among the positive points noted during our tests were the simplicity of the rules, the speed of the games, the absence of time-outs and the fun it provides.

 

An attractive version

UNO FLIP!

A 'UNO' that changes all the time? That was not our idea. In this version, you also play with the back of the cards. As soon as you turn the deck over, you find other colours and special rules...

£ 6.79 on Amazon

From the front or the back? No matter, you can play on two sides. One side has classic colours (green, yellow, red and blue), but the other offers a different mix for more fun and twists. Thanks to this novelty, this version manages to unseat the original UNO, undoubtedly one of the most popular games in the world. This version can be played from the age of 7 in games of 2 to 10 players (for us, games of 3 or 4 players are ideal, or limit the number of players to 8).

 

How have we made the selection?

To help you choose the best board games, we have taken into account some of the biggest names in the gaming world. We have also based our results on the knowledge and opinions of a wide audience (such as the reviews of BoardGameGeek, among others).

Jeux Famille

We have also analysed renowned publishers and were able to test most of the games mentioned in the editorial office and at home with family and friends.

 

Another board game we recommend

Shotten Totten (£13.16 upon publication): a game for two. This card game emphasises pure strategy, immersing players in a Scottish battlefield. In addition to being very well-balanced, it has similarities to poker. Accessible to ages 8 and up, the games last about 20 minutes and make you want to play again and again. Moreover, the rules are quickly assimilated.

Micro Macro Crime City 2: Full House (£25.79 upon publication): a cooperative game of investigation and observation. In Crime City, crimes, corpses and disappearances are around every corner. And to solve them, you need detectives! So pay attention and follow the clues. This huge black-and-white map is reminiscent of Where’s Wally? In this second box, you have 16 new investigations to carry out with different levels of difficulty. The game can be played by 1 to 4 players over the age of 10. 

Ticket to ride! Europe (£41.05 upon publication): a bit more complex and a little bit expensive. Immerse yourself in the railways of 1900s Europe and try to reach the cities before the game ends. Your network must be the most efficient and continuous to win. This world-famous board game is immersive and entertaining. It can be played by 2 to 5 players from 8 years old in games of 1 hour to 1h30 once the rules are well mastered.

 

 

Translated by Ramsés El Hajje

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