7 Best Board Games for Parties in 2024: Top Picks!

Dec 30, 2023 | Lifestyle

We all love a classic board game. It is the ultimate test of our intelligence and competitive spirit. So, grab a bottle of wine, sit with your friends and family, and reveal your true selves. Then, get started on your fun game night with this list of the best board games for parties!

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Best Board Games for Parties

No more long games of Monopoly (although we do love Monopoly). Today, we have a brand-new generation of board games out there.

All of them offer a great way to have a great time with your loved ones and even improve your critical thinking. So here we have rounded up the best board games for parties that can keep you entertained for hours!

They are praised by the most enthusiastic board game players as well.

Here are a few of the best party board games on the market!

NameGenrePlayersSkill LevelRating
Cards Against Humanity
*Our Favorite for Large Groups!*
Party4-20+Easy5/5
Drawing Without DignityParty4-12+Moderate3.5/5
Codenames
*Our Favorite Team Game!*
Strategy2-8+ Difficult5/5
Settlers of Catan The Board Game
*Our Favorite for Four Players!*
Strategy3-4Difficult5/5
Joking HazardParty3-10Easy4.5/5
PandemicStrategy2-4Moderate4/5
GloomhavenWar1-4Moderate4/5

Many of these games can be played with children, but there are a few that are for adults only. Please review the game and consider if the game will be appropriate for everyone participating. See below for our list of the best part games.

Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity
  • A party game for horrible people.
  • Comes with 500 white cards and 100 black cards for eternal replayability.
  • Includes a booklet of sensible game rules and preposterous alternate rules.
  • This is the main game. Buy this first.
  • America’s #1 gerbil coffin.

It is the funniest and one of the most horrific games party games for adults. But, you’ll start to get to know your friends’ cruel senses of humor.

This is one of our favorites. It’s an incredibly fun party game. And its the perfect game for large groups.

This is a card game, but not your typical card game.

This game is played in a group where one person asks a question from the black card, and other group members answer him with their funniest white card. The question asker is then the judge of who had the best answer.

It is hilarious and so much fun!

Players take turns asking the question, so everyone takes turns being the asker/judge.

Each player has to try to get their answer selected by the asker as many times as possible.

Keep in mind this game is specifically for adults and their friends. Some cards can be embarrassing and inappropriate, particularly for kids.

The key idea behind their creation is to foster a healthy and funny discussion. You’ll learn those surprising things that your friends or loved ones usually hide.

We love this game because any number of people can play! And it’s extremely easy to learn.

Drawing Without Dignity

This is a perfect party game!

This drawing game is where you work on uncensored sketches and draw things that you have never drawn before.

Typically, there are two teams battling it out, but there are other variations that can include more than two teams.

The good thing about this game is there is no waiting for people to play cards.

Instead, you watch one player draw inappropriate pictures and try to get their teammate to guess what they are trying to draw. The teammate from the same team must guess correctly to earn a point!

Your friends have only 60 seconds and no clues (not even one word clues). This is a very fast-paced game. The team guess must match the word on the drawn card to score.

In this game, you’ll also roll the dice and draw a card to find your clue.

Of course, no one can draw well in a rushed 60 seconds, especially if the suggestions are questionable and inappropriate, but that’s how you race to steal the points.

Players and teams compete for the most points. And of course, the team with the most points wins!

This is a good party game for larger groups.

Codenames

Sale
CGE Czech Games Edition Codenames Boardgame
  • Work together to contact all of your agents before the other team
  • A perfect party game experience for game nights
  • 2-8+ player (in two teams)
  • 15 minutes playtime
  • Ages 10 and up

We absolutely love this game! It forces you to work with your team. Furthermore, you’ll find out how much you really know your teammates.

Codenames is challenging social game that requires a “spymaster” to give a one-word clue (only one word!) that can help their teammates guess their words on the game board. But be careful! The opposing team has words on the same board so you’ll want to be sure you don’t select their words.

You score points by guessing the correct words on the board based on one-word clue. Players compete against the opposing team to guess more words correctly.

Get as many points as you can. The team who guesses all the words on the board at the end of the game wins!

We love this game because you get to work with others and the games are about 15 to 20 minutes each. We always play a several rounds, but the short rounds let you play as long (or as short) as you want.

This game will get everyone thinking and engaged – not to mention the laughs!

Settlers of Catan The Board Game

Sale
Catan (Base Game) Adventure Board Game for Adults and Family | Ages 10+ | for 3 to 4 Players | Average Playtime 60 Minutes | Made by Catan Studio
  • EXPLORE CATAN: Set sail to the uncharted island of Catan and compete with other settlers to…
  • RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: Strategically gather and trade resources like ore, brick, lumber, grain, and…
  • BUILD AND UPGRADE: Use your resources to build roads, settlements, and cities to earn victory…
  • DYNAMIC GAMEPLAY: Roll the dice to collect resources based on terrain hexes, and employ clever…
  • CLASSIC GAME: Celebrate the 25th anniversary of CATAN, a timeless strategy board game loved by…

Settlers of Catan is a classic great game. It is more a strategy game that is meant for four players.

This board game can alter your life; it is so addicting. Once you play it with your friends, you all beg each other to come over to play.

It is a five-star strategy game that has a sense of empire-building and resource management. It involves some strategy, creativity, and risk, which makes the entire playing session interesting.

We love the depth in this board game, and it suits adults.

You build roads, new settlements, produce grain & wool, create bricks from the hills, etc. So, in a way, it is all about expanding cleverly.

The first player to win over the game board wins the game.

This is our favorite board game on this list, and we play regularly with friends.

Joking Hazard

Joking Hazard by Cyanide & Happiness – a funny comic building party game for 3-10 players, great for game night
  • Joking Hazard is an extremely not-for-kids party game from the minds of Cyanide & Happiness, the hit…
  • Three or more players compete to build funny and terrible comics.
  • 360 panel cards (including 10 add-your-own-words cards) combine to form millions of awful…
  • High quality cards can be burned for heat after society collapses
  • English (Publication Language)

Want to have unlimited possibilities in a game? Opt for ‘Joking Hazard.’

We love this party board game!

Players complete to finish awful comics. It has 360 cards and ten write-your-own cards that allow you to play countless alternate strategies.

However, there is a judge in this game too, who flips the top card off the draw pile.

The next card is played by the judge as well.

He adds another card to complete the conversation or the setup. After that, it is the players’ turn to put in their best card so that the judge can pick the best one.

All in all, this game puts the entire control in the players’ hands.

They decide which is the best possible comic combination.

Pandemic Board Game

Sale
Pandemic Board Game (Base Game) | Cooperative Board Game for Adults and Family | Ages 8+ | 2 to 4 players | Average Playtime 45 minutes | Made by Z-Man Games
  • STRATEGY GAME: Players must work together playing to their characters’ strengths as they plan their…
  • COOPERATIVE BOARD GAME: Only through teamwork will you keep the world safe from outbreaks and…
  • WORK TOGETHER AND SAVE HUMANITY: Four diseases threaten the world, and your elite team of…
  • GIFT FOR ADULTS AND TEENS: Pandemic is the perfect Christmas or birthday gift for anyone who loves a…
  • NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This easy to learn family and adult board game can be played…

Unlike most other board games that push you to compete with your friends, the Pandemic board game is all about cooperation. It reveals the true colors of your opponents or friends and lets you get to know them better.

For Pandemic, a game lasts about 40 minutes to 75 minutes with a strong team.

You may bump heads if members of your team can’t get on the same page. But when this game finishes, you’ll all feel like the heroes of an apocalyptic movie.

Since you and your friends deal with the four diseases that threaten the world, your goal is to save humanity and find a cure for each disease.

If there are too many outbreaks and you cannot handle them, you will lose the game.

Gloomhaven

Cephalofair Games: Gloomhaven, Award-Winning Strategy Board Game, For 1 to 4 Players, 60 to 120 Minute Play Time, For Ages 14 and up
  • Playing through a scenario is a cooperative affair where players will fight against automated…
  • This is a game with a persistent and changing world that is ideally played over many game sessions
  • For 1-4 Players. Ages 14+
  • 60-120 minute playing time
  • Euro-inspired tactical combat in an evolving campaign

This is a good game of Euro-inspired tactical combat.

It is an excellent escape from the digital world, and it takes you to a completely different fantasy realm which is hard to experience in most other board games. In addition, this game requires so much planning and consideration that it makes you feel like you are in a genuinely challenging situation.

As a player, you have your own set of skills.

You work with other team members to clear out the dungeons and ruins. You also explore new locations and enhance your abilities throughout the game.

This game has 60-minute to 120-minute playing time, but it can be played over many game sessions.

Conclusion: Best Board Games for Parties

If you want something to spice up your next party, then any of these games is a great choice! The best party games are inclusive, fun, and just tough enough!

These are some of the best board games for parties and are also the best-selling Amazon products with A++ reviews.

Some of these games can be for two players, so they could work great for a date night (or a gift) as well.

We have given you options for just about every mood and every party dynamic. If you’re looking for something with a bit intellect, you can always try a trivia game.

Because of their innovative strategy, you can keep on playing them for months.

Play the game that is most appropriate for your setting or group! Get to playing!