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Board games are back! They have become surprisingly popular with our screen-obsessed teens and young adults, making a great holiday or birthday gift. Playing board games is a perfect bonding activity and will give your teen a reprieve from schoolwork and a computer screen. Game playing can also teach them to compete and collaborate, but, most of all, playing games is just fun.
Popular board games for teens and college students
This game is fast-paced but fun and simple, taking only 10-15 minutes to play a round. It has become a wildly popular gift to send in a care package to your kids or use as a stocking stuffer.
Cards Against Humanity is so much fun if adult children are in the house. The designers describe it as a “party game for horrible people.” It consists of 500 cards with fill-in-the-blanks matched with a second smaller stack of cards.
The content is provocative, but as 90% of the tens of thousands of Amazon reviews on this popular game are five stars, many enjoy what has become a modern classic. The top-selling game is such great fun that there are now expansion packs, which are a great addition for people who have played through the base game too many times.
We have to hand it to the makers of this wildly popular game, “Exploding Kittens,” which wins for best name on the list. This is simple to learn and play, with silly fun baked into each card. To quote CNN, “It’s like UNO, except there are goats, magical enchiladas, and a kitten…”
Another classic, this wildly popular game is a classic civilization-building game and will be a hit with anyone and everyone. One Amazon review called it “The ‘Candy Land’ of Strategy Games.” Anyone over ten can join the fun.
Played on a distinctive hexagonal game board, Catan combines the element of chance with skill and strategy. The game can accommodate larger groups of 5 or 6 players using the expansion packs. If the youngest players in your house need help, there is now a children’s edition.
What happens when you cross a card game with dodgeball? We’re not sure either, but the ultra-popular Exploding Kittens makers are the masterminds behind this game. Everyone can play, but it is a proper match for college guys (still boys at heart).
The premise of Codenames is “Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. The teams compete to see who can contact all their agents first.” It is one of the new board games with a simple rule book and can be played by two players or an opposing team.
One Amazon reviewer said, “Codenames is genius in its simplicity. It’s a fantastic game to play with a group because it can be taught in under 5 minutes.” Codenames come in a Disney edition for young children ages 8+. This is perfect for your next game night.
Sometimes, you must have a game that allows the family’s youngest members to play with the older ones. Sequence involves playing game pieces on a board in a way that corresponds with the cards you hold. The first person to get a 5-card sequence wins.
Create your own train network to connect two cities across the United States. Players compete to connect cities before their opponents. It is a good old-fashioned board game with cards, markers, maps, and trains. Aim to build the longest continuous route and earn bonus points or Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities.
This is a social deduction game where players are split into good and evil without the good “Loyal Servants of Arthur” knowing who is on their team. For those who loved Werewolf or Mafia growing up, this “hidden identity” game will feel familiar with different teams playing different roles. It’s a game with great social interactions for 5-10 players and is more fun and interesting with 5+ members.
This is a social deduction game where players are split into good and evil without the good “Loyal Servants of Arthur” knowing who is on their team. For those who loved Werewolf or Mafia growing up, this “hidden identity” game will feel familiar with different teams playing different roles. It’s a game with great social interactions for 5-10 players and is more fun and interesting with 5+ members.
Players take turns with dice rolls to see where to pass their chips, and the person with the most chips at the end of the game wins. Well-priced, LCR comes in a blue tin and is a good game for a college care package or as a stocking stuffer.
The object of this fast game is to try to be the first player to get rid of a stack of 10 cards. The friendly competition makes this fast-paced game fun to play with any group.
For those who LOVE the stock market and the world of high finance, this is for you. Meant for players 12 or older, this is a bit like Monopoly meets The Wolf of Wall Street.
Create an escape room at home — choose your challenge and set the timer! You have 60 minutes to exit the room and win the game. Teamwork, creativity, and attention to detail are key to solving these riddles and puzzles.
This board game is exciting and intense. The team begins locked in an imaginary room or trapped someplace in each EXIT game. The team has to solve riddles and puzzles to unlock doors and objects and get to new riddles. Each correct answer brings the team to another riddle and eventually to freedom.
Unsolved Case Files puts the player in the shoes of a cold case detective who has to solve a murder that happened years ago using only the original investigator’s case file. This game includes over 50 evidence photos and documents to use to investigate.
Chameleon is a game of social deduction where players must use hidden codes, carefully chosen words, and a bit of finger-pointing to catch the chameleon before they blend in and escape. A bonus of this party favorite: the game is easy to learn (two minutes), great for large groups, and quick to play (fifteen minutes).
The New York Times calls Monikers “the perfect party game,” and it’s easy to understand why. This quick-to-learn, modern take on charades features 440 of the most interesting cards imaginable. It’s an “Amazon Choice” with 91% 5-star reviews.
The New York Times calls Monikers “the perfect party game,” and it’s easy to understand why. This quick-to-learn, modern take on charades features 440 of the most interesting cards imaginable. It’s an “Amazon Choice” with 91% 5-star reviews.
Answer fun questions and perform silly challenges with your nearest and dearest. Suitable for all ages and easy to learn. Plus, the chance to make hilarious family memories and to get to know your family better than you already do. We’re sold.
It is easy to understand why Quidller, The SHORT Word Game, has won over 20 “Best Game Awards.” The goal is to arrange all the cards in a hand into one or more words. The number of cards dealt increases with each round, starting with three and ending with ten. Double letters, high-point letters, and bonuses add to the fun. In a WORD, this is a WINNER.
Who knew that a board game could be so pretty? Say hello to Azul, an award-winning tile placement game. Place tiles, create patterns, and earn points to complete a display board.
A classic favorite for game nights, this set combines bright, easy-to-read tiles with durable quality and endless replay value. The 91 color-coded dominoes come neatly stored in a sleek aluminum case, making it perfect for family gatherings, dorm life and travel. Simple to learn but full of strategy, it’s a fun, fast-paced game that brings everyone together.
(Board Game, 4+ Players) This is a party game for teens and college students who love friendly competition and quick thinking. Instead of needing to know all the answers, players make guesses to fun, surprising questions and bet on who they think is right — making it just as enjoyable for trivia buffs as it is for casual players.
A fast‑paced, hilarious word‑magnet party game where players use a limited pool of random words to respond to outlandish prompts, ideal for dorm hangouts or late‑night get‑togethers. The flexible setup, creative challenge and loads of laughs make it a fun choice for young adults looking for something light‑hearted and social.
(Board Game, 2-10 Players) Turn any gathering into a lively karaoke‑style showdown with this magnetic party game. Players flip a card, spot the trigger word, then race to grab the foam mic and belt out the lyrics before someone else does, keeping the energy high and the laughs flowing. With quick rounds, no heavy setup, and a simple concept that works whether you’re in a dorm, apartment, or family living room, it’s an easy win for game night.
This engaging pattern‑puzzle game is perfect for teens or college students who need a quick break from screens but still crave a challenge. With brightly‑colored blocks and a deck of cards featuring 100 unique puzzles across four difficulty levels, The Uzzle 3.0 allows players to race against each other (or themselves) to recreate patterns in seconds.
(Card Game, 2-6 Players) This is a favorite for teens or families. With a 162-card deck (numbered 1–12 plus wild Skip-Bo cards) and room for 2 to 6 players, the goal is simple yet strategic: be the first to empty your personal stockpile by building sequences from 1 to 12 in shared build piles. The wild cards add a layer of flexibility and unpredictability. Because it requires little setup and plays in about 20–40 minutes, it’s perfect for game nights, travel, or casual hangouts.
Work together to defuse the bombs before it’s too late in this cooperative game that’s all about logic, deduction, and teamwork. It’s easy to learn but gets increasingly challenging as you play. Winner of the 2025 Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year.
A hilarious party game that puts your mind-reading skills to the test. Teams give clues to help their teammates guess where a hidden target falls on a spectrum, leading to plenty of laughs, debates, and those “how did you not get that?!” moments.
A creative storytelling game where players use illustrated cards to give clever clues that only some of the group will understand. Easy to learn and full of surprising interpretations, it’s a fun choice for teens, college students, and family game nights.
Work together as a pilot and co-pilot to land your plane safely without saying a word. This cooperative game is all about strategy, communication, and reading your teammate’s moves, with new challenges that keep each game interesting.
We are three moms who have raised 8 young adults and have been working on product lists for over 14 years now, making us experts. When selecting products we survey the Grown and Flown Parents Facebook group of more than 300,000 parents of teens, tweens and young adults. We do opinion polls, surveys and ask open ended questions. We search for products that combine reasonable price with high quality and are recommended by our large following.
Helene Wingens has always been passionate about painting pictures with words. She graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in psychology and three years later from Boston University School of Law with a Juris Doctor. In a year long clerkship for an appellate judge Helene honed her writing skills by drafting weekly appellate memoranda. She practiced law until she practically perfected it and after taking a brief twenty year hiatus to raise her three children she began writing a personal blog Her essays have been published in: Scary Mommy, Kveller, The Forward, and Grown and Flown where she is Managing Editor. You can visit Helene's website here
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