Do you want your teenager out of their bedroom? Need something to keep your younger children engaged? Are you wondering how can you have some fun family interaction? Imagine after a local walk for your exercise and a nice, tasty meal, everyone gathering around a table for an old school board game adventure. However, if the family is bored of arguing in Monopoly or being frustrated at Frustration then we have the solution for you. Check out some of our top picks for games with a difference and make yourself fun weekend memories.
Board Games for Older Families
There is a way to get your teenagers out of their bedroom or catch them just before that phase starts. There are co-operative games here when you work together and some great games where you can get back on your sibling for stealing the last of the chocolate cake.
Unstable Unicorns
Build a Unicorn Army. Betray your friends. Unicorns are your friends now. Unstable Unicorns is a strategic card game about everyone’s two favourite things: Destruction and Unicorns! You start with a Baby Unicorn in your Stable, but don't get too attached because even Baby Unicorns aren't safe in this game. There are over 20 Magical Unicorns to collect, and each has a special power. Build your Unicorn Army as fast as you can or be destroyed by one of your so-called friends. Seek revenge or protect your stable using your Magic. Sound easy? Not so fast. Someone could have a Neigh Card (Get it? Neigh?) and send the game into madness. The first person to complete their Unicorn Army shall hereafter be known as The Righteous Ruler of All Things Magical... at least until the next game. This game is serious amounts of fun and the imagery is beautiful, it is for 2-8 players aged 14+.
Disney Villainous Board Game
Which villain are you? In this epic contest of sinister power, take on the role of a Disney villain and strive to achieve your own devious objective. Discover your character's unique abilities and winning strategy while dealing twists of fate to thwart your opponents' schemes. Find out who will triumph over the forces of good and win it all! be a villain…defeat the heroes…enact your evil scheme! This game is suitable for 2-6 players aged 10+.
Unlock
Unlock! is a cooperative card game inspired by escape rooms that uses a simple system which allows you to search scenes, combine objects, and solve riddles. Play Unlock! to embark on great adventures, while seated at a table using only cards and a companion app that can provide clues, check codes, monitor time remaining and more. Unlock! Escape Adventures includes three separate scenarios for you to explore. In The Formula, you enter a secret laboratory to recover a mysterious serum that has been developed by a scientist. In Squeek & Sausage, you need to thwart the plans of the despicable Professor Noside and in The Island of Doctor Goorse, you must visit the island of an eccentric antique collector billionaire and overcome its traps. As mentioned you will need to download a free application to a play but an internet connection isn’t required meaning this could be a great way to bring the children’s technological world to your awesome table top. It is for 2-6 players aged 10+.
Tiny Epic Galaxies
In Tiny Epic Galaxies each player controls a galactic empire, aiming to expand their influence by acquiring highly contested planets and increasing their cosmic armada. The game revolves around an innovative dice-rolling combo mechanic, which will represent the various actions you can take, such as moving a spaceship, increasing your culture or energy resources, or advancing your political or economic influence over newly discovered planets. Through careful planning, you must make the most out of your turn. But be careful, as each of your opponents can choose to follow each action you take by expending valuable resources. This means that it can always be your turn, even when it is someone else’s turn! Players will colonize new planets throughout the game. Will your influence be enough to control the most powerful planets in the galaxy? Will you be able to meet your secret objective along the way? Will your empire stand victorious? Once you are hooked in Tiny Epic Galaxies is sure to keep everyone involved strategizing to win for 1-5 players aged 14+.
Darwin’s journey
You find yourself astonished, landing on the shore that will be the origin of an extensive exploration through the Galapagos, a magic place of inconceivable beauty and endless biodiversity. There, you will gather repertoires and expand your knowledge of the natural sciences. Your eyes will learn how to detect the hidden species in the tropical forest, gazing at the countless colours and textures of nature. After inspiring hours spent studying and getting to enlightening conclusions, you will rest under a sparkling sky, admiring the stunning complexity of the animal realm. Darwin's Journey is a worker-placement Eurogame in which players recall Charles Darwin's memories of his adventure through the Galapagos islands, which contributed to the development of his theory of evolution. This game could not only be fun but also help teach some new interesting facts about the human knowledge of biology. If you have an animal lover in your family then this is the game for you for 1-4 player aged 14+.
Board Games for Younger Families
If your tots are under 10 then why not check out some of these games. If you start them off young then it will be far easier to have fun family activities when they are older without complaining as much. Plus who doesn’t love beating their parents at a game or bringing everyone together to be victorious.
Pandemic
We think this is exactly the time children need a little humour so why not try Pandemic. In Pandemic, several virulent diseases have broken out simultaneously all over the world. The players are disease-fighting specialists whose mission is to treat disease hotspots while researching cures for each of four plagues before they get out of hand. Taking a unique role within the team, players must plan their strategy to mesh with their specialists' strengths in order to conquer the diseases. For example, the Operations Expert can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases and which allow for greater mobility between cities; the Scientist needs only four cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal five. Take on a pandemic and prove you can win together. It is for 2-4 player age 8+.
Dobble Pixar
Your favourite characters from the vibrant worlds of Pixar come to life in this special edition of the smash-hit game of speedy observation! Featuring familiar faces from Toy Story, the Incredibles, Finding Nemo and many more classic films; will you be the first to spot the single matching image between any two cards? For 2 - 8 players aged 6+
Jumanji
The Game that Pursues You! Stalking lions, Charging rhinos, Lunging, Snapping crocodiles, and more. In the wild world of Jumanji, they're only a dice roll away. Choose your pawn and set out on a deadly journey. Decode rhyming card messages that could spell disaster. You can rescue fellow players in danger but fail to escape, and the jungle could swallow you whole. The only way out is to finish the game. Only then will the terrors of the jungle disappear. Jumanji is for 2 - 4 players aged 5+.
Bärenpark
Up to two thousand pounds in weight and over ten feet tall, the bear is considered the biggest and heaviest terrestrial carnivore in the world. Of course, there is not just "one bear;" on the contrary, there are plenty of subspecies that differ from each other in various aspects. Bärenpark takes you into the world of bears, challenging you to build your own bear park. Each player in Bärenpark builds their own bear park, attempting to make it as beautiful as they can, while also using every square meter possible. It has beautiful imagery and you are sure to have fun racing to see who can build their park the fastest. This is for 2-4 players aged 8+
There is cashback to be had on these games too with the likes of Dice & Decks, The Game Collection, 365 games, Zatu games and more. Got any stories from your game play? Have tried or know of any more games? Then please do let us know in the comments, we love sharing the fun with you all. Happy gaming!
