Board Game Gift Guide 2020!

It’s that awesome time of year again when we look for great fun ideas for gifts for family and friends.

With this crazy year, we know many families have already been grabbing a lot more board games to pass the time together throughout the year.

But it’s always nice to get some ideas for fresh games to play too.

This marks our 10th annual Board Game Gift Guide and we love sharing great gift ideas!

You can scroll through the whole list or jump to the categories you’re interested in by clicking on a category title:

Children’s Games
Family Games
Cooperative Games
2-Player Games
Party Games
Dice Games
Gamer Games

Children’s Games

Games are always a hit with kids. That’s why we like to dive right into suggestions for children’s games.

My First Castle Panic

Ages: 4+, Players: 1-4, Time: 20 min
Castle Panic has been one of our family favorite cooperative games for years. And last year, Fireside Games published My First Castle Panic — a simplified version of the game perfect for kids! It’s a cooperative game in which players work together to defend their castle, but this game removes the reading requirement of the earlier one and fosters the development of educational skills, such as identifying colors and shapes, problem solving, and turn taking.

Get a copy of My First Castle Panic.

Math Rush

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-5, Time: 20 min
Math Rush, by Genius Games, is a timed cooperative card game played over 3 rounds. Players work together to accomplish as many Goals as they can during each round to score points. In Math Rush: Addition and Subtraction, the cards show sums and differences that must be played in ascending or descending order, meeting the requirements of the goal cards.

See our full review of Math Rush.
Get a copy of Math Rush.

Butterfly

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-5, Time: 45 min
In Butterfly, by Rio Grande Games, players use a hedgehog piece around the board to collect tiles. By moving the piece to the right spots on the board, players can grab rare items while leaving fewer choices for their opponents. The player who has the most valuable collection by the end of the game wins. This game can be played on various levels. The rules are easy to learn, the pieces are attractive and fun, but experienced and older game players can play it as a tactical fight, looking for the right move that will optimize points while leaving opponents with leftovers.

See our full review of Butterfly.
Get a copy of Butterfly.

Dragomino

Ages: 5+, Players: 2-4, Time: 15 min
Another board game we’ve loved playing as a family that has also spawned a children’s version of the game is Kingdomino. This year, Blue Orange Games published Dragomino that’s tailored perfectly for children. Instead of building a kingdom (which kids don’t care about), in this game players are dragon riders exploring a mysterious island and searching for baby dragons. The artwork is fantastic and the game play is very easy for kids understand and enjoy.

Get a copy of Dragomino.

Family Games

We’re blown away by how many awesome family board games are published every year! And since we know most people visiting our site and seeing this list are looking for great family games, the bulk of our suggestions this year are in this section.

Planet

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
Planet, by Blue Orange Games, has players crafting their own 3D planet to attract a variety of animals to them. It’s a unique tile-laying game where the tiles are magnetic continents on your personal globe! Different animals are attracted to different types of habitats on the continents so players have to choose wisely in which animals they want to inhabit their planets. It’s an eye-catcher for sure. The 3D planets just look and feel awesome. Seeing this colorful game on the table, everyone will want to join in to create their own planet.

See our full review of Planet.
Get a copy of Planet.

My City

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
My City is a fun tile-laying game with a “legacy” component to it. Players develop a city on their own player board across the ages. Every game will have players adding more to their personal boards. Thus, every time they play, they’ll be further customizing their city and changing how the games play out. If players don’t want to use the 24 episode legacy campaign, they can simply use the other side of the board for repeatable play. Kosmos has done a great job at making a very approachable legacy game for families to enjoy playing many times over. We can’t stop playing!

See our full review of My City.
Get a copy of My City.

Trekking the National Parks

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-5, Time: 60 min
Trekking the National Parks has players traveling the United States and visiting National Parks for points. Players utilize dual-purpose cards to both travel between parks and spend as resources to visit and occupy parks. Players also collect colored stones along the way that grant points for majorities. The rules are simple to understand and the gameplay is straightforward. Plus, it’s a game that has a great balance of strategy and luck. Underdog Games also just released Trekking the World with similar game play but, as the name implies, players are traveling all over the world.

See our full review of Trekking the National Parks as well as our review of Trekking the World.
Get a copy of Trekking the National Parks or Trekking the World.

Barenpark

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
In Barenpark players compete to build the best bear park complete with enclosures, animal houses, and green areas. They do so by claiming Tetris-like shaped tiles and adding them to their park grounds. Each animal enclosure has a certain point value and players earn additional points through Bear Statues and bonus achievements. Even though we have a bunch of tile-laying games already, we love finding those that still offer something new. And Barenpark, by Lookout Games, hits that mark.

See our full review of Barenpark.
Get a copy of Barenpark.

Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-6, Time: 60 min
It’s time to hit the Caribbean, set sail, and race other pirate crews from port to port toward the Spanish Treasure Galleon at Trinidad. Forbidden Games delivers a great pirate game in Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates. It’s a deck-building, hand-management, race through the Caribbean. There are 3 routes through the Caribbean waters and players will have one ship traversing each route. The routes include Merchant ship locations with cargo and Port cities where players can exchange claimed cargo for treasure and add more crew cards to their decks. Players will score points for their treasure and for where they finish on each of the routes.

See our full review of Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates.
Get a copy of Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates.

Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
“This secluded elephant pool has never before been seen by civilized man. And looking at everyone on this boat, it still hasn’t.” You all know the corny jokes from the Jungle Cruise ride at the Disney parks. You’ll get plenty of them in Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game by Ravensburger. In the game players try to get the most points from safely carrying valuable cargo and families of passengers along the river to headquarters. It’s a light game that’s driven by the luck of the dice rolls.

See our full review of Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game.
Get a copy of Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game.

Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-7, Time: 45 min
This game by Stonemaier Games is a mash-up of two games we love — Between Two Castles and Castles of Mad King Ludwig. It’s a tile-drafting game where each tile is a room in a castle. Players work together with the players on their left and right to build crazy castles. Players must carefully plan the construction of both of their castles (on their left and right) because the winner isn’t the player with the most points. Instead, the victory goes to the player with the highest point value of their lowest point castle!

See our full review of Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig.
Get a copy of Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig.

Cooperative Games

Cooperative board games are a great way for families and friends to work together to win the game. You either all win or all lose. Either way, you’re going to end up having a great time!

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-5, Time: 20 min
The Crew, by Kosmos, is a cooperative, trick-taking card game that quickly became of our most-played games for 2020! In The Crew, players work together to accomplish a series of missions by completing specific “tasks” each game. The Logbook includes 50 missions for players to attempt — getting progressively harder as you play. While The Crew is like many trick-taking games, it stands out uniquely beyond any others we’ve played because it’s cooperative!

See our full review of The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine.
Get a copy of The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine.

Back to the Future: Back in Time

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 50 min
This year Funko delivered another awesome board game in Back to the Future: Back in Time. It’s a cooperative board game where players work together to get George and Lorraine to fall in love by keeping Biff away while also getting the DeLorean in position before lightning strikes the Clock Tower at 10:04 pm. The game is played over a number of rounds depending on the number of players. No matter the number of players though, the game ends when the Turn Tracker reaches the space marked 10:04 pm.

See our full review of Back to the Future: Back in Time.
Get a copy of Back to the Future: Back in Time.

Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising

Ages: 11+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60 min
In Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising players work together to recruit Wizards and defeat Death Eaters before they and Lord Voldemort corrupt Wizarding World locations. Because there’s lots of dice rolling in this game by The Op, the game doesn’t suffer from an alpha-gamer problem where one player tells everyone else what to do. Instead, each player really does to get make all their own choices and press their luck. If you know a Harry Potter fan that also loves rolling dice, then this is a great board game to give them.

See our full review of Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising.
Get a copy of Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising.

Scooby-Doo! Escape from the Haunted Mansion

Ages: 12+, Players: 1+, Time: 90 min
“I would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling kids!” If you recognize that statement, then you must be familiar with Scooby-Doo! (Yes, this marks a 2nd cooperative game we have in this list from The Op. When you’re hot, you’re hot.) In Scooby-Doo! Escape from the Haunted Mansion, players take on the roles of the teen sleuths and their courageous canine pal to solve a mystery. Players work together to solve the puzzles and discover who’s behind the trouble of Lady Fairmont’s ghost.

See our full review of Scooby-Doo! Escape from the Haunted Mansion.
Get a copy of Scooby-Doo! Escape from the Haunted Mansion.

2-Player Games

If you know someone that’s up for more head-to-head competition, then 2-player games are the way to go.

Funkoverse Strategy Games

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60 min
Even though the box suggest playing with more than 2 players, we really consider the Funkoverse Strategy Games as 2-player games. That’s really the best way to play them. Funko has created an awesome game system that lets players play themed versions of the game standalone or combine them together to have awesome battles. We’ve enjoyed playing the Harry Potter and DC Comics versions of the game, but there are plenty more like Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Game of Thrones, and even The Golden Girls!

See our full review of Funkoverse Strategy Games.
Get a copy of a Funkoverse Strategy Game.

Kodama Duo

Ages: 14+, Players: 2, Time: 30 min
It’s a new year in the forest of Kodama and time for a friendly competition to see who can grow the best tree for the tree spirits. The game, by Indie Boards & Cards, is played over 12 rounds in which players add branch card segments to their tree to attract different tree spirits and score points. At the end of each season (every 4 rounds), players will also score bonus points based on their choices. The game is very easy to play yet still requires strategic choices to do well.

See our full review of Kodama Duo.
Get a copy of Kodama Duo.

Harry Potter: Defence Against the Dark Arts

Ages: 11+, Players: 2, Time: 30 min
The official name of this game by The Op is Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle – Defence Against the Dark Arts. It sure is a mouthful to say, but the game is straightforward to play. Like the original Hogwarts Battle, this game is a deck-building game. However, unlike the original being a cooperative game, this is a direct head-to-head duel among wizards. It centers on casting spells to knock your opponent off the dueling table. It totally creates a feeling of dueling each other depicted in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Plenty of fun for Harry Potter fans.

See our full review of Harry Potter: Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Get a copy of Harry Potter: Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Dice Throne Season 2

Ages: 8+, Players: 2, Time: 20 min
I’ve had a hard time deciding whether to put this in the 2-Player Games category or Dice Games category because it fits so well in both! Dice Throne, by Roxley Games, is a fast-paced, competitive dice rolling combat game with variable player powers. Players choose from a variety of heroes that play and feel completely distinct from one another. Attack opponents and activate abilities by rolling your hero’s unique set of five dice. Plus, you can accumulate combat points and spend them on cards that have a large range of effects. We got a copy of Dice Throne Season 1 in trade at SaltCon and would love to get Season 2 ourselves for more fun dice battles.

Get a copy of Dice Throne Season 2.

Party Games

The holidays are a great time to gather with friends and family for a party! Grab one of these party games as a gift for your upcoming holiday parties.

Gorilla Marketing

Ages: 8+, Players: 3-8, Time: 40 min
Gorilla Marketing is an absolute hoot! Players create ridiculous names and marketing tag lines for products, movies, bands, companies, and more — and then dish out awards. We have yet to play a game without busting a gut laughing. And we have yet to stop playing after just one game. That’s why this party game from Roxley Games quickly shot to the top of our favorite party games list and easily made our Board Game Gift Guide this year.

See our full review of Gorilla Marketing.
Get a copy of Gorilla Marketing.

Telestrations: Upside Drawn

Ages: 12+, Players: 4-12, Time: 45 min
Like the original, Telestrations: Upside Drawn is perfect for families to enjoy playing together. And the best part is that there’s no drawing talent required! The game is played in teams where the person who knows what needs to be drawn moves the board around on the table while their teammate holds the marker. Everyone on the team other than the person moving the board has to guess what’s being drawn. The first team to guess correctly gets the points. The Op published a very fun twist on party drawing games.

See our full review of Telestrations: Upside Drawn.
Get a copy of Telestrations: Upside Drawn.

Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?

Ages: 14+, Players: 4-12, Time: 30 min
When you get a game with Jeff Foxworthy’s name emblazoned on it, you can expect laughter. That’s definitely the case with Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?! by PlayMonster. Similar to Apples to Apples, players choose cards from their hand to give to the judge and hope they pick your card to get points. But the funny twist is that instead of a word to match, players are selecting funny sayings to go with the crazy photo the judge has. The 3 caption options on the cards are: Punchline, What Happened Next, and What Grandma Would Say.

See our full review of Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?
Get a copy of Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?

Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition

Ages: 8+, Players: 4-8, Time: 60 min
Sketchy Tales Disney Edition is a drawing and guessing game by Big Potato Games that plays like Telephone. Each player begins their story with a Disney character doing something a little unusual. Then they pass their board to the next player who guesses the drawing. Then on it goes to the next player who draws what was written. The stories are sure to get mixed up between drawing and guessing and leaving players with a lot to laugh about.

See our full review of Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition.
Get a copy of Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition.

Dice Games

Lots of games include dice. But they aren’t considered “dice games” unless the game centers on the dice themselves. If that’s what you’re looking for, these are some great games for gifts.

That’s Pretty Clever / Twice As Clever

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-4, Time: 30 min
That’s Pretty Clever tops our list of most-played games this year for a reason — it’s addictive fun. Once you figure out how all the different colored dice score, it’s hard to stop playing. It combines the luck of simple dice rolling with the decisions of which dice to score when. And because we’ve played so much we laminated the last score sheets from the pad that comes with the game and use dry erase markers so we’ll never run out of score sheets!

Schmidt Spiele and Stronghold Games also published a follow-up game called Twice as Clever where the game play is the same, but the dice each score differently.

See our full review of That’s Pretty Clever.
Get a copy of That’s Pretty Clever.

The Zorro Dice Game

Ages: 13+, Players: 2-6, Time: 30 min
Zorro is looking for a worthy successor. Can you prove you’ve got the heroism and proficiency in battle against scoundrels and villains to take over for the infamous Zorro? In this game from Pull The Pin Games, players roll dice attempting heroic feats to gather equipment. Then they’ll use that equipment on future dice rolls to defeat scoundrels that stand in their way. So you see, being Zorro doesn’t require as much skill as you imagined — it’s all about the luck of the dice!

See our full review of The Zorro Dice Game.
Get a copy of The Zorro Dice Game.

King of Tokyo: Dark Edition

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-6, Time: 30 min
Looking back at our previous 9 years of Board Game Gift Guides, this will be the 3rd time King of Tokyo is listed in our guides! That’s because iello keeps giving us reasons to look with fresh eyes on this 10-year old game.

This new edition of King of Tokyo is a collector’s edition with the fight taking place in an alternative and darker world. The game play is still packed with the awesomely fun “king of the hill” type battles we love in King of Tokyo. But it also includes deluxe components, some replaced cards, a new mechanism, and all new art. The cool art style is black and white with a single splashes of color.

See our full review of King of Tokyo: Dark Edition.
Get a copy of King of Tokyo: Dark Edition.

Sushi Roll

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-5, Time: 20 min
Gamewright has taken the ever-popular Sushi Go! and Sushi Go Party! games and created a fun dice game! Players will now be rolling familiar Sushi Go characters in this dice-drafting game. Over the course of 3 scoring rounds where each player draws a certain number of dice from the bag and rolls them simultaneously. Then each player will draft one of their rolled dice to keep and pass the rest of the dice. Then players again roll the dice given to them and keep one. Players get points based on the types and sets of dice they keep. How can you pass up these cute sushi characters?

Get a copy of Sushi Roll.

Gamer Games

If you’ve got a die-hard gamer in your family, snag one of these hot board games to get to the top of their “favorite family member” list.

Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Ages: 14+, Players: 1-4, Time: 45-90 min
Iron Man and Black Panther team up to stop Rhino from rampaging through the streets of New York. Captain Marvel and Spider-Man battle Ultron as he threatens global annihilation. And plenty more. The game, by Fantasy Flight Games, invites players to embody iconic heroes from the Marvel Universe as they battle to stop infamous villains from enacting their devious schemes. As a Living Card Game, Marvel Champions is supported with regular releases of new product, including new heroes and scenarios.

Get a copy of Marvel Champions: The Card Game.

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth

Ages: 14+, Players: 1-5, Time: 60-120 min
Fantasy Flight Games doesn’t stop putting out fantastically thematic board games. And they’re at it again using similar mechanics to what they’ve done with the hit Descent: Journeys in the Dark and Star Wars: Imperial Assault (which we absolutely love). It’s an app-supported game where players battle villainous foes, make courageous choices, and strike a blow against the evil that threatens Middle-earth. Since we love the game play style with the supporting app, and the Lord of the Rings theme, this jam-packed game makes our wish list too.

See our full review of The Lord of the Rings: Journey’s in Middle-earth.

Get a copy of The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth.

Maracaibo

Ages: 12+, Players: 1-4, Time: 30-120 min
Maracaibo is a strategy game set in the Caribbean during the 17th century. Players are seafarers and adventurers sailing on a round course through the Caribbean and trying to increase their influence in three nations over four rounds. They’ll be upgrading their ship, engaging in combat, working as a privateer, building a network of assistants, setting off on expeditions, fulfilling quests, and much more. Players can also play Maracaibo as a campaign, experiencing a story as they go. In the process, several surprises change how the game plays out.

Get a copy of Maracaibo.

Gloomhaven

Ages: 14+, Players: 1-4, Time: 60-120 min
I can’t believe we haven’t had Gloomhaven in our board game gift guide before. It was published in 2017 and rocketed to the top of BoardGameGeek.com’s best games list with close to 40,000 ratings. It’s also a massive board game! Players take on the role of a wandering adventurer with their own special set of skills and their own reasons for traveling to this dark corner of the world. Players must work together out of necessity to clear out menacing dungeons and forgotten ruins. In the process, they will enhance their abilities with experience and loot, discover new locations to explore and plunder, and expand an ever-branching story fueled by the decisions they make.