Top 5 Cooperative Board Games for families

Our family loves cooperative board games!
The first time we played a cooperative board game we knew we’d found something cool. There weren’t hurt feelings from being beat. And there weren’t accusations of being picked on by a sibling. Instead there was a lot of teamwork as we tried to win the game together.

Cooperative board games are great for families because they let you team up to beat the game. They get your family talking in a positive way as you work together to find the best way to win.

The other great thing about cooperative board games is that kids can join in games at an earlier age. Since you’re working together and discussing things throughout, older players can help younger players with strategies and options. This is great for letting younger players join in on games that may require more thoughtful choices. And they love feeling old enough to join in on those games.

Here’s our pick for the Top 5 Cooperative Board Games for families:

5. Defenders of the Realm

A great cooperative board game with a fantasy setting. The pressure is always on as evil generals come from all sides of the board descending on the central city to take control. Every player gets to take on special roles and abilities as they work as a team fending off the minions spreading throughout the land and trying to defeat the generals. The dice in the game are a great addition because it adds a random element so it’s not just a puzzle to solve. The big surprise for us was how much our daughter likes Defenders. It’s a tough game to win and takes longer to play than others on this list – which is why it’s at #5 – but it still makes the top list.

See Brooke’s video review and our written review of Defenders of the Realm.

4. Castle Panic

Another terrific cooperative board game with a fantasy theme, Castle Panic allows for 6 players to play – something that’s great for a family of 6. The title of this cooperative board game is very telling. From the very first moment, you’ll feel the panic set in. The monsters flow from the outside of the board toward the center castle – which you’re trying to defend. With only a few spaces to move inward, the monsters are beating down castle walls almost right out of the gate. It takes a lot of teamwork to be in a position to keep your defenses strong.

See Jaden’s video review and our written review of Castle Panic.

3. Flash Point: Fire Rescue

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is another cooperative board game that let’s 6 people play at the same time. But the theme of Flash Point isn’t anywhere near Castle Panic. Instead of a fantasy world, Flash Point puts players in the role of firefighters working together to save people (and pets) from burning homes. At first glance, Flash Point may look like an easy game to win. The game board doesn’t look too intimidating and you may have plenty of firefighters. But like Defenders of the Realm, Flash Point adds dice to the mix. And every time there’s dice in a game, you never know what you’re going to get. The role of the dice determines where smoke breaks out every turn so you never know when you’re going to get flareups or walls blown out. The structure could all come crumbling down before you’ve finished rescuing everyone. It’s a great theme to build a cooperative game around because you can all feel great when you win.

See Caleb’s video review and our written review of Flash Point: Fire Rescue.

2. Forbidden Island

For families with younger kids, Forbidden Island should really be #1 on this list. Of all the cooperative board games we’ve played, Forbidden Island is terrifically suited for playing with young kids. It’s very simple to understand, has fantastic components, and plays in a relatively short amount of time. Unlike the other games on this list, the locations in Forbidden Island are randomly placed upon set up which is a way to keep it fresh every time. The only downside for us is that only 4 can play at a time. It’s also the best deal in board games out there. For under $20 you get a fantastic family board game.

See Caleb’s video review and written review of Forbidden Island.

1. Pandemic

Although the top two games on this list are very close, Pandemic takes our #1 spot. And it’s not just because Pandemic was the first cooperative board game to really hit it big. After the success of Pandemic there were a lot of game companies rushing to publish cooperative board games. And while they’ve added a lot of great mechanics and themes to the mix of games, Pandemic still stands the test of time and is a great cooperative board game for families.

See Caleb’s video review and our written review of Pandemic (it was the 2nd video review we did).

Other great cooperative board games to consider if your playing with adults (or teenagers):
Shadows Over Camelot
Battlestar Galactica

Downside to cooperative board games
The only complaint we’ve heard about cooperative board games is when there’s a player that tries to take control of everything. If one person tells everyone else what to do on their turn, then the fun of the game goes right out the window.

Since the board games are all about cooperation, you need to have discussion about options throughout the game. However, this can still be done without taking over for other players.

The thing to watch out for is not making decisions for other players. Talk about it. But let each player make their own decision without pressure. In a family setting this can be combated really easy with this tip: Ask kids for advice

A great thing to do when playing as a family is for parents to ask the younger kids for advice. When it’s dad’s turn, he can turn to his daughter and ask what she thinks he should do. It’s a great way to build their confidence and bond at the same time.

If you haven’t played a cooperative board game before, then we highly suggest you grab one of these top 5 Cooperative board games for families and give it a try!

NOTE: You may note that the order of these top 5 games may not coincide with an ordered list of our game review ratings. But that’s simply because of the age of our kids at the time they did the original reviews and what they rated them at the time. The order in which we played and reviewed the games also has an impact on the way we’ve rated games over time. While we don’t imagine going back and re-rating all the games we’ve reviewed, we do plan to do more of these Top 5 lists with our broadened perspective from playing hundreds of board games together.