Board Game Gift Guide 2021!

If you’re looking for some great game ideas for friends and family, you’ve come to the right place!

This marks our 11th annual Board Game Gift Guide and we love sharing great gift ideas. In fact, we’re sharing 40 great games to choose from for your family!

Since there’s a wide range of people (ages & interests) you may be considering, we break down this game guide into various categories and share a handful of game ideas in each category.

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
Abstract Games
Dice Games
Deduction Games
Gamer Games

Children’s Games

Once again, we’ll start off with games that young kids can enjoy playing.

Worm Party

Ages: 5+, Players: 2-4, Time: 20 min
In Worm Party, by Queen Games, players try to escape the nibbles of Charly the chicken by hiding their wormlike fingers below the mounds. It’s like a hide-and-seek game using their fingers. One player looks to find which finger is hidden under which mound. Kids love hiding their fingers under different colored mounds and will be drawn to it again and again.

Get a copy of Worm Party.

Outfoxed!

Ages: 5+, Players: 2-4, Time: 20 min
Outfoxed is a cooperative, deduction game by Gamewright. Players move around the board gathering clues and use a special evidence scanner to rule out suspects and determine which of the various foxes is guilty of stealing Mrs. Plumpert’s pie. The game is simple enough for a young child to understand, yet complex enough to expand their thinking and reasoning capabilities. Plus, the decoder is an awesome game component to play with.

Get a copy of Outfoxed.

Barnyard Bunch

Ages: 4+, Players: 2-4, Time: 5-15 min
Barnyard Bunch is a cooperative children’s game where players try to keep the animals from wandering too far from the barn. They do this by rolling dice and matching colors. While the game relies on the luck of the dice rolling and card draws for moving the animals, kids won’t mind that at all as they move the animals away from or towards the barn. HABA continues to makes great children’s games.

Get a copy of Barnyard Bunch.

Hedgehog Roll

Ages: 4+, Players: 1-4, Time: 20 min
We’re on a kick with cooperative children’s games this year, but it’s a great way for kids to learn playing games. In Hedgehog Roll, players can choose to play either cooperatively against the fox or competitively against each other. In the game, players actually roll the fuzzy hedgehog over velcro pieces to collect along the way. The velcro pieces collected determine which spaces players can move onto.

Get a copy of Hedgehog Roll.

Family Games

We always have tons of recommendations for family board games! But we do try to narrow it down when we compile this game gift guide. Here are the top of the crop for our family game recommendations this year.

Ticket to Ride: London

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 15 min
Ticket to Ride: London is a simplified and quicker version of the super popular Ticket to Ride board game by Days of Wonder. Player still compete to claim routes and complete tickets, but they do so with only 17 busses on a smaller map – in this case, London. With about 1/3rd of the busses as the original games (trains), the game plays in a fraction of the time. Plus, because of the shorter play time, players don’t spend their time hoarding Transportation cards before claiming routes. It feels like a race right from the start.

See our full review of Ticket to Ride: London.
Get a copy of Ticket to Ride: London.

Queenz

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
Rio Grande Games has published a lot of fun family board games and the recent Queenz is another such game. It’s a fun set-collection and tile-laying board game where the players are beekeepers planting orchids to attract bees and produce the tastiest honey. While it’s a straightforward game to play, there’s more strategy lying below the surface than you’d initially think. At least, that’s how it caught us by surprise.

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

Rune Stones

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60 min
Rune Stones is a unique card-drafting game, by Queen Games, where players also shed those cards from their personal deck while they play. Players use their cards to gather gems, forge those gems into artifacts, and convert the artifacts to rune stones which will score points and grant special abilities. When playing cards, players play 2 cards at a time and get the benefits. But then they must discard the lower value card from their deck. There’s a tricky balance of when the collect and when to purge which all makes for an interesting and fun game.

See our full review of Rune Stones.
Get a copy of Rune Stones.

Downforce

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-6, Time: 40 min
Downforce, by Restoration Games, is a racing game that has players bidding in auctions, racing cars, and betting on the outcomes that’s a ton of fun! There isn’t any dice rolling as it’s the cards that determine which color cars move and how far. So even though you want to advance your cars to win, the cards you play will also be moving other player’s cars as well. The game comes with a double-sided board so players can chose which racetrack they want to race on. Of course, there are also expansions that bring in more tracks and player powers. Dad played it at SaltCon 2021 earlier this year and enjoyed it so much he bought a copy for our family. We definitely recommend it.

Get a copy of Downforce.

Gravwell 2nd Edition

Ages: 10+, Players: 1-6, Time: 45 min
We first played Gravwell shortly after it released in 2013 and totally got a kick out of it. Well, this year Renegade Game Studios released a 2nd edition version that adds even more fun chaos to the galaxy. The basic game play is the same with players simultaneously choosing a card to play from their hand and then resolving the cards in alphabetical order. But which way a player’s spaceship moves totally depends on where the other players’ ships are at the time their card is resolved. The new version has some additional powers that come into play and also allows more players to join in the fun. Players can also choose at the outset if they want to move from the outside in or from the inside out. So fun!

See our full review of Gravwell 2nd Edition.
Get a copy of Gravwell 2nd Edition.

Parks

Ages: 10+, Players: 1-5, Time: 60 min
In Parks, players take on the role of 2 hikers as they trek through different trails across 4 seasons collecting resources to visit US National Parks. The game got a lot of buzz when it released in 2019 and there’s a good reason why – because it’s a fun game! The stylized artwork of the national parks is wonderful and the wooden tokens are awesome, but it’s the game play that keeps bringing people back to it again and again. Players need to be strategic about which locations they’ll visit in a season because resources can become scarce. Big tip of the hat to Keymaster Games for such a fun family board game.

Get a copy of Parks.

Jamaica

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-6, Time: 60 min
Jamaica is a pirate-themed race game with players gathering gold, food, and treasure along the way. Of course, since they are pirates, there are also battles to be had. Each round, the captain roles 2 dice and dictates which value will be the “day” and which will be the “night”. Players then simultaneously choose from their hand of 3 cards which to play. Each card has an action on the left (day) and right (night) side of the card which the players then take turns resolving in the amount equal to the corresponding die. It’s a fun race with a bit of chaos mixed in. And Space Cowboys just released an updated version of the game as well which will be hitting game stores very soon!

Get a copy of Jamaica.

Galaxy Trucker 2021

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 30 min
If pirates aren’t your thing, how about a space race? Galaxy Trucker 2021 has players not just racing their ships through the galaxy, but also racing to build their ships in the first place! The game is played in 2 parts. The first is where players race to grab tiles and add them to their ship to make them prepared for the journey ahead (with power, blasters, shields, cargo, etc.). The second part is where players race around the galaxy and fend off hazards they encounter along the way. Czech Games Edition just published a revised 2021 version with new art, more ship tiles, tweaked card effects, and streamlined gameplay that keeps the game as fun as ever.

Get a copy of Galaxy Trucker 2021.

Cooperative Games

When your family wants to work together, reach for a cooperative board game – where everyone either wins or loses together!

Charterstone

Ages: 14+, Players: 1-6, Time: 75 min
Charterstone, by Stonemaier Games, is a campaign, legacy game where players compete to win the graces of the Forever King by building a grand village over the course of 12 games. Since it’s a legacy game, choices players make will permanently alter the game board — making future game options and experiences all unique. It’s also a worker placement game where players start with 2 “workers” that they’ll place on different spaces of the board to take actions specific to those locations. There’s a lot of variety that gets added little by little as each game introduces new elements and choices to make.

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

Magic Maze

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-8, Time: 15 min
Another game dad played at SaltCon 2021 that he had to rush out and buy a copy of for the family was Magic Maze by Pegasus Spiele. It’s a real-time cooperative board game where players don’t control specific characters but rather control particular movements. For example, one player can only move pawns East/West and reveal new tiles whereas another player can only move pawns North/South and up/down elevators. Since there are 4 pawns on the board that players have to get to specific locations and then exit it can be a bit chaotic racing against the timer. But oh, so fun!

Get a copy of Magic Maze.

Pandemic Legacy: Season 0

Ages: 14+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60 min
Have you had enough with global pandemics? Perhaps in the real world, that may be the case. But if you’re looking for board games, Pandemic is still a cooperative board game king. And Z-Man Games isn’t letting up with publishing more iterations. The good news is that they’re all so fun! And Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 is a fantastic experience. This version is a standalone game set as a Cold War spy thriller. Each game you play brings new cards, rules, and conditions into play that affect future games. Can you save humanity again?

Get a copy of Pandemic Legacy: Season 0.

Last Bastion

Ages: 14+, Players: 1-4, Time: 45 min
Last Bastion, by Repos Productions, is a cooperative board game where players take on the roles of heroes defending an ancestral bastion against monstrous hordes of the Baleful Queen. If you’ve heard of Ghost Stories, Last Bastion is essentially a re-theming of the game with streamlined rules that make the game more approachable – and more possible to actually win. Yes, that was a complaint of Ghost Stories – that it was almost impossible to win. Last Bastion is still an amazing cooperative challenge, but not hopeless.

Get a copy of Last Bastion.

2-Player Games

If you’re looking for a game with some good head-to-head action, consider these 2-player games.

Bananagrams Duel

Ages: 7+, Players: 2, Time: 10 min
Bananagrams Duel is a dice-rolling, 2-player game you can play anywhere. Each player randomly takes 12 letter cubes and players race to form their own crosswords puzzle using letters found on their cubes. The first player to complete a word grid with all 12 cubes wins the round and gets one of the Banana cards. Players can also play using the category cards that require players to use a word matching that category in their word grid.

See our full review of Bananagrams Duel.
Get a copy of a Bananagrams Duel.

The Fox in the Forest

Ages: 10+, Players: 2, Time: 30 min
The Fox in the Forest, by Foxtrot Games and Renegade Game Studios, is a trick-taking game for 2-players. Aside from the normal ranked- and suited-cards used to win tricks, fairy characters such as the Fox and the Witch have special abilities that let players change the trump suit, lead even after losing a trick, and more. Players score points by winning more tricks than their opponent. However, if they win too many tricks, they’ll fall like the villain in so many fairy tales.

Get a copy of The Fox in the Forest.

Star Wars: Rebellion

Ages: 14+, Players: 2-4, Time: 180 min
If you’re looking for an immersive Star Wars game that feels like you’re really battling for the fate of the galaxy, Star Wars: Rebellion is that game! It’s a heafty 2-player epic battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire that lasts a few hours. Players take the sides of either the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance – each with their unique abilities and options to play and each with their own way to win. The Imperial player must find and conquer the Rebel base and the Rebel player must achieve a number of objectives before it’s too late. It’s a true Star Wars experience by Fantasy Flight Games.

See our full review of Star Wars: Rebellion.
Get a copy of Star Wars: Rebellion.

Cosmic Encounter Duel

Ages: 14+, Players: 2, Time: 30 min
Cosmic Encounter Duel is a competitive standalone 2-player board game in the Cosmic Encounter universe, by Fantasy Flight Games, in which players race to be the first to control five planets. With 27 unique alien species, each equipped with it’s own crazy abilities, the head-to-head battles seem endless. Players can deploy their 20 spaceships to fight in duels, use them to act as reinforcements, or draw them back for a tactful retreat. But if they lose them to the Warp or let them be claimed by the black void between the stars, they’ll end up lost in space forever!

Get a copy of Cosmic Encounter Duel.

Party Games

The beauty of giving someone a party game as a gift if that you’ll probably be invited to play it with them as well!

Smart 10

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-8, Time: 20 min
Smart 10 is a trivia game where everyone gets a chance to answer every question. Plus, there are multiple answers for every question! The game is a self-contained unit with 100 double-sided question cards. Each card has 10 possible answers and players (or teams) take turns giving one answer and then passing it. If a player answers wrong, they lose any points they’ve gained so far that round. It became an immediate hit in our family and we continue playing it at family gatherings.

See our full review of Smart 10.
Get a copy of Smart 10.

Hues and Cues

Ages: 8+, Players: 3-10, Time: 30 min
Hues and Cues, by The Op, has to be the most colorful game board we’ve ever played on. That’s because it has 480 colors on it! Players try to get others to guess a specific hue based on single-word clues they give. For example, a player may say “bagel” and the other players place their markers on the color spaces that they think closest match “bagel”. Sometimes the toughest part of the game is when it’s your turn to come up with giving a clue.

See our full review of Hues and Cues.
Get a copy of Hues and Cues.

When I Dream

Ages: 8+, Players: 4-10, Time: 40 min
When I Dream, by Repos Productions, is a game where players rotate through roles of being the Dreamer, Fairies, Boogeymen or Sandmen. The Dreamer is blindfolded and the other players must come up with 1-word clues for the Dreamer about different elements of their dream. The elements are depicted on the 110 artistic double-sided cards. Fairies are actively trying to provide clues that will help the dreamer, while boogeymen are trying to keep the dreamer from guessing the correct word, and sandmen are trying to play both sides in order to balance the dreamer’s number of correct and incorrect guesses.

Get a copy of When I Dream

Werewords

Ages: 8+, Players: 4-10, Time: 10 min
Werewords is a deduction party game by Bezier Games that’s like a combination of One Night Ultimate Werewolf and 21 Questions. A werewolf is threatening the village and the mayor knows a magic word that if everyone says it together, everyone is saved. The problem is that the mayor isn’t allowed to speak and must answer the other players’ questions with yes, no, or maybe tokens. During all this, the Seer is trying to steer the group to the right answer – but without revealing that they know the word. And the Werewolves are trying to cause the players to not guess the word. If you’re up for a social deduction game, check it out.

Get a copy of Werewords.

Abstract Games

Games don’t always need to have a theme to be fun. Here are a handful of fun abstract strategy board games.

Qwirkle

Ages: 6+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
Qwirkle was one of the first games we reviewed almost 12 years ago and we’re still recommending it! The game includes 108 wooden blocks with 6 different shapes in 6 different colors. In this game by MindWare, players get a hand of 6 blocks and on their turn must add blocks to the growing central play area. But they can only place blocks in a line and match in either color or shape of adjacent blocks (without duplicates). Players score points based on the amount of blocks in the row/column of where they placed their new blocks. It’s a great game for all ages.

See our original video review of Qwirkle.
Get a copy of Qwirkle.

Metro X

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-6, Time: 20 min
While Metro X, by Gamewright, does technically have a theme, it’s pretty abstract. This is a flip-and-write game where players mark off intersections on their dry-erase board to complete routes. The catch is that players can only mark the amount on a route shown on the revealed card. With many crossing routes, being efficient can be tricky. It’s also a game that’s great for playing with a larger group since the game includes 6 boards and markers.

See our full review of Metro X.
Get a copy of Metro X.

Mondrian Blocks

Ages: 8+, Players: 1, Time: 5 min
Mondrian Blocks are brain teasers where players must place various rectangles and squares in such a way that all can fit in the grid. The game comes with 44 double-sided cards for a total of 88 puzzles. They’re grouped by increasing difficulty by color (22 of each color). It’s not likely a player will memorize how to put all 88 puzzles together, but this is a type of puzzle where players will get better with practice. And if you have 2 copies of the game, you can do head-to-head challenges to see who completes the selected puzzle first.

See our full review of Mondrian Blocks.
Get a copy of Mondrian Blocks.

Nova Luna

Ages: 8+, Players: 1, Time: 5 min
In a game of Nova Luna, by Stronghold Games, players take turns selecting tiles from around the outer edge of the game board and placing them into their tableaus in order to complete various objectives printed on the tiles. Each time one of these objectives is completed, the player places one of their markers on it. The first player to place all of their markers wins the game.

Get a copy of Nova Luna.

Dice Games

Are you looking for a game with dice as the central focus? Here are some great dice games to choose from.

Qwinto

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-6, Time: 15 min
Qwinto, by Pandasaurus Games, is a “roll-and-write” game where players roll dice and write something on their personal sheets. Qwinto was such a hit in our family that we rattled through the whole pad of sheets in the first month. So we laminated the last 6 sheets and now use a dry-erase marker when playing the game. All players are engaged the whole time because they can even write down numbers when it’s another player’s turn. It’s interesting that a game with just 3 colored dice can be such a crowd pleaser game to play.

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

Cubitos

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
Cubitos, by AEG, is a push-your-luck, dice-rolling, racing game with a ton of variety. Players are “participants in the annual Cube Cup, a race of strategy and luck to determine the Cubitos Champion.” As such, the first player to cross the finish line will be the winner. Crossing that finish line first will require buying more powerful dice, getting bonuses along the way, and pressing your luck with all your dice rolling. With 8 different sets of colored dice and each of those having 7 different ways they can be used, and with 4 different race boards, the possible combinations are practically endless!

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

Divvy Dice

Ages: 8+, Players: 1-4, Time: 30 min
Divvy Dice is a roll-and-write game from Stronghold Games where players need to roll dice to complete specific tasks to gain either bonuses during a game or points at the end of the game. Players are trying to build the highest-scoring 3×3 grid made up of bonus cards and points cards. Each card comprises of tasks, which require a combination of dice with specific values and colours. The active player rolls all 5 dice and can use the dice from the first roll or reroll up to two times. If the active player chooses to reroll dice, the other players may use one of the rerolled dice on their own cards. Lots of interesting choices with the dice.

Get a copy of Divvy Dice.

Valeria: Card Kingdoms

Ages: 13+, Players: 1-5, Time: 45 min
It may sound odd to have a game with “card” in the title be in the dice games section. However, Valeria: Card Kingdoms, by Daily Magic Games, is a tableau-building game that all depends on the dice rolling. Players roll 2 dice on their turns and the results of the dice activate benefits on the cards players have acquired during the game. Both the individual numbers of each die as well as the combination activate. But they activate for all players. So even when other players are rolling, you get benefits. However, only the active player gets to purchase more cards or slay enemies. It’s a fun game of card acquisition all based on the roll of the dice.

Get a copy of Valeria: Card Kingdoms.

Deduction Games

It’s time to put your thinking caps on and dive into some fun deduction games!

Detective Club

Ages: 8+, Players: 4-8, Time: 45 min
In Detective Club, on each round, one of the players secretly teams up with another — the Conspirator — and tries to make them guess a secret word using just two illustrated cards. Other players are detectives, who also know the word, but don’t know the identities of each other. Detectives have to find out who the conspirator is, making sure they don’t get accused by their fellow players. The artwork on the cards is a lot like Dixit, but the game player is unique. Detective Club is another fun game from Blue Orange Games.

See our full review of Detective Club.
Get a copy of Detective Club.

The Grimm Masquerade

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-5, Time: 40 min
The Grimm Masquerade is a hidden identity, deduction game with the Brother’s Grimm characters. Players are dealt a secret character in each of the 3 rounds that other players are trying to unmask. Each character has a Boon and a Bane artifact that will either hurt or help them. If a player gains 3 of their Boon cards, they win the round. If they get 2 of their Bane cards, they’re unmasked and are out for the round. The fun mechanic is that on each player’s turn they will draw 2 cards. They first draw 1 card and decide to either keep it face up in front of them or give to another player. Then they draw their 2nd card and must do the opposite of who got the first card. It can be risky because in doing so, you may even unmask yourself! Great game by Druid City Games that’s also very family friendly.

(It’s also another game that dad played at SaltCon 2021 and quickly bought a copy of for our family.)

Get a copy of The Grimm Masquerade.

Mysterium Park

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-6, Time: 45 min
Mysterium Park is an off-shoot type of game from Mysterium by Asmodee. While we’ve enjoyed playing Mysterium (as you can see in our 2017 review of it), now that we’ve played Mysterium Park, we’re ready to trade away our copy of Mysterium. Why? Because Mysterium Park is a more straightforward and streamlined version of the game! In this cooperative deduction game, one player is the Ghost who sends visions by way of very cool illustrated cards and the rest are the psychics who interpret those clues to rule out locations and suspects. It can be tricky trying to interpret the clues, but it is just as tricky for the Ghost playing in choosing which cards to pass to which players. And it’s a lot of fun!

Get a copy of Mysterium Park.

Silver

Ages: 8+, Players: 2-4, Time: 45 min
Bezier Games is well-known for their Werewolf games like One Night Ultimate Werewolf. They recently released a line of games that are likewise deductive card games with a loosely-tied thematic connection to Werewolf. The games are Silver Amulet, Silver Bullet, Silver Coin, and Silver Dagger and each are a deck of cards with different characters with unique actions. Cards are numbered 0-13, with the number showing how many werewolves the character on that card attracts. Players start with 5 cards face down in their village and through the game play in each of the 4 rounds, try to end up with the fewest werewolves (lowest number cards) in their village. They do it by drawing, playing, peeking, and deducing which characters they and their opponents have in their villages. It’s a fun game with cool character artwork.

Get a copy of Silver.

Gamer Games

If you’ve got a die-hard gamer in your family, these are some great games for you to consider giving them for a gift.

Dwellings of Eldervale

Ages: 14+, Players: 1-5, Time: 60-150 min
Dwellings of Eldervale, by Breaking Games, is an epic worker placement game set in a once lost magical world. Giant elemental monsters roam while dragons, wizards and warriors battle for dominance over 8 elemental realms. Players control unique factions seeking to adventure, battle, grow in power and ultimately dwell Eldervale, shaping it to their vision. The game blends worker placement, area control, engine building and unique worker units. The game was released to universal acclaim and many gamers are chomping at the bit to get the game. Because the challenge right now may be hunting down a copy to buy.

Brass: Birmingham

Ages: 14+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60-120 min
Brass: Birmingham, by Roxley, is an economic strategy game sequel to Martin Wallace’ 2007 masterpiece, Brass. Birmingham tells the story of competing entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the industrial revolution, between the years of 1770-1870. As in its predecessor, players must develop, build, and establish their industries and network, in an effort to exploit low or high market demands. If you’ve got a family member who loves economic strategy board games, this may be at the top of their list.

Get a copy of Brass: Birmingham.

Champions of Midgard

Ages: 10+, Players: 2-4, Time: 60-90 min
Champions of Midgard, by Grey Fox Games, is a Viking-themed, worker placement game with dice rolling in which players are leaders of Viking clans who have traveled to an embattled Viking harbor town to help defend it against the threat of trolls, draugr, and other mythological Norse beasts. By defeating these epic creatures, players gain glory and the favor of the gods. When the game ends, the player who has earned the most glory earns the title of Jarl and is recognized as a champion of Midgard.

Get a copy of Champions of Midgard.

A Feast for Odin

Ages: 12+, Players: 1-4, Time: 30-120 min
How about a 2nd viking-themed game to choose from in this year’s list? In A Feast For Odin, from Z-Man Games, players take on the role of a group of Vikings as they work to increase their holdings and prestige by raiding and pillaging, exploring, animal husbandry, and trading. Each turn, players have a set of limited actions to choose from. But once an action has been taken, it’s no longer available for use. In order to emerge victorious as the most powerful Viking, it is going to take efficiency, planning, strategy, and a little bit of luck.

Get a copy of A Feast for Odin.