2022 Top 10 Family Board Games

[@jacfinlayson9989]

This is a fabulous list. The way you have introduced your children to games is truly inspiring. Thank you

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you so much. I’m glad to hear it inspires. I feature my kids in my videos for two reasons: as a dad, I like having the videos for the sake of nostalgia. It’s enjoyable for me to document the games I played with my kids when they were little. That would be reason enough, but I also think that if viewers can actually see the children playing the games, it helps to really understand the level of engagement: if you can see my kids having fun, it’s easier to tell the game is actually good for kids and not just some reviewer blowing smoke.

[@jameskirk4692]

Awesome list! And very useful! I love that you focus on family games and games children can play. Thank you very much! Keep up the great work.

[@theperfectboardgame]

My pleasure. Making videos of us playing family board games together: the best!

[@thomasfdfd]

Excellent video !

[@jameswight6259]

Just discovered your channel. Fantastic! Exactly what I needed. And top quality video too. Thanks!

[@theperfectboardgame]

Glad to have you! Thank you so much; I try my best.

[@Anastasis-is-here]

Some of the games i played as a child were escape from Atlantis, chess, batman gotham city mystery, Ali baba bucking camel, Yu-Gi-Oh millennium and monopoly. I even bought escape from Atlantis, that old version and have it painted.

[@brusslysb]

Great video, following now. TY Ben

[@niFunRgi]

thank you for this video

[@nicolehindley3515]

Love these!! Have you played Barenpark?? My kids love it!!

[@theperfectboardgame]

Yes. It’s a wonderful, wonderful game that is accessible to anyone, but I have featured it before on this channel so I didn’t list it here.

[@MartaSilva-qk7wp]

Great list! Thank you :)

[@theperfectboardgame]

It was a pleasure making it! Thank you!

[@johnsullivan1476]

Great list. Our favourites are My City, Quest for El Dorado and Explorers (glad you really liked it after our recommendation for it). Dice Forge is one that certain family members really enjoy and excel at.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you! Keep the recommendations coming!

[@danielsellers4958]

3:45 caught picking her nose :D Thanks for the great content! Really loved this list.

[@theperfectboardgame]

You are welcome! These family-focused reviews are my greatest pleasure. I’m sure Kay will enjoy looking back on them when she is older. 😳

[@bearifiablepau2095]

Wanna try: El Dorado, Codenames , Mountain Goats, Kites, Mind MGMT

[@thesolitairegambit2556]

I usually don’t play multiplayer games. I mostly play 2 player games and solitaire. But I’d recommend the following: Forbidden Island. I used to play this game with my younger siblings. You work together to find the treasures of the island and escape in time before the Island sinks. Sleeping Queens - a nice card game of set collections. Cartographers - a Roll and Write game where you explore unknown lands and use colored pencils to draw in your sheet the different type of terrains. I would also recommend Marvel United, in which you take roles of heroes and going around the cities saving people and fighting the bad guys. 😁

[@theperfectboardgame]

For someone who “doesn’t play multiplayer games” those are excellent recommendations. Cartographers is great.

[@tulerassomnolent8684]

Awesome list, thank you! My wife, daughter and me recently got into boardgaming (again, on my part). My daughter is 6, almost 7 and we started with Carcassonne, which is fun with a great table presence, the way the land unfolds basically. Other good ones we enjoy (and I think I got one or another because of one your older videos) are: Planet Karuba Canopy Andor junior Patchwork and a couple others we are going to try soon (quacks of Quedlinburg, lost desert)

[@theperfectboardgame]

Happy to help! I have not seen or heard of Canopy. What a beautiful game! I will definitely check it out.

[@Flip5ide]

Nice, wondered if you would do another of these. My daughter (7 now) is really enjoying, Die Wandelnden Türme, Barenpark, Roam, Diamant, Kingdomino, 7 wonders Architects, Explorers and Cartographers. Great list, a few new suggestions for me to check out.

[@theperfectboardgame]

I always hear great recommendations from you. Thank you so much! Roam looks interesting. I’m going to looking that as soon as I finish writing this comment. Diamant looks a lot like Saboteurs. The Wandering Towers was mentioned by someone else and I tried to find it. I believe at the time I was struggling to either find an English edition or an American shipper. Looked cool though! I can’t wait for Essen. So many new discoveries to be made there.

[@Flip5ide]

@@theperfectboardgame I hope you have an ace time at Essen, what an awesome thing to do! I ended up getting The Wondering Towers through German Amazon, it has English instructions included! worked out cheaper than any other options. Diamant is just a very simple push your luck game but very good fun at higher player counts. Going to check out saboteurs now 👍🏼

[@Listan1]

How is Die WandeInden Turme? I just ordered it from Amazon Germany without much to go on because hardly any reviews out on it!

[@Flip5ide]

@@Listan1 it's loads of fun, my family love it, I took it to my sister's and she and her husband loved it as well, my parents found it fun and wanted a rematch straight away. Just a brilliant family game.

[@Listan1]

We just bought Kites! But have yet to play. Wow your #1 was a surprise! My kids most enjoy: Ghost Blitz, Ice Cool, Creatures and Cupcakes, Camel Up, Mole Rats in Space, Catch the Moon, MonsDRAWsity. They like excitement and action, clearly. They loved the art and theme and components of Calico, but the gameplay wasn’t too exciting for them. I thought Barenpark was a snooze and they never asked for it again. They enjoyed Isle of Cats but it was so huge to keep just for the simple family mode (adults were just okay on the adult mode). We had a good first play of Karuba, so I think that will be a good one in time.

[@madrastic9769]

Thank you so much for your reviews. I recently discovered your channel and I love your videos. When you try a lot of games you are bound do end up with games you don’t use or don’t find interesting. What do you do with them?

[@theperfectboardgame]

My wife is really supportive. She thinks the board games look great as an ornament, so I'm not at the point where storage is a burden. However, to reduce how much I spend and postpone the day when I do cross that line, I do whatever I can to try games without buying them. That means I have a network of friends I can borrow from, I play games at club events, I play games online, I try other digital adaptations of games before buying them, and sometimes I simply read the rulebook before I determine if I game is worth investing more attention. I actually really enjoy learning games, so reading rulebooks is not tedious for me. It's enjoyable, almost like how someone can enjoy doing a crossword puzzle. It's thought-inducing for me and passes the time over a cup of coffee or something.

[@UniformSierraMike]

Hi Thanks for the recommendations. Surprised to see mind management in the list. The game is Age13+ and other reviewers although rate the game very high have said game is difficult to explain. Just wondering how you got around those issues with your 6 year old. Thanks

[@theperfectboardgame]

There is a simple mode and a more complex version. I have not played the complex version with my six-year-old. I think the 13+ rating is definitely for the complex version. One of the things I love about games like this is it requires my kids to really step up. Even the simple version is not “dumbed down” for kids, but rather, set up as a tutorial for people to play the full game. That being said, at its core the gage is very simple: the agent is drawing out a secret path and will hit landmarks on the path. The rogues are asking questions about which landmarks were encountered and when. The agent will win if they can hit a set number of a certain type of landmark or if they can “run out the clock” by not being discovered after a set number of rounds. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that and even some of the expansions can be added to the simple version. The great thing is, if you buy this game, it will scale well with any audience. One warning is that the humor and theme are a bit dark.

[@jimw2633]

Great video! I have a 3.5 year old daugther - which of the games do you think I should try given her age?

[@theperfectboardgame]

First of all: my whole thing is teaching young children to play games that are above their age level. There are plenty of games that are designed for kids who are three years old, but they aren’t fun except when you play with a young child. I hope you understand that all the games on this list are above a three-year-old’s level but can be accessible to them if you are patient in your teaching. For tips on how to teach young children, check out my “How to introduce your children to board games” video. That being said, I think you could try Barenpark and Mountain Goats. I also think you should take a look at City Chase, which is a simplified version of Mind Management with components that make the gage easier to understand. Another game to look at that is phenomenal for her age but want on this list is Magic Mountain.

[@jimw2633]

@@theperfectboardgame Thank you so much! Yes, I'm also trying to introduce her to games which are not designed specifically for small kids. Your suggestions are much appreciated!

[@kumartiger6192]

Hi! Do you showcase any brand new educational kick starter games? I could use some support in getting my board game out there.

[@theperfectboardgame]

I guess it depends on what you mean. I review games that are educational, but only if they are really “games”. For example, I wouldn’t review a system of flash cards. But if you’ve got a real game, let’s talk more. You can find my email address in the “about” section of my channel.

[@kumartiger6192]

@@theperfectboardgame Thank you for getting back to me. My game is a board game so I think this might interest you. I will send an email.

[@aorakis5795]

Nice little list. I'm gonna give kites and goats a shot! Fews games that works a lot with 5 to 6 years old child's here : (sorry the names are in French) -La Colline aux Feux follets -1,2,3 glisse And one every one should own : -Flipships! Hope you'll dig those 3 out, they defenatly worth a try! Cheers from belgium

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you! The only one I know is Magic Mountain (La Colline aux Feux Follets) and it’s a great recommendation. For anyone else reading this, in English, 1, 2, 3 Glisse is called “Turtle Splash”. It is a disk flicking game and Flipships is a cooperative disk flipping game where you work together to save the world from alien invaders!

[@f33b58]

Great list!! Plunder! A pirates Life is one that my daughter loves

[@theperfectboardgame]

Just finished reading the rule book. What a great thematic dice-rolling game. It stands as a great alternative to Catan and I can see it is very accessible to kids. Great components, too.

[@HomeLifeWithLove]

Interesting list. Mountain Goats looks fun. Explorers reminds me of Silver and Gold, which I really like, but my son doesn’t care for it.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Silver and Gold and Explorers are by the same designer. Silver and Gold is kinda like a very simplified, shorter version of Explorers. The objective of S&G is the same for every game whereas Explorers potentially has new combinations of objectives for every game.

[@wendyisgrowinginwisdom6350]

Thanks for these suggestions! I am really intrigued about Mind Management. Have you tried Magic Maze for kids? It looks amazing. We have the regular Magic Maze which our teenage niece and nephew picked up really quickly (we allow talking).

[@theperfectboardgame]

I have not tried it, but mostly because no one has recommended it yet! I just learned how to play, this is definitely one we will take a closer look at!

[@Flip5ide]

May I ask, once you finished my city the legacy does it have much replay value?

[@theperfectboardgame]

“Much” replay value… I think it is the case with every legacy game that the excitement of its replay values comes through its legacy features. Once the game is over, regardless of whatever independent “replay value” is built into the game, it is nothing compared to the legacy experience. I think that will be the case with this game, too, but there is a backside of the player board that is identical and can be played on its own. For the kids, however, once we run out of stickers, I think there will be less to engage them in such a dry thematic game.

[@theperfectboardgame]

…but personally, I think the synchronous gameplay is still an excellent, non-legacy selling point.

[@Flip5ide]

@@theperfectboardgame so you can play the legacy more than once?

[@neverbenbetter8225]

@@Flip5ide no. The boards have two sides. The legacy side begins identical for every player and is modified with stickers. The orher side is identical for every player and is never modified. It is the side you play after the legacy version ends or when you want to play with people who aren’t doing legacy with you.

[@Flip5ide]

@@neverbenbetter8225 ahh ok

[@filiplazov5895]

I really like your videos (discovered your channel recently). I also play with my two daughters 9 and 6 (almost 7) and some of the games we enjoy playing recently are 7 wonders architects, Project L and Century Golem ed - Endless World. I avoid games with text since english is not our native language (even though my kids understand many english words), Do you still think El Dorado is playable if the kids remember the function of a card without reading the text? Also how good are your kids at shuffling? :)

[@theperfectboardgame]

El Dorado is just right. It’s a deck builder and the initial set of cards is just symbols. (Coins, machetes, and oars) The cards that you can buy as the game goes on have more complex effects and sometimes words, but you can only choose from five so you can explain what the cards do as the come out and their effects are supported by symbols so it is easy to remember. Also, my kids play with their hands open (playing open Durant effect gameplay unless you are exceptionally competitive) so parents can help as they make choices about playing their cards.

[@unlimitedrabbit]

Did you get the Kickstarter Deluxe edition of Mind MGMT with the Special Missions cards? If so, how do I know when to open them?

[@theperfectboardgame]

No this is a retail edition. I’m not sure, but I bet there is a boardgamegeek forum that answers that question.

[@izbirun]

Dice forge is so much fun!!!!!!! Lot this list.❤

[@jadealexander8207]

My favorite part was sweet baby girl picking her nose lol 🤣 I love real people 🤩

[@theperfectboardgame]

I didn’t notice that while editing. This is one of my most watched videos. One day, that baby girl is going to be upset with me!

[@ilirtanku9722]

Some good family games not included here; Quack of quedlinbourg Cubitos Celestia Kingdomino

[@theperfectboardgame]

These are excellent suggestions! Kingdomino is on my original list from last year.

[@simpelton524]

#1 Everdell

[@theperfectboardgame]

I left off Everdell deliberately. The game is too text heavy for all ages.

[@jediquigley2192]

Everdell is probably the most played game by my family (10 and 7 year old boys) the 7 year old enjoys playing but is not going to win as he doesnt understand the depth of the game. But the 10 year old is now on it and beat me yesterday 😅

[@PresenceIsAGift]

I got a eldest child 14 Youngest 5 I have 5 kids Help!!

[@theperfectboardgame]

For so many player, you want games where everyone can play at the same time, rather than take turns. (Ir you want party games that will RNA you playing in teams) I haven’t played a ton of roll and writes, but That’s So Clever is popular. Railroad Ink and Next Stop London are good. For party games, check out Codenames pictures and Trap Words. Thanks for asking, I will start brainstorming a “games for large families” list.

[@beyoncepadthai254]

Too many strategy games and you should let people know it’s games for parents playing with young children. It’s misleading cause family games are various ages even without young kids.

[@theperfectboardgame]

I tried to make that clear in the beginning of the video. But yeah, good to point out. I made recommend games for the WHOLE family, meaning enriching for kids and fun for adults too.