Although we love our cosy, winter nights in, sometimes they can feel like a bit of a drag. The temperatures are freezing outside, we feel like we’ve already watched everything on TV, and our bank accounts are still strained from the aftermath of Christmas. However, there are still ways to liven up your nights in for both you and your loved ones!
Over the past few years, board games have become increasingly popular once again - much to our delight! Although we still love the classics of Monopoly and Cluedo, we absolutely love it when we find a new board game that we’ve never heard of before, but that sounds right up our street.
In honour of the new wave of modern board games being released in recent times, we have curated a list of 8 amazing games that you and your loved ones can enjoy together.
So, whether you’re a board game fiend or you haven’t played any of them in years, we guarantee that there will be a brand-new one on this list that you will feel intrigued to try out at your next games night:
Bananagrams
If you’re a fan of Scrabble, then you will absolutely love Bananagrams! Essentially, this is very similar to the iconic board game, except there is no actual board and no points scoring. Each player starts out with 15 letter tiles faced downwards in front of them, with the remaining tiles left in the banana pouch. After turning over your tiles at the same time, you must attempt to be the first person to use up all of your tiles to form words in a connected grid pattern. You can swap out any unwanted tiles for a new one, but you must also pick up an additional one as a penalty. The first person to shout out “BANANAS” with a completed word grid wins!
Dobble
Dobble is essentially a more fast-paced, eccentric version of ‘Snap’, and we’re obsessed with it! There are numerous ways to play this family-friendly game, but the most common version is to give each player one card each, with the remaining cards lying face-up in a pile. At the same time, every player must then look at their own card, and try to spot the connecting picture to the Dobble card that is on top of the pile. Whoever spots their corresponding symbol first claims the top card, and the person with the most cards at the end wins. Every single card has a matching symbol, so you’ll have to be fast!
The Traitors
If you’re a fan of the hit BBC reality show hosted by Claudia Winkleman, then you’ll be thrilled to know that you can now play The Traitors at home! The board game has the exact same rules as the beloved series - one of your party will find themselves as a Traitor, while the rest of you will become Faithfuls. Your group will be assigned missions to try and earn gold for the prize fund. Meanwhile, your Traitor will play to earn the right to murder at night, and the Faithfuls must try and banish the betrayer at the Round Table. Finally, the two players who receive the most gold will compete for the prize fund. Will they split the fund, or try and take it for themselves?
30 Seconds
Combining general knowledge quizzes and board games, 30 Seconds is a brilliant, lightning-quick game! One by one, each player must correctly guess 5 names that are listed on a card in 30 seconds - the topics can be anything from place names and movie actors, to singers and well-known brands. It is up to the remaining players to give their teammates clues to help them solve the answers on each card. Whoever reaches the finishing line on the board first is the winner!
Qwirkle
Qwirkle is perfect for rainy afternoons, and it also comes in a travel-friendly version! In short, each player begins with 6 tiles. Taking it in turns, each player must attempt to adjoin their tiles to others that feature either the same shape design or the same colour. However, you cannot place two tiles together that are identical. The number of points you receive with each turn is determined by the number of tiles in the row(s) you have added to. All in all, Qwirkle requires a lot of strategic thinking, but it is endless amounts of fun!
What Do You Meme?
If your family’s group chat is constantly being filled with hilarious memes, then your gang will have so much fun playing this card game! To win What Do You Meme?, the rules are incredibly simple. From the hand of caption cards that you receive, you must attempt to pair up the most hilarious caption with each new meme card that appears. This game is guaranteed to give all of you a few laughs along the way!
Cobra Paw
If you love fast-paced games, this one is perfect for you! From the same makers as Bananagrams, Cobra Paw involves placing all of the dominoes face-up in the middle of your group. Once the two dice are rolled, all players must try to grab the singular domino that matches the symbols shown on both dice. The winner of the domino is then tasked with rolling the dice to start the next round. The first player to win six dominoes is the champion!
Rummikub
Last but not least, this one is perfect for a board games night! To play Rummikub, each player in your group selects 14 tiles and places them on their rack. Your aim is to collect a set of tiles that totals at least 30 points. However, in order to clear all of your tiles, you must organise them by either collecting a row of the same number together, or a row of consecutive numbers together. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a mathematician to enjoy this one!
