Best adult board games for a fun night in

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As a kid I spent many hours with my family around the kitchen table as we battled it out in classic games like Monopoly, Trouble and Snakes and Ladders. Now as an adult I still find myself reaching for board games during get-togethers with friends, only the games have become more complex (but are still just as much fun).

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I’m not the only one turning to board games for entertainment, either. The board game industry is experiencing strong growth, with sales projected to reach upwards of $248M ($177.5M USD) in Canada in 2025. And with so many options for a range of different interests and skill levels, it’s easier than ever to find a new favourite game to play.

Whether you’re looking for something to liven up a party or a two-player game that won’t take up too much time, I’ve gathered a selection of crowd-pleasers to get you started. I’ve played all of the options below, and recommend them all for some good old-fashioned fun on your next game night. 

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Summary of the best board games for adults

Party game: Hues and Cues
Best for larger groups: Codenames
City building: Machi Koro
Portable game: Bananagrams
Drawing game: Telestrations
Bluffing game: Skull
Strategy game: Catan
Canadian classic: Crokinole
Digital games: Jackbox Games

Best board games for adults, explained

Hues and Cues

How to play: This deceptively simple guessing game is great for people just getting into board games, as it takes minutes to learn and provides endless entertainment. Players describe a colour to their opponents using only one or two-word cues, and the closer you guess to the exact hue on the board, the more points you receive. Coming up with descriptors for the colours is an exercise in creativity as well as communication, and may just result in some heated (but friendly) debates. 

Players: 3-10 players
Game duration: ~30 minutes
Price: $35
Where to buy: Indigo | F.G. Bradley’s | Amazon

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Codenames

How to play: Best for larger groups, Codenames splits players into two teams as they compete to see who can correctly identify the assassin in their midst. Each team designates a spymaster who knows the secret identities of 25 agents (A.K.A. the cards on the board). Their teammates know the agents only by their code names — single-word labels like “disease,” “Germany” or “carrot”. Spymasters give clues to their teammates to search out their secret agents, without revealing the assassin’s identity. 

Players: 2-6 players per team
Game duration: ~15 minutes
Price: $30
Where to buy: Indigo | F.G. Bradley’s

Machi Koro

How to play: In this competitive city-building game, players act as the mayor of their own budding metropolis. To play, you’ll roll the dice and decide the fate of your city as you collect income from developments, build public facilities and steal resources from your neighbours. The first player to construct all of their city’s landmarks wins. 

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Players: 2-4 players
Game duration: 30-45 minutes
Price: $29
Where to buy: Amazon | 401 Games

Bananagrams

How to play: Sometimes you need a game that you can bring along with you on vacation, on camping trips or to a friend’s house. Bananagrams is that game. It’s similar to Scrabble in that players must spell out words with their letter tiles, but it doesn’t require a game board and can be played on any flat surface. 

Players: 2-8 players
Game duration: 30 minutes
Price: $17
Where to buy: Amazon | Indigo | Home Hardware

Telestrations

How to play: Telestrations is like the childhood game of broken telephone, but with drawing. To begin, players all pick a card and a notebook. They then simultaneously draw a word or phrase from their card to correspond with the roll of the die. Drawings are then passed onto your neighbour, who must write out what they think the image represents on the next page of the notebook – no peeking at previous pages! Play continues until you get your own notebook back and see how the words and images transformed. Can be played with or without keeping score. 

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Players: 4-8 players
Game duration: 30 minutes
Price: $39
Where to buy: Amazon | F.G. Bradley’s

Skull

How to play: Poker fans will be sure to enjoy this game, where the winner bluffs their way to the finish line. A mix of three rose cards and a skull card makes up each player’s hand. On each turn, players choose between adding a disc to the pile or placing a bet on how many flowers they think they can reveal without getting a deadly skull. The first player to correctly place two bets wins. 

Players: 3-6 players
Game duration: 30 minutes
Price: $25
Where to buy: Amazon | F.G. Bradley’s

Catan

How to play: Players control their own civilization and look to spread across a modular board as they build settlements, cities and roads. Players collect resources of wood, grain, brick, sheep or ore to build up their civilizations, to get to 10 victory points and win the game. This game is best-suited for strategic thinkers, as you’ll need more than just luck to win. Advanced players can also add to their collection with the many Catan expansion packs available. 

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Players: 3-4 players
Game duration: 60+ minutes
Price: $55
Where to buy: Amazon | Best Buy | F.G. Bradley’s

Tradeopia 2-in-1 Brown Wood Crokinole Board Game Set

How to play: If you’ve never played or heard of Crokinole, think of it almost like a miniature game of shuffleboard or tabletop darts. Crokinole is played by flicking tiny discs as players aim for the bullseye at the centre of the wooden game board. It dates back to the 19th century and was reportedly invented in rural Ontario. 

Players: 2-4 players
Game duration: 20 minutes
Price: $120
Where to buy: Amazon

Jackbox Games

How to play: While not strictly a board game, think of Jackbox Games as a digital alternative to tabletop party games. With modern takes on classics like charades and Pictionary, players join in by entering the room code on the host’s screen on their mobile phone. Games can be purchased individually or in party packs for an assortment of fun, and are supported on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. 

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Players: 3-8 players
Game duration:  minutes
Price: $10+
Where to buy: Jackbox Games | Steam

I’ve also included a list of other top board games that I haven’t personally tried, but are popular among friends and other board game enthusiasts: 

• Dungeons and Dragons: The classic role-playing game with open-ended play. 
• Ticket To Ride: Race to build train routes across the U.S. in this award-winning board game.
• Wavelength: Work together with your partner to decide where your clue falls on the given spectrum in this telepathic party game.
• Villainous: Play as your favourite Disney villain in this strategic game of wits.
• Bang: A western-themed bluffing game where players must hunt for the outlaw hidden amongst them. 
• Wingspan: Play as a bird enthusiast seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your aviary.

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kmendonca@postmedia.com

instagram.com/kate.mendonca

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