Board games have been trendy for a long time. At home with family or friends, you can immerse yourself in adventure and fantasy worlds, solve puzzles or test your knowledge with fellow players. We have selected the most beautiful games for you.
In autumn and winter, board and parlor games are a wonderful pastime. Especially in times when life is shifting more into the house and apartment, this is a very welcome change. Thousands of new games come onto the market every year, and there are also many wonderful classics – it’s not always easy to choose.
We have therefore put together for you the ten best board games that you can play with family and friends.
10. For crime fans: “Killercruise”
- 2 to 4 players
- from 12 years
- Playing time: about 30 minutes
Crime fans get their money’s worth with the new game by Sebastian Fitzek. “Killercruise” takes place on a cruise ship. There, players must find a missing passenger. Little by little they gain access to the three decks by solving puzzles. But be careful: an unscrupulous psychopath is also on the ship. An encounter with him could have fatal consequences.
The three-dimensional game plan in the shape of a ship makes “Killercruise”, which is based on Fitzek’s novel, a special gaming experience. The game is suitable for everyone who likes to solve puzzles, play cooperatively and devour Fitzek’s books.
9: For puzzle fans: “Escape Room – The Game”
- 2 to 5 players
- from 16 years
- Playing time: about 60 minutes
Escape rooms have been trendy for years. Not surprising that there are now escape board games for the living room table at home. In “Escape Room – The Game” the so-called Chrono Decoder controls the course of the game. Not only does the time for solving the task run out incessantly, all puzzles must be solved here in order to get to the four keys with the help of the appropriate codes and thus to solve the puzzle and to be able to leave the escape room.
The game contains four exciting adventures, but now there are also new, exciting puzzles for little money with the Chrono Decoder from the basic game. “Escape Room – The Game” is suitable for everyone who likes to play Escape Games and solve puzzles together. The decoder draws the other players into the action with an exciting background noise, so that a real escape room atmosphere arises.
8. For wise guys: “Trivial Pursuit” Classic Edition
- 2 to 6 players or teams
- from 16 years
- Playing time: about 60 minutes
In the classic “Trivial Pursuit” every player can put their knowledge to the test. Questions have to be answered in six different categories. There are more than 2,000 different questions in total. So it won’t get boring even after the umpteenth game round. The first player to answer a question correctly in each category and collect the six corresponding stones wins.
“Trivial Pursuit” has been around for almost 40 years and the game is very popular around the world. No complicated rules have to be understood here, so this parlor game is also suitable for mixed groups of different ages. If you like, you can also answer questions about the magical world in special editions.
7. Strategy for two: “Pentago”
In “Pentago” two players can compete in quick duels. They alternately distribute balls in their color on the board. The aim is to place five of your own balls in a row. Achieving this is not that easy, because after each turn the player rotates part of the four-part game board. This changes the structure of the game, and those who just thought they would win must now change their strategy.
Many games that can be played in a larger group can also be played in pairs. But that’s not always fun, because the game mechanisms are designed for more players. It’s different with “Pentago” – here two people can compete against each other without bent rules.
6. Seldom laughed like that: “Nobody Is Perfect”
“Nobody Is Perfect” is a classic among the board games. The first edition came out in 1992. Questions must also be answered here, but not necessarily correctly. The goal is to convince your teammates of the answer, there are no limits to your imagination. So it can be that the other players on the answer to the question “What is apatite?” (a mineral) convinced it would be a very special printing press. Whoever is the best and most credible cheating and inventing and putting on a poker face can win.
“Nobody Is Perfect” is a lot of fun, especially in larger groups (five or more players) and is aimed at all those who like to make up stories. And of course the right answer to the tricky questions is included. However, it only becomes visible when you put the card in the special red card reader.
5. Complex game world: “The Legends of Andor”
- 2 to 4 players
- from 10 years on
- Playing time: 60 to 90 minutes
In “The Legends of Andor”, game designer Michael Menzel takes you into an exciting fantasy world. The cooperative game was named Kennerspiel des Jahres in 2013 by the “Game of the Year” jury. All players have to fulfill tasks in their hero roles together and can therefore only win together. Despite the very complex background, the rules are easy to understand and not too extensive.
Anyone who has always wanted to immerse themselves in fantasy worlds is at the right place with “The Legends of Andor”. And if you can’t get enough of it, you will find numerous expansions such as and to really enjoy Andor.
4. Exciting placement game: “Ubongo”
In “Ubongo” all players try to add geometric figures to their playing cards at the same time. For this, everyone has twelve differently shaped pieces. The die decides what should be placed. Then it has to be done quickly, because the hourglass runs through quickly and you have to be ready beforehand. In return, the successful players receive gems. And of course, in the end, whoever collected the most of them wins.
A quick grasp and the ability to think spatially are quite useful in “Ubongo”. The rules are short and easy to understand. The game is aimed at all those who like to get a result under time pressure and appreciate a short playing time. There is also a variant for two players:.
3. Cities and monasteries: “Carcassonne”
In 2001, “Carcassonne” by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede won both the “German Game Award” and the “Game of the Year” award. There is no classic game board here, rather a landscape of tiles made up of meadows, streets, cities and monasteries is created step by step. You score your own areas by placing your small wooden figures (“meeples”) on the corresponding cards. Whoever has built the most profitably in the end is the winner.
“Carcassonne” is aimed at all those who like to create something. A quiet game that is always fun even after the umpteenth round, because a new landscape is created in every game. The “Carcassonne” game family has grown by countless expansions. One contains the base game and eleven of these expansions.
2. Magnificent royal palace: “Azul”
- for 2 to 4 players
- from 8 years
- Playing time: about 30 to 45 minutes
In the 14th century, white and blue ceramic tiles were used in the Alhambra in Granada, where they were discovered by the Portuguese King Manuel I. He wanted this for his palace in Evora too. The players in “Azul” now take on this task. Each player works on his own wall in the palace and builds rows of patterns. The player who first installed five tiles horizontally ends the game. Additional points then also flow into the evaluation. The one who could collect the most points wins.
The author Michael Kiesling has implemented an abstract game idea in an extremely attractive way. The tactical placement game is suitable for families with older children as well as for adult play groups. The high-quality and beautiful game material is also impressive. Numerous expansions and independent games such as enrich the gaming experience.
1. The classic: “The Settlers of Catan”
- 3 to 4 players
- from 10 years on
- Playing time: about 75 minutes
The term “German Games” established itself when “The Settlers of Catan” began their triumphal march around the world in 1995. Today the parlor game is only called “Catan – The Game” for short and is the world’s most successful game after the classic. The players build and develop the island of Catan. To do this, they use raw materials such as wood, grain and wool and build roads, settlements and cities. By skillfully exchanging and trading raw materials and then building, each player gets closer to his goal – to collect ten victory points.
With “The Settlers of Catan”, Klaus Teuber has created a game world that, even after 25 years, has no end in sight. Countless expansions delight millions of players. You simply cannot avoid “Catan”: Once played, the game casts a spell over you. Whether on Catan itself or in or with another, the innumerable and around the cosmos of the hex fields.
Which game was game of the year this year?
In 2020, Christian and Daniela Stöhr’s creative guessing game from PD Verlag was awarded the “Game of the Year” prize.
Which game won the German Game Award this year?
In 2020 the cooperative card game by Thomas Sing from Kosmos Verlag was awarded the “German Games Prize”.