The 7 Best Party Board Games

I’ve always been a big fan of board games. They are a great way to spend a few hours with friends and family while also scratching that nerdy itch. The best party board games are the ones that have a little bit of strategy, but emphasize fun over a heavy rule book.

Board games are one of my biggest hobbies. Especially within the past 10 years, I have played a lot of games. With that in mind, I wanted to create a list of the best party board games that are out there to share with you.

Not every game will necessarily have a board, but they will fall under the same general theme of being fun, low stress games for large groups. Play time varies in length, but none of them are too long. These games can be picked up by anyone without spending a lot of time learning rules.

[Only have two players? Check out the 7 Best Board Games for Couples.]

With that, I present to you…

The 7 Best Party Board Games

One Night Ultimate Werewolf – Amazon

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is one of the best party board games around and certainly my favorite. I fell in love with this game the moment I first played it.

In the game, each player takes on a secret role of a villager or a werewolf. Villagers must deduce who the werewolves are among them before the time has expired. During the “night phase” some villagers have unique abilities to help (or confuse) their investigation. Once everyone is awake, players talk to one another, using social deduction, to see if they can catch the werewolves.

The game itself is simple, containing only a few pieces and a free app for your phone to guide the way. This is a wonderful game for family or friends and you can play many rounds quickly (each game takes less than 10 minutes). Highly recommended!

Best Played With: 6-8 players
Play Time: Less than 10 minutes
Age Recommendation: 10+

Cards Against Humanity – Amazon

Cards Against Humanity‘s tagline is “A party game for horrible people.” The description is apt. The game is crass, offensive, and hilarious.

Cards Against Humanity is a demented Apples to Apples. Players sit in a circle, playing white cards to fill in the blank spaces of a black card. The black cards contain prompts such as, “During sex, I like to think about ______.” White cards contain phrases like, “A snapping turtle biting the tip of your penis” or “Kids with ass cancer.” The player who played the black card picks their favorite phrase. Play continues until someone has collected enough black cards to win.

The game relies heavily on shock value, which can wear off over repeated plays. That is why there are over a dozen expansions with a variety of flavors to refresh the game. There is a reason Cards Against Humanity is considered one of the best party board games: it will make you laugh and it will make you feel like a horrible person.

Best Played With: 4-8 players
Play Time: 30 minutes
Age Recommendation: 18+

The Game of Things – Amazon

The Game of Things is a game I unexpectedly enjoyed the first time I played. It is another Apples to Apples clone, but this time with a twist. The goal is not to pick your favorite response, but to figure out who submitted each.

During the game, each player writes out a response to a given prompt. This could be as simple as one word or an elaborate paragraph. The goal is to create something entertaining, but also to confuse the guesser. You don’t want to write something that you obviously wrote. You want to sound like someone else. Everyone then takes turns guessing who wrote what answers, tallying up points for correct guesses.

The Game of Things is one of the best party board games because it molds to fit your group. If you are in the mood for a family game, it fits that purpose. If you are looking for a more raunchy experience, it fits that as well. The game is ever changing, which is why it is so fun.

Best Played With: 4-8 players
Play Time: 45 minutes
Age Recommendation: 10+

Codenames – Amazon

Codenames burst on to the scene a few years ago and became a staple game for parties. I heard about it through a few friends before I finally tried it myself. And I’m glad I did.

In Codenames, two teams race to uncover all of their secret words, represented on 25 different cards. Only the Spymaster knows which of the words their team must guess. To guide their team, the Spymaster gives one-word hints. They must do their best to give their team the best hints while avoiding their opponents words (and the dreaded assassin).

What makes Codenames so fun is that it really pushes creativity. How else are you going to group words as different as “Egypt” and “dinosaur” together? This is a great party board game with just enough strategy to keep more advanced players coming back for more.

Best Played With: 6-8 players
Play Time: 15 minutes
Age Recommendation: 14+

Dixit – Amazon

I just played Dixit for the first time recently and it’s an incredibly unique game. Dixit is entirely image based with a focus on storytelling through art.

In Dixit, each player starts with a hand of cards, each with a different image on them. Each round, one player says a phrase related to one of their cards. It can be as simple as one word or it can be an entire story. Using this phrase, players play a card that they think best matches. The cards are shuffled and everyone votes on which card best suits the phrase.

What makes Dixit fun is that your story can’t be too specific. If every player guesses your own card (or no one guesses yours), you don’t get any points. So you have to get creative with your phrases, tailoring them to your group. Dixit is an imaginative game great for all ages.

Best Played With: 4-6 players
Play Time: 30 minutes
Age Recommendation: 6+

Love Letter – Amazon

Love Letter has only 16 cards and is about wooing the affections of a princess. It sounded silly to me the first time I heard it, but the simplicity of the game is what makes it so great.

As you try to deliver your letter to the princess, you never have more than two options, represented by cards in your hand. You use these actions to prevent other players from delivering their letter. You either want to be the last player in each round or the player with the highest score. It is a fast paced game, with a round taking only a few minutes. Be the first to win enough rounds to successfully woo the princess.

Love Letter is one of the best party board games out there because it packs so much fun in a small package. There is a surprising amount of strategy stuffed into 16 cards, but not enough to overwhelm. It’s a great game for casual groups or those with only a few minutes to spare.

Best Played With: 3-4 players
Play Time: 15 minutes
Age Recommendation: 10+

Wits and Wagers – Amazon

Wits and Wagers is a trivia game for people like me who don’t like trivia games. And if you love trivia games, you will love this game too.

In Wits and Wagers, each player gets a chance to guess the answer to a trivia question, but the twist is that you get to bet on the answers. Because every answer is numerical, each player gets to vote on the closest number without going over. Each answer is assigned odds on a betting mat which determines how much you win if you are correct. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.

Why I like this game is that you don’t have to know random trivia off the top of your head. You always get a chance to vote on all of the guesses, even if your guess was way off. It’s considered one of the best party board games because it’s great for trivia and non-trivia buffs alike.

Best Played With: 4-7 players
Play Time: 30 minutes
Age Recommendation: 10+