The best tabletop games to play with friends this summer
Table games come in many forms. Whether it’s pencil and paper, cards, tiles, boards, or a combination, the best all do one thing: engage a group of people in competition, camaraderie, and/or merriment. That’s why we really cherish them.
You don’t have to (although you absolutely can) spend a lot of money to get a really great game. These are our absolute favorites that we know you’ll enjoy playing with friends and family. Dive in and find something to make a bunch of treasured keepsakes with!
Splendor
Splendor is a marvelous strategic card game in which you and other players act as competing merchants in the Renaissance era. Your objective is to collect the gem cards and amass greater fortune than your opponents.
This game is really easy to pick up and play for beginners – even the youngest ones – but it is quite difficult to master; you are bound to have fun and never get bored! As further proof of its excellence, it should be noted that Splendor has been nominated and/or won dozens of awards after its release, including Best New Board Game of UK Games Expo 2014 and Best Short Game MinD-Spielepreis 2016.
Farmer
Agricola may not be as well-known as some of the other games on this list, but it absolutely deserves a feature here. This board game puts you in the role of a small farmer who works to support his family, livestock and possessions.
All the little bits can seem intimidating at first, but don’t give up! It’s easy to understand once started. As a bonus, when you buy this, you don’t even necessarily need friends to play with! Agricola can be played alone (however, we have to say it’s best in a group). When you buy it, we recommend the revised edition which was released in 2016.
Ticket To Ride: Europe
Depending on who you are, playing as a train manager in a board game can feel like a boring monotony or an exciting adventure – and we promise it’s the latter. In Ticket To Ride games, you compete with other players to build railways around the world and earn points by successfully connecting particular locations.
Since it’s such a big hit, you can build trains almost anywhere you want! Different versions of the game feature maps of entire countries, like America, individual cities, like New York, or large regions, like Europe. Although this is not the original version of the game, we recommend the Ticket To Ride: Europe version; a few rules had been added and changed by then which made it a better experience.
Small world
Small World is best described as: what if Risk was bearable to play? Don’t get me wrong, Risk is a classic board game for a reason, but it takes an incredibly long time to truly finish a match and can’t really hold anyone’s interest for that long. Small World takes elements of Risk, as well as other strategy and fantasy board games, to create something truly wonderful.
In this document, you and your friends play as fantastic races trying to conquer the known world and which were randomly combined with a characteristic. Sea trolls? Merchant zombies? Rich elves? They are all possible. You use them to claim as much land as possible before you spread too thin and have to choose a new race entirely.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a classic tabletop game that has been around for decades. You probably know the drill by now, right? One player is the Dungeon Master (DM) who controls the story, telling and improvising as it goes. Everyone else plays characters trying to solve the problems introduced by the DM.
Some people prefer the role-playing side of D&D, while others love the combat and stat optimization, and still others prefer a healthy dose on both sides. Whatever you think you’ll like in this fully personalized experience, it’s never too late to start.
You can buy Starter sets that provide you with the rules and dice you’ll need to venture into the unknown. They also include a pre-written adventure for the DM to drive your party, so you don’t have to feel like you have to invent anything yourself.
Horrified: American Monsters
We at TheGamer first had the opportunity to try out Horrified: American Monsters during the 2021 holiday season. This game puts you in the role of monster hunters trying to save your city from the wrath of one or more classic and horrifying legendary creatures.
There are plenty of rooms, but don’t get overwhelmed! This is simply because there are a lot of monsters to choose from, but you’ll only be using one or two monsters for each game (meaning you don’t actually need most of the coins). Unlike most other games on this list, Horrified: American Monsters is a cooperative effort where you and your friends succeed or fail together.
Carcassonne
If you’ve played more complicated board games than Sorry and Monopoly, someone has probably already recommended Carcassonne to you. This is a world-building game where players take turns placing tiles to create towns, roads, and farms.
We recommend it Again here because now might be the perfect time to pick up a copy! The base game is really simple to learn and addictive to play. If you find yourself playing it often, you can even invest in some of the expansions that add new mechanics and glitches to the gameplay!
Sushi go!
Sushi go! ticks all the boxes for a fantastic game night. Easy to learn? Check. Any number of players? Check. Lively and engaging? Check. Fodder to turn into a drinking game? Check.
Sushi go! players pass cards to each other and slowly collect them in order to earn a lump sum of points once all the cards have been dealt. It’s really clunky and easy to get to; according to U.S, rules are best taken loosely. We’ve heard of house rules that require players to count backwards when choosing cards or to slam their chosen card onto the table as hard as they can before passing the rest.
Catania
Could we talk about a game night with friends and not mention Catan? It has become quite popular in recent years, infiltrating the mainstream in a way that only games like Monopoly could before. If you haven’t tried it already (or if you have, but haven’t bought a copy for yourself), now is definitely the time.
In case you weren’t aware, Catan puts you and other players in the role of settlers on an uninhabited island. You must spend your time (and precious resources) colonizing it under your own flag. Of course, if you’re played on Catan, we can hardly blame you. That’s why we recommend you check out some of the best house rules in the game that shake up the gameplay a bit and/or customize it to fit your table of family and friends.
funemployee
The Funemployed Card Game is unlike any other and is sure to liven up your party. The only pieces of the game are the cards and your own acting abilities. One player assumes the role of a manager, while others act as potential job candidates who must sell themselves to the manager.
The twist? Each candidate has zany characteristics that they must justify to their potential employer. How would a lizard’s tail make you a better cook? How would an assassin story qualify you to be a nanny? We promise it will be a surprise to find out which of your friends are secret masters of improv!
We hope you like the items we recommend and discuss! TheGamer has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a revenue share from some of your purchases. This will not affect the price you pay and helps us provide the best product recommendations.