When one thinks of family board games, classics like Monopoly and Scrabble are probably the first ones that come to mind. However, in the family board game genre, these big titles are only the tip of the iceberg. Today’s board games are incredibly diverse, with gameplay ranging anywhere between few minutes to a few days and requiring few players or even the entire family! If your family game night still consists of only the classics, you are missing out on all the incredible fun that these contemporary board games bring. Here is a list of the top family board games of 2018.

1. SETTLERS OF CATAN 5TH EDITION

Settlers of Catan should definitely be in your arsenal of board games if you have family game nights regularly. This is a strategic game, perfect for three or four players. The premise of the game is rather straightforward – Players have to collect resource cards to build structures around the island of Catan. Players earn victory points as they build structures and the first players to get ten points, wins the game! The twists, obstacles, clever rules and the very theme of building a settlement, make this game super fun.

2. CODENAMES

This challenging spy game will keep you on the edge of your seat all throughout. The premise of this game is to guess the identity of your secret agents with the help of your team’s spymaster. 25 cards are laid on the table, each representing the two team’s secret agents. Spymasters give one-word clues that point out their cards on the board. The teammates guess words of the right color while avoiding the cards that belong to the opposing team, and everyone wants to avoid the assassin. The gameplay is quick, challenging and extremely competitive.

3. CODENAMES DUET

Codenames Duet keeps the basic elements of Codenames, but now, you are working together as a team to find out your secret agents. Codenames has spawned various variations over the years, but by far, Codenames duet provides the best experience of them all, probably for the fact that the game has been made cooperative and playable with as few as two.

4. EXPLODING KITTENS

Exploding Kittens is a fast-paced, action game that adds thrill and excitement to even the dullest of family gatherings. The premise is very simply – avoid getting blown up by exploding kittens. Players take turns drawings cards until someone draws an exploding kitten. The game gets more intense with each card as fewer cards in the deck mean more chances of drawing a kitten and facing a massive feline explosion.

5. TOKAIDO

In Tokaido, players take a journey through the “East sea road’, traveling from medieval Edo to Kyoto in Japan. In this competitive board game, players meet people, taste fine meals, visit temples and wild places and do many interesting things on their journey. At the end of the trip, when everyone has arrived at the end of the road, you’ll have to be the most initiated traveler. It shouldn’t be just a trip, it has to be a journey with the most interesting and varied things.

6. SUSHI GO PARTY

The most adorable game on the list, Sushi Go Party with its simple rules, family-friendly gameplay and adorable artwork, is a must-own game even for the most jaded gamers. Sushi Go Party is a card drafting game where you pick a card from your hand and then pass the rest of your hand to the next player. The basic theme of the game is that all the players are at a sushi-go-round, the cards get passed around and at each round, you’ll get to pick one thing of the conveyor belt as it goes past.

7. CAPTAIN SONAR

Captain Sonar is an innovative real-time game where two enemy teams are trying to locate each other’s submarines in order to blow it out of the water. In this challenging game, the teams consisting of Chief Mate, Radio Operator, and Engineer take their submarines head-to-head in a thrilling battle and try to win by destroying the enemy’s submarine, a task which is far more difficult and exhilarating than it may first appear.

8. CHARTERSTONE

Charterstone is a legacy style game where players construct buildings and inhabit a shared village. The game features a story evolving through 12 linked games in which players take turns moving their worker pawns around the board and gather resources to build their village. The process of building your own village is rather enriching in which a few dozen buildings soon grow into an action-filled, bustling village.

9.PANDEMIC LEGACY SEASON 2 BLACK / PANDEMIC LEGACY SEASON 2 YELLOW

Transform your family game night into an epic adventure of bringing humanity back from the brink of extinction. Unlike most games, actions you take in Pandemic season 2 will affect future games. The world is on the brink of extinction and the world is counting on you!