Whether your family enjoys good quiet fun or boisterous screaming matches fueled by the heat of friendly-ish competition, this list of fun family games for game night is sure to have the perfect match for you.
Our family is more of the loud and boisterous type. One of our absolute fondest life memories is the time we caught my dad and uncle cheating at Taboo.
As they furiously flipped cards under the glow of the camp lantern, getting answer after answer correct, it didn’t take long to realize something was up. When their secret was finally revealed, we all had a good laugh. Of course, we’ve never let them live it down.
Whether your family members all play by the rules or some get a little dirty, game night is a lasting tradition that will add laughter and joy to even the most humdrum of nights.
Below you’ll find our top game picks organized by age. Click any blue link or picture to see the current price of the game on Amazon and read additional parent reviews, via our affiliate links.
If you are questioning whether or not a game is right for your family, most of the games below have awesome YouTube videos where you can see the game in action.
Please note, that all of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Fun Family Games for Game Night with Young Kids
Where’s Bear?
- ages 2 +
Using a fun set of colorful nesting blocks, parents and kids take turns hiding and finding a wooden bear.
First Orchard
- ages 2 +
This collaborative board game is great for very young kids. Working in a team, players try to pick all the fruit in the orchard before the raven eats it.
Here Fishy, Fishy!
- ages 2 +
Players roll the dice to find out which magnetic fish they need to catch from the pond. This games helps to teach colors and matching while building hand-eye coordination.
Pancake Pileup
- ages 3 +
Players work in teams to fill breakfast orders using picture-based recipe cards. To fill the orders players must walk across the room balancing individual pancakes on a spatula. Once the pancake is placed on the plate, the spatula is passed to the next team member in relay race style.
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
- ages 3 +
Help your squirrel collect all the acorns he needs for winter. The first one with a full tree stump wins. This game helps kids learn colors and counting while practicing fine motor skills.
Hoot Owl Hoot
- ages 3 +
In this award-winning collaborative board game, the goal is to help all of your owls reach the nest before the sun comes up. It’s a great way to practice colors.
ABC Spot Me
- ages 5 +
In this fast-paced competition, players try to match letters and pictures on their cards, before their competitors.
Little Bird, Big Hunger
- ages 3 +
With a roll of the dice, you can collect insects to feed your baby bird and help her grow. The first player with a full-grown bird wins!
Raccoon Rumpus
- ages 3 +
Don’t look now, raccoons have raided your closet! In this adorable matching game, you roll the dice to help the mischievous raccoons find clothes and get dressed.
Snug as a Bug in a Rug
- ages 3 +
This collaborative board game teaches colors, numbers, shapes, counting, and matching. Help all the colorful bugs make it safely under the rug before the stinky stink bugs arrive.
Candy Land
- ages 3 +
In this classic board game, kids will learn colors, matching, and counting as they navigate a colorful board of candies and delicious treats.
Sequence for Kids
- ages 3 – 6
In this animal-themed strategy game players create rows of chips. The first player to get 4 chips in a row, without being blocked by an opponent, wins!
Yeti in My Spaghetti
- ages 4 +
In this simple but fun game, the goal is to keep the Yeti from falling into the spaghetti bowl as you pull out 1 noodle at a time.
Alphabet Go Fish
- ages 4 +
This new twist on an old favorite has players fishing for matching uppercase and lowercase letters.
Zingo
- ages 4 +
This fun take on Bingo helps young learners develop early reading skills through picture and word matching.
Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco
- ages 4 +
Be the first to help Frankie deliver all 5 menu items by matching shapes. This game comes with a fun set of cat tweezers for grasping the shapes, which helps develop fine motor skills.
Spot It! JR.
- ages 4 +
A fast-paced game of animal picture matching. Can you spot a match before your opponents?
Outfoxed
- ages 5 +
In this cooperative game, players use clues to narrow down the suspects until they finally identify the foxy thief!
Hedbanz Jr.
- ages 5+
This picture-based version of the popular Hedbanz game, has players answering the question “What animal am I?”. All players wear a headband with a mystery animal card that only other players can see. Each player tries to find out which animal is on their head, by asking yes or no questions.
Clack Game
- ages 5 +
This is a fast-paced magnetic game that clacks when you stack. This game is sure to hold your child’s interest because all players play at once. The goal is to match pictures before your opponents.
Game Night with Elementary Kids
Bugs in the Kitchen
- ages 6 +
Kids will have so much fun helping the nano hexbug navigate the maze to find tasty kitchen treats, like chocolate and cheese. The game includes a real robotic hexbug.
Ticket to Ride First Journey
- ages 6 +
While this is one of the most recommended games by parents, many caution that there is a steep learning curve when you’re first getting started. However, once you catch on, you’ll have the time of your life! The goal of the game is to collect 6 travel tickets before your opponents.
Qwirkle
- ages 6 +
In this highly rated game of luck and strategy, players form rows by matching tiles of similar shape or color. The first person to run out of tiles wins.
Catan Junior
- ages 6 +
You, and the other players, have discovered a new island and must race against each other to settle the land. This strategy game allows you to trade resources, build cities, and more!
Spot It!
- ages 6 +
A fast-paced game of silly picture matching. Spot the match before your opponents?
Sequence
- ages 7 +
In this strategy game players create rows of chips. the first player to get 5 chips in a row, without being blocked by an opponent, wins!
Blokus
- ages 7 +
In this strategy game, players try to create chains of Tetris-style blocks without being blocked by an opponent. The first one to run out of blocks wins!
Tenzi
- ages 7 +
This awesome family dice game is actually 9 quirky games in 1. With 9 different ways to play, the fun can last all night! They even have an expansion pack which bumps the number of possible games up to 86.
Phase 10
- ages 7 +
In this popular card game, the goal is to be the first person to play all of your cards by creating sets of cards with matching numbers.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
- ages 8 +
In this game of deduction, each player is secretly assigned the role of werewolf, seeker, villager, troublemaker, etc. The goal of the game is to discover each player’s assigned role, through a series of questions and discussions where the answers may or may not be truthful.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
- ages 8 +
A hilarious competitive card game for families who love to laugh!
Kingdomino
- ages 8 +
In this fun strategy game, players compete to build the best kingdom.
Melissa and Doug Suspend Family Game
- ages 8 +
Work together to build a topsy-turvy tower of kinky metal rods, but be careful. One mistake and the tower will come crashing down!
Not Parent Approved: A Card game for Kids
- ages 8 +
This multi-award winning game, despite the name, is fun for the whole family. In this Mad Lib-ish game, players use word/phrase cards to fill in the blanks of various sentences. The person reading the sentence card gets to choose the winning response. If you’ve ever played Apples to Apples, it’s that with fart jokes.
Sleeping Queens
- ages 8 +
The goal of this whimsical card game is to wake up (collect) the sleeping queen cards. Each queen is worth a different amount of points. You can win by being the first person to collect 4 queens, or the first person to get 40 points.
Rummikub
- ages 8 +
In this game, players start with 14 number tiles each. The goal of the game is to get rid of all your tiles by playing sets of matching number tiles, or runs of consecutive numbers. The first person to play all their tiles wins.
Dominoes
- ages 8 +
Be the first to get rid of all your dominoes by matching identical numbers.
Ticket to Ride
- ages 8 +
In this game of strategy, the goal is to collect 6 travel tickets before your opponents.
Farkle
- ages 8 +
In this competitive dice game, players score points by rolling different combinations of numbers.
Rack-o
- ages 8 +
The goal of the game is to create a rack of number cards in consecutive order. Players start with a rack of randomly ordered number cards. Using cards from the draw pile, players exchange cards 1 by 1 until someone successfully orders their cards.
Pandemic
- ages 8 +
Several horrifying diseases have overtaken the world. Each player must use their character’s special strengths to try and stop the spread.
Codenames
- ages 10 +
Competing as teams led by spymasters, team members try to discover the identity of the other secret spies on their team. The first team to identify all of its members wins.
Wingspan
- ages 10 +
In this game players are assigned specific roles related to birds, such as researchers, bird watchers, collectors, etc. Using the unique talents of their characters, players must attract birds to their aviary. The first player to fill their aviary wins.
Forbidden Island
- ages 10 +
In this award-winning strategy game, players must secure 4 sacred treasures from the ruins of a perilous island.
Loaded Questions
- ages 10 +
One player reads a question and the rest of the players write down their answers anonymously. One of the players who wrote reads the answers aloud while the reader tries to guess who said what.
Catan
- ages 10 +
Compete against other players to settle a newly discovered island by trading resources, building cities, and more!
Risk
- ages 10 +
In this game of strategy and conquest, players compete to take over the world.
Pre-Teens and Teens
Apples to Apples
- ages 12 +
In this Mad Lib-ish game, players use word/phrase cards to fill in the blanks of various sentences. The person reading the sentence card gets to choose the winning response.
Taboo
- ages 13 +
Working in teams, players must help their teammates guess hidden words by giving verbal clues as guidance. Gestures, sound effects, and drawings are not allowed.
Scatagories
- ages 13 +
Roll the die to pick a letter for the round. Once a letter has been rolled, all players must fill in the categories on their list using words that begin with that letter. For example, if “a” is rolled, a player might write apple, airplane, Austin, etc. The player who thinks of the most words wins the round.
Zombiecide
- ages 14 +
In this popular game from the UK, players can live out their zombie apocalypse nightmares. Will you be a survivor?
Unstable Unicorns
- ages 14 +
Build your unicorn army as fast as you can, before you are destroyed by one of your opponents. The first player with a full army of unicorns wins. The game manufacturer recommends this game for 14 and up because some of the cards are suggestive and/or politically incorrect.
More East TN Family Fun
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- 300 + Fun Things to Do in East Tennessee
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Erica has lived in East TN for over 10 years. She enjoys exploring this gorgeous region with her husband and 3 lively children. As a former teacher turned homeschool mom, she loves finding fun and affordable activities the entire family will love, especially if they cultivate a love for learning!