This comprehensive list of the best board games of 2020 has the perfect ideas for your Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas gift shopping! Whether you prefer strategy, luck, or a perfect combination, our list of board games will be sure to satisfy all of the game lovers in your family!

Our family is extremely competitive, so it’s no wonder we have a giant collection of card games and the best board games. Some are better than others, however. To provide inspiration, we’ve selected our favorite best board games of 2023 (in no particular order) to spark some inspiration for awesome board games to add to your board game collection!

1. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Deception is one of my favorite board games, which combines elements from many games, such as Code Names, Clue, and Werewolf. One player is the murderer and selects a weapon and a piece of evidence from in front of them. Silently, the clue-giver must select words to lead the rest of the players to the identity of the murderer. Click here to buy it!

2. Settlers of Catan

Race against other players to build your settlements and collect resources. This board game is perfect for strategic minds that appreciate a touch of luck from the dice. This game comes out at almost every family gathering! Click here to buy it!

3. Ticket to Ride

Each player is trying to reach their destination by building train tracks. Be on th look out for other players who might attempt to block your route and send you on a much longer journey than you intended! Click here to buy it!

4. Camel Up Board Game

Are the odds in your favor? In this game, players place bets on which camels will come out on top. Together, the camels race around the board- but make sure your camel is in the lead! If you think you can predict the outcome, you’ll be surprised that all bets are off! Click here to buy! it

5. Pandemic

This cooperative board game hits a little closer to home this year… Working as a team, players compete against the board to stop the spread of the disease that is raging across the world. Hopefully, you will be able to discover a cure before time runs out! Click here to buy it!

6. Azul

This game of strategy is as fun as it is beautiful! Players must select tiles from the middle and “embellish their walls”. Choose carefully. You must get the right number and style while trying to prevent other players from successfully completing their own. Click here to buy it!

7. Harry Potter Hogwart’s Battle Board Game

This is hands down the best deck-building game I’ve played! My husband, who does not even like Harry Potter-bless his soul-, loves this game. As a team, players build their decks while battling all of our favorite Harry Potter villains. Each book (or movie) is represented by a new level, featuring villains from that book. Click here to buy it!

For the Luna Lovegood expansion pack, click here.

8. Quoridor

As each player tries to cross the board, others can block their path by creating “corridors” that they must go around. This board game is equal parts frustrating and satisfying! In this game, each round lasts about 10 minutes, but you’ll want to play again and again! Click here to buy it!

9. Photosynthesis

We are in love with this transforming 3D board game! To win, players try to grow their trees from seedlings, while collecting energy from the revolving sun’s rays. Beautiful board and strategic gameplay. Click here to buy!

10. Balderdash

Balderdash is a great party game for creative people! By using uncommon words, acronyms, movie titles, and more, players try to guess the correct meaning, while throwing other players off track. The most convincing answers will win votes, which send players on to victory. We have a blast playing this in our house! Click here to buy it!

11. Name 5

Can you name 5 fruits that start with P? Or name 5 presidents from before 1960? This game combines random trivia with adrenaline as you compete with other teams to “Name 5”. For most families, this game can be played casually, but our competitive nature makes this game very intense! Click here to buy it!

12. Sequence

Play a card from your hand, and place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board. With 5 in a row, your team has a sequence! The goal is to be the first team to get the required number of sequences. This game is great for all ages, and 2-12 players. Once, our dad made us play this game for hours until he finally won! Click here to buy it!

13. Escape Room: The Game

This game takes everything you love about an escape room and brings it to you! With four different “rooms” to solve, our family had many fun game nights without having to leave home. The timer is set to 60 minutes and the fun begins! Click here to buy it!

14. Lanterns

The harvest is in, and the artisans are preparing for the upcoming festival. To win, place tiles to adorn the palace lake with floating lanterns and compete to earn the most honor before the festival begins! This game is fast-paced and great for 2-4 players. Click here to buy it!

15. Forbidden Island

This board game is cooperative with “sinking” tiles and shocking twists! As a team, your treasure hunters are trying to collect the various statues and get off the island before it all goes under! This game is easy to learn and fun to play with any group! Click here to buy!

16. Splendor

Initially, this game was difficult to understand, but eventually became very exciting! Players collect and use gems as “merchants” to trade and upgrade for higher cards. Your goal is to become the richest and influential trader in the jewelry market. Click here to buy!

17. Stratego

This board game is a 1-on-1 strategy game (hence the name Stratego) that is set on a battlefield. The first player to capture the other’s flag wins! Click here to buy it!

18. Sagrada

Sagrada is beautiful, as well as fun! Consisting of 90 dice and 24 stained glass windows, players roll to match their dice to their window to complete the patterns. This game was pretty relaxing for our family! Click here to buy it!

19. Werewolf

The classic game is a must-have for any party! In the beginning, players are assigned secret roles on either the Werewolf or Village team. Your task is to stay alive OR catch the werewolves that are invading your town. This is the best version we’ve found! Click here to buy it!

20. Spinner

This game comes out often in our house! Though luck is involved in which tiles you draw, players must decide which tiles to play early and which to hold on to till the end of each round. Any tiles left over harm your score! This game is extremely simple to learn and fun to play over and over. Click here to buy it!

21. Hedbanz

This game, Hedbanz, is great for younger audiences, although we’ve had a blast playing with just adults too! Each player has a word on their head, out-of-sight, which they must guess using yes or no questions. It will amaze you how long it takes your friends to guess words like “cheesecake”! Click here to buy it!

Classic Games

With a healthy dose of nostalgia, these classic games are a great addition to any collection, especially when they come in many themes!

22. Operation

This classic game takes good ol’ Cavity Sam into the operating room, and you’re the surgeon! But be gentle, or he just might wake up before it’s time! Earn money by completing each “surgery” successfully. Click here to buy!

For a cute Baby Yoda version, click here!

23. Monopoly

Beat your competitors around the board by landing on and buying properties. After, once you collect a set, build even more to charge higher rent when another player lands on your space! Earn the most money to win this classic game. Click here to buy it!

24. Life

Should you go to college or just get a job? Buy the big house or the house on wheels? What career has the best perks? Explore many different paths in the game of Life! Click here to buy it!

25. Risk

From the comfort of your home, this battlefield board game will soon have you conquering the world- or at least, you hope so! Battle against other players and build your armies to cover more land. The first person to take over the world, wins! Click here to buy it!

26. Yahtzee

It doesn’t get more classic than Yahtzee! Based off of Poker hands, this dice game has players rolling for the perfect numbers! Highest score at the end of the game wins. Click here to buy it!

27. Scattergories

Surprisingly, this game is difficult for our family, but only because we all think so much alike! Roll for the beginning letter and fill out all of the categories using that letter. However, be creative! Any repeat answers will be crossed out. Click here to buy!

28. Scrabble

Play words using the letter tiles in your hand- the higher the number on the tiles, the higher your score! Click here to buy it!

29. Boggle

Shake the game to mix up the order of the letter tiles and start that timer! Race against other players to write down as many words as you see, using letters that are connected! This game is great for all ages and is a wonderful learning tool! Click here to buy it!

30. Battleship

The classic 1-on-1 game of Battleship is one everyone should experience! Try to guess where the other player’s ships are located, without giving away the position of your own! Click here to buy it!

For more gift ideas, check out these posts:

• Best Card Games 2020
• Perfect Gifts for Men
• Amazing Gifts for Moms
• Creative Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Which of your favorite board games didn’t make it on our list? Tell us below!

-MaLee and Makayla <3