Are you finding your game closet looking a little familiar lately? At Kraken Games Lab, we’re all for giving your game closet a regular refresh so family game nights don’t get stale. With screens begging for our attention throughout the day, a tabletop game night promotes countless benefits including development of social skills, improvement of cognitive functions, reduction in daily screen usage, strengthening of family bonds, and many others.
Every year, thousands of new board games are released, and classic tabletops are revamped. It can be challenging to select which ones are worth purchasing. Check out this year’s top board games, from classic tabletop games to new releases and everything in between. Each game has been hand-picked by Kraken Games Lab’s expert gamers, who take all aspects of gaming into account: Objective, Understandability, Fair Play, and, of course, Fun! By incorporating a few of these Best of 2024 games, you’re guaranteed to have memorable family game nights.
Number of Players: 2-8 Players
For Ages: 8+ Years
Without a doubt, this household board game has withstood the test of time. For decades, Monopoly has been deemed one of the most popular board games due to its value in teaching financial concepts, family-friendliness, and its ability to bring out the competitive side in everyone. Fun fact: Did you know Monopoly was originally named The Landlord’s Game?
Although classic Monopoly is intended for ages 8 and up, don’t forget that younger children can have age-appropriate fun with Monopoly Junior (ages 5-8). This junior version of Monopoly is also available in a variety of themes including Monopoly Junior: Bluey, Monopoly Junior: Super Mario, Monopoly Junior: Paw Patrol, and more.
Number of Players: 2-4 Players
For Ages: 10+ Years
Forbidden Island is a thrilling rush of adventure, suspense, and teamwork. You and your fearless adventurers will embark on an unforgettable treasure hunt. The catch: the sacred treasures are sitting on a dangerous island that’s rapidly sinking underwater. This intense adventure game was designed by well-known gamer Matt Leacock and is a longtime fan-favorite for avid adventure gamers.
Since Forbidden Island’s release in 2010, other Forbidden games have followed. Players can experience fresh adventures in Forbidden Desert or Forbidden Jungle.
Number of Players: 2-8 or more players (separated into two teams)
For Ages: 10+ Years
In Codenames, two teams compete to identify their team’s secret agents (represented by words on cards) based on clues given by their spymaster. On each turn, the spymaster gives a one-word clue and a number (example: “Water 3”), indicating that there are three words on the grid that are related to the clue “water.” The field operatives then try to guess the correct words on the grid that are based on that clue. The operatives can guess as many words as the number given by the spymaster (3 total guesses for “Water 3”), but they must be careful not to choose the assassin word, which ends the game immediately in a loss for their team. The team who correctly guesses all of their agents (or words) ends in a win!
Codenames: Disney is another version of the popular Codenames game, adapted for younger players and Disney fans. It involves guessing Disney-related words based on word clues and illustrations, making it the perfect option for those who love Disney theme parks, Disney movies, and Disney characters.
If Disney isn’t your thing, try other editions like Codenames: Pictures or Codenames: Duet.
Number of Players: 2-5 Players
For Ages: 10+ Years
This newest edition of Trekking the National Parks has quickly become a family favorite. The award-winning game is great for outdoor lovers with adventurous hearts. Are you ready to travel to the Great Smoky Mountains? Grand Canyon? Big Bend? The Everglades? Or Glacier Bay? Visit all of the above and more in Trekking the National Parks! The updated version keeps the same concept of exploring all of America’s beloved national parks with upgraded illustrations, a brand new solo mode option, and more.
The backstory of the original game is one for the books. Trekking the National Parks is based off of a couple’s real-life journey of traveling to all 63 national parks. Their son — captivated by their travels — brought it to life in a board game so families could get a small taste of their unique adventure.
You can also trek through other scenes like Trekking the World and Trekking through History, or test your knowledge with Trekking the National Parks: Trivia.
Number of Players: 2-4 Players
For Ages: 8+ Years
In Ticket to Ride, players collect train cards to claim railway routes across a map. It’s simple to understand, highly strategic, fast-paced, and, over time, has become a family game night staple. Designed by Alan R. Moon and first released in 2004, the game has spawned multiple expansions and regional editions, each with its own map and set of challenges. The original game is set in North America, where players aim to build railway routes between cities across the continent. More recent versions include Ticket to Ride: Paris, Ticket to Ride: New York, Ticket to Ride: Amsterdam, Ticket to Ride: London, Ticket to Ride: Berlin, and Ticket to Ride: San Francisco. Aside from the expansion options, each game has the potential to feel different depending on the routes players choose and how they compete for space on the board.
Number of Players: 2-8 Players
For Ages: 21+ Years
The Unstable Unicorns NSFW Edition is a more adult-oriented version of the original Unstable Unicorns game. The game is still based on the same premise — building an army of unicorns — but it adds an edgier and more humorous twist to the gameplay, incorporating adult themes and humor. Players use various action and magic cards to sabotage their opponents, protect their own stable, or steal unicorns. The main difference in the NSFW edition is that the cards include more mature jokes, adult references, and risque humor. This version was designed for players who enjoy irreverent, cheeky fun.
Please note that this edition is not intended for anyone under the age of 21. However, Unstable Unicorns is also available for younger ages. Families can have hours of entertainment for a wide range of ages with Unstable Unicorns: Kids, Unstable Unicorns Expansion Pack: Christmas, Unstable Unicorns Expansion Pack: Adventures, and others.
Number of Players: 4-8 Players
For Ages: 8+ Years
This year’s best new release game is Blob Party! This word party game is perfect for mid-sized groups that love to work together. The objective of the game is to become one massive blob — using sculpting clay — by trying to think of the same words in a particular category. For instance, if the category is “Food” and the word is “Red,” players could write foods such as strawberries, apples, tomatoes, etc. Any player(s) that wrote the same words would morph their clay together to make a bigger blob. It’s highly interactive, involves critical thinking skills, and encourages collaboration.
Now that’s a family game night line-up!
Looking ahead to Best Board Games of 2025, we anticipate one of our original games to make it to the “Best of” list: Emberlings. Emberlings was designed for those with an adventurous heart and strategic mind — inviting players to a mystical world where they’ll guide dragons scattered across the lands of Aethoria in hopes of restoring unity. It’s truly a fun and challenging quest!
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