21 Fun Family Games for All Ages

Looking to add to your collection of fun family games for all ages? 

The following games are perfect for family night.  My kids also love to play them together, without parents. 

Age recommendations start at 6 years, although the games near the top of the list are also suitable for some preschoolers.

For age 3-6 game recommendations, please see this list: 11 Family Games Even a 3 Year Old Can Play.

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21 fun family games for all ages

Games are a great way to encourage screen-free family bonding. 

My boys have logged hours upon hours playing board games, dice games, and strategy games together. I love to see them grouped around a game, planning their next move or counting up the score.

What’s more, games like these help kids (and parents) develop skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, goal-setting, perseverance, and even math and reading.  In fact, some of the games listed here can also contribute to geography, history, and natural science capabilities.  

Any activity that brings families together, without screens, for fun, laughter, and brain growth is a major win in my book.

Each game on the following list has been a big hit with my family of five, arranged in order by recommended player age.  Keep in mind that suggested ages are just that: suggestions!  My youngest son often plays games recommended for more advanced ages with his older brothers.  

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1. Sorry

• Age: 6+
• 2-4 players
• 30 minutes
• Little to no reading

The classic combination of luck and strategy, Sorry is a kids’ game that parents can enjoy too.  Great for non-readers to play with an older sibling or parent who can read the cards to them.  

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2. Bugs in the Kitchen

• Age: 6+
• 2-4 players
• 15 minutes
• No reading

Players guide the fast-moving hex bug through the kitchen maze, racing to catch him in their trap. Rotate the forks, knives, and spoons to create the best path to your trap; roll the dice to see which utensils you may rotate on your turn.  Wonderful, fast-paced game for non-readers!

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3. Shut the Box

• Age: 6+
• 2-4 players
• 15 minutes
• No reading
• Look for: 6-player version

Shut the Box is a classic dice game where players attempt to “shut” as many numbers as possible and earn the lowest score.  Perfect for non-readers, this game helps to develop math skills.

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4. Labrynth

• Age: 7+
• 2-4 players
• 30 minutes
• No reading

Race your opponents through the maze to reach your treasures and be the first to return to your home spot.  What’s the catch?  The routes are constantly changing as each player alters the maze on his or her turn.  Another great option for non-readers, Labyrinth will challenge your strategic thinking skills.

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5. Carcassonne

• Age: 7+
• 2-5 players
• 45 minutes
• Look for: Carcassonne Expansion (multiple)

Players strategically construct the area around the medieval French city of Carcassonne, competing to place tiles featuring cities, roads, fields, and monasteries, as well as “meeple” figures, to score points.  Simple to understand, with endless possibilities, Carcassonne offers a fun challenge suitable for groups of mixed ages.

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6. Sequence

• Age: 7+
• 2-12 players
• 30 minutes
• No reading
• Look for: Sequence for Kids

Easy enough for children, challenging for adults!  Using cards from your hand, place chips on the game board to make a five-in-a-row sequence.  Strategically block and remove your opponents’ chips, and watch out for the Jacks!

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7. King Domino

• Age: 8+
• 2-4 players
• 15 minutes
• No reading
• Look for: Age of Giants Expansion

Expand your kingdom’s territory by laying “domino” tiles to match the landscape tiles already placed.  Quick and easy to learn, this award-winning game teaches strategical thinking, planning ahead, and math skills.

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8. Dutch Blitz

• Age: 8+
• 2-4 players (2-8, with expansion pack)
• 5-10 minutes per round
• No reading (color & number recognition, sequencing required)
• Look for: blue expansion pack 

Developed in Pennsylvania Dutch country, Dutch Blitz is a card game that’s exciting to play and easy to learn. Enjoy spirited competition as you try to get rid of your 10-card Blitz pile before anybody else. Players play all at once, which leads to general mayhem and distraction.  (We once broke a table playing Dutch Blitz with friends and I may or may not have drawn blood during one particularly high-spirited game.)  The first one to exhaust his Blitz pile is the winner!

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9. Ticket to Ride

• Age: 8+
• 2-5 players
• 30-60 minutes
• Look for: TTR First Journey, TTR Europe

Build train routes across a map of North America by collecting and trading train cars and claiming routes. The player with the most points, earned by completing routes and connecting cities, wins the game.  Introduces strategic and tactical thinking, along with friendly competition.

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10. Memoir ’44

• Age: 8+
• 2 players
• 30-60 minutes
• Look for: Memoir 44 Expansions like Eastern Front and New Flight Plan

Memoir ’44 blends historical accuracy, strategic depth, and engaging gameplay into an exceptional World War II board gaming experience.  My boys absolutely love playing this game!  Players command a horde of little plastic Army men facing-off in dozens of WWII battles on an oversize hex game board. Each battle scenario mimics the historical terrain, troop placements and objectives of each army.  What a way to experience WWII history!

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11. Klask

• Age: 8+
• 2 players
• 10 minutes
• No reading
• Look for: 4-player version

A 2-player game of fast-paced action, Klask has the feel of a magnetic mini-air hockey game.  Try to score but watch out for the hole! Use your magnetic handle and striker to defend your half of the board, avoid the biscuits (magnets) and send the ball flying into your opponent’s goal to score. Be careful not to land your striker in your own goal!

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12. Azul

• Age: 8+
• 2-4 players
• 30-45 minutes
• Look for: Crystal Mosaic Expansion and other Azul versions

Complete your display board, earning points as you place tiles and create patterns.  Make choices that help you without helping your competitors and try to avoid penalties for taking tiles that you’re unable to use.  An award-winning game with simple play and deep strategy, Azul is perfect for families and veteran gamers.

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13. Spy Alley

• Age: 8+
• 2-6 players
• 30-45 minutes

Assume your secret identity and use your wit to unmask and eliminate the enemy spies.  No two games are ever the same!  Immerse yourself in an evening of espionage and intrigue playing spy and counter spy in a dark alley, while practicing skills of social deduction, reasoning, and logic.

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14. Cathedral

• Age: 8+
• 2 players
• 20-30 minutes

This award-winning strategy games includes a beautiful all-wood game board and castle pieces in a variety of shapes and sizes. Players battle to place as many buildings as possible within their medieval walled city, while simultaneously thwarting the placement of their opponent.  The player with the most spaces covered at the end is the winner of this additive strategy game.

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15. Catan

• Age: 10+
• 2-4 players (best with 3+ players, up to 6 players with extension)
• 60-120 minutes
• Look for: Catan Extension (more players), Catan Expansion (bigger game, multiple varieties)

Trade, build, and settle your way across Catan!  Strategize, make trains, and gain victory points as you settle the island of Catan.  Build roads, settlements, and cities, trade resources with other players, and use development cards to gain the advantage.  A random mix creates a different board in every session.  This classic strategy game with legacy elements provides adventurous play for up to four players.  Add the extension for 5-6 players and/or an expansion to make the game bigger.

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16. Cascadia

• Age: 10+
• 1-4 players
• 30-45 minutes
• Look for: Cascadia Landmarks Expansion

A puzzle-style, tile-laying, and token-drafting game featuring the habitats & wildlife of the Pacific Northwest.  Compete to create the most harmonious ecosystem in Cascadia! Choose from variable scoring goals and earn points by fulfilling wildlife goals and creating the largest habitat corridors.  This gorgeous, award-winning game appeals to all ages.

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17. Trekking the World

• Age: 10+
• 2-5 players
• 30-60 minutes
• Look for: Trekking the National Parks

Travel the world from your kitchen table!  Players race to visit the world’s most popular destinations, moving around the map and scoring victory points. A beautifully designed game with quality artwork and well-written descriptions, Trekking the World brings geography to life in a strategic and engaging way.

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18. Splendor

• Age: 10+
• 2-4 players
• 30 minutes
• Look for: Cities of Splendor Expansion

A fast-paced, easy-to-learn game where players operate as Renaissance merchants striving to buy gem mines, transportation means, and shops to acquire the most prestige points.  Collect gems, acquire developments, and attract noble patrons to amass prestige and become the ultimate gem merchant.  Quick rounds pack a lot of strategic decisions and tactical depth into short, intense game sessions.

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19. 7 Wonders

• Age: 10+
• 3-7 players
• 30 minutes
• Look for: other versions, like 7 Wonders Duel, and corresponding expansions 

Lead one of the seven greatest cities of the ancient world and develop your civilization on a military, scientific, cultural, and economic level.   Carefully gather resources, develop commercial routes, and affirm your military supremacy.  Build your city and erect architectural wonders that will last through three ages of gameplay.

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20. Dominion

• Age: 13+
• 2-4 players
• 30 minutes
• Look for: Dominion Expansions: Intrigue, Prosperity, and others

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21. Wingspan 

• Age: 14+
• 1-5 players
• 40-70 minutes
• Look for: Wingspan Expansions European, Oceania, Asia

A competitive, beautifully designed, engine-building board game in which players operate as bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to their network of wildlife preserves. Strategies include gaining food via dice in a birdfeeder dice tower, 
laying adorable colorful mini-eggs, and drawing from over 170 unique bird cards. The winner is the player with the most points after 4 rounds.

Which of these fun family games for all ages will you add to your collection?

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