Social distancing doesn’t have to be boring, and it also doesn’t have to involve only screen time! Board games are a fantastic way to while away a few enjoyable hours with your family or friends and can be done in person with your household or over the internet. Board gaming has become a pretty prominent hobby in recent years, so go ahead and pitch your battered copy of Monopoly and pick up one of these (much more interesting) gems.
Family Fun
Dixit
A beautifully illustrated guessing game, similar to Apples to Apples but with surreal dream-like imagery.
Kingdomino
Draft domino-style tiles of different landscapes to build the most well-planned and valuable kingdom.
The Grimm Forest
Compete to build 3 houses of straw, wood, or brick with the help of your favorite fairy tale friends. Get it here.
Gizmos
Build gizmos and gadgets using energy marbles and building schematics. Layer the effects to be the science fair winner!
Good for Two
Code Names Duet
Try and get your partner to guess a variety of cards with a single word for a clue. Be careful to avoid the assassins!
Multiuniversum
Who can use the scientific tools at their disposal to close the most portals before aliens from a slew of weird dimensions take over the planet?!?!
7 Wonders Duel
Build the best civilization by carefully developing your science, military, culture, and commerce.
Cooperative Games
Unlock! Adventures
Basically an escape room in a box, you have an hour to solve a bunch of fun puzzles within different narrative themes. Rated 1-3 padlocks for difficulty.
Mysterium
Mysterium is like Clue, if Clue had psychics who were receiving surreal dream image communications from the ghost of the muder victim.
Forbidden Island
Try to reclaim the sacred treasures from a beautiful and mysterious island before the whole thing sinks into the ocean with you along for the ride.
Over the Interweb
Jackbox
Jackbox has a ton of different party packs with different styles of games. You all connect to one party room and then use your own mobile device to participate. Check it out here.
Just One
Help the guesser figure out a secret word by writing just one related word for them to see. Don’t be too obvious though, as any overlaps are erased!
Tabletopia
Play hundreds of different board games with friends using this very cool tabletop board game simulator on Steam. Check it out here.
There are so so so many amazing board games out there right now, and these are just a few. We definitely recommend that you support your local game store or the developers of these games directly when purchasing. A few of my favorite Portland game shops that are doing curbside pick-up right now are Guardian Games and Rainy Day Games, and you can order many of these great games from Powell’s as well!
Did we miss your favorite board game? Let us know in the comments!
