The Best Adult Board Games on Amazon, According to Hyperenthusiastic Reviewers

“This is a classic game that everyone should have in their closet,” says one reviewer. Another calls this “a great family game,” admitting that while they “never played this as a kid,” it’s still enjoyable to play as an adult, calling it, “fun for adults. Nice way to spend time together.” One reviewer who did play as a kid says, “This game takes me back to my youth. I’m so glad I get to share it with my daughter. It is an awesome family game and we really love it.” A few reviewers familiar with the classic felt thrown off by the new character who’d been added to this version of the game, saying it ruined the integrity of the game, but most didn’t mind, like one who writes, “As long as we still have Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlett, I’m happy.”

Over 2,500 five-star reviewers call this board game “fun,” with one noting, “The rules are a little complex but make it a very fun game to play. It really grows on you. Once you figure out some of the strategies, it becomes more fun.” Another says part of the fun is that it’s fast-paced saying, “The game is easy to learn, and moves fast. You don’t have to spend 30 minutes agonizing over a strategy, you can start buying trains pretty early.” Because it’s an easy to learn game, many like to play this with their family. But plenty of reviewers say this game is great to play with a group of adults. “Once we learned how to play, we were able to quickly and simply explain the rules to our 9-year-old daughter in minutes. We originally bought the game for her,” one customer writes, but admits, “But to be honest, my husband and I have enjoyed playing it so much that I think we’ve played it four times as much as she has.” And as this reviewer concludes, “Overall this a really fun game that can be enjoyed with just about any group. It is strategic enough to hold your interest while simple enough to teach in five minutes.”

“This game was supposed to kick off a variety board game night, but we ended up only playing this for hours,” admits one content reviewer. Another calls it “definitely one of the most enjoyable board games ever,” explaining, “I have not played any version but this, but the crazy, kooky answers our friends came up with had me rolling.” Many even think this is better than Cards Against Humanity, like one who says, “We are all in agreement that this game was much more fun due to the fact you give your own answers. I don’t think I have ever laughed as hard as I did while playing this game.” And as this reviewer concludes, “This version kicks it up a notch with questions that are straight-up adult in nature (like ‘What could you do to ruin a sexual moment?’) and others that could be adult depending on how you interpret them (such as ‘What is one lesson you had to learn the hard way?’). Don’t buy this for anyone who is a prude or a stick in the mud, because it’ll be boring.”

“Great for a small group, short strategy game. It plays quickly and is fast moving for the most part,” says one reviewer. Dozens more call this a quick game to play, including one who notes, “It is an engaging game that lasts a short time and the visual design is beautiful. It has become one of our family favorites, great for those cold winter evenings around the fireplace.” Another says that at first he didn’t love it, “But after a few rounds, it becomes very addictive,” adding, “Now we play game after game. The only drawback is 4 max players. Still, the games are fairly quick, so you can rotate or even play as teams if you have a larger family.” And as this reviewer concludes, “My family plays a lot of board games. This hits the table more than any game I have owned.”

“This is an excellent, quick, rapid fire party game. We have this along with a couple of expansions. Our group usually fluctuates between 5 and 9 people. Almost all of them enjoy whipping out One Night every now and then,” writes one reviewer. Another who “plays almost weekly” thinks “If you like social deduction games, you have to have this game. The game also plays really quick, so if you don’t like your character, you get to be someone else a few minutes later.” Many appreciate that it’s easy to understand so younger kids can play, like one who adds, “Oh my goodness, this is an awesome game. We play with my husband and I, and three kids, ages 12, 10, and 7. So many good laughs! It’s very easy to learn. We did not realize some of our children could lie as well as they do. Although we knew this before, it has been confirmed to us that our 7-year-old will either grow up to be a very successful CEO, or run a very successful gang. She is very convincing and influential.”

While many reviewers think that this game is fun, they warn that it takes a long time to play. “Fantastic game. Played with my husband, a 9- and 11-year old. We all enjoyed. Took a long time to finish the game, like, over the span of a week, but still fun.” Another bought this for her father, admitting that she “may regret it because he will want to start wars all the time. And this is not a ‘short’ game. But he loves it.” One more reviewer just appreciates that her whole family can enjoy this game, noting, “Family game night hit. This was a great edition of Risk with several different ways to play all in one. My kids with a wide range in age all had a wonderful time sitting down to play. We have family game night once a week and Risk is definitely getting added to our rotation.”

A two-player favorite among Amazon reviewers is Blokus Duo. “This game is addicting,” writes one. “It is easy to learn. Quick to play if you don’t have a lot of time or you keep playing for hours. You can play it over and over and challenge yourself to do better and have different outcomes.” And if you’re a Tetris addict, this might be the board game for you. “Love this game,” writes one shopper. “I would recommend it to anyone who loves the strategy of Tetris with a twist that makes for a fun competitive game. Great date night game for couples.” And the price was a draw: “This is a fine game for two people to play at home or on the go, and it’s sold for a fair price to boot,” says one reviewer. “The strategy rewards critical thinking and experienced players, but it’s very approachable for first time players or novices.”

Perhaps this board game (in which you have to stop the spread of an infectious disease) is too timely to play, but many Amazon reviewers disagree. “Initially bought this for my husband’s birthday as a joke since we are literally in a pandemic – I don’t think he thought it was very funny,” one reviewer says, but, “We decided to give it a try and actually LOVE the game.” Thousands of others do, too, mainly because it is a cooperative game, which means that “everyone collaborates to win against the game instead of each other.” Another explains, “Each player has special abilities that help everyone defeat the diseases. All the players must really coordinate their efforts and strategize the best way to stop disease spread.” Reviewers note this game does have a bit of a learning curve, “but after you play once or twice you’ll get the hang of it,” assures one player. And while this might be something you buy yourself to stay busy at home, one reviewer points out it also makes “a funny gag gift during these crazy times.”

Fans of horror love this spooky board game because it “really captures the B-movie horror/thriller/sci-fi vibe amazingly well,” according to one reviewer. Another player explains that “it’s essentially a cheesy horror movie, in that it starts the same every time: A bunch of people exploring where they shouldn’t go and then the twist happens.” But they note that there’s enough nuance to the game that “each time you play it is a different experience, [and] it’s always fun.” And several reviewers promise that both seasoned and new board-game players alike will enjoy the experience. One player, who has “gifted it several times and taken it to several friends’ homes,” says it’s perfect for anyone with a “sense of adventure.” They write, “I’ve played it with die-hard board-game fans and they loved it, and I’ve played it with people that are new to board games and usually only played games like Cards Against Humanity. It can be fun for everyone.”

“Prepare yourself to be immersed in a glorious steampunk reality of endless wonder,” writes one reviewer, who, like many, is impressed with the steampunk artwork on this board game. “The art is stunning and immerses the game in an alternate reality that is both beautiful and believable,” another says. In this game’s reality, “Scythe pits factions of power-hungry individuals against each other in an imaginary, post–WWI world of nearly dystopian scarcity,” one reviewer explains. “Players assume the roles of characters that represent different nation-states, all of which are vying for resources and territory following a period of sociopolitical unrest. Players can control character movement, select actions to increase resource production, maximize efficiency to gain power and influence, and conquer territories. Your global achievements in these arenas contribute to your final score, and the game ends after a player completes six specific objectives.” Many satisfied reviewers of this board game say this is similar to Catan, though one advantage is that this can be played by small and large groups. “Our group usually plays with four people, and my wife and I play together and it is still just as fun with two people,” one reviewer says, adding, “There is even a single-player mode that we haven’t tried yet.” And though reviewers warn that the instructions and rules are dense, and that the game is based on skill more so than luck, they still say it’s worth playing. “If you’re up for a completely immersive, steampunk-inspired game that values efficient choices and skill above dice rolling (not a die to be found), I highly recommend giving Scythe a try.”

“Do you hum in the shower? Do you think you know the lyrics to all songs and sing them privately in the car? This is your game,” assures one reviewer. Another calls this game “hilarious,” explaining, “We never laughed so loud and argued so much about who started singing first. We also argued about whether it was a song or not. Of course it was friendly arguing. One of just a very few games were you could involve young children, adults, and grandparents and all have a good time.” A third reviewer agrees, noting “this game was a riot” because everyone can play and have fun: “Half of us are not anywhere near decent singers, my dad actually can’t hold a tune to save his life, however, he belted out songs like no one’s business. It was hilarious and we are looking forward to playing it again.”

Dozens of reviewers say this game will leave you in tears. “By the time I was done with my first game, I was crying from laughing so hard,” one writes, and people say it’s so fun to play that doesn’t even matter who wins. “This is a great ‘we’re laughing with you’ experience,” they add. “Sure, winning is great, but honestly, everybody is a winner in this game because it’s just so darn entertaining.” What is it you ask? “It’s a combination of the old telephone game and Pictionary,” one reviewer explains. “Each player has a dry-erase marker and pad and every round a word or phrase is picked from a card drawn. You then sketch the word/phrase and pass the pad to the next player. They in turn guess what is drawn. After guessing the pad is passed again and the next player has to draw what was guessed. This continues until the pad arrives back at the original owner. At that point you go through the sequence from the beginning to the end. It is amazing how the word/phrase changes as it makes its rounds.” Just like in the game telephone, the image rarely looks like the original word, hence all the laughter. Reviewers say it’s great for everything from girls’ night to a drinking game to fun for the whole family. “Our group was made up of 7-8 people ranging from ages 10–80 and even the teenagers liked it,” one writes. Many say it’s more fun the more people you get involved, so lots try to play will all eight players at a time.

“Ultimately, this game is quite complicated with a hefty instruction manual and a steep learning curve,” writes one reviewer. “But with the endless possibilities of how you want to play the game, the level of strategizing really outweighs the up-front cost, making this a really rewarding game to learn and to play.” More than 10 percent of reviewers either describe this board game as challenging or complicated, and agree that it’s a blast once you understand it. Essentially it’s “a game where the players are taking the role of corporations tasked with terraforming the planet Mars for future colonization,” according to one reviewer. They continue, “Players produce resources and income that allow them to take actions and play cards [that] raise the temperature, create oceans, and add oxygen to the atmosphere. While players are working together to terraform the planet, players are scored based on their contributions to the terraforming efforts (and some other scoring mechanisms) to declare an overall winner.” Because there are so many ways to play, “This game never plays exactly the same each time you play,” writes one reviewer, which is another selling point for reviewers. This, coupled with the fact that there is no set number of turns, means this can be a long game, too. One player writes, “Well, we have played three- and four-player games, and most seem to last for four to five hours. Time FLIES as you play though.”