The Best Party Board Games of 2022
What’s a party without a few games. Some of the best party games are board games, which bring people together on the most festive occasions. Whether going head-to-head with a single opponent or rallying a large group, you create lots of fun and memories with board games. Below, we look at some of the best party board games of 2022.
10 Best Overall Games
1. Codenames: Pictures
Game Description:
Codenames: Pictures is arguably the best spy game of 2021. Two rival spymasters know the agent in each location. They deliver coded messages telling their field operatives where to go for clandestine meetings. Operatives must be clever.
A decoding mistake could lead to an unpleasant encounter with an enemy agent – or worse, with the assassin! is a team vs. team game, played on a grid of 5 x 4 cards with simple pictures. The goal of the game is to be the first team to correctly identify all the pictures assigned to them.
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2. Just One
Game Description:
Just One is a cooperative party game in which you play together to discover as many mystery words as possible. Find the best clue to help your teammate. Be unique, as all identical clues will be canceled!
A complete game is played over 13 cards. The goal is to get a score as close to 13 as possible. In case of a right answer, the players score 1 point. In case of a wrong answer, they lose the current card as well as the top card of the deck.
3. Secret Hitler
Game Description:
Secret Hitler is a game of political intrigue and betrayal set in 1930s Germany. Each player is randomly and secretly assigned to be a liberal or a fascist, and one player is Secret Hitler. The fascists coordinate to sow distrust and install their cold-blooded leader. The liberals must find and stop the Secret Hitler before it's too late.
At the beginning of the game, players close their eyes, and the fascists reveal themselves to one another. Secret Hitler keeps his eyes closed, but puts his thumb up so the fascists can see who he is. The fascists learn who Hitler is, but Hitler doesn't know who his fellow fascists are, and the liberals don't know who anyone is.
4. Cards Against Humanity
Game Description:
Cards Against Humanity has been called a “party game for horrible people." That is because it can bring out the best or worst of people, depending on the situation. Play begins with a judge, known as the "Card Czar", choosing a black question or fill-in-the-blank card from the top of the deck and showing it to all players.
The card czar determines which answers are funniest in the context of the question or fill-in-the-blank card. The player who submitted the chosen card is given the question card to represent a point and then the player to the left of the new Card Czar becomes the new Czar for the next round.
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5. Dixit
Game Description:
Dixit is a colorful and striking board game designed to improve your imagination, descriptive skills, and problem-solving strategy. One player is the storyteller and looks at the images on the cards. From one of these, they make up a sentence and say it out loud.
Other players select the card that best matches the sentence and gives the selected card to the storyteller without showing it to the others. The game ends when the deck is empty or if a player scores 30 points. In either case, the player with the most points wins the game.
6. The Resistance
Game Description:
The Resistance is a party game of social deduction. It is designed for five to ten players, lasts about 30 minutes, and has no player elimination. Players are either Resistance Operatives or Imperial Spies.
For three to five rounds, they must depend on each other to carry out missions against the Empire. At the same time, they must try to deduce the other players’ identities and gain their trust. The game ends when a team wins three missions.
7. Telestrations
Game Description:
Telestrations was specifically designed for more of a party vibe than a highly competitive board game. Each player begins by sketching a Telestrations word dictated by the roll of a dice. All players pass their sketch to the next player, who must guess what's been drawn.
Each player then simultaneously passes their guess to the next player, who must try to draw the word they see, and so on. Now that everyone has their own book back, it's time for the reveal Take turns flipping through & sharing the outcomes in the sketchbook.
8. Decrypto
Game Description:
Decrypto is a codebreaking game similar to Codename: Pictures. The goal in Decrypto is to transmit codes to your teammates without letting your opposing team intercept them. At the same time, you’re trying to intercept the other team’s codes. The team that does the best wins!
To set up, each team takes 4 Keyword cards and places them in their team’s decoder Screen. Each team also takes the Code card deck that matches their color screen (white or black) and a Note Sheet. Players compete in two teams in Decrypto, with each trying to correctly interpret the coded messages presented to them by their teammates while cracking the codes they intercept from the opposing team.
9. Time’s Up!
Game Description:
Time's Up! is a charades-based party game for teams of two or more players (and is best with teams of two). Before the game begins, each player looks at several cards featuring famous historical or fictional characters and chooses some of them.
Each player's cards are shuffled to form a deck, and this deck of famous names is used for each of the game's three rounds. Each team gets 30 seconds to guess as many names as possible, with one player giving clues to his teammates. Players use words, sound effects, and charades as they give their clues, but speech becomes more restricted as the game progresses in rounds 2 and 3.
10. Sushi Go! Party
Game Description:
Sushi Go Party! expands Sushi Go! with a party platter of mega maki, super sashimi, and endless edamame. You still earn points by picking winning sushi combos, but now you can customize each game by choosing à la carte from a menu of more than twenty delectable dishes.
In Sushi Go! Party, all players will get a handful of cards and choose one to score. When finished choosing, players take turns revealing their chosen cards and pass their hands to the left. The round ends when all the cards are gone. One full game lasts three rounds.
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Bonus: The 5 Best Adult Party Board Games
For a while, it seemed that adult board games were fading into obscurity. As a result, many game developers made board games either for children or families. However, adult board games have made a return and are even more popular than ever Below, are five party board games that are sure to keep adults engaged.
1. Isle of Skye
Game Description:
In Isle of Skye: two to five players are chieftains of famous clans and want to build their kingdoms to score as many points as possible. But in each game, only four of the sixteen scoring tiles will be scored.
Each game is different and leads to different tactics and strategies, but having enough money is useful no matter what else is going on. Managing that money can be tricky, though. Each turn, each player places two area tiles in front of them and sets the selling price for the tiles. In the end, the player with the best kingdom—and not the richest player—becomes the sovereign of the island.
2. Mysterium
Game Description:
Mysterium is a fun deduction board game that adults can enjoy playing together. In Mysterium, one player takes the role of ghost while everyone else represents a medium. To solve a crime, the ghost must recall the suspects present on the night of the murder.
A number of suspects, location, and murder weapon cards are placed on the table, and the ghost randomly assigns one of each of these in secret to a medium. If a majority of the mediums have identified the proper suspect, with ties being broken by the vote of the most clairvoyant medium, then the killer has been identified and the ghost can now rest peacefully.
3. Love Letter
Game Description:
Love Letter is a game of risk, deduction, and luck. Your goal is to get your love letter into Princess Annette's hands while deflecting the letters from competing suitors. All of the eligible young men (and many of the not-so-young) seek to woo the princess of Tempest. Unfortunately, she has locked herself in the palace, and you must rely on others to take your romantic letters to her.
From a deck with only sixteen cards, each player starts with only one card in hand; one card is removed from play. On a turn, you draw one card, and play one card, trying to expose others and knock them from the game. Powerful cards lead to early gains but make you a target. Rely on weaker cards for too long, however, and your letter may be tossed in the fire!
4. Unexploded Cow
Game Description:
Unexploded Cow is a money game in which players are trying to collect enough points to win the pot. On every turn, you will buy cows and pay for special effects by putting money in the pot, then try to discover bombs with your own cows in an effort to take money out of the pot.
All along, you will be earning points from the French as you liberate town after town from the terrors of unexploded bombs, and the player who scores the most points gets whatever's left in the pot. Unexploded Cow is best played as a series of short games, each of which takes about thirty minutes. The game is quite simple and very chaotic. It’s perfect for parties.
5. Root
Game Description:
Root is a game of adventure and war in which players battle for control of a vast wilderness.
The Marquise de Cat has seized the great woodland, intent on harvesting its riches. Under her rule, the many creatures of the forest have banded together. This Alliance will seek to strengthen its resources and subvert the rule of Cats.
In this effort, the Alliance may enlist the help of the wandering Vagabonds who are able to move through the more dangerous woodland paths. In Root, players drive the narrative, and the differences between each role create an unparalleled level of interaction and replayability.
Accessories That Enhance Your Party Board Games
Next time it’s your turn to host game night, make your guests feel special by picking up some board game accessories. Not only will these useful items improve the group’s gameplay, but they’ll also ensure that everyone has a great time no matter what you’re playing.
- Board Game Table - What about a spacious board game table that accommodates all your guests?
- Board Game Display - Impress your guests with a stylish board game display that can hold all your games.
- Leaf Keep - Do you have a table cover. A table leaf keep allows you to store your table covers or leaves.
- DM Shelf - You can slide a DM shelf anywhere along your table to hold game pieces, snacks, or other items.
- Dice Bin Covers - A dice bin cover allows you to add space to your table and is perfect for role-playing games.