The Absolute Best Board Games for Teens
Parents around the country would love to see their teens playing more board games, and having less screen time. Teens today spend a great deal of time looking at screens, whether on their phone, the computer, or the television.
There are many benefits to getting them engaged in playing board games, and if you select the right ones it will be an easy thing to get them into, providing hours of enjoyment.
Board games are fun for just about anyone who plays them. When we are young children we have a great time playing board games.
Somewhere along the way other things steal our attention, but when we have the chance to get back to playing board games we are reminded of just how fun it can be. And it doesn’t end with just the fun it can be, because getting teens engaged in playing board games comes with many benefits.
Then Benefits of Board Games, For Teens
Most parents would think that doing anything besides staring at their phone is good for teens, and they may be right.
But playing board games come with a host of benefits.
Teens who engage in playing the games will get improve their critical thinking skills, increase their attention span, improve communication skills, create memories, and provide hours of fun.
Choosing great board games is the key to getting teens interested in playing them in the first place.
If you choose games that are boring or too difficult to learn how to play, then they will likely turn their nose up to them and reach for their phone. Choose great board games for teens and they will be interested in playing.
Not only will they want to play the games with their friends and siblings, but they may even get their parents, grandparents, and other adults in their lives playing along, too.
How to Choose the Best Board Game for a Teen
Once you read over the list of the best board games for teens, you may be left wondering which one to choose.
Start with the one that jumps out at you as you read the descriptions. Ideally, you can’t go wrong with any of these board games, because they are teen pleasers, giving them loads of fun. Whether purchasing as a holiday gift, birthday gift, or just for fun, they are bound to love playing these games.
The only thing better than having one of these games is having a couple of them to choose from, so they can go from one game to the other, leaving their phones to the side.
These board games also make a great option when doing a gift exchange with a teen. They will provide hours of fun for years to come!
The Best Board Games for Teens: Rated
When it comes to choosing the best board games for teens you have to choose the ones that will be of the most interest to them.
They have to be fun, fairly easy to learn, and will get them engaged. The board games listed below were chosen as the best ones because they get great reviews from teens and parents, and they bring something unique to the table.
It’s a good idea if you invest in more than one game, so that teens can have options and can change it up. The more board games you have that interest them, the more you will keep them engaged in playing.
1. Chess
Specifications:
- What Is Included: 1 Chess Board & 32 chess figures; 2 Kings, 2 Queens, 4 Knights, 4 Bishops, 4 Rooks, 16 Pawns. Comes along with RADICALn Branded Secure & Fragile Packaging.
- Material: This chess set is fully handmade from high quality marble onyx. Chess Board & Chess Figures are fully hand polished.
- Size: Board Size: 15 Inches. King Measures: 3 Inches. Queen: 2.75 Inches. Bishop: 2.5 Inches. Knight: 2.5 Inches. Pawns: 2 Inches. Chess Board comes along with attached felt bottom to avoid scratches. Seperate felt bottoms packet for all chess figures.
No family can ever go wrong with getting teens into playing the age-old favorite game of chess. The game of chess is about strategy, critical thinking, and concentration.
Teens will carry on the tradition of playing, while they learn valuable skills that the game teaches.
Many experts believe that playing chess increases problem solving skills, memory, increases creativity, raises your IQ, improves focus, and teaches people how to win and lose.
There is a chess set for every budget, including marble chess sets for those who want a beautiful show piece. Every teen should have a chess game and know how to play it!
![Trivillennial - The Trivia Game for Millennials [A Party Game]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41zTDYz0tiL._SL500_.jpg "Trivillennial - The Trivia Game for Millennials [A Party Game]")
Specifications:
- 1,000 trivia questions for millennials, plus answer cards.
- From Psy to Beyoncé, Covfefe to Yanny, Keyboard Cat to Pizza Rat – test how well you know the icons, moments and controversies that have defined our generation.
- From the creators of the adult party game, "DRUNK STONED OR STUPID".
There is a Trivial Pursuit edition for every taste and age group, including for teens. Trivial Pursuit is a board game that people of all ages enjoy playing, because they can show off what they know.
By answering trivia questions they can put their knowledge to the test, and impress others with the little facts that help keep them moving around the board.
There are specialized editions for those who are fans of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and more. Hours of fun can be found in every game of Trivial Pursuit!
Specifications:
- Classic game of unspeakable fun: want a great party game that makes people laugh? Check out the taboo board game -- FAST paced, fun game for large or small groups. For 4 or more players ages 13 and up.
- Food and drink cards: This exclusive edition of the taboo board game includes 450 game cards, including food and drink category cards for even more unspeakable fun.
- Taboo game with electronic buzzer: if a player says a Forbidden word on the card, they'll get interrupted by the buzzer, and lose a turn.
This game was designed for those ages 13 and up. It’s loaded with fun, laughter, and provides a fast-paced game that teens will love.
At least four players are needed to play Taboo. This is a laugh-out-loud kind of game that will keep people having a great time.
Players will need to correctly guess the word that is listed on their team’s game card, while they are offering their team clues. This is a great game for groups and parties. Teens will use their vocabulary and communication skills for this hilarious game.
Specifications:
- 100% Toy.
- A board game based on A Game of Thrones, a novel now adapted to an HBO series.
- 3–6 players take command of the Great Houses of Westeros.
- Updated second edition, incorporates elements of past expansions.
This board game is especially for all those teens that are fans of A Game of Thrones, which was a novel and then was adapted into an HBO series.
This game allows for 3-6 players who will be taking command of the Great Houses of Westeros. Players will be drawn into a war-torn world, and each player will set out on an epic campaign that features politics in a quest of domination.
This is a must-have game for any teens that are a fan of the book or show. It provides hours of fun, strategy, and laughter. This game is complex and gives teens a chance to change their strategies and use critical thinking skills.
Specifications:
- More books, more players, more laughs. Ages : 12+, 4-12 Players.
- Over 2,000 words, 12 erasable sketch books, 12 dry erase markers, 12 clean-up cloths.
- Perfect for bigger parties, family reunions or to entertain a crowd; LOL fun for everyone!.
- Award Winning Party Game - great ice breaker.
Looking for a hilarious game where up to 12 people can play at once? This is it! Telestrations is a party game where people draw what they see. It’s a great ice breaker, keeps people laughing, and having fun.
This is a new spin in the classic “telephone game.” Each player gets a sketch book, they get a secret word, and then they draw what they see.
‘Players all share what they drew, which was based on what they think they saw. Loads of laughs are guaranteed with this teen board game.
Specifications:
- Conspiracy Theory Trivia Board Game tests your knowledge of the world of Internet conspiracies.
- Answer questions to collect conspiracy cards to win, but be careful of Cover-Ups.
- A QR code is printed on every conspiracy card if you want more details (like when the ghost of JFK revealed that all dolphins are aliens).
Who doesn’t love to figure out conspiracy theories? That’s exactly what this board game allows teens to do.
Designed for those ages 14 and up, teens will answer questions and collect conspiracy cards.
They will need to watch out for cover-ups in this funny and interesting game. This game has quickly become a favorite of not only teens, but for families to play together. It’s a great conversation starter and offers a lot of laughs about popular culture conspiracy theories.
Specifications:
- Fast, fun gameplay.
- First player to fill their tower wins.
- Tokens and game pieces are based on the world's favorite brands.
- Players own their favorite brands, including Puma, Levi's, Nerf, and more.
This game takes the classic Monopoly game up a notch, and teens love it! Unlike traditional Monopoly, this one is a fast game, where teens will owe their favorite popular brands.
While traditional Monopoly would take hours to play, this one takes 30-60 minutes, giving people the fun of the game without the time issues.
They can own Levi’s Nerf, Puma, and more. The first player who fills up their tower wins, but along the way they will have built an impressive empire. This game quickly becomes a staple for game nights once someone tries it out. It’s a board game that all teens love!
Specifications:
- The incredibly popular, multi award winning civilization building board game of harvesting and trading resources.
- Players control their own civilization and look to spread across a modular hex board in a competition for victory points.
- Beware the robber’s nefarious plans as he steals resources and plunders the wealthy.
This is a very popular game for teens and it only takes around one hour to play a game. There can be up to four players playing the game.
Catan is an award-winning game that focuses on civilization-building, including the harvesting and trading of resources. It’s ideal for ages 14 and up.
It’s a game that has been designed to be easy to learn how to play. This is a game of strategy that includes robbers who try to steal your accumulated wealth.
Specifications:
- Improved mission cards speed up the game; features 12 secret missions
- Rich board art draws players into the risk gaming world
- Dice and 5 armies included in War crates
Teens who want to take over the world will love playing the game of Risk! The main goal of this game is for players to conquer the territory of their enemies.
This was how friendly battle among teens was done prior to the video game revolution.
They will have fun, calculate risks, and see if their missions to overtake others are successful. Teens will engage in battle, create strategies for conquest, and enjoy every moment of it.
Specifications:
- Wit's End is a challenging and entertaining trivia and brain-teasing game that will test your knowledge and engage how you think through some fun problem-solving.
- Answer questions in four mind-challenging categories as you work your way to the center of the board. Think laterally and wrap your mind around a TEASER, deduce the ODD-1-OUT, figure out the SEQUENCE, or try your luck in the WILD CARD category.
- The questions are packed with trivia, riddles and brain teasers on history, current affairs, popular culture, geography, science, arts and more.
This board game that teens love takes Trivial Pursuit to a new level. This game was designed for those ages 16 and up.
It includes 1200 questions that will test their thinking and memory skills.
They will need to put things in order, solve riddles, choose which of the four options doesn’t belong, and more. The questions cover popular culture, history, arts, science, and geography.
This game is about putting those little facts to use that teens of have learned and have yet been able to demonstrate their knowledge of.
It’s a favorite trivia game for teens and adults alike. This is an award winning game that will keep teens engaged and thinking for hours.
Specifications:
- How To Play: Compete with your friends and family to create the funniest memes. Do this by using one of your dealt caption cards to caption the photo card in each round.
- Judge’s Choice: The winner of each round is decided by a rotating judge. Pro tip: pick your caption card to match the judge’s sense of humor.
- The OG: This is the core game, so buy it first. You'll need it for all of our other expansion packs.
This game is for older teens, including those who are 17 and up, or a little younger if they are very mature.
Teens love memes, and this board game brings them to life, allowing one of them to be crowned the meme king or queen.
The game focuses on creating the funniest memes, giving players a chance to flex their creative and humorous muscles. This game is great for a family, group, or party.
Those who buy it often feel like they can’t stop playing it, it’s that funny!
Specifications:
- As skilled members of a disease fighting team, you and the other players work together to keep the world safe from outbreaks and epidemics.
- Pandemic is a cooperative board game in which players work as a team to treat infections around the world while gathering resources for cures.
- 2 – 4 players.
- 45 minutes.
By working together, teens can help defend the world from a deadly disease. This is a game where those playing will work together to come up with a solution, as the clock ticks away and the disease continues to spread.
The game takes about 45 minutes to play, giving players a chance to learn how to work together as a team, strategize, and find cures for diseases.
They will put their thinking caps on, as well as use social skills as they work against the clock.
While the game is slated for ages 8 and up, it’s a popular option for teens.
Specifications:
- Questions, images and challenges from all 8 movies.
- Optreve technology unique to Scene It so you can play again and again without seeing the same questions.
- Flextime game board allows you to determine if you want to play a quick game or a longer game.
The Scene It board games are fun for teens and their families alike. They combine the love of television with the fun of playing board games.
This specific one is the harry potter version, and is our teams absolute favorite! if you’re a harry potter fan, this one is a MUST!
They take a show or movie they love and turn it into a fun-filled board game, where they answer questions about it.
The questions come in the form of cards, as well as clips on the television. It’s an interactive game that keeps people laughing, engaged, and is great for a couple of people or larger groups.
There is an edition for every taste and preference. Choose from Movies, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Sports, Comedy Movies, Music, TV, and more. This game gives teens a chance to show what they know!
Specifications:
- A miniatures game of thrilling infantry battles for 2 players.
- Enter the Star Wars universe with iconic characters like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
- Innovative mechanics for ordering your troops simulate the fog of war and the chaos of battle.
If your teen is a Star Wars fan they will love this game. It has been designed for two players, who will engage in infantry battles.
It’s a game of epic warfare, where teens will lead their team to victory. It’s a miniature game, where players will enter the battles of the Galactic Civil War.
They will use their critical thinking skills, calculate risks, and have loads of fun. The game has been created with those ages 13-15 in mind. It’s a fun game that comes with the ability to create an army, where players will be gathering troopers, vehicles and characters of Star Wars. Then they will end up doing battle with them against their opponent.
This game offers hours of fun for two players who love Star Wars and love creating their own army to do battle. While there is no board that goes with the game, it has all the other makings of an awesome board game for teens.
THE BOTTOM LINE
These are the absolute best board games for teens, picked by our staff!
No matter which one you choose, we really love these games and believe that in a world of iphones, media and constant surfing on the internet, playing a board game every once in a while and actually socializing is a MUST!
Please share this post so we can reach more people that will love these games.
