Best board games for teenagers and college kids. (Post updated: 9/24)
There are some things in life you just never outgrow and board games are one of them!
Our kids might not be playing Chutes and Ladders like they did when they were five, but there’s a whole new slew of board games on the market that are giving tweenagers, teenagers, and college kids alike a reason to revisit an old favorite pastime.
Don’t worry, Monopoly and Sorry will never lose their appeal, but the newest games on the market are offering up some crazy fun and adventure that’s hard to pass up.
We couldn’t list them all (there are just too many cool games out there), so we pulled together the hottest and best list of board games for teenagers and college kids this year!
Grab the family, grab your friends, or grab a few strangers and get your game on with these BEST board games for teenagers and college kids.
The 25 Best Board Games for Teenagers 2024
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Banana Grams
Grab your friends and family for a fun game (that’s also educational, but don’t tell the kids) where players race against each other to build crossword grids. Truth be known, this game will drive you bananas!
Not Parent Approved
Want to get your tweens and teens to put their phones down (if only for a while) and battle their boredom? Not Parent Approved is an inappropriately appropriate hilariously funny game that was designed to reintroduce a love of family games in these screen-obsessed times.
Outsmarted!
Outsmarted uses the power of technology to create the most exciting, immersive board game experience ever!! Put your friends & family in the Hot Seat against the clock in your own Live TV Quiz Show!
“double ditto”
Simple and hilarious fun the entire family will enjoy! Pick a card, read it out loud, and then quickly write down two answers you think other players will also write. Award-winning game and Amazon bestseller!
Relative Insanity
Relative Insanity is a hilarious game about crazy family members and even crazier situations – perfect for game nights with friends, family, or college roomies!
5 Second Rule
5 Second Rule is a fast-paced party game where players pick a card, read the seemingly easy topic, then start the timer! With only 5 seconds to name 3 things that fit with the topic, it’s a lot harder than it seems!
Catch Phrase
Not your typical “board game,” Catch Phrase offers up hours of laughs for tweens, teens, and college kids. Players are challenged to guess words and phrases while on the clock. Even if you only have a few games on your shelf, be sure this is one of them.
Ticket to Ride
Train to Ride is a fun, fast-paced, award-winning board game where players connect iconic North American cities and build train routes to earn points.
Unstable Unicorns
A strategic card game for teens and adults that will destroy your friendships… in a good way, that is! More than a million sold worldwide!
Betrayal at House on the Hill
In this hauntingly fun game, players must work together to survive a nightmare. With 50 blood-curdling scenarios, each trip to House on the Hill promises fresh horrors for players.
SKYJO
The goal with SKYJO is to get as few points as possible by flipping, trading, and collecting cards throughout several rounds. This one is fun for the whole family!
Spontuneous
This game is perfect for anyone who loves to sing or has a song for everything! (We all know someone like that.) You’re given a word and challenged to think of a lyric with that word in it. Pitch perfect or not, just start singing!
Scrabble
Classic games like Scrabble never go out of style! Grab your friends or family and get ready for a wordy showdown where every letter counts.
Blokus
Blokus is the perfect strategy game for the whole family! It takes less than a minute to learn to play with fun challenges for every age. Players take turns placing their 21 pieces on the board; each piece must touch one another of the same color, but only the corners.
Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is the perfect card game for adults, teens, and kids who are into kittens, explosions, laser beams, and sometimes goats. With more than 9 million copies sold, this is a great game that will get the entire family laughing!
Monopoly Cheater’s Edition
A new twist on a classic game, Monopoly Cheater’s Edition, encourages players to see what they can get away with. Get caught and you’ll get cuffed!
Taboo
Get teammates to say the guess word without saying the forbidden words. Oops! Say a forbidden word and you get the squeaker!
Smart Ass
Be the first to answer the Who, What, and Where Am I questions, and move closer to being the ultimate Smart Ass!
Catan Trade Build Settle
Catan is an award-winning civilization-building board game that challenges players to harvest and trade resources. Beware of this game – it’s easy to get addicted!
Telestrations
The telephone game sketched out. No drawing skills are required. Just stick figures and a sense of humor!
Sequence
Easy enough for kids, but challenging enough for adults, Sequence is an exciting game of strategy. Play a card from your hand, and place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board – when you have five in a row, it’s a Sequence!
GAMES FOR KIDS 17+
Cards Against Humanity
The crudest, rudest, most politically incorrect (and totally fun) party game you’ll ever play! For younger teens, be sure to check out Kids Against Humanity. (Best suited for 17+)
That’s What She Said
Great for the family or parties! That’s What She Said is a fast-paced game that packs in laughs at every turn. Get ready – it’s as twisted as your mind wants it to be. (Best suited for 17+)
What Do You Meme?
This game takes memes to a whole new level! Players will have tons of laughs as they compete with friends and family to create the funniest memes and determine who will be crowned the meme queen and king. (Best suited for 17+)
Codenames
Codenames is a simple to explain, easy to understand, and fun to play game that draws everyone in. If you’re looking for a fast and intense game experience, this game is for you! (Best suited for 18+)
1 comment
I used to play Blokus all the time when I was younger at my babysitter’s house. I also played Scrabble with my Mom, Aunt, and Uncle. And then my aunt has Cards Against Humanity and there are some really twistedly sad cards in the box that you just HAVE to throw away. Other than that, these are really fun games.