15 Best Party Board Games to Play with Your Friends

1. Munchkin

Summary & Gameplay

Munchkin is the number one nerdy party game and probably one of the best party board games of all time, for a good reason. It was my introduction to the world of board games and remains, to this day, one of my favorites. It ticks all the boxes: easy to learn, fun, and quick.

In Munchkin, you are an adventurer in a party exploring a dungeon. You kick down doors, kill monsters, and go looking for treasure – and stab a few friends in the back while you’re at it ;).

Munchkin is all about winning by getting to level 10 and stopping everyone else from doing that too. You can swap cards with others, or add cards to battles to buff monsters or players in exchange for a share of the treasure.

There are also multiple expansions (see above for some of our favorites), which are all compatible with one another. This can lead to some pretty bonkers creations. Mutant mixed-race cowboy ninja, anyone? The fun is endless.

2. Bears vs. Babies

Summary & Gameplay

From the creators of Exploding Kittens comes another one of their fun party board games: Bears vs. Babies. This strangely named game is as peculiar as it sounds and promises to bring as many laughs as its predecessors.

The aim of the game is to build the biggest, bestest monster and eat the most babies. As you’d expect from this company, your creations are going to be nothing short of absolutely bonkers. There’s an adult-only expansion pack as well, to make it even more fun for parties.

3. Fluxx

Summary & Gameplay

Fluxx is a wonderfully simple game that can be played by all ages. A turn has two moves: draw a new card from the deck and play a card from your hand. Every Fluxx card has individual rules, many of which are quite funny and wacky. It might ask you to sing a song or read the card out in a silly voice.

Multiple expansions have thematic rules, so for example, while playing Zombie Fluxx, you might be asked to groan like a Zombie. They’re good group board games for mixing and matching with your party due to so many available expansions.

4. Betrayal at House on the Hill

Summary & Gameplay

A haunted house on a hill; what could possibly go wrong? 😉 Players explore the house room by room by selecting room tiles at random. In each room, players will find something, or something might find them.

At an arbitrary point during the game, one of the players will trigger the ‘haunt,’ an event that dramatically changes the game, turning it from a game of exploration into one of survival. There are multiple haunt scenarios, and for each one, a player becomes a traitor who works alongside the monsters to hunt down their fellow players, the heroes.

Betrayal at House on the Hill is one of the most popular party board games available due to its fantastic replayability. The ‘haunt’ phase can be triggered at any point during the game, usually, right at the moment you least expect/want it to happen, which is always exciting.

One moment you could be working alongside a fellow hero in a room only for them to become the traitor! It’s a game where you never know what could happen next.

5. Last Night on Earth

Summary & Gameplay

Last Night on Earth is a fun horror game where players face off against a horde of zombies. Some players play the heroes, and some play the zombies. How many of each is dependant on the number of players (we recommend five so that you get a good balance of heroes and zombies).

The heroes make their way through the house, trying to survive and searching for weapons to defeat the zombies along the way. The zombies work together to kill the heroes, trapping them in rooms and overwhelming them. A modular game board and different game scenarios mean that each game is unique, and stop it from becoming cliche.

There are zombie and horror movie references thrown in throughout the game, which emulate the B-Horror movie vibe. Play the included CD soundtrack, and you’ve got the perfect game for a Halloween party! Last Night on Earth is a firm favorite for our group, and it’s easily one of the best party board games.

6. Discworld The Witches Board Game

Summary & Gameplay

Set in the world of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, The Witches board game is set in the magical world of Lancer. Players act the part of trainee witches, and fans will recognize the characters of Tiffany Aching and Petulia Gristle.

Life isn’t easy for a young witch, and as they try to tackle magical problems, they find the issues keep getting bigger and bigger. Famous characters from the Discworld novels are on hand to help players as things spiral out of control.

The game has three modes: solo, competitive, and cooperative, which along with Discworld’s wonderful comical nature, make it one of the best fun party board games.

7. Eldritch Horror

Summary & Gameplay

Inspired by the best-selling game Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror is a newer game which is easier to get a hold of, and has multiple expansions. Players take on the role of unlikely heroes in a battle against dark Lovecraftian forces as the Ancient Ones try to rise again.

They’ll travel to other worlds, fight monsters, and unravel mysteries as they try to find a unique way to stop the Ancient One they’re facing. The game has four Ancient Ones, twelve investigators, and hundreds of encounters, which gives it incredibly high replayability as no encounter is ever the same.

With up to eight players, multiple expansions, and the ability to travel to other worlds, this game is high on our list of board games for large groups.

8. Mysterium

Summary & Gameplay

Mysterium is a game similar to Dixit but with more structure and a storyline. It’s the 1920s and Mr. MacDowell, a gifted astrologist, has just moved into Warwick Manor. Sensing a supernatural presence, he calls a seance to determine what horrible crime took place there. A ghost tries to speak to the mediums, sending them visions to help them piece together the mystery.

One player plays the ghost, and the others play the mediums. The ghost cannot speak out loud and can only communicate with images. Thus, the ghost player must use illustrated cards to tell the mediums who committed the crime, where it happened, and what weapon was used. It is the mediums’ task to analyze these visual clues to identify the culprit.

The gorgeous artwork, coupled with the historical setting and storytelling is sure to appeal to many. Mysterium is among the best party board games that offer a unique experience and stands apart from the usual strategy and survival games.

9. Bloodborne

Summary & Gameplay

Based in the world of the video game Bloodborne, the board game takes players on a journey through the Chalice Dungeon, where they work together to collect Yharnam’s blood. Players work their way through the dungeon, fighting monsters as they make their way towards the final boss.

Although players require blood from these monsters, their real opponents are actually their fellow hunters. The game is not won by beating the final boss; it’s won by whoever has the most trophies at the end. The game is, therefore, all about trying to outscore one another along the way. Players must work together to complete the dungeon, while also trying to undermine each other with the final goal of ‘winning’ the game in mind.

With friendly fire enabled, the potential for plotting becomes even bloodier and adds a dynamic to Bloodborne that isn’t seen in other games. Depending on the players, gameplay could be ruthless or a thrilling tactical game where your choices might turn on you at any moment.

Watching someone’s luck backfiring on them when they’ve tried to take you out is just one of the things that make this game one of the best party board games.

10. Elder Sign

Summary & Gameplay

Set in the Cthulhu mythos, Elder Sign lets players step into the role of occult investigators who are fighting to stop the return of a race of monsters known as the Ancient Ones. Players must find the Elder Signs, eldritch symbols that can lock away the Ancient Ones.

By obtaining them and stopping the Ancient Ones, they can win the game. Along the way, they will explore the museum, fighting to stay sane and healthy as they battle the minions of the Ancient Ones.

Elder Sign is a fantastic addition to the Lovecraftian mythos, and both fans and non-fans will be drawn into the mysteries as they hunt down the Elder Signs. The excellent storytelling mixed with some clever gameplay mechanics put this on our list of best party board games.

11. A Touch of Evil

Summary & Gameplay

It’s the 19th Century, and gruesome murders are happening daily in the village of Shadowbrook. Your party came together to fight that evil, some passing through and some hunting for glory. The heroes race to save the town from falling into Darkness.

As players make their way through the game, investigating mysteries and fighting minions, there is an ongoing countdown to darkness. When the counter reaches zero, Darkness will win and claim the town.

The game can be played in two styles: competitive, where the aim is to be the first to defeat the Darkness, or co-operative, where the players fight the Darkness together.

12. T.I.M.E Stories

Summary & Gameplay

Fast forward to the future, and we’ve conquered time travel. Players are temporal agents belonging to the T.I.M.E Agency, an organization that exists to protect humanity from faults and paradoxes in time that threaten the fabric of the universe.

For a limited time, agents can travel into a different time or reality and inhabit the bodies of other beings (‘receptacles’). During that time, the players have to do everything they can to complete their mission. If they fail to do so before the time is up, they are sucked back into the future and must restart the mission.

It’s a game of trial and error that requires teamwork and strategy to uncover what is needed to fulfill the mission. Players take on the personas of their receptacles while on a mission. That means there is an element of roleplay to the game too. T.I.M.E Stories is undoubtedly one of those cool party board games that everyone will be talking about afterward!

13. Citadels

Summary & Gameplay

Citadels is all about acquiring gold, building structures, and stopping your opponents from doing the same. Each round, players have the option to use characters to build structures or sabotage the other players. For example, they may use an assassin to remove a character for a turn or a thief to steal their opponent’s gold and prevent them from being able to build.

The game ends when a player erects their eighth building, and the points are tallied. Points are scored for buildings depending on their color, with a bonus given for having structures of all five colors.

14. Disney Villainous

Summary & Gameplay

Have you ever wanted to play the role of the dark queen? Then Disney’s Villainous is perfect for you! Players can choose from six Disney villains: Ursula, Maleficent, Captain Cook, Jafar, Prince John, and the Queen of Hearts.

Their objective is to fulfill their evil scheme and to thwart their opponents by using the Fate Deck. For instance, for Jafar, the scheme is to steal the magic lamp. The Fate Deck is linked to the protagonist of their Disney film and features corresponding characters. Ursula’s player will find themselves dealing with characters from The Little Mermaid.

Villainous is among the best group board games for a player group with mixed ages and interests, as almost everyone has seen at least one Disney movie. For hardcore gamers, there’s a great strategy that they can delve into, and for beginners, there’s lots of Disney magic to fall in love with.

15. Dixit

Summary & Gameplay

Dixit is a game of imagination and creativity and will appeal more to artists and creatives rather than those who prefer strategy-based games.

One player takes on the role of storyteller and selects a card showing an artistic image. The storyteller must describe the image on the card to the other players. The other players must then choose an image from the cards in their own hands to match the image the storyteller described. Players gain points by guessing correctly, and the storyteller earns points by baffling their opponents, causing them to guess incorrectly.

Good party board games are fun and challenging, sometimes in ways we don’t even realize, and that is where Dixit comes in. It’s a different change of pace compared to the rest of the games in this best party board games list, but that’s a good thing, as parties cater for a mix of people. Games like this one are great to have in your collection for people who aren’t quite up for a strategy game.