Adult Board And Card Games That Make Great Gifts

Buzz Feed

28-02-2025

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
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These are perfect for the person who already owns Monopoly and Cards of Humanity.
If you feel like as you've gotten older, the time of receiving 'fun' gifts for birthdays, holidays, or other occasions has ended, you're probably not alone. There's nothing wrong with gifting practical items you need for your home, but presents for adults don't have to consist of just socks and nonstick frying pans. Bring back toys as presents! Get creative with some games!
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Whether you're trying to spice up a family party, you have a friend who's a true #gamer, or you need to bring a present that someone will actually want to a gift swap, we've rounded up some of the highest-rated and most beloved card and board games for adults. They're fast-paced, fun to play in a group, and best of all, most of them open the door for many inappropriate jokes to be made.
While Monopoly and Settlers of Catan are timeless classics, you and your loved ones may already have them, especially if you enjoy playing games. Because of this, we intentionally looked for newer games that maybe you haven't seen before or newer releases of old games. They make for easy, not-too-expensive presents for friends and family members, though you'll likely end up buying a set for yourself, too.
1. If you love inside jokes
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The goal of Blank Slate isn't so much getting the best answer, it's getting an answer that will match another player. You're given prompts, you write the rest of the phrase and you try to make sure you and someone in the group are on the same page.
Promising review:"This game is a blast and can be played by young and older people. It's much fun and the instructions are easy to understand. We take it to friend's homes and also play it at home. Great purchase." — Rosanne
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
2.
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When Cards Against Humanity isn't going to cut it, but you're looking for a fun, quick game, it's time to Cheer Up! with a similar expert-recommended option. Tom Schenck, a sales associate, game educator and Dungeon Master at The Philly Game Shop, says Cheer Up! gives more opportunities to get creative (and inappropriate) with your answers than Cards Again Humanity, and is ideal for larger groups.
"Cheer Up! is a very popular one, I like it more than Cards Against Humanity," Schenck told us. "The cards that you play [put down for the prompt], are constructed out of three different cards, so it doesn't have the same repetitiveness like Cards Against Humanity can have once you've played it a bunch of times."
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
3. If you want to learn how their brain works
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If you're looking for another option in the vein of Cards Against Humanity, then this Where On The Scale? game is a solid choice. Each round is a different scale from 1 to 10 ("tiny" to "huge," for example), and each player draws a different number. They then have to clues to help the other players guess where they land on the scale. There's also a separate "adults only" pack of cards for when the kids aren't around.
Promising review:" I love this game because it's a great way to get to know the other players and their thought processes. I played with my entire family and we laughed a LOT. There's also an adult version in the game, which can get really hysterical. Highly recommend!" — Hope
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As you may have seen on TikTok, Hues and Cues involves using verbal clues to guess a specific color square on the board. This is a fun way for players to use their imaginations to come up with or decipher one-word hints, and can even lead to some healthy debate.
Promising review:"Our family has gone through 10 new board games this Christmas and this was THE BEST BY FAR! (And the others were all good to be fair). Win or lose, it's simple but clever, easy to play, makes you think and laugh. Beautiful design." — Kindle Customer
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
5. A domino set for their next game night
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This Mexican Train Dominoes set comes with a convenient carrying case to take it on the go, and contains everything your recipient will need for game night, including 91 dominoes, a scorepad to keep track and more. The game is made for two to eight players ages eight and up, making it a potential fun gift for a family or couple.
Promising review:"We played with some friends last year and decided to buy 2 to gift to family for the holidays. It was an instant hit! There are lots of ways to play but we do the classic game and everyone has loved it. My mom asked to play a game every night. It does take a while when you're first learning so keep that in mind but once everyone knows what's going on you can get through several hands in reasonable time. The case and dominos are really nice quality and super easy to travel with." — Hines
Get it from Amazon for $21.20.
6. A game of 'Telephone' in pictures
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In the ever-evolving game of Telestrations, players draw pictures based on written prompts, which they then pass on to have translated into text, creating a game of visual telephone where the end result is often hilariously unlike the original concept. It can accommodate up to eight players and comes with everything you need to create your imagery, including markers, dry-erase sketchbooks and over 1,700 written prompts.
Promising review: 'Get the eight-person one for more fun. This game had us laughing the entire time! Kind of like Pictionary, but you don't have to stand in front of everyone at the board. Sit around the living room, everyone has a dry erase board/book. Everyone writes their word on your board/book pass to next player, they have to draw what you wrote, pass again, that player has to guess the drawing. Everyone gets a different word, all boards go around once. You can imagine what people draw and guess. At the end each person reveals what happened to their original word. Hilarious. Buy it!!!' — Beaner
7. For players that love a visual aid
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Statistics nerds, rejoice! For a visual card game based on connecting prompts to not-actually-scientific line graphs, Schenck recommends Charty Party. '[This is] one of my favorites,' Schenck said.
The game asks players to match a graph with the funniest Y-axis as a punchline (so no, you don't need to do math). This one is recommended for players aged 17 and up, thanks to content that the brand describes as 'PG-13,' but there's also an all-ages version available.
Get it from Amazon for $18.99+.
8. If your crew likes doing puzzles
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Meet Azul, a tile placement game that's a little like making mini puzzles, only extra competitive. Recreate colorful mosaics with smaller tiles, race each other and see who makes the most accurate pieces.
9.
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This quick-playing and easily expanded game can accommodate up to eight players and simply involves coming up with engaging or silly answers to a group of open-ended questions. The brand describes it as a 'get-to-know-you' game that's sure to spark conversation and laughter.
Promising review: 'My family NEVER does things together especially not sitting down and playing a game but since I ordered this we have actually used it several times! It's very comprehensible, fun with strangers and loved ones, and even better: can be adapted into a drinking game.' — Grace
Amazon
This game went viral on TikTok for the silly fun it brings, so if you're shopping for a social media-savvy person, there's a chance they may have seen this one online. Incohearent is light and quick and not too intimate, so it's great for bigger parties or hanging out with new friends you're still getting to know. It asks players to sound out gibberish phrases and decode the meaning before time runs out.
Promising review:"Incohearent is a fantastic party game that gets everyone laughing with its creative and silly gibberish phrases. The 400 cards ensure plenty of variety, making each round exciting and unpredictable. It's easy to set up and play, which makes it perfect for holiday gatherings or casual game nights. Some phrases are quite challenging, but that just adds to the hilarity and fun!" — Angela
Get it from Amazon for $14.99.
11. For TikTok fiends
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Tell Me Without Telling Me brings the joy of the internet to real life. Styled after the TikTok meme, this game gives you a prompt with a word you're not allowed to say, inviting you to act or talk around it. Reviewers say it's laugh-out-loud funny and totally topical.
12. If you like Scattergories
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In the world of board games, Off Topic is like Scattergories' cool Gen Z cousin. Roll a die to find your letter, then think of as many answers starting with that letter as you can for your given prompt. Then, debate among your friends to see who wins each round. It's played on little whiteboards to keep everything speedy.
Promising review:"We played this with adults of all ages. It's challenging and so much fun!! We sure had a lot of laughs! We can't wait to play again! Will definitely recommend to friends and family looking for adult games." — Raeanna
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
13. A silly 'selling' game with goofy illustrations
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Snake Oil requires players to pitch fantastical products to imaginary customers, all prompted by cards adorned with charmingly low-fi illustrations. Gameplay can expand up to 10 players ideally aged 10 and up.
Promising review: 'This is a fun, fast-paced party game that makes you think, but not too hard. As soon as we played it at a Halloween party, we knew we had to get it. Then I let my husband open it early, and we played it at our Christmas party, and it was a hit. I've only played it with adults, but I expect it works for younger ages as long as the players are of comparable cognitive maturity. One or two kids playing against a bunch of adults might be at a disadvantage, unless the adults played down to them. It really takes creativity and a quick wit.' — Amy Gunkler