Start a family game

13 Games That Let You Build A Family

By Hilton Webster

Updated Aug 20, 2022

These games let you get married, have kids, or even just surround yourself with people you can call family.

An aspect of gaming sorely missed at times is the intrinsic value of a world completely separate from our own. Not in the metaverse idea where you're just forced into a digital representation of reality for no good reason, but a world truly separate, a chance to experience something you'd never see in reality, or in a different light than you would otherwise.

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So while many games can focus on combat, or open worlds or puzzles, some take pleasure in the little things, in the rather diverse concept of "family". It may be by blood or by law. It may be a found family, or it may just be the connections you've made along the way. Be it at the core of the game or simply another aspect, family can manifest in many ways.

Updated August 16, 2022 by Hilton Webster: New games come out every day, from the kind that let you build a cult, to those that let you run the length of an entire planet. Sometimes though, the best thing is still the comfort of a digital family, be it a specially curated group you've spent years with, or your own unique inventions you can craft a world around. There's nothing quite like it, so we've added some more games where you can have a family.

13 The Guild 2

The Guild 2 is a fascinating blend of genres, from a life sim like The Sims, a grand medieval experience like Crusader Kings all the way to an intricate business management game stretching across its length. It's a truly unique experience, if not a little niche and clunky, but with all the whimsical joy only a blend of those genres can create.

The simple goal of the game is to create your own dynasty, and make sure it's the strongest by the time the game ends. You can get married, have children, and pass on the torch, but you can also form rivalries and create your own business. You'll have to defend it from those aforementioned rivals though, and stretch your family across as much of the world as you can to keep the gold flowing — and your dynasty thriving.

12 Final Fantasy 9

You've heard of Final Fantasy already, just about everyone has. Each and every entry in the prolific series of RPGs is as different as they're the same, only loose threads tying them together. Final Fantasy 9 is special for plenty of reasons, from its music and combat, to its beautifully designed world. What's really special about FF9 though are the characters, and the bonds between them.

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FF9 focuses on what initially seems to be a group of anyone and everyone who don't really mix, and they don't. Not at first, anyway. How these characters unravel layers of themselves, showing they never truly had comfort in their own lives until they all stumbled into each other. is extremely powerful. It's a heartwarming sensation few other entries in the series can match. They're a family to each other, where no other existed.

The XCOM series may have started as very different games from what they are now, but becoming turn-based strategy games really elevated them to another level of success. The more recent XCOM games are known for their brutality, and the sequel didn't do much by way of easing that. Each and every unit is valuable, and can die — even with what seems like a guaranteed shot.

The ties between characters were only metaphorical, originally. However, whatever stories you experienced with them yourself, the War of the Chosen led to them beginning to form relationships between one another. These bonds made them all the more powerful when fighting alongside one another, but also could cause a mental break if that bond was forcibly broken. Those bonds of family don't just affect your victories anymore, but the individuals securing them.

10 The Sims

Perhaps the most literal in being able to build a family, The Sims as a series has been running for a long time, and the core basis of simply simulating life in a slightly exaggerated way has always been its shining feature. And though the monetization practices are by all means predatory, there's a joy to being able to create a diverse life.

There's no goal to The Sims. Quite simply, you just live. Be whoever you want. Pursue love, climb the ranks at your job, adopt a pet, or watch some movies. You choose how you want your life to go, which is some small comfort in the current world. And for many, that might come in building a family of your own, be it the spouse and children, or just a pet and some friends.

9 Fable

If you can give Peter Molyneux anything, it's that he's the world's greatest hypeman, and only to the detriment of his own games. Case-in-point, Fable. The Fable series are incredible RPGs, but claims of trees growing in real-time (they don't) tend to dampen the actual joys of a world that is genuinely reactive to your actions.

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Strikingly ahead of its time, Fable 2 let you pursue a wide variety of relationships. Every character had their own sexuality, you could get married, have children, or even just make some drinking buddies. Buy yourself that nice house in the city and decorate it however you want. You're the hero, but you still need a life outside the adventure.

8 Crusader Kings

This comparison is going to sound wild, but Crusader Kings genuinely shares a great many features with The Sims. There's no true goal, inherently. You just live your life as whatever character you pick across the vast map or even one you make yourself. You can tell yourself the real goal is to amass a great empire, but did the game really tell you to do that?

In Crusader Kings 3 especially, relationships are all the more important. Your spouse will feature in many events in your life, as can childhood crushes. Maybe you'll make a friend on the battlefield who'll become near and dear. A pet may enter your life, a much-needed de-stressor. Your legacy is important, sure, but you get to decide just how much you care.

7 Empire Of Sin

When we walk about family, the concept is admittedly wide, a vast array of relationships we can form throughout life. And then, there's "The Family". Empire of Sin puts you in the boots of one of many mobsters, be they real or fictional, to build your own Prohibition-era empire, defending your turf from rival gangs.

An interesting aspect of Empire of Sin is the randomness of your gang members. There's also a degree of preset features, but some can always change, making each member a little unique on every run. But like any family, you're a close-knit group, each of you essential to the empire, be it in battle or business.

6 Rune Factory

Originally released as a Story of Seasons spin-off, Rune Factory eventually evolved into a series of its own. Rather aptly described by its creator as "Harvest Moon where you wield a sword", Rune Factory has many of the same farming aspects, as well as dungeon-crawling elements, all balanced out by rune points.

And yet despite being more story and combat-focused, Rune Factory fully invests in you having a life of your own to live out. You save the day, sure, but you still have to manage the farm at the end of the day. And as time goes on, and you build some friendships, maybe that'll even blossom in love. And for the first time in 5, you're finally allowed some queer marriage of your own.

5 Skyrim

At this point, Skyrim is whatever you make of it. Having been in existence for over ten years with countless mods, the game truly can be whatever you want. But speaking from the base game and its DLC, Skyrim actually has a funny amount of content to its family systems, with mods only making it better.

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In the base game, you could of course get married (though not divorced, unless you went the Henry VIII route) and have them join you in your home and even as a companion. But with Hearthfire, you can build your own house, move your family in, adopt some children, and grow crops. It's a lot like Rune Factory, actually!

4 Mafia 3

Now we've talked about the concept of family extending to, you know, the mafia. But in a rather humorous twist, Mafia 3 doesn't feature you as a member of the actual mafia, but a rag-tag band of rebels enacting justice in a world so lacking it. Protagonist Lincoln Clay instead established his own family.

Though Mafia 3 is maybe not the most inspired in terms of gameplay, it hammered home the point that a found-family formed on shared ideals was one much stronger than one ruled through fear and hierarchy. And in a game portraying the racism of the time, it's important to show established structures are far from the best.

3 Stardew Valley

For many people, life is a lot, and at times too much to handle. And Stardew Valley offers you a simple solution. Drop that dreary life where you're just another cog and settle into a smaller community, one where you can really make a difference and stand as your own person. Farming games really love telling you that you matter.

RELATED: Cozy Games To Cuddle Up On The Couch With

In the eponymous Stardew Valley, you run the farm left to you by your grandfather all the while making connections with the surrounding village. There's no real goal other than to make your grandpa proud, and the game makes sure you can never make an irreparable mess of your farm. So go out there and marry whoever you want (Sebastian) and just have a good time.

2 The Mass Effect Trilogy

One aspect of Bioware's RPGs that has always been praised, the one element that has always shone despite any other failings, has been their characters. And though this is great across all their games, the single story of the Mass Effect trilogy makes it the best to experience.

Though you are of course the hero of the tale, the true moments of joy in Mass Effect come in your interactions with your companions. You spend years with them, both in-game and real life, having grown with them as a person. You see them evolve in their writing, and whether you romance them or not, they're family. Citadel is a testament to that.

1 Fire Emblem

And now going in a completely different direction, the turn-based strategy phenomena Fire Emblem. True enough, you can romance a great many people in Fire Emblem, and form great relationships with many others, and even between them. And that is enough in and of itself, but not exactly where the Fire Emblem games choose to stop.

In many of the games, Three Houses excused, you can have a child with your beloved (same-sex marriage of Fates excluded, unfortunately) who will, well, grow up into a unit of their own. That can die, should you let that come to pass. Though odd to see people soft-hand debate eugenics on how to create the perfect child, by all means, it is still family.

NEXT: Most Iconic Families In Video Games

50 Super Fun Games to Play at Home as a Family

The Best List of Game Ideas for the Family

When it’s time for some quality family time, we know we need a great list of fun games to play! And if you’re wondering how to make family game night fun, we’ve got the perfect list of games to try for you!

Fun family games are basically any game or challenge that can bring your family together! We’ve found 50 simple family games that you can play anywhere. From the best indoor games, to supply-free games, we’ve got them all below!

A list of fun games to play

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We wanted to make life a little easier for you, so we separated this mega list of family games into a few easy categories!

16 Fun Family Games Where All You Need Is Pencil and Paper
18 Family Game Night Ideas with Few Materials
16 Family Games in the House or Yard

Your next family game night is going to be a blast! Let’s get started!

Fun Family Games to Play at Home

Easy prep is our kind of thing! First off, you’re going to want to grab some pens/pencils, and paper. That’s all you’ll need for these games! Then, select a game from the list below and get ready for some laughs.

1. Word Squares

Fun family games that are word themed.

Show your smarts, creativity, and skill with this fun game! Similar to the dot game, your goal is to create as many squares as possible, however, this has the addition of words! This is a great game to help littles with their reading. How many words can you create without getting blocked?!

2. The Sentence Game

Sentence themed fun family games.

This family game is such a fun one to play with a group of people, but it’s also a good one to get the creative juices flowing. It’s like a combination of Pictionary and Telephone – and the results are ALWAYS hilarious. First, you’ll want to start by writing a statement about someone in the room and pass it to the next person. After that, you’ll have them draw it! The link above has a printable template for you to use and more instructions.

3. Scattergories

Fun family games similar to Scattergories.

Scattegories has always been one of our favorite family games, and this is like a homemade version of that classic fave. It includes fun printables and ideas! It also keeps the kids entertained and we have fun thinking of different 5-letter words and categories to use. Check out this Spouse Scattergories Game too!

4. Who Am I?

Fun family games with guessing.

This is a game that everyone has probably played at least once at a party, and it’s also a quick and easy, last-minute, family game. To begin, each person gets 20 questions to find out “who they are.” For example, we like to use Disney characters and cartoons when we play with our little kids. Sometimes we’ll even use the names of our extended family!

5. The Name Game

Fun family games using names.

In this game, everyone comes up with the name of a person (for example, it can be someone you know, a celebrity, etc.) but don’t tell anyone–write it down! After that, you’ll write the names on slips of paper which are then drawn. Clues are given, and everyone tries to guess who that person is! So fun, right?! This game is a great way to practice your acting skills.

6. Walmart BINGO

Fun family games for Walmart.

This BINGO idea can be tweaked into the perfect fun family game for when you do feel like going out of the house! Plus, you still only need pens and/or pencils and paper. You can also probably get a little shopping done while you’re at it (wink).

7. Take a Hint

Fun family games to play at parties.

You’ll need 2 teams of 4 to play this fun and tricky game. You can give hints, but only have one chance to guess the word correctly. In other words, this is definitely a game you’ll want to check out!

8. How Do You Doo

Funny & fun family games.

This game is similar to Name that Tune, except you take turns seeing how many songs you can get your team to guess in 5 minutes. However, there’s a catch – you can only sing the word “doo.” So fun, right?! It’s also a great way to add a little extra music to your life.

9. Movie ID

Movie themed fun family games.

This is such a fun one to add to your list of fun family games, but just a warning: it’s so addictive. You might find yourself playing it more than once! It’s a little bit like Catchphrase in that you’re trying to get your team to guess what’s on the card. However, it’s even better because you are bidding against another team to see who can get their team to guess with the least number of words. As a side note, it might be fun to add some prizes for the winners!

10. Hang Man

Classic fun family games to play.

This is a classic family game that many of you have probably already played, but it never gets old. For example, many car rides in our family have been filled with hangman, but we never grow tired of playing it! Additionally, you can always make it more interesting by adding rules like, if you guess a wrong letter, you have to do a silly task or challenge.

11. 4 Papers

Paper family game night ideas.

Firstly, choose a category and have each player write 3-4 things that fit the category on slips of paper that you will put into a pile. Split into 2 teams. After that, set the timer for 1 minute and each player tries to get their team to guess as many slips of paper as possible. If your turn ends and they haven’t guessed it yet, put it back in the pile for someone else. Players have 1 pass per round. If they pass; however, the paper goes back in the pile. Alternate between teams until all of the papers are gone. Teams get 1 point per correctly guessed slip. The team with the highest score wins! You could also incorporate ’round rules’ such as, “Describe the paper without using any words on the paper. Sound effects allowed. No actions.”

12. Reverse Charades

Fun family games like charades.

Don’t like the spotlight on you, but love to play group games? This game is perfect because you act as a group and one person is responsible for guessing the correct answer! First, grab some paper slips. After that, have everyone write down a few things to act out. You set the categories and determine how many points you need to win; however, you have a whole team by your side while you’re acting it out! If your teammate guesses correctly before the timer runs out, you get a point! This is one where you’ll want to have the camera ready.

13. What If?

Fun question games to play with family.

In this game, someone starts by writing a “what if” scenario, and then passes it to the next person. After reading that first scenario, the next person folds it over and writes the “then” statement, folding the top part over again to cover up what they just wrote! Finally, once everyone has had a turn, you will open the paper and read it from start to finish! You’re sure to get some hilarious ‘stories’ with this game. In addition, it’s a great way for little kids to practice their creative writing skills.

14. Who is Telling the Truth?

Truth telling family game night ideas.

This is a super funny, get to know you game/storytelling game, but it’s also super easy to play! Players come up with silly “What if?” statements and then answer to each other’s statements. The mismatched responses make it hilarious!

15. Mafia

Fun family games with costumes.

You can’t trust anyone in this fun game, but you’ll never have more fun doing it! The goal of the game is to try and figure out who the members of the mafia are without knowing who you can trust – and before they murder you! For a fun group date version, check out this Murder Mystery Party that is SO fabulous! Plus, you get to wear costumes for that one!

16. Tech-Free Games

Fun family games that are tech-free.

Are you wondering, “What are some fun games that DON’T include any technology?” Well, put those phones down and get ready to play some good old-fashioned pen and paper family games! There are plenty of included drawing, writing, and paper folding prompts on this list. Not to mention, these ideas could be used again and again and again.

Fun Family Games that Need No Materials

These fun family games will take you back to your college days or maybe even your elementary years. But, it doesn’t matter how old you are because these games to play with family are timeless!

17. Hot Lava

Fun family games for the living room.

What kid hasn’t “invented” this game?! Playing it as a family game is a blast. But, there is one rule: don’t touch the floor – it’s lava! For even more fun, you could follow up this game by building a pillow or blanket fort.

18. Monsters in the Dark

Fun family games to play in the dark.

When we were little, we would play hide and go seek all the time, but it was often at night. Whenever the person seeking got close to the person hiding, the hiding person would jump up and scare the seeker! It was terrifying, but we would always end up giggling. In the same vein, you can now create your own memories by playing this fun version with your own family! Additionally, you could follow up this game by doing shadow puppets.

19. The Greatest Game in the Universe

The greatest fun family games.

First, send three people out of the room. After that, choose a person, weapon/thing, and place. For example, a ballerina with a kite in the salon. Once you’ve chosen, bring the FIRST person back. He or she will ask someone “who” it was. That person will act out who it was. The first person will then ask someone else what the “weapon or thing” was. Similarly, it will be acted out. The first person will then ask someone else “where” it happened. After that, the SECOND person is brought back and the FIRST person acts out all three things for the second person. Similarly, the THIRD person is brought back and the SECOND person acts out all three things for the THIRD person. Finally, the THIRD person has to guess what the three things are. It is hilarious to see how it changes with each reenactment!

20. Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths and a Lie version for family games to play.

First, state 3 things about yourself, but only 2 can be true. After that, see if the other players can guess which statement is a lie. Everyone will learn more about each other!

21. Sardines

Outdoor or indoor family game night ideas.

We used to play this clever spin on hide & seek ALL the time in college, but that doesn’t mean we should stop playing it now. It’s such a simple game, but it is hilarious every time. Best of all, no supplies are needed!

22. 4 on the Couch

Fun family games on the couch.

The goal of this game is to try and get 4 people from your team on the couch but in a super crazy way! Sounds easy, right? Not necessarily! Without question, this is a great family game for reunions.

23. Signs

Quiet family games.

We love this quiet game where you try to be as sneaky as possible, but still have so much fun! The ultimate goal is to pass secret hand signs around, but without getting caught. If you are caught, you’re now IT!

24. The Bomber

In the house family game night ideas.

The goal of this game (if you’re on the red team, that is) is to get the ‘bomber’ and the ‘president’ in the same room, but you have to do it by the end of the game. Additionally, the opposing team’s goal is to try and keep them apart. For full rules, be sure and download the free print and play version from the above link!

25. Ghost in the Graveyard

Ghost in the graveyard family games to play.

Try to not get caught by a ghost in this mashup of the classic family game, hide-and-seek!

26. Psychiatrist

Another good idea for fun family games.

This is one of the most fun games to play with a group. First, have one person (the doctor) leave the room. After that, everyone left picks an “illness.” Finally, the doctor returns and has to figure out what the illness is by just asking questions!

27. Hide & Seek

Fun family games for outside.

In this classic family game, one person is “it,” covers his/her eyes, and counts while everyone else hides. After that, the “it” person goes and hunts for the hiders, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Meanwhile, the found hiders can either be out and wait for all hiders to be found, or they can also become another “it” person and help find the rest of the hiders. The last person found is the winner!

28. The Animal Game

Animal themed fun family games to play.

Start playing this fun game by having everyone stand/sit in a circle. After that, have one person in the middle with their eyes closed. After that, they will spin in a circle or count to 10 while everyone else changes places in the circle. Then, the person in the middle points at someone and gives them a command to make a specific animal sound. For example, “bark like a dog,” or you can make it more fun like, “cackle like a chicken who is laying an egg.” The person being pointed at then has to make that sound, while the person in the middle has to guess WHO made the sound. I’m telling you, this family game cracks our crew up every time we play.

29. Would You Rather

Question-based fun family games.

You can play this game as described in the link, but you can also assign different sides of the room to be option 1 and option 2. First, have everybody answer by going to the side of the room that correlates with their option. By the way, we also have a Bedroom Edition for all you couples out there! 😉

30. Don’t Forget the Lyrics

Musical family game night ideas.

This is a musical and fun family game where players alternately try to finish the lyrics of songs, but sometimes in a super crazy way. Seeing where these songs go is hilarious! Additionally, no supplies are needed except access to YouTube.

31. How’s Yours?

Hilarious and fun family games.

This game will have everyone trying to guess an object that people have in common, but it isn’t as easy as it seems. It’s so clever and super silly!

32. Supermarket Sweep

Cheap and easy family games to play.

This game is perfect for when you want to leave the house, but you also don’t want to go too far. All you need to do is check out the instructions/printables and hit up ANY local market.

33. Secret Dancer

Dance family games to play.

See if you can figure out who the secret dancer is in this hilarious family game! Plus, it’s a great way to work out those wiggles on days when you can’t or don’t want to leave the house.

34. Assassin

Supply free games to play with family.

Little ones love this game (and adults too!) and it’s super fun trying to watch them wink! You’ll want to see if you can catch the winking assassin before he winks at YOU.

Fun Family Game Ideas to Play in the House or Yard

Find your silly side, but have the best time doing it! Some of these fun family games to play will make you laugh so hard your insides will hurt – in a good way! You’ll definitely want to read on to discover the fun.

35. The Flour Game

Inexpensive family games to play.

Our kids love the flour game, but so do I! Firstly, you take a cup, fill it with flour (pack it in tight), then turn it over onto a plate, and carefully lift the cup. After that, you will have an upside-down, flour-shaped cup on the plate. Now, go ahead and set a small candy carefully on top of the flour cup. Meanwhile, take turns using a butter knife to cut off some of the flour structure, but try not to knock off the candy. The person who knocks off the candy has to retrieve it using only their mouth! It’s unexpected, but one of our favorite fun games to play at home.

36. The Cereal Box Game

At-home family game night ideas.

See if you can pick up the cereal box in this funny game of flexibility. As the box or bag gets smaller, it also gets more difficult to reach! You can play this with a big brown paper bag; however, the classic cereal box is always a great choice.

37. Selfie Hot Potato

Family games to play with a cell phone.

Even the name sounds fun! This game is similar to hot potato, but instead of a potato, you pass around a camera pointed at your face that has a timer set. If it “flashes” while you are holding it, you not only get a funny selfie taken, but you can also do a silly “challenge” or “punishment” determined by the others.

38. Sticky Face

Silly sticky note family game night ideas.

Raise your hand if you love sticky notes, but are looking for a fun way to use them! These silly sticky note games will have you racing to see who sticks the fastest!

39. Cotton Ball Glitz

Family games to play anytime.

In this crazy activity, players have to not only coat their noses with lotion but also have to see how many cotton balls they can get out of the bowl in a minute. However, they can only use their nose. In other words, this game is pure hilarity.

40. Bubble Game Race

Fun family games with bubblegum.

This idea is great for either a family game or a party game, but we’ve played it just because. The goal of the game is to eat your way through whipped cream to find the gum, but there are no hands allowed! After that, you can celebrate by showing off your bubble gum blowing skills.

41. Mousetrap

Fun family games and projects.

Each player will need a pile of beans and a mouse. The “mice” are spools tied to 18 – 24″ of string/yarn. After that, all of the players put their “mice” in a little circle that could be covered by the “trap” – in other words, a pot lid. Meanwhile, the trapper rolls 2 dice and when they get doubles, they slam the lid down and try to catch the mice. If they catch none, they owe the other players one of their beans. However, if a mouse gets caught, they will give the trapper one of their beans. As far as family games go, this is our cabin classic.

42. Halt

Fun family games to play outdoors.

Start by rolling up a dishtowel and taping it together. After that, have the players stand in a circle around it, but don’t let them touch it yet. One leader will call out another player’s name, and that player runs to the towel while everyone else scatters. After that, and once the player has the towel, they yell, “halt!” They then have 3 chances to throw the towel, but do so in hopes of hitting another player. Outside players can run and move after the towel hits the ground. However, if no one gets hit, the person with the towel is out. Now they get to choose the next thrower!

43. Spoons

Card games to play with family.

This has got to be one of the most dangerously fun games to play. Introduce your family to the madness of Spoons but in the speediest way possible!

44. Iron Chef

Cooking family game night ideas.

Put your kitchen (and maybe even those leftovers!) to good use with this wild and crazy cooking competition. It’s a great way to turn an ordinary dinner on its head. We’ve also included some super cute printables!

45. Kick the Can

Old fashioned family game night ideas.

Did you ever play this classic game growing up? We have so many fun memories of this one. You’ll definitely want to click on the link for more directions!

46. Flashlight Tag

Flashlight games to play with family.

I’m pretty sure you can figure out this game from the title! However, it’s more fun than you think! Bring on the night games! For more specific directions, you’ll want to click on that link.

47. Guess What’s in the Bag

Guessing family games to play.

First off, you’ll want to grab a bunch of differently shaped kitchen items and put them in a large bag. After that, have everyone stick their hands in and feel the objects. No peeking of course, but they can start to imagine what’s in there! This game could also be great for an object lesson.

48. Liars Dice

Dice games to play with family.

If you’re looking for some fun games to play that are truly unique, this one makes the list! Try playing liars dice (just like Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones!)

49. Crazy Face

Crazy and fun family games.

We used to play this at camp, but we’ve been dying to play it again because it’s hilarious! Start by dividing into teams. After that, have one person on each team cover their face in shaving cream. Then, when you say, “go,” everyone else will start throwing cheese balls at their face to try to get them to stick. Finally, at the end of 1 minute, stop and see who has the most cheese balls stuck to their face. That team wins, but everyone will have had a blast!

50. Minute to Win It

Minute to Win It fun family games.

Can you complete these challenges in under a minute? Check out the link above for ideas, or browse all of our Win it in a Minute Ideas!

For even more ideas for fun family games, check out:

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Home & Family
Date Ideas

what games to play on New Year's Eve?

There is very little time left before the celebration of the New Year. Sometimes, when all the preparations for the celebration have already been completed and there are an extra couple of hours left, many do not know what to do with themselves and the children. In order for this time not to drag on long and boring, MIR 24 has made a selection of games thanks to which you can have fun and cheer yourself up before the holiday.

Sedentary games

The favorite games of many are those in which you can participate without leaving the table. This is very convenient, because during such fun you can grab some snacks or take a sip of champagne. Here are some ideas on how to play while eating treats.

Who am I?

Each participant in the game guesses to his neighbor on the right a real or fictional game character - an animal, a celebrity, an object, a hero of a book or a film - and writes it on a piece of paper. Next, you need to fold the sheet in half and put it on the table so that the inscription is visible to everyone except the guesser.

Competitors must take turns walking. On their turn, each player asks questions, trying to figure out what is written on his piece of paper. Questions should be structured in such a way that they can only be answered with “yes” or “no”. If the question asked was answered "no", the move passes to another participant. The main task of everyone is to find out which character's name (the name of which object) is written on his sheet.

You can slightly change the rules and ask an unlimited number of questions, but only for one minute. If the player manages to guess in one minute what word is written on his sheet, he receives a winning chip (or coin). Whoever has more coins or chips at the end of the game wins.

Associations

A driver is selected who leaves the room for a minute. The rest "conceive" one of the people present in the company. Next, the player enters the room and tries to guess who was chosen. To do this, he asks leading questions. The question should be constructed according to the type: “Masha, if it were a chair, what would it be?”. “Sasha, if it were a piece of music (a tree, a house, a flower, the weather, curtains, a book, a dog...), what would it be?” Players think, weigh their associations with the person they thought of, and answer. For example: “It would be an elegant chair with twisted cast iron legs”, “it would be a classic medieval minuet”, etc. Pleasure is received by the one about whom all this is said, and everyone who listens to the answers. The game goes on until the host guesses correctly (it is better that he has no more than five minutes to do this). Then the one who was thought of goes to his place.

A la Alias 

All those present are divided into two or three teams (by an equal number of players). Cards with words (they should be prepared in advance) are thoroughly mixed and laid out in a pile face down in the center of the table next to the field. The starting team is determined by lot. Then all teams go clockwise. The first player takes a card and tries to explain the words written on it without using the same root. The other players on the team will have to guess them. For each unsolved word, a penalty point is awarded. When time runs out, the points earned by the team are calculated. Each guessed word - plus one point, each unsolved - minus one point.

If you don't have time to prepare, use a regular dictionary. In this case, each player must explain the words to the letter guessed by other participants.

Long live the translator!

This quiz game requires an hour or two of preparation. Have you ever tried to translate the words of a familiar song or poem into some exotic language using Google Translate, and then back again? It turns out, of course, a non-rhyming phrase, but so unexpected that it takes your breath away!

For example, guess what it is: “The blizzard sang a song for her, a fishy red dream, buy-sell, snow-covered snow, unfrozen”... This is the phrase translated into Vietnamese and back the phrase “The blizzard sang a song for her: “Sleep, Christmas tree , bye-bye”, the frost wrapped in snow: “Look, do not freeze!”.

Try experimenting and you'll find things that will keep everyone laughing! Prepare a dozen or one and a half such translations in advance, and then read them out. Whoever guesses what it was wins a prize. You can, of course, google all this on your smartphone right at the table, but then there is a danger that the rest will get into their gadgets.

Quiz

A game for those who like to puzzle over riddles. The facilitator asks the questions written below, and the rest of the participants offer their options. It's quite funny to watch everyone present trying to come up with a logical answer.

1) How many years did the Hundred Years' War last?

a) 116
b) 99
c) 100
d) 150

2) In what country was panama invented?

a) Brazil
b) Chile
c) Panama
d) Ecuador

3) In which month is the October Revolution celebrated?

a) January
b) September
c) October
e) November

4) What is the name of King George VI?

a) Albert
b) Georg
c) Manuel

5) From what animal does the name of the Canary Islands come from?

a) Canary
b) Kangaroo
c) Seal
d) Rat

The answers to these questions differ from those that might seem logical to you:

2) Panamas were invented in Ecuador.
3) The October Revolution is celebrated in November.
4) King George's name is Albert. He changed it in 1936.
5) The name of the Canary Islands comes from a seal. The Latin name for the islands is Insukaria Canaria, which means island of seals.

Photo: TASS / Smirnov Vladimir

Danetki

Another game that fans of puzzles will love. In order to solve them, one must ask questions, the answer to which can only be the words “yes” or “no”.

The leader thinks of a situation, and the players take turns asking leading questions. The driver answers only "yes" or "no". Whoever guesses the answer first is the winner. Here are some of these riddles with answers:

Incident in a bar

A man walks into a bar and asks for a glass of water, the bartender suddenly takes out a gun and points it at the man. The man says "thank you" and leaves.

Answer: A man was suffering from hiccups and went to a nearby bar to get some water. The bartender understood what his problem was, and applied a tried and tested remedy - to scare a hiccuping person. The method worked, and the man thanked him.

Shoe

Before going to bed, the woman hid her shoe in the safe. For what?

Answer: This woman is a flight attendant on an airplane. In the hotel, before going to bed, she puts her documents in the safe, and in order not to forget them in the morning, she puts one of her shoes along with the documents.

Murder in the street

A man was walking calmly down the street, suddenly attacked a woman passing by and strangled her. He went to the police, but they let him go.

Answer: The woman was his wife. A few years ago, she faked her death so that her husband would be blamed. He was convicted of murder, he has already served time in prison. And they can't go to jail twice for the same murder.

Library

A woman went into the library, took out a book and started crying.

Answer: The woman was a writer and donated one of her books to the library. Between the pages of the book, she left a gift to the first reader - a $50 bill. A year later, she came to the library, took out a book and found a bill in it. She cried because she realized that no one had read her book.

Exam

Military school exam. One of the students takes a ticket and begins to prepare for the answer, but after a few minutes he approaches the teacher, without saying a word, gives him a record book and leaves the exam with an excellent mark.

Answer: This is a Morse Code test. The teacher tapped the table with a pen and gave a message that anyone can come up now and get a grade.

Elevator

A certain person lives on the ninth floor. But each time he returns home alone, he only gets to the seventh floor and then walks.

Answer: This man is a dwarf and he can only reach the seventh floor button.

Spy

This game resembles the well-known "Mafia", it also needs a leader. It is he who prepares small pieces of paper in advance. The number of sheets must be equal to the number of players. On one we write the word "Spy", and on all the others, any location (beach, polar station, pirate ship, hospital, etc.). Further, all participants blindly pull pieces of paper.

The game is played in conversation mode. One of the players secretly becomes a spy and his task is to find out where he is. The other players know the location, but don't know who the spy is - that's up to them to figure out. You can find the "enemy agent" by asking each other questions. The spy must, during all conversations, understand where he is and make a statement about this before he is seen through.

Relatively active games

When everyone has had a good meal and trained their creativity in the process of table games, you can leave the table. At this stage, everyone is already liberated, which means that those games in which you need to pump your acting skills a little bit are perfect.

Crocodile

All guests are divided into two teams. The first one thinks of a word or expression - as you agree. It is better to think of something well-known, for example, proverbs, sayings, or catchphrases from Soviet films. For example, those associated with the New Year and winter. The phrase is spoken in the ear of the messenger from the second team. And he, without words, exclusively with gestures and facial expressions, must explain this expression so that his teammates understand it. Teams guess in turn.

Hat

This is a very popular guessing game. Pieces of paper with words written on them are folded into a hat. For the sake of the New Year, you can start the game with words associated with it, with winter or with fairy tales. The first pair of players goes to the center. One of them pulls out a note and tries to explain to the second the word he read. At the same time, he does not use single-root words and translations into foreign languages. The second one has to guess. The rest are watching and also trying to understand what it is, but silently. The trick of the game is that it should be very dynamic. Only half a minute or a minute is given for the round - as agreed. Then the next couple comes out. The highest aerobatics is achieved when guessing starts to take 10 seconds or even less. Time flies unnoticed and fun.

Legs

Players stand in a circle fairly close to each other. Everyone's feet are shoulder-width apart, moving clockwise. The first participant touches with any of his feet any foot of his neighbor on the left. The neighbor, in turn, with the foot that was touched, touches any foot of a person to his left. Thus, the action moves in a circle. The player can tear off the floor, only the foot that was touched and only in order to touch her neighbor's foot. If the player's position is unstable, you can hold on to nearby ones. If the balance is lost and the participant touches the floor with his hand, moves the wrong leg, falls, he is out of the game. Then the circle closes again. In this game, you can play a trick on your neighbor by putting him in a rather "uncomfortable" position. Those two people who remain last win, or you can complicate and leave only one winner.

Alcohol games

This type of game is suitable for 18+ companies. In this way, you can turn the process of drinking alcoholic beverages into something more ... and fun!

I never...

The game reveals other people's secrets and shakes skeletons out of closets. The rules are simple: pour drinks into glasses, then each participant in a circle says: "I never ... (what he never did)". After that, those who cannot agree with what was said drink from their glasses. Friendly laughter and surprise are an integral part of this game.

Titanic

This is a traditional Korean drinking game. It will require beer, vodka, a beer glass and a shot glass. A beer glass with beer is placed in the center of the table, a stack is carefully lowered into it, which should be held in a glass with a float. Then each participant in turn pours a drop of vodka into a glass. The one whose fault the glass sinks in beer loses. As punishment, he needs to drink the resulting cocktail in one gulp.

Drunken sea battle

A variant of the classic Sea Battle with stacked ships. It is necessary on some surface (you can use a large sheet) to draw a grid for playing sea battle. Two participants play, each of which is on one side of the playing field, divided in half so that they cannot see the location of each other's "ships". The ships in this game are glasses of booze. Having placed their “fleet” in their places, the participants take turns aiming at the enemy ships, playing according to all the rules of “Sea Battle”. The winner is the one who quickly gets his opponent drunk, destroying his entire “flotilla”.

Truth or Drink

This game is also a classic version of Truth or Dare. It differs from it in that instead of fulfilling a desire, you drink from a glass of alcoholic drink. You can play both together and with the whole company, transferring the right to ask a question to the selected person in a circle. If a participant does not want to answer a tricky question, he drinks.

Taboo

This game does not require any special training and will help the landlord to establish his own rules of behavior effortlessly. The bottom line is not to do or say anything that is against the rules. For example, you can't say the word "politics", you can't use obscene words, you can't touch your forehead, etc. Anyone who breaks the rules is punished with a portion of strong drink.

Merry, active and not boring New Year to you!

10 games for beginners | Nisa Gams

If you like board games and have only recently begun to dive into this special world. You haven't tried a lot yet, but watch the videos, read the reviews, and plan to get the games for yourself. Then this article is for you!)

We have made a list of 10 games that are perfect for getting to know this hobby. We tried to include all existing board game genres and mechanics in it, so that you have an idea of what modern board games are.

Our main criterion for compiling the list, in addition to including different mechanics and genres, was that in 1-2 years you would not get tired of these games, you would not outgrow them, and it would still be interesting to play them. Therefore, there will be absolutely no basic, starting games here, which will get bored after a few games. Sometimes it's better to spend an extra 10-15 minutes debriefing the rules, watching YouTube videos at dinner, than sitting down to a very simple and boring game right away.

You can watch an overview of all these games showing the components and rules in our video in end of article .

All games from the list below have a 10% discount using the promo code etotpromokod .

Deck Building and Try Your Luck Mechanic

Clank! Underground Adventure is the best family game of 2019 in our opinion. This means that it will be interesting and suitable for everyone: adults and children, beginners and already experienced players. There are two things that most people like about this game - luck and adventure.

In the game, you will walk around the dragon's dungeon and collect treasures, and if you make a lot of noise and rattle jewelry, then the periodically waking dragon will catch you! This game is about building your own card deck, as well as testing your luck, because the further you go into the dungeon, the more treasures you can find, but the higher the risk of being eaten by a dragon))

Mechanics of collecting sets

The Train Ticket game is a worldwide bestseller and is likely to be enjoyed by everyone you play with. Such a game should be in the collection to play with guests and their children while having fun.

In this game you will build routes in Europe, America or other countries. To do this, you will need to collect cards with wagons of different colors.

If you want something more complicated, then we offer Ethnos . It also adds control of territories, features of maps and complicates the collection of sets.

Territory control

Battle for Rokugan is the smallest and most inexpensive territory control game. We recommend it for dating, as there are quite simple and quickly explained rules.

Our separate video review of this game:

Board game with dice

A fun, fast paced and simple game where you'll have to roll and reroll dice to earn points, fight against other players and buy interesting cards.

Compact, inexpensive, versatile game

If you are going to nature, and you need a small and inexpensive game, which will not be a pity if it suddenly rains. Then we offer the universal Citadel game. She will introduce you to the mechanics of card drafting (here you will choose a role and pass the remaining cards to a neighbor). There is a lot of bluffing, interesting situations and calculating strategies in the game.

A versatile fighter, an ageless classic that even hosts tournaments - Citadel's game. She also has an extended version of Citadel.Deluxe .

Abstract play, pleasant to the touch

Very nice and cute tile-laying game. We really like it, because it can be played very relaxed with parents or children, as well as arrange a serious tournament, calculate the opponent's moves and play very aggressively.

Cooperative play (together against play)

The best, in our opinion, game from the genre of family cooperative games. In this game, you will not need to compete and try to score more points. Here you all together, as a team, will save the planet from terrible epidemics and try to cure the spreading diseases. Moreover, each player will have their own role with special abilities.
Everyone should have this game in their collection!)

Team game for a big company

The best party game with a very interesting approach to association play. You will be divided into two teams, each team will have its own 4 words. Then each player from the teams will get the track-digit code and will have to transfer it to the members of his team with the help of associations so that the opponents do not intercept it.

Action programming. But the main thing is just fun

Fun in a box! All of you (up to 6 people, we recommend exactly 5-6) will rob the train. Every man for himself, whoever takes the most is the winner. You will rush all over the train, shoot at rivals, take away bags of money from them and control the sheriff, who really does not like what is happening on his train!

The highlight of this game is how action cards are played. You lay them out in turn, but do not perform actions at once. For example, the first player says that he will go down to the car, the second says that he will shoot, the third will run forward and so on for several rounds of actions. Then you collect a common pile of cards and begin to perform all these actions. And from this moment the most interesting begins. Why is he shooting in the air? Why is she going to meet the sheriff? Someone ran into a stray bullet. Real chaos! And an even more amusing situation arises when the train enters the tunnel: everyone lays their cards face down. Anything can happen in a tunnel!

This game is not for serious strategies, here you just need to relax and have fun, then you are guaranteed to have a great time.

Euro (game for resources and points)

Each collection must contain a game from the Eurogames genre. That is, a game where there will be resources or goods, you will need to choose actions or expose workers and try to earn as many points as possible.

Learn more