In this digital age, it’s difficult to get teenagers off technology such as video games and social media. But board games are a great way for teens to disconnect from their phones, spend time with friends and family, and do something fun and challenging.
We will provide a comprehensive list of the best board games for teenagers in this article. We’ve divided our suggestions into five categories, each with games that will keep your teen entertained for hours. We’ve got strategy games, party games, classic games, cooperative games, and thematic games that are all great for teenagers.
All of our choices are fun and thematic, which makes them great for teens who might be hesitant to try a board game. So, whether you’re a parent looking for a fun activity to do with your adolescent or a teen looking for something new to do with your friends, keep reading to learn about the best board games for teenagers.
Best Board Games For Teenagers – Quick Comparison
| Rank | Name | # Players | Time | Complexity | Good For |
| #1 | Pandemic | 2-4 | 45 mins | Medium | Best Cooperative |
| #2 | One Night Ultimate Werewolf | 3-10 | 10 mins | Easy | Best Party |
| #3 | Marvel United | 1-4 | 40 mins | Medium | Best Theme |
Part 1: Strategy Board Games
If you’re a teen who enjoys a good challenge and putting your strategic thinking skills to the test, strategy board games could be the perfect fit for you. Strategy games require you to make calculated decisions and plan ahead of time in order to get a better score than your opponents. They can be intense, but they are also extremely rewarding when you win. Here are four of the best strategy board games for teenagers:
1. Century: Golem Edition
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 30-45 minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Century: Golem Edition is a stunning looking game set in a mystical land where players serve as traders in search of the most valuable and rare golem crystals. Players take turns collecting and trading golem crystals, which can then be used to obtain more valuable crystals or earn victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins the game.
The game has beautiful artwork and also pretty simple rules that still requires quite a bit of thinking to come up with a strategy that works well, making it an excellent choice for teenagers who are new to strategy board games but want to challenge themselves.
2. Shards of Infinity
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Play time: 30 minutes
- Complexity: Medium
Shards of Infinity is a competitive, superhero-themed deck-building game. The goal of the game is to assemble a strong deck of cards that will help you outlast your opponents. It’s kind of like the deck-building and fighting parts of a collectible card game (such as Pokemon or Magic the Gathering) without the collectible part.
Players begin with a small deck of cards and gradually add to it as they play. Each card has a distinct ability that can assist players in becoming more powerful. Each game is different because of the different superpowers the heroes can have and because of the different cards, and the superhero theme makes it more appealing to teenagers than most other deck-building games, which can usually be a bit dry.
3. Azul
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Play time: 30 minutes
- Complexity: Medium
Azul is a tile-laying game that takes place in a vibrant and colorful world that draws inspiration from Portuguese tilework. The game is easy to learn but gets that puzzle element of your brain going, really exercising your pattern recognition and spatial reasoning.
Players take turns collecting tiles and placing them on their player board to create a mosaic. The player who creates the mosaic that scores the most points at the end of the game wins. The game both looks beautiful and has a very tactile feel, making it great for teens who like to touch and interact with a game.
4. 7 Wonders
- Number of Players: 2-7
- Play time: 30 minutes
- Complexity: Medium
7 Wonders is a civilization-building game played in three rounds. In each round, players receive cards representing various aspects of their civilization, such as military might, technological advancements, and cultural achievements.
To outscore their opponents, players need to build the greatest civilization, but they also need to carefully balance their resources and make strategic decisions as they can’t build everything. 7 Wonders has lots of different multiple paths to victory, making it feel different each time and having high replayability.
Part 2: Party Board Games
Party board games are intended to be played in groups and are ideal for socializing and having a good time. They frequently involve humor, creativity, and quick thinking, making them an excellent choice for teenagers who like to have fun. We’ll introduce you to the top party board games for teenagers in this section.
1. One Night Ultimate Werewolf
- Number of Players: 3-10
- Play time: 10 minutes
- Complexity: Very Easy
One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a fast-paced game in which players must figure out who among them is a werewolf. Each player is assigned a role, and the werewolf must remain hidden while the other players attempt to figure out who he is. The game involves a lot of deception and deduction, so it’s ideal for teenagers who enjoy bluffing and talking their way out of things (and let’s face it, which teenager isn’t practiced at talking their way out of trouble?).
2. Cards Against Humanity
- Number of Players: 4-30
- Play time: 30 minutes
- Complexity: Very Easy
Cards Against Humanity is a well-known party game with a cult following due to its disrespectful humor and outrageous content. One player places down a card with a question or phrase on it, and the other players respond with the most amusing card they have. The answers are often rude, which makes it popular with teenagers who like to be shocked and push the limits. It’s also a great game for breaking the ice and getting people to relax and have fun.
3. Exploding Kittens
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 15 minutes
- Complexity: Very Easy
Exploding Kittens is a push-your-luck game with a dark sense of humor. Players take turns drawing cards from a deck of cards until someone draws an exploding kitten and loses the game. It’s very interactive, as players can defuse the kittens with cards, and make other players pick up more cards or shuffle the deck. It’s a simple but addictive game, ideal for teenagers who enjoy risk-taking and a little unpredictability.
4. Unstable Unicorns
- Number of Players: 2-8
- Play time: 30-45 minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Unstable Unicorns is a game that combines adorable unicorns with a whole lot of sabotage. Players take turns playing cards to build their own unicorn army while also attempting to disrupt the plans of the other players, and there is a lot of disrupting plans. The winner is the first player to collect seven unicorns in their stable after several rounds of play.
It’s a great game for teenagers who like a lot of take-that and want to fight with their friends.
Part 3: Cooperative Board Games
Cooperative board games are ones in which the players work together to reach a common goal instead of trying to beat each other. These games are ideal for teenagers who want to collaborate and improve their teamwork skills, as well as those who do not enjoy competition. We will outline the best cooperative board games for teenagers in this section, which have gotten a lot of play time from my teenager and his friends when they are over.
1. Pandemic
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Play time: 45 minutes
- Complexity: Medium
In the cooperative board game Pandemic, players must work together to stop diseases from spreading around the world. Each player assumes a different role, such as a medic or researcher, and must collaborate to find cures for four deadly diseases and eradicate the diseases from cities as they keep on spreading through the board. Pandemic is a game with a high level of strategy that will keep teenagers challenged as they try to save the world while also fostering teamwork and problem-solving skills.
2. The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 20 minutes
- Complexity: Easy
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea is a trick-taking game where players work together to complete a series of missions in the depths of the ocean. Trick-taking is what happens in your traditional card game, such as spades, where players need to win the round by playing the highest card. Except instead of being competitive in this game, players are working together to complete missions, which are certain objectives that need to happen throughout the round (e.g., a certain player may need to avoid collecting green cards). But your communication each round is also limited.
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea’s theme is fairly lightly painted on, and the card game doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the theme. But it’s still a really fun game to play together and is sure to appeal to teenagers who enjoy traditional card games, as it provides a unique twist on these.
3. MicroMacro: Crime City
- Number of Players: 1-4
- Play time: 15-45 minutes
- Complexity: Easy
MicroMacro: Crime City is a cooperative detective game where players must put together clues and solve puzzles to solve a series of connected crimes. The game takes place in a busy city, and players can go to different places in the city, question suspects, and solve crimes by putting together clues and pieces of evidence.
MicroMacro: Crime City’s theme of solving crimes really appeals to teenagers, and my boys (14 and 12 at the time) really enjoyed playing it as much as the adults. One thing to note is that this game has a campaign of 16 crimes to solve, so once they have solved them, they will have completed the game and won’t be able to replay it as they’ll know the solutions.
Part 4: Thematic Board Games
Thematic board games are based on a specific theme, such as a movie, TV show, or event. Most of the time, these board games have detailed artwork, miniatures, and games that pull players into the world where the game is set. In this section, we’ll look at some of the best thematic board games for teenagers that are sure to keep them entertained for hours.
1. Marvel United
- Number of Players: 1-4
- Play time: 40 minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Marvel United is a cooperative game that allows players to take on the roles of their favorite Marvel superheroes, such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Captain America. The gameplay is straightforward, with players working together to defeat the villain and their minions. The game has a whole lot of cool miniatures and is great for those who want to just smash things and keep the gameplay a bit simpler. My 12 year old who likes more strategic board games found this one a bit too simple, but my older son who is definitely more into the theme and having fun really enjoyed it.
2. Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Play time: 30-60 minutes
- Complexity: Medium
Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure is a game that combines deck-building and dungeon-crawling elements. Players assume the roles of adventurers exploring a dangerous dungeon, collecting treasure, and fighting monsters. The game has a unique game mechanic called “clank,” which represents noise made by the players in the dungeon. The more noise a player makes, the more likely it is that the dragon who guards the treasure will notice them.
All my kids and their friends love this game. With D&D becoming more popular, anything where they get to delve into a dungeon and have an adventure is a big hit.
3. Disney Villainous
- Number of Players: 2-6
- Play time: 50 minutes
- Complexity: Medium
Disney Villainous is a card game that allows players to take on the roles of classic Disney villains such as Maleficent, Jafar, and Ursula. The game uses cards with items, allies, effects, and conditions that the players need to use to achieve their villainous objectives while thwarting the plans of their opponents. The game contains highly detailed villain figures and a beautifully illustrated game board and would be perfect for any teen that loves their childhood Disney movies.
Part 5: Classic Board Games
Classic board games have been around for a long time, yet are still popular among teenagers today. These games have been tried and tested, and they have a timeless appeal that will stand the test of time. We’ll look at some of the best classic board games for teenagers in this section, including Scrabble, Chess, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Carcassonne.
1. Scrabble
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Play time: 90 minutes
- Complexity: Medium
Scrabble is a classic word game that dates back to the 1940s but is still one of the most popular board games today. It’s an excellent game for teenagers who enjoy wordplay and expanding their vocabulary. In Scrabble, players use letter tiles to form words on a game board, earning points based on the letters they use and where on the board their words are placed. This game is not only entertaining, but it can also help teenagers improve their spelling and vocabulary skills.
2. Chess
- Number of Players: 2
- Play time: 30 – 60 minutes
- Complexity: Hard
Chess is another classic board game that every teenager should play. Chess is a centuries-old strategic game that is a great way for teenagers to exercise their critical thinking skills. In chess, players move their pieces around a board to try to outwit their opponent and trap their king. This game requires a lot of strategy and forethought, making it an excellent mental workout for teenagers, which is why I labeled it as having a difficult complexity, even though the rules are relatively simple.
Moving on to a few modern classic board games that every teenager should play – these ones are now over 20 years old, and even many non-gamers are familiar with them:
1. Settlers of Catan
- Number of Players: 3-6
- Play time: 1 – 1.5 hours
- Complexity: Medium
Settlers of Catan is the game that is known for really kicking off modern board games’ popularity. In Settlers of Catan, players act as settlers on a new island, attempting to build and expand their settlements and trade resources with other players. Note that this game can be a bit swingy and luck-based, so if you don’t like this you may want to give this one a miss.
2. Ticket to Ride
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 30-60 minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Another modern classic board game that has grown in popularity in recent years is Ticket to Ride. It’s a game in which players compete to construct the longest and most profitable train routes across America by collecting sets of colored train cards that let you put down a route. Despite being about trains this game is actually quite light and entertaining..
3. Carcassonne
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Play time: 30-45 minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Carcassonne is a tile-laying game that is actually quite cutthroat. In Carcassonne, players lay tiles to create a medieval landscape, then place meeples on various features to score points by claiming roads and castles. However, a lot of the game is about strategically placing your meeples to take over and score points that other players have already claimed. This game is ideal for teenagers who have a competitive nature and enjoy creating new things.
Conclusion
Board games are a great option for teenagers looking for something fun and interesting to do. They not only provide a break from digital screens, but they also allow teenagers to practice healthy social interaction and critical thinking skills.
This article has a list of the best board games for teens, broken down into five groups. Classic games like Scrabble and Chess have been covered, as have modern classics like Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride.
For those that like strategy games, Century Golem Edition or 7 Wonders are great choices, or if you prefer cooperative games, Pandemic pits you and your team of friends in a race to save the world from deadly diseases.
If you want lighter fare, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a great opportunity to accuse all your friends, and Cards Against Humanity is great for those who like inappropriate humor.
If you’re a teen who likes to compete with your friends, work together to solve a puzzle, or challenge your mind with a hard strategy game, you should now have a lot of options to check out.
