The 17 Best Board Games To Buy At Christmas (Then Play Forever) | HuffPost UK Life

From family classics to new releases via TV tie-ins and fantasy fun. Did your favourite make our list?

By

Head of Life, HuffPost UK

We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Are you a Christmas gaming household or not? We’re not talking Nintendo or Playstation here. We’re talking good old-fashioned board games, the kind of fun that can take up a whole December afternoon, then fits neatly into a box.

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We polled HuffPost writers and readers for their festive favourites this week and got a lot of answers back. Word games like Articulate and Scrabble ranked highly, as did traditional favourites like Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly, but we were also pointed in the direction of a range of games we’ve yet to try ourselves.

From classics to new releases via TV tie-ins and fantasy fun, you’re not going to be short of options here. Buy them now and they’ll keep you busy through till New Year.... 2099.

Articulate

Articulate ranked top with HuffPost readers and, no wonder, they're a brainy bunch. But the game has simpler pleasures too. As one reader says: "You get to shout out words again and again and the faster you are the more you can shout." And that, my friends, is the joy of it!

£16 (was £32.99) at Amazon

Scrabble

Scrabble is a design classic for a reason and this limited edition art deco set is even more gorgeous (though you can also pick up the basic edition for a cheaper £10.39).

Art Deco set for £28.54 (was £36.99) at Amazon

Trivial Pursuit

Continuing with another classic, we come to Trivial Pursuit. But not just any edition: the Master Edition. Challenge yourself with the hardest of questions (or if you really want to spice things up, there's an X-Rated version, too).

£30.99 for the Master (or the original for £32.99) at Amazon

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Monopoly

The board game that spawned a thousand themed offshoots. Current editions on sale include Star Wars, Friends, Toy Story, Only Fools and Horses,Roald Dahl and Eastenders. They could probably do with a few rounds in Albert Square to keep the drama down.

£19.95 (was £24.99) at Amazon

Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

We'll be honest: TV tie-in games can be a mixed bag but thanks to the popularity of Michael McIntyre's show, this box is eagerly anticipated, not least by our entertainment editor, who's hoping to find it under his tree.

£26.81 at Amazon

Taskmaster, The Board Game

We're also excited to try our own hands at Taskmaster after hours spent watching the show in lockdown. We can't guarantee the box contains a real life "Little Alex Horne" though.

£19.99 (was £24,99) at Amazon

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Chess Set

Just over a year ago Netflix launched The Queen's Gambit and catapulted chess back into the mainstream. Make like Beth (minus her issues) with this stylish set from chess makers Jacques of London, who've been at this game since 1795.

£25.99 (was £ 31.99) at Amazon

The Game of Life

Now for the nostalgia games. Your grandparents played this, your parents played this, and now you're playing this, whether you like it not. Spin to win!

£15.99 (was £27.99) at Amazon

Labyrinth

Remember Labyrinth, 80s kids? Not the film, the game! I used to pour over the Ravensburger catalogue like a true geek, and this was one of their best. See also the brilliant Enchanted Forest.

£18 (was £21.99) at Amazon

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Pictionary

Perhaps best immortalised in that classic Christmas film, When Harry Met Sally – "Baby Fish Mouth!" – this oldie is still a goodie, we promise. There's even a fancy "air drawing" version you can buy these days.

£20 (was £24.99) at Amazon

Scattergories

A good leveller, this one. As the HuffPost writer who recommends it says: "Scattergories because I'm too competitive. Nobody likes playing any of the others with me, haha."

£26.99 at Amazon

Catan

Catan can be a little bit Marmite. Fans are obsessive, but the rules are baffling to the rest of us. Find a seven-year-old to teach you – and beat you resoundingly – as I did. It's the only route to learning the Settler way.

£32.99 (was £41.99) for the original set at Amazon

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Ticket To Ride

This fun family game came through as a Twitter recommendation from HuffPost reader Andrew. Turns out it's an Amazon best-seller, too, so it's probably time we got in on the hype.

£39.99 at Amazon

Jaques of London Backgammon

The game where the box is the board. No matter how many times someone teaches me how to play backgammon, I have to be learn it all again the next time. But while I don't ever remember the rules, I do remember having a good time.

£45.99 for this set at Amazon

Codenames

Codenames is a more recent award-winner, part of a new gen of games that are really livening up the scene. I found out about this one by word of mouth and have gifted it so several friends and family members since – they've all loved it.

£17.49 (was £19.99) at Amazon

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Poppycock!

Another reader recommendation, Poppycock calls on you to either be a boffin or a bluffer – as long as you can keep a straight face, you're in with a chance of winning. One for the, ahem, politicians among you.

£19.99 at Amazon

Pandemic

Do you dare? Our family played a long round of this on Boxing Day a few years ago, little realising what was to come. It's difficult but not impossible to crack the global health crisis at the heart of the game – giving you hope that we can move past it in the real world, too.

£22.95 (was £44.99) at Amazon

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