Family Games Teens and Adults Can Play Together

The best family games for teens are rated 10 to 14 and up, so the rules give adults something to think about while staying quick to learn. Codenames and Wavelength suit big groups, Decrypto suits word fans aged 12 and up, and Terraforming Mars suits a teen who wants a long strategy game with a parent.

Family games for teens compared

Each family game below is rated for ages 10 and up or older by its publisher. Games in that range tend to reward bluffing, planning and reading other players, which keeps teenagers interested.

Quick word games for teens and adults

Codenames, designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition, plays 4 to 8 or more people aged 10 and up in about 15 minutes. Two teams race to find their agents in a grid of word cards, with one player on each side giving one-word clues. It won the Spiel des Jahres in 2016, and the short play time makes it easy to fit in after dinner.

Decrypto, from Le Scorpion Masqué, is rated 12 and up for 3 to 8 players and takes about 30 minutes. Each team passes coded messages about four secret words, while the other team tries to crack the pattern. It suits teens who enjoy wordplay, and teams can mix adults and teenagers.

Party games for big family gatherings with teens

Wavelength, designed by Alex Hague, Justin Vickers and Wolfgang Warsch and published in 2019 by Palm Court, now CMYK, plays 2 to 12 people aged 14 and up in 30 to 45 minutes. One player gives a clue to place a hidden target on a dial between two opposite ideas, and the team discusses where it sits. Its open debate suits a holiday table with grandparents, parents and teens.

Detective board games teens can solve with family

MicroMacro: Crime City is a series of cooperative detective games played on a large illustrated city map. The first game in the series won the Spiel des Jahres in 2021. Pegasus Spiele lists Crime City 3 All In for 1 to 4 players aged 12 and up. Players hunt for the clues in the drawing together, so nobody is knocked out and quieter teens can join in at their own pace.

A longer strategy game for teens and parents

Terraforming Mars, from FryxGames, is rated 12 and up for 1 to 5 players and takes 90 to 120 minutes. Each player runs a company working to make Mars habitable, playing project cards that build on each other over the game. It is a good choice for a teen with an interest in science, and its solo mode means they can also play it alone.

More board games for the whole family

For younger players, our guide to board games for kids by age sorts picks from preschool up. For family games rated for all ages, see best family board games, and for large groups of adults, party games for groups. A teen who likes to play alone between family nights may enjoy the picks in solo board games.