All guides

Board game gift ideas sorted by who is playing: families, couples, big groups, kids and seasoned gamers, with player counts, ages and award winners.

How to store a growing board game collection: cube shelves sized for game boxes, cabinets with doors, wooden boxes and inserts that keep pieces sorted.

Choose a board game table for the home: a dining table with a recessed vault and toppers, a topper for the table you own, or a dedicated chess table.

Board games matched to what someone already loves: birds, dragons, detective stories, trains, space, history and quilting, with player counts and play times.

Gifts for board game lovers sorted by what they enjoy: card sleeves with a size chart, box organizers, dice trays, travel games and award winners.

Small card games that fit a stocking: Sushi Go!, Love Letter, Exploding Kittens, Skull, Coup and No Thanks!, with player counts and ages from the publishers.

Board games that play well alone, from Wingspan and Wyrmspan's Automa decks to Cascadia, Dorfromantik and Terraforming Mars, with play times and ages.

Board games for adults sorted by the kind of game night: strategy for thinkers, party games for groups and co-op games for teams, with award notes.

Two-player board games to give a partner or a friend, matched to the occasion: 7 Wonders Duel, Patchwork, Jaipur, Lost Cities, Star Realms and Onitama.

What a cooperative board game is, how the game itself becomes the opponent, and six co-op picks from The Mind to Pandemic, with players, ages and play time.

Party games for groups of 4 to 12, sorted by player count and type: Codenames, Just One, Decrypto, Telestrations, Wavelength and Dixit.

The next strategy board game after Catan, Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne: step-up picks matched to the game they love, plus every Kennerspiel winner.

Board and party games rated 10 to 14 and up that teens and adults enjoy at the same table, from Codenames and Decrypto to Wavelength and Terraforming Mars.

Family board games that work when ages are mixed, with publisher ages, player counts and play times for Kingdomino, Dixit, King of Tokyo and more.

Board games for kids grouped by the publisher's age rating, from Candy Land and Dragomino to Codenames, plus every Kinderspiel des Jahres winner since 2016.

Scrabble, Clue, Risk, Monopoly, Sorry!, Yahtzee and Candy Land as gifts: player counts, ages, short histories and which deluxe or bookshelf editions exist.

Chess gift ideas by player: tournament-size wooden sets, magnetic travel boards, electronic boards that play online, and themed sets for fans.

Gift ideas for classic board games: cribbage boards for two to four, backgammon sets in wood or leather, Clue editions and Monopoly versions by age.

Choose a backgammon set gift by board size, case material and checker size, from wooden travel boards to leather tournament sets and personalized cases.

Pick a cribbage board by how many people play: 2 track for couples, 3 track for three players, and 4 player boards for partners, plus the 121-hole standard.

Compare electronic chess boards that connect to Lichess and Chess.com: the DGT Pegasus and the Chessnut Air, Pro, Evo and self-moving Move, by size and setup.

Choose a magnetic travel chess set by board size, square size and case: 10, 12 and 14 inch folding sets in wood or plastic, with checkers on some boards.

Themed chess sets for fans of games, films and TV: Super Mario's hand-painted collector set, Star Trek's three-level board and Lord of the Rings sets.

Compare Clue editions for a gift: the current Hasbro board game, Clue Junior for ages 4 and up, the Clue Suspect card game, and themed and vintage versions.

Choose a chess set gift by size and type: FIDE's 95 mm king and 5 to 6 cm squares, magnetic travel sets, DGT and Chessnut electronic boards, and giant sets.

Pick a Monopoly board game edition by age and group: Junior for ages 5+, Deal in 15 minutes, Signature Collection, Cheaters Edition and a 15+ Christmas edition.

Black Friday is November 27, 2026. Compare board games by player count, play time, age rating, edition and sealed condition, and check expansions first.

Signs of a counterfeit board game from publishers: missing logos, blurry print, glossy boards and prices too good to be true, plus what to do if you get one.

What the Spiel des Jahres red, gray and blue badges mean, every winner from 2019 to 2026 in all three awards, and how to use the list to pick a gift.