I am sure you agree that sometimes it is nice to throw in a game where the kids don’t compete against each other but rather work together toward a goal as a team.

Whoowasit? (2-4 players, 45 min) My kids are getting old for this one but they used to love it.

Forbidden Island (2-4 players, 30 min)

Forbidden desert (2-5 players, 45 min)

 Pandemic (2-4 players, 45 min)–there is also Pandemic Legacy etc.

Escape (1-5 players, 10 min)

The Game

Hanabi (2-5 players, 30 min)

Mysterium (3-7 players, best 5-6 players, 60 min)

Betrayal At House On The Hill (3-6, best with 5-6 players, 60 min)

One Night Werewolf (4-10, best with 6-8, 10 min)

Castle Panic (1-6 players, best with 4, 60 min)

Captain Sonar (6-8 is best, although you can play with 2 or more, 45-60 min)

Fuse (a co-op 10 min game)

Flash Point Fire Rescue (1-6 players, best with 4, 45 min). I also bought the expansion: Flash Point Fire Rescue 2nd Story

Mice & Mystics (1-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)

Legends of Andor (1-4 players, 60-90 min) My son LOVED this game, he was so excited to play this game with his friends. I had to buy the expansion and the second game as well.

Gloomhaven

Teams competition

Codenames

Taboo

Reverse Charades

Captain Sonar

On My Wish List

Shadows Over Camelot

Dead of Winter

The Grizzled (for older kids ,3-5, best with 4-5, 30 min, harder to win)

Space Alert

Word Games

Codenames

Boggle

Blurt (We have an old version of this game but it works the same)

Wordthief

The following 3 are old games that I bought a long time ago for classroom use and I can’t find them online right now to give you links.

WordUp

Word Exchange

Word Drop

Word Rummy Card Game

Scrabble

Apples to Apples ( we have the Junior version)

Proverbial Wisdom Jr.

Quiddler

 Geography and Culture

Scrambled States

Passport to Culture

Name that Country

10 Days In Europe Game

I have 4 kids in my game group but if one gets sick, I always look for games that play best with 3 people. A lot of the following games can be played with four people but you get the best experience playing with three.

Magic Labyrinth (my kids are slowly growing out of this one but it is an awesome game)

Near and Far (2-4, best 3 players, 60-120 min)

Above and Below (2-4 players, best with 3, 90 min)

Photosynthesis (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 – 60 min)

Welcome to the Dungeon (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 min)

Splendor (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 min)

Biblios (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 min)

Karuba (2-4 players, best with 4, 30 -40 min)

Dominion (30 min, best with 3 players)

San Juan (2-4 players, best with 3, 45 – 60 min)

Lords of WaterDeep (2-5 players, best with 3 or 4, 60 – 120 min)

Samurai (30-60 min)

Love Letter (2-4 players, 20 min)

Lanterns Festival (2-4 players, 30 min)

Kodama (2-5 players, best with 3 players, 40 min)

Tales Of The Arabian Nights (2-4 players, best with 3 players, 120 min)

Elfenroads (3-5 players, best with 4, 45 – 90 min)

Johari (2-4 players, 60-90 min)

Kanagawa (2-4 players, best with 4, 45 min)

Peloponnes Card Game (2-5 players, 25-40 min)

El Dorado (2-4 players, 30-60 min)

Port Royal (2-5, best 3-4 players, 20-50 min)

Century Spice Road (2-5, best 3-4 players, 30-45 min)

Century Golem (2-5, best 3-4 players, 30-45 min)

Dragonwood (2- 4 players, best with 3, 20 min)

Hey That’s My Fish  (20 min)

Beasty Bar (20-30 min)

Tokaido (2-5 players, 45 min)

Small World (3-5 players, best with 4, 40-80 min)

Citadels (some people recommend it for 3 players, we have not tried it yet)–new, cheaper version here.

Istanbul (40-60 min)

Gubs (20-30 min)

Oh My Goods (2-4 players, best with 2, 30 min) with its extension Oh My Goods: Longsdale in Revolt

Five Tribes (2-4 players, 40 – 80 min)

Legends of Andor (1-4, best with 4 players, 60-90 min)

Rat-A-Tat-Cat  (2-6 players, best with 4, 10-15 min)

Qwirkle

Jamaica (3-6 players, best with 6, 30-60 min)

Ticket to Ride (30-60 min)

Catan (3-4 players, best with 4, 60-120 min)

 Carcassonne (2-5 players, best with 2, 30-45 min)

Carcassonne: Hunters And Gatherers

Zooloretto (3-5 players, best with 4, 45 min)

Lost Cities (30-60 min)

Chateau Roquefort or under the title we own it: Burg Appenzell (2-4 players, 30 min)

Rummikub (60 min)

Machi Koro (2-4, best with 4 players, 30 min)

Istanbul (2-5 players, best with 4, 40-60 min)

Imhotep (2-4 players, best with 4, 40 min)

Hanabi (2-5 players, 30 min, co-op)

Sushi Go! (2-5 players, best with 4, 15 min)

Guillotine (2-5 players, best with 4, 30 min)

Five Crowns (3-7 players, best with 4, 30 min)

 The Wizard  (3-6 players, best 4-5, 45 min)

Azul (2-4, best with 2 players, 30-45 min)

Stone Age (2-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)

Survive (2-4 players, best with 4, 45-60 min)–although I have had a problem with 2 girls ganging up on one so it was not ideal.

 Battle Sheep (2-4 players, best with 4, 15 min)

Terra Mystica (2-5, best with 4 bcs of more interaction, 30 min per player, so about 90 min for 3 players)

Scythe (1-5 players, best with 4, 90-120 min)

 Castles of Mad King Ludwig (2-4 players, best with 4, 90 min)

New York 1901 (2-4 players, best with 4, 30-60 min)

Near and Far (2-4, best 3 players, 60-120 min)

Above and Below (2-4 players, best with 3, 90 min)

Cascadia (1-4 players, best with 2-3, 30-45 min)

Cartographers (1 to 9 players, best with 3-4, 30-45 min)

Ohanami (1-4 players, best with 3, 20 min)

Mystic Market (2-4 players, best with 3-4, 30-45 min)

Photosynthesis (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 -60 min)

Samurai Spirit (1-7 players, 30 minutes)

Eight-minute Empire Legends (1-4 players, best with 4, 18 – 32 min)

Mint Works (1 – 4 players, no difference, plays well with all numbers, 10-20 min)

Timeline Diversity (2-8 players, best with 4 players, 15 min)

Werewords (4-10 players, best with 6 – 7 players, 10 min)

Latice (2 – 4 players, 10-30 min)

On My Wish list:

Spirit Island

Alhambra (2-5 players, best with 3, 45-60 min) or you can get a big box with all the extensions on Amazon here. After watching a few videos, I would go for the big box with all expansions. The best expansion is #2 but it is not available separately anymore. You will get all expansions in the Big Box.

Takenoko (2-4 players, best with 3, 45 min)

Azul Stained Glass of Sintra

Kingdom Builder

Arboretum

Floriferous

Cat Lady

Santa Maria (1-4 players, best with 3, 45-90 min)

Pulsar 2849 (2-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)

Roll for the Galaxy (2-5, best 3-4 players, 45 min)

Age 14 and up

Mage Knight (1-3 players, best 1-2, 150 min)

As I have two groups of four kids now in our game club, I sometimes combine them for certain games. I started collecting games for six or more people.

This is a list I made in order to help me to pick the right games based on the number of players I have.

Bang (4-8 players, best with 6-7 players, 20-40 min)

One Night Ultimate Werewolf (4-10 players, best with 6-8 players, 10 min)

Mascarade (5-13, best with 7-8 players, 30 min)

Cash N Guns (4-8 players, best with 6-8, 30 min)

Double Ditto (4-10 players or more)

Codenames (teams, 4-8+, best with 6 or 8)

Taboo (4-10 players, best with 6 or 8 players)

Reverse Charades (6-12 players)

Apples to Apples –we have the Junior version but this family version is great ( 4-10+ players, best with 6-8)

Dixit (4-6 players, best with 5-6 players, 30-45 min)

Skull (4-6 players, best with 5-6 players, 45 min)

Pit (4-8, best with 6-8 players, 30 min)

Loot (3-4, or 6,8 players, 30 min)

Pictionary (again, we have also the junior version, 4-12 players, best with 6-8)

7 Wonders  (3-7, best with 4 or 5 players, 30 min)

Cockroach Poker (3-6 players, best with 4-5 players, 20-30 min)

 Coup (3-6 players, best with 5 players, 15 min). You can also buy the expansion (Coup Reformation) of the game, which lets you play with up to 10 people.

The Resistance (5 -10 players, best with 7)–I don’t own this title but read reviews that it is great with expansions. A lot of people prefer Resistance Avalon, which is what I got. You can always read on the differences of the two on BoardGameGeek.

The Resistance: Avalon (5-10, best with 7-8, 30 min)

Bohnanza (3-7 players, best with 5, 45 min)

Spyfall (4-8 players, best with 6, 20 min)

Jamaica (3-6 players, best with 6, 30-60 min)

The Great Dalmuti (4-7, best 6-7 players, 60 min)

Mysterium (3-7 players, best with 5-6, 45 – 60 min)

Betrayal At House On The Hill (3-6, best with 5-6 players, 60 min)

Citadels (up to 7 players, best with 5, 20-60 min) — new, cheaper version here.

PicWits (4-10 players)

Saboteur (5-10, best with 7-8 players, 30 min)

Grandpa Beck’s Skull King (3-6, best 4-6 players, 30 min)

Clue (3-6, best with 4-5 players, 45 min)

Colt Express (3-6 players, best 5-6 players, 40 min)

Camel Up (3-8 players, best with 4-5, 30 min)

Grandpa Beck’s Cover Your Assets (3-6, best 4-5 players, 30 min)

King of Tokyo (2-6 players, best 4-5 players, 30-45 min)

Poo The Card Game (2-8 players, best with 5, 20 min)

 Exploding Kittens (3-5, best 4-5 players, 15 min)

Gubs (2-6 players, best with 3-4, 20-30 min)

Five Crowns (3-7 players, best with 4, 30 min)

Tsuro: The Game of the Path (2-8 players, best with 4 or 6, 20 min) My daughter dislikes this game for some reason but it provides a nice, quiet break from heavier games.

Rat-A-Tat-Cat  (2-6 players, best with 4, 10-15 min)

Sushi Go! (2-5 players, best with 4, 15 min)

The Wizard  (3-6 players, best 4-5, 45 min)

Captain Sonar (age 12 and up, 6-8 players is best, although you can play with 2 or more, 45-60 min)

Snake Oil (4-9 players, best with 5-6, 30 min)

Two Rooms and a Boom (theoretically from 6 people and up but most people say that it is not a good game until you have at least 10 players, I’d love to have it on hand and play with both kids and parents sometimes, 15 min)

Decrypto (4-8 players, best with 4, 6, 15 – 45 min)

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong (5-12 players, best with 7-8, 20 min)

Telestrations (5-8+, best with 8 players, we have a version for 12)

Samurai Spirit (1-7 players, 30 minutes)

Timeline Diversity (2-8 players, best with 4 players, 15 min)

Werewords (4-10 players, best with 6 – 7 players, 10 min)

Jungle Speed (3-8, best with 5-6 players, 10 min or more). We also have the expansion with more cards.

Concept (6 or 8 people, 2-12+ players, 45 min)

Rise of Augustus (2-6 players, best with 3-4, 30 min)

Charterstone (1-6 players, best with 6, 45-75 min)

LIAR LIAR – The Game of Truths and Lies (players 3 +)

Poetry for Neanderthals (players 4+, team)

Cartographers (1 to 9 players, best with 3-4, 30-45 min)

The Chameleon (4-8 players, best with 6-7, 15 min)

Wavelength (4-12 players, best with 6 to 8, 30-45 min, team)

Bristol 1350 (4-9 players, best with 6-8, 20 to 40 min)

Ravine (3-6 players, best with 5-6, 15 – 20 min, coop)

On My Wish List

Sometimes you don’t have a group of people to play a game. When my kids have a friend over or I am alone with one of them at home, these come in handy:

For the appropriate age, go to BoardGameGeek and look up the game.

Magic Labyrinth (my kids are slowly growing out of this one but it is an awesome game)

7 Wonders Duel Board Game

Jaipur

Lost Cities – The Card Game

Patchwork Board Game

The Castles Of Burgundy
(best with 2 players)

Boggle

Battle Line

Hive Pocket

Codenames: Duet

 Carcassonne (30-45 min)

Carcassonne: Hunters And Gatherers

Lords of Waterdeep

Tessen (15 min)

Lanterns Festival (2-4 players, 30 min)

 Karuba

Memoir ’44

Agricola All Creatures Big and Small (2 players, 30 min)

Gobblet

Dominion (best with 3 but fine with 2 players)

Azul (2-4, best with 2 players, 30-45 min)

Splendor

Oh My Goods (2-4 players, 30 min) with its expansion  Oh My Goods: Longsdale in Revolt

Word Drop

Headbandz

 Caesar and Cleopatra

Johari (2-4 players, 60-90 min)

Mastermind

Quoridor

Battleship

Soluna

Beasty Bar (20-30 min) I’ve read somewhere that this game plays nicely with two. we have not tried it with only 2 players, mostly with 3 or 4.

Forbidden desert (2-5 players, 45 min)

 Pandemic (45 min)–there is also Pandemic Legacy etc.

Escape (10 min)

Hanabi (fine with 2, 30 min)

Tales Of The Arabian Nights (120 min)

Kanagawa (45 min)

Samurai (2-4 players, best with 3, 30-60 min)

Peloponnes Card Game (2-5 players, 25-40 min)

Q-bitz

Five Tribes (40-80 min, best with 2 players)

Ticket to Ride (30-60 min)

El Dorado (2-4 players, 30-60 min)

Legends of Andor (1-4, best with 4 players, 60-90 min)

Guillotine (2-5 players, best with 4, 30 min)

Stone Age (2-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)

 Battle Sheep (2-4 players, best with 4, 15 min)

Kodama (2-5 players, best with 3 players, 40 min)

Raptor

Fleet

Dungeon Roll Dice Game

Scythe (1-5 players, best with 4, 90-120 min)

Fuse (a co-op 10 min game)

Isle of Skye (2-5 players, best with 3-4, 30 – 50 min)

San Juan (2-4 players, best with 3, 45 – 60 min)

Near and Far (2-4, best 3 players, 60-120 min) An awesome game from 2017, with story telling elements.

Kahuna (2 players, 30 – 40 min)

New York 1901 (2-4 players, best with 4, 30-60 min)

Samurai Spirit (1-7 players, 30 minutes)

Eight-minute Empire Legends (1-4 players, best with 4, 18 – 32 min)

Pentago

Dragonwood (2- 4 players, best with 3, 20 min)

Mint Works (1 – 4 players, no difference, plays well with all numbers, 10-20 min)

Timeline Diversity (2-8 players, best with 4 players, 15 min)

Latice (2 – 4 players, 10-30 min)

The Fox in the Forest (2 players, 30 min)

Fantastiqa: Rival Realms (1-2 players, 20-30 min)

Century Spice Road (2-5, best 3-4 players, 30-45 min)

Mandala (2 players, 20 min)

Schotten Totten (2 players, 20 min)

Targi (2 players, 60 min)

Hanamikoji (2 players, 15 min)

Cascadia (1-4 players, best with 2-3, 30-45 min)

Sagrada (1-4 players, best with 2, 30 – 45 min)

Calico (1-4 players, best with 2, 30-45 min)

Silver (2-4 players, best with 2 and 4, 30-60 min)

Res Arcana (2-4 players, best with 2, 30 – 60 min)

Splendor Duel (2 players, 30 min)

People also successfully played some games that are better with more players but are still a good experience with just two (Istanbul)

Here is an interesting thread  on Board Game Geek about games for two players.

Another great list on the same website is here.

On My Wish List

Arboretum

Floriferous

Cat Lady

Paperback (2-4, best with 2 players, 45 min) When I was looking, the game was available here.

Alhambra (2-5 players, best with 3, if only 2 players, you use a third dummy, 45-60 min) or you can get a big box with all the extensions on Amazon here. Alhambra (2-5 players, best with 3, 45-60 min) or you can get a big box with all the extensions on Amazon here. After watching a few videos, I would go for the big box with all expansions. The best expansion is #2 but it is not available separately anymore. You will get all expansions in the Big Box.

Onitama (2 players only, 15 min)

Onirim

 Claustrophobia (2 players, 45 min)

Star Wars: Imperial Assault (2-5, best with 2 or 5 players, 60 – 120 min)

Age 13 and up

War of The Ring  (2, 4 players, best with 2, 150-180 min)

Age 14 and up

Mage Knight (1-3 players, best 1-2, 150 min)

Age 16 and up (because it is dark)

This War of Mine (survival story, 1-3 players, check some reviews here)

Warriors For a list of books in this series click here. Check other series by Erin Hunter. The Warriors series has many sub-series, see them here. My son is in love with these books and reads one after another.

Both my kids loved The Land of Stories and were excited a new one came out this summer.
The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide For a list of books in this series, click here.

Matous loved the series Wings of Fire and couldn’t wait to read the last installment.
Darkness of Dragons For a list of books in this series click here.

The 39 Clues (#3) For a list of books in this series click here.

Fablehaven Grip of the Shadow Plague (#3). We listened to the first 2 book a long time ago and Matous picked up the third book now. For a list of books in this series click here.

The Lightning Thief  For a list of books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series click here.

Star Wars: Jedi Academy For a list of books in this series click here.

The Last Kids on Earth For a list of books in this series click here.

Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics The second book in Mr Lemoncello’s Library series.

Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race The third book in Mr Lemoncello’s Library series.

Refugee He did not finish this book because he said it was too sad (he read about 3/4). My daughter who is two years older finished it.

Comet in Moominland My son fell in love with the Moomins. He read one book after another from this series. For a list of them click here.

Book Scavenger For a list of books in this series click here.

The War I finally Won This is a sequel to a book we read together The War That Saved My Life.

Masterminds For a list of books in this series click here. He loved the series as did my daughter a few years ago.

Galactic Hot Dogs For a list of books in this series click here.

Slacker

Hatchet Click here for other books in the Brian’s saga (they have really great reviews too)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard For a list of books in this series click here.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Wonder

The Fire Within This is a series but some people mentioned that it gets darker as you read the other books so be aware of that. For a list of books in this series, click here.

Capture the Flag

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

The Magic Thief For a list of books in this series click here.

Furthermore

Holes

The Ruins of Gorlan For a list of books in The Ranger’s Apprentice series click here. My son read all of them and there are many. 🙂

The Red Pyramid For a list of books in The Kane Chronicles series, click here.

The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier Normandy France, 1944

10 True Tales: World War II Heroes

The Blackthorn Key For a list of books in this series, click here.

York: The Shadow Cipher

Books we Listened to or Read Together

One Crazy Summer

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Wolf Hollow

Howl’s Moving Castle

Freak the Mighty

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Esperanza Rising

The Boy on the Wooden Box

A Night Divided

Pax

Al Capone Does My Shirts

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

The Westing Game

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making For a list of books in the Fairyland series click here.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose

Bud, not Buddy

Tuck Everlasting

As always, I advise you to refer to the previous years categories because many books are great for kids of different ages. Check good reads for 5th graders and 6th graders, what my daughter read last year, etc.

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief For a list of boos in this series click here. She is reading one after another.

Both my kids loved The Land of Stories and were excited a new one came out this summer.
The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide For a list of books in this series, click here.

Under the Egg

Sahara Special

The War I Finally Won  A sequel to a book we all loved The War That saved My Life.

Brave

Swing It, Sunny

Ghostopolis

Refugee

Doll Bones

Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race The third book in Mr Lemoncello’s Library series.

Slacker

The Wednesday Wars

When You Reach Me

Running Out of Time

Frazzled

Real Friends

Invisible Emmie

Beautiful

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie For a list of books in this series click here.

Page by Paige

Liar & Spy

Ghost For a list of books in the Track series click here.

Chasing Vermeer  You can find sequels here.

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet

The Giver

All’s Faire in Middle School

Hatchet Click here for other books in the Brian’s saga (they have really great reviews too)

Runaway

So B. It

Al Capone Shines My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Homework

Double Identity

The Thief For a list of books in The Queen’s Thief series click here.

Trickster’s Choice Click here for the second book in the Daughter of the Lioness series.
 

Princess of the Midnight Ball For a list of books in this series click here.

 The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

Paperboy

Fish Girl

Artemis Fowl Click here for a list of books in this series.

Inside Out and Back Again

Princess Academy For a list of books in this series click here.

Milkweed

The Goose Girl  For a list of books in this series click here. She read all of them I think.

Wishtree

Anya’s Ghost

The Red Pyramid For a list of books in The Kane Chronicles series, click here.

The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier Normandy France, 1944

The Blackthorn Key For a list of books in this series, click here.

York: The Shadow Cipher

The Diary of a Young Girl

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

Caddie Woodlawn

Becoming Naomi León

Books we Listened to or Read Together

One Crazy Summer

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Wolf Hollow

Howl’s Moving Castle

Freak the Mighty

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Esperanza Rising

The Boy on the Wooden Box

A Night Divided

Pax

Al Capone Does My Shirts

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

The Westing Game

Breaking Stalin’s Nose

Bud, not Buddy

Tuck Everlasting