The Top 3 Family Games Night Games!

Interaction is an important element to any loving family home, promoting trust, openness and maintaining good communication levels among you and your relatives. One of the best ways to promote communication and closeness in the home is with a good old-fashioned games night!

Yet which games would be the best to play on a games night?

Please note, for this list we are restricting ourselves to physical games only. Video games are excluded from this list, unfortunately.

1. Monopoly

Let’s begin with a game that has been a staple of family games nights for decades – Monopoly.

It’s hard to think that anyone has had a family games night without having the monopoly board placed on their coffee or dining table at some point or another.

First released to the market in 1935, monopoly is a game of strategy and recourse management, with the aim of acquiring properties and assets to force your opponents into bankruptcy. Anyone who has played Monopoly knows how infectiously fun it is to charge insane amounts of rent to players unlucky enough to land on your spot; Along with the horror of ending up in jail – normally through no fault of your own.

This along with the dozens of special editions including Marvel, Harry Potter and even a Legend of Zelda edition means there is a version of monopoly for every audience. The only drawback to monopoly is its length, with games ranging from 1 hour to a staggering 4-hour session – which may be a put off for some and lead to an unfinished game.

2. Twister

Now onto one of the most physically torturous games ever. First released in 1966 Twister involves players placing their hands and feet on specified coloured spots on a mat on demand based on the results of a spinner.

This can lead to some hilariously awkward moments especially with more players, as people have to get to their specified spot without falling – no matter the hilariously awkward position they have to be in. Adding to the fun is that it takes only one person to give in or lose their balance and suddenly everyone will end up on the floor.

This makes it especially fun for the family as it provides ample opportunity to mess with fellow family members, trying to break their balance and concentration, while maintaining your own footing on the mat.

This classic family game is available for next to nothing these days making it a great choice for a family games night. However, if there was to be one drawback it is that you would need to clear a lot of space in order to lay it down the playmat, which leads to a lot of maneuvering just to create the space needed to play on your laminate floor in the living room for instance.

3. Trivial Pursuit

Trivial Pursuit should always come into the conversation when it comes to family games nights. This game involves moving yourself around a play board, answering questions to advance and collect 6 wedge pieces of each colour on the board for a chance to win the game. At this point the opposing players are allowed to ask a question of their choice – which if answered correctly grants that player victory.

Much like Monopoly trivial pursuit is extremely customisable with a wide range of special editions including films such as Harry Potter and Star Wars, TV shows like Friends and even games based on specific decades.

If there is one limitation to trivial pursuit is that it is not the most accessible of games, with classic editions of the game being very challenging, something you should consider if you wish to involve younger members of the family.

So, there are our picks for the best games to play on family games nights. Do you think we have missed any? Feel free to post in the comments your choices for the best family games.