5 Board Games to Buy for Christmas for Newbie Gamer Families

Our very own "Gamer Dad" pulls together his list of games to buy for Christmas. These are his favorite holiday suggestions for newbie gamer families. Kickstart a passion for family game night with this collection of board games.

Figuring out what board games to buy for your family for Christmas can feel impossible.  Luckily, we made you a list. 

5 Games For Christmas: Must-Haves For Game Night!

Here are a few suggestions that encompass a wide variety of strategies, cooperation, creativity, and some luck. 

Gamer Dad Tip: Talk about “luck” when you lose and “skill” when you win.

1. Settlers of Catan

GAME DESCRIPTION: Picture yourself in the era of discoveries: After a long voyage of great deprivation, your ships have finally reached the coast of an uncharted island. Its name shall be Catan! But you are not the only discoverer. Other fearless seafarers have also landed on the shores of Catan: The race to settle the island has begun!

PLAYERS: 3-4
PLAYING TIME: 60-120 minutes
AGE: 10+
AMAZON RATING: ★Stars | Customer Reviews

Already got Catan and looking for something different? Check out this list of family strategy games.

2. Ticket To Ride

PLAYERS: 2-5
PLAYING TIME: 30-60 minutes
AGE: 8+ (Got younger kids? Try this version of the game.)
AMAZON RATING: ★Stars | Reviews

GAME DESCRIPTION: Ticket to Ride is an award-winning, cross-country train adventure game. Players collect train cards that enable them to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway.

Heads-up: If you already have Ticket To Ride and love it, you might also like Machi Koro or BANG!

3. Dixit

GAME DESCRIPTION: Every picture tells a story – but what story will your picture tell? Dixit is the lovingly illustrated game of creative guesswork, where your imagination unlocks the tale.

In this award-winning board game, players will use the beautiful imagery on their cards to bluff their opponents and guess which image matches the story. Guessing right is only half the battle – to really succeed, you’ll have to get your friends to decide that your card tells the story!

PLAYERS: 3-6
PLAYING TIME: 30 minutes
AGE: 6+
AMAZON RATING: ★Stars | Customer Reviews

Dixit is surprisingly remarkable game for kids (and adults!) to awaken imagination. The picture cards are absolutely beautiful. Mesmerizing. Forget Candyland - delight your kids with this unique family board game. Read more about it...

GET DIXIT TODAY

4. Codenames

PLAYERS: 2-8
PLAYING TIME: 15 minutes
AGE: 14+
AMAZON RATING: ★Stars | Customer Reviews

GAME DESCRIPTION: Codenames is a social word game with a simple premise and challenging gameplay. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames.

The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the table. Their teammates try to guess words of their color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team.

READ AMAZON REVIEWS

5. Camel Up

GAME DESCRIPTION: Witness the craziest camel race of all time, as things really go topsy-turvy when camels stack up and entire pyramids turn upside down. As members of Egyptian high society, you gather in the desert with one simple goal: to gain the most money by backing the right camel to win a leg or even the entire race. However, in this race, it’s not just the lucky ones who can beat the odds. Reading the dynamics of the race and having a good sense of timing is just as important when it comes to backing the right camels and taking the victory.

PLAYERS: 2-8
PLAYING TIME: 20-30 minutes
AGE: 8+
AMAZON RATING: ★Stars | Customer Reviews

*Make sure this game is for you! Read this Camel Up game review.