Actually-Fun Family Games Even Teens Will Want To Play With You
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Hues & Cues and The Worst-Case Scenario card game
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When it comes to young kids, offer to play Candyland or Connect Four and they’ll happily go grab the box. But older kids are a little trickier to win over — especially if the only type of gaming they’re into involves a screen and a controller.
What happened to good old-fashioned family games? Well, they actually got even more fun — for everyone! All the games rounded up here are just as enjoyable for older kids and teens as they are for adults. (There’s no pretending to have fun for the sake of bonding.) They’re also easy to get the hang of because nothing shoots down a game night faster than not being able to understand how to play.
Gift your tween or teens something off this list and you’ll be giving yourself the best gift of all — quality time that’s the stuff core memories are made of.
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Target
Herd Mentality card game
Herd Mentality is a game where it pays to think like the other players. With prompts like “name a famous John” or “name one of Santa’s reindeer (not Rudolph)” the goal is to put down an answer that you think the other players are going to put down too. It’s super easy to get the hang of so you can get straight to playing instead of spending too much time reading the directions.
Target
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game
For teens (and adults) who are into quick action games, this card game is bound to be a winner. Players have to match cards up as quickly as they can, racing against the other players — similar to Uno. People who left reviews said it’s a great game to play with tweens and teens, college friends and any group get-together.
Target
Hues & Clues guessing game
With this game, players are given one to two word clues (like “apple” or “winter sky”) and must guess which of the 480 hues is the target color. The closer you are to guessing correctly, the more points you earn. Get ready for some colorful debate!
Target
Worst-Case Scenario card game
With this game, players rank different types of worst case scenarios from horrible to, well, really horrible. (Or hey, maybe you don’t think being chased by a gorilla or being lost at sea would be all that bad.) When the “victim wheel” points to disaster striking, the goal is to think like the other players in order to survive.
Target
What Do You Meme? Family Edition card game
While the original What Do You Meme? game definitely isn’t appropriate for kids, you don’t have to worry about any awkward moments with this family edition — except for that awkward moment when you lose a card game to a 10-year-old. Prepare to laugh uncontrollably!
Target
Liar Liar party game
If you have older kids, it’s important to dust up on your lie detecting skills — and this game is a sneaky way to do it. Players are given prompt cards and must share something about themselves related to it. The goal is to figure out which player is lying. Everyone will walk away from this game knowing each other a lot better.
Target
Wavelength board game
Think you can read minds? If so, you’ll be a natural at Wavelength. Players split up into teams and each turn, a player uses a clue on the spectrum to guide their teammates to where a hidden target between two polar ends (like “hot” and “cold”) is located.
Target
Dumb Ways to Die card game
With this game meant for people 12 and older, the goal is to keep your beans alive. The problem is, the beans are always finding dumb ways to die — indicated by game cards that will have you laughing out loud.
Target
Throw Throw Avocado game
If the person you’re shopping for loved Exploding Kittens, they’ll very likely be into this game too, which is by the same creators. The best part? You get to throw a stuffed avocado at people! It’s a card game-dodgeball combo that will have everyone laughing and looking for cover.
Target
Ultimate Catch Phrase game
This game requires some quick thinking. Made for people ages 12 and older, the goal is for players to guess the word on the screen, which one person describes as best as they can and as fast as they can because there’s only 15 seconds on the clock. Then, it’s time to pass the handheld screen to another player, which is done until the buzzer goes off. If you’re caught holding it when the buzzer goes off, your team loses the round. With more than 5,000 words or phrases, your family can play countless times without getting any repeats.
