Summary
Playing board games is a popular way of spending free time. Withthousands of board gameson the market and hundreds of new ones coming out each year, players have a lot of options to choose from, depending on what they’re looking for and which genre they prefer. Some games place more emphasis on strategy, while others are all about luck.
But if the player is just starting out with board games and wants to try some of the more simple-to-understand yet entertaining ones, there are a lot of those that fit the description. Some of the best board games prove that fun lies in simplicity.
Updated July 27, 2025, by Alexandra O’Leary:The board game world is an incredibly expansive one, ranging from complicated TTRPGs to social games that rely on good liars. There’s something for everyone, but sometimes, players just want an easy-to-learn game that the whole family or friend group can enjoy. For some, fewer rules the better, especially for younger players. Luckily, there’s a great selection of simple board games that will have the game well underway in minutes.
10Articulate!
Explaining Things To Your Teammates
Articulate!is a great party game that works perfectly for both small and big groups. In fact, the game encourages large groups since it adds to the chaos. It’s a popular game in Britain and is routinely one of the most popular games there every year, likely because it’s quick and easy to learn and loads of fun.
TheArticulate!board is made up of a circle with various categories on each space, and to move, players must draw cards from the pile and describe the word from that category without saying it. Players can keep going until the timer runs out, and the amount they get right dictates how many spaces they move. The rules include not being able to say derivatives of the word and not saying what it rhymes with or what letters are in it. It’s fast and is incredibly easy to pick up.
9Jenga
Carefully Maneuvering Blocks From A Tower
Jengais easily one of the most widely popular games ever, particularly since many people adapt the game to feature questions and challenges. In essence, the game is very simple and doesn’t even require multiple players, although it’s a bit more fun with others.
The only goal ofJengais to extract one of the blocks from the tower without it falling down. As the game progresses, it becomes increasingly harder to do so, and eventually, the tower will tumble over. Some players like to write prompts on the blocks for players to answer/perform when they draw them, which can be afun addition for parties, but either way is just as enjoyable.
8Snakes And Ladders
Moving Up the Board And Slithering Back Down
Snakes and Laddersis an all-time classic board game, and for good reason. It’s a simple, easy game with great highs and lows, albeit not too much strategy.
To playSnakes and Ladders, players only need to roll the dice and move their counter. If they land on a ladder, they can move up it to skip loads of spaces, but if they land on a snake, they must slide back down to the bottom of it. Barely any other game can provide such quick reality checks the waySnakes and Ladderscan.
7Really Loud Librarians
Quick Thinking And Lots Of Yelling
Really Loud Librariansis a new game from the creators ofExploding Kittensthat keeps the same level of chaos while adding new parameters. The tagline is literally ‘think fast, not hard,’ which is exactly what players want from a simple board game.
To playReally Loud Librarians, one team must draw a card that supplies a category and look at the board (which has a selector on it) to see what letter they’re on. Players must yell things that apply to that category that also begin with the letter selected. They can then move the selector along to the next letter and keep going. There’s a time limit for each round, and the idea is to race the opposing team to get their librarian further and win. It’s fast-paced and simple and is likely to make for a very loud and frantic board game night.
6Dixit
Describing Scenes And Trying To Fool Your Friends
Dixitis the ideal board game forall creative souls and storytellersor simply people with rich imaginations who aren’t afraid to use it. The goal is to get 30 points first before the other players. The players take turns, and each one describes one of the cards they’re holding. Afterward, the remaining players pick a card they think fits the description best. All the cards are mixed together, and each player chooses the card they think the original player was describing.
The game never gets old because every person’s mind works differently, and the descriptions can vary from mini-stories to songs. The only thing that’s forbidden is simply describing exactly what is on the card, as that would take the fun out of the game. The cards are visually beautiful, and they can easily spark the players’ imagination, making the game a good option for fans of fantasy or RPGs.
5King Of Tokyo
Rolling Dice To Be The Best Monster
Which monster will rule the world? Some would say Godzilla, and others would pick King Kong. In the board gameKing of Tokyo, there is no right answer, as it depends both on the player’s strategy and their luck. The players compete about whose chosen monster will gain control of the city and reach the goal of collecting a certain number of points first.
The game offers a lot of variability since the player can decide whether their monster will remain in Tokyo, get more points but also suffer more damage, or if it will relinquish its place to another monster and be safer from harm but risk losing. The game is colorful and visually attractive, and thanks to the popularity ofthe monsterkaijumovies, it will entertain both adults and children.
4Scrabble
Making Words From Random Letters
Scrabbleneeds no detailed introduction for most people since even those who don’t actively seek out board games have usually heard about it before. Its principle is simple. The players choose a number of letters and attempt to form a word from them to gain the highest number of points possible. The game ends at the moment when all the available letters are used and nobody can create another word.
Scrabbleis a popular choicefor families because it’s usually quick to play, easy to understand, and fun since players can often come up with the most bizarre or unexpected word options.Scrabblehas become such a pop culture phenomenon that it has even appeared in movies and TV shows, such as inThe Simpsonswhen Homer gets angry at Bart after his son attempts to cheat at the game and uses a made-up, nonsensical word.
3Settlers Of Catan
Building Settlements By Collecting And Spending Resources
There is a reason whySettlers of Catanbecame a classic family board game and a go-to game for many. It has been tested by time, and players of all ages like to return to it over and over again. The only requirement for players is to be able to count while attempting to build their settlement, preferably one bigger and better than those of their fellow co-players.
Each time, the game is a bit different, as the players can choose a different strategy, and, of course, luck plays its part in it as well. For those who would like to try the game out before buying it,there is also an online versionthat doesn’t usually take as much time to finish as the board game variant.
2Sorry!
Rolling Dice And Moving All Counters Around The Board
Sorry!is a classic game that has been around for a while now. The players move their counters based on how they roll the dice. The game can easily turn competitive since the players can sabotage their opponents and send them back to the start over and over again.
The first player who gets all of their four counters into the home wins. The game is easy to understand, a bit different each time, and all players need to be able to do is count to six, making it accessible even for small children.
1Tokaido
Tour Tokaido In A Leisurely Race
Going on a vacation to Japan is something many people dream of, but not everyone can afford it or have the time to do so. In that case, the board gameTokaidois the next best thing. In the game,players travel through Japanand enjoy all the country has to offer while collecting souvenirs and getting points for their experiences on the journey.
Unlike other board games,Tokaidodoesn’t have a competitive feeling to it; it doesn’t drive players against each other. Instead, it helps them relax and immerse themselves in an experience that’s calming and full of interesting discoveries about Japan.
