Christmas Gift Guide 2024: The best gifts for fans of board games

If you're looking to buy Christmas gifts for a board game lover, here's a few ideas to get you started.

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Buying board games for another person can be extremely difficult. Not only are there countless variations, adaptations, and gameplay styles to choose from, there’s also more board games releasing by the day. Given taste is very subjective, getting it is a difficult art.

Luckily, there’s plenty of room to move in the world of board games – and it’s only the really rare titles that can’t be enjoyed by everyone. If you’re looking for some pointers on your quest, read on for a list of tried-and-tested recommendations for Christmas board game gifts, from stocking stuffer ideas, to full-scale tabletop adventures. Let’s break down our recommendations by genre: The best board games for younger kids If you’re looking to buy board games for a younger kid, who may be just starting out in this brave new world, the good news is there are plenty of simple board and card games for beginners.



You’ll need to test the waters to get a sense of dexterity and knowledge retention, depending on how old your gift receiver is, but any of these games are great for young and inexperienced players: Adventure board games for everyone If you’ve got an older kid in the mix – or perhaps a family that loves to play games together, it’s best to look for more mature board games for Christmas gifts. This includes games with a few more rules, but just as much fun and adventure. Your chosen game should involve everyone in its gameplay, and provide scope for creativity, exploration, and experimentation.

Here’s what we’d recommend for older kids and/or family groups: If you’re looking for other recommendations, check out . Co-op and party board games A party isn’t complete without a few good board games. If the person you’re buying for this Christmas has a penchant for playing games with friends, they might benefit from owning a party or co-op board game (or two).

These can be fun backups for when party ideas get stale or the main event, depending on the vibe of each party. Consider purchasing any of these as gifts for a guaranteed good time: For more recommendations, check out our lists of and . Solo stories to explore If the person you’re buying board games for is more into calmer, self-guided adventures, they might enjoy solo board games.

These are tabletop romps that are completely playable at their own pace. You won’t need to gather the troops for a board game night, or wait ages for when everyone is free – you can simply jump in and go for it. Here are a few we love, and heartily recommend: For more of the best solo board games, check out .

Escape room and puzzle board games If you’re looking for a brain-scratching board game this Christmas, then look no further than this list of the best puzzle board games around. From tile-laying games like to horrifying escape rooms, there’s no shortage of great, affordable puzzle board games for everyone. Here’s a few to get you started: For more, .

The best new board game releases of 2024 There’ve been many excellent board games released over the last year. If you’re looking to gift the latest and greatest board games, here’s what we’d recommend: If you’re looking for other gift guides in the lead-up to Christmas, check out:.