8 best board games for adults: From Scrabble to Exploding Kittens

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

One of the oldest known board games, backgammon’s history can be traced back nearly 5,000 years to the Middle East. It is a fast-paced game for two that is completely addictive. In basic terms, each player must “bear off” or get rid of all 15 of their checkers from the board by using skill, strategy and enjoying a pinch of luck that dice affords all of us. We can confirm that even absolute beginners can catch the backgammon bug after a couple of games.

You can get all sorts of backgammon boards, with some costing hundreds of pounds. But this gorgeous, diminutive wooden version (28 x 3.3 x 15cm) has all the style at a snip of the price. We were chuffed at the portability of it, too – backgammon and holidays belong together.

Best: For invested players

Rating: 9/10

You and your fellow players (there must be at least three of you) have just discovered Catan, a land rich in natural resources. The aim of the game is to gain dominance over Catan, bartering and strategising in order to upgrade humble settlements into powerful cities.

If you want to win, it’s essential to have a game plan and to think ahead – anticipating other player’s moves and working out plan b’s. There is no room for luck or chance in Catan.

Be warned – you’ll need plenty of time to play this game and you’ll need to be invested. We think it’s perfect for a long weekend away with friends as it’s very likely it’ll take more than a day to conclude.

Best: For word nerds

Rating: 9/10

Every wordsmith fancies themselves as a bit of a Scrabble champ, which is why it’s one of the most competitive board games out there. Creating the longest word with the highest scoring letters is a tricky business – and we advise having a dictionary handy as no game of Scrabble worth its salt can happen without the validity of a word being called into question.

It’s a classic game for good reason – it’s absorbing, frustrating and brilliant all in one go. And here’s a little tip – “ew” is an officially valid word. You’re welcome.

Best: For unbridled fun

Rating: 8/10

Top of the Pops was a childhood staple for generations, but even if you’re too young to remember, there are no age limitations on enjoying the game. You work in teams and there are different rounds – with players going head to head to “win” the different categories. We love the board and challenge cards with a retro cassette design.

You don’t even need to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of music – just knowing some popular tunes from the Sixties onwards is going to stand you in good stead. You’ll complete song-related challenges against a timer, have to guess the artist by quoting lyrics and even attempt to replicate a song on the (included) kazoo.

This is a light-hearted, fun game that can involve up to 20 – yes, 20 – people. Expect to laugh, a lot.

Best: For flirting

Rating: 6/10

This is for anyone mourning the end of this year’s Love Island. A selection of cheeky and flirty challenges await – you’ll need to couple up with a friend or partner before spinning the bottle to determine your challenge, of which there are 115. There’s also blank cards that you can use to write your own challenges on, which might be enquiries into your partner’s twerking skills or who their crush is. We can’t say this is the most sophisticated or complex of games, but it is cheap and very cheerful.

Best: Quirky game

Rating: 9/10

With 10 million copies of this game sold, the creators have struck gold when it comes to challenging, cut-throat fun. While not strictly a board game, we’re going to bend the rules a bit because it’s just that good.

With a strapline of “Betray your friends. Try not to explode” and a call to adopt cruel strategies in order to win, we defy anyone not to be curious. This is a game for two to six players and you essentially have to avoid being blown up. Don’t worry, we’ll explain...

In the deck of cards, which are placed face down, lurk exploding kittens. If you draw one of these cards you “explode” and are out. There are, however, other cards that help you avoid drawing an exploding kitten – such as “see the future” or “skip”. You win the game by being the last person not to have blown up. If it sounds complicated, it isn’t, but it’s probably best to learn on the job.

Best: For strategists

Rating: 8/10

This is the collector’s edition – featuring a sleek all-black aesthetic including tiles and playing mat – of the classic numbers game, which requires players to adopt constantly changing strategies.

Rummikub essentially requires players (between two and four) to lay down groups of tiles in runs of at least three determined by colour or number, which will earn you a score – the winner is the first to get rid of all the tiles in their rack, at which point they shout “Rummikub!” If you cannot put down a run of three you pick up another tile, and so on. It’s addictive, engrossing and easy to pick up.

Best: For green fingers

Rating: 8/10

This is Monopoly for gardeners. Instead of trying to expand your property portfolio, you’ll be buying and trading pigs and chickens as well as trying to fill up your gardens and allotments with produce.

Don’t worry though, just because there’s no “straight to jail” card doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of spanners to be thrown in the works. Watch out for penalties for trespassing, catching bird flu and especially foxes, who are a constant threat to your chickens chickens.

There are a lot of rules and the first couple of rounds are quite intense as players get to grips with the game’s objectives. However, as people start to get the hang of it, tactics start to come into play. What we really liked was that you learn a lot about sustainability from some of the challenges in the game, especially thanks to the “natural selection” cards, which are multiple choice questions with an eco leaning.

It looks lovely too – bright, fresh and inviting, just like the countryside.