10 Board Games to Put on Your Family Holiday Shopping List This Year

If you enjoy modern family board games like Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Splendor, and King of Tokyo, here are some you’ve may not have heard of that should be on your radar this Christmas season. 

Camp Pinetop

• Ages 8+
• 1-5 Players

Camp Pinetop from Talon Strikes Games is a new 2020 game. Players play a leader of a group of Scouts, trying to earn the highest Scouting rank of Badger before other players. As you earn your badges you will also earn new abilities. We reviewed this one before it came out, and you can read the preview by clicking here. 

• You can order at come at: https://talonstrikes.games/store/

Century: Spice Road

• Ages 8+
• 2-5 Players 

In Century: Spice Road, from Plan B Games, is a great engine building game in the vein of Splendor (but IMO better). Where players are trying spices on the silk road to fulfill orders. Collect cards that will allow you special abilities in your trading (like being able to trade in your turmeric for a more valuable spice). If ancient times isn’t a theme you would be interested in, there is another theme version that deals with Golems and crystals called Century: Golem Edition. 

• You can purchase Century: Spice Road at: https://www.amazon.com/Century-Spice-Road-Board-Games/dp/B071DXCT5L

Dream Home

• Ages 7+
• 2-4 Players

In Dream Home, from Asomodee, players are trying to build their dream home, by drafting cards and building different rooms (with different scoring requirements) in their home. Will your dream home score more points than your opponent?

You can purchase Dream Home at: https://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-DRM01-Dream-Home/dp/B01IHOV3KQ

Ducks in Tow

• Ages 10+
• 1-4 Players

Ducks in Tow is a new 2020 release game published by First Fish Games. In the game, players will pick up ducks (meeple ducks) from around a duck sanctuary and deliver them to different spots in the park. It has great components and uses some really cool clear cards for a scoring system. You can read more about the game from a preview we did earlier this year by clicking here.  

• You can purchase Ducks in Tow at: https://store.firstfishgames.com/

The Isle of Cats

• Ages 8+
• 1-4 Players 

The Isle of Cats is also a new 2020 puzzle board game, this time published by The City of Games. In the game, players each have a ship and trying to save as many strange looking (fantasy-based) cats as they can before the end of the game. Cats are different polyomino shapes, and you want to place similar colors together for scoring. We did a review on the game for those interested, you can read it by clicking here. 

• You can purchase The Isle of Cats at: https://www.amazon.com/City-Games-Isle-Cats-Multi-Colored/dp/B085WC6GZG/

Lanterns: The Harvest Festival 

• Ages 8+
• 2-4 Players

In Lanterns, from Foxtrot Games & Renegade Games Studios, players are artisans preparing for an upcoming festival with floating lanterns. The player who earns the most honor (points) before the festival beings, wins. Lanterns is a tile-laying game, that uses perspective in a unique way (you gain colored cards depending on a tile is placed and what is facing you). 

• You can  purchase a copy of Lanterns: The Harvest Festival at: https://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Game-Studios-00502RGS-Lanterns/dp/B00UG238LK

PARKS

• Ages 10+
• 1-5 Players

In PARKS, from KeyMaster Games, has players playing hikers that are exploring US National Parks over 4 seasons. The object of the game is to try to visit as many parks as you can (National parks as worth different points) with the player at the end that has the most points winning. Not only is this game GORGEOUS, but plays incredibly smooth as well. 

• You can purchase PARKS either via Target (online or local store) or on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Keymaster-Games-KYM0501-PARKS/dp/B07SVNZXY4

The River

• Ages 8+
• 2-4 Players 

In The River, from Days of Wonder (publishers of Ticket to Ride), players are settlers trying to build up the best settlement. This one is a great beginner worker placement game for those that are new to the genre.

• You can purchase a copy of The River at: https://www.amazon.com/Days-Wonder-DO8701-River-Multicolor/dp/B07GJZ7TJH/

Takenoko

• Ages 8+
• 2-4 Players 

In Takenoko, from Matagot, players are transported to Imperial Japan, where they trying to plot out the land, grow bamboo, and feed a very hungry panda (which was a gift to the Emperor). This one comes with a cute plastic panda and stackable (plastic) bamboo pieces. 

• You can purchase a copy of Takenoko at: https://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-TAK01-Takenoko/dp/B0049H9NVW

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

• Ages 8+
• 2-4 Players

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner is another 2020 release, this time from 25th Century Games. In this game, players are foxes trying to capture and cook as many chickens as they can before the end of the game. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner does have a take that element to it, as players will play cards trying to steal chickens not only from the chicken coop but from other players as well. Players may also be forced to have a chicken cluck-off or a chicken dance-off. You can see our preview of the game by clicking here.  

• You can purchase Winner Winner Chicken Dinner at: https://www.amazon.com/25th-Century-Games-Winner-Chicken/dp/B082QS33YR

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Ryan Sanders

Ryan Sanders is the founder, owner, and editor-at-large of Adventures in Gameschooling. He’s also the guy behind its social media accounts. God has blessed Ryan and his wife Mary, with five children, which he homeschools. As a Christian, he believes that he should not only look out for your own interests but other peoples too (Philippians 2:4) and this is one of his guiding principles for Adventures in Gameschooling. Ryan’s expertise is informed by almost two decades of experience as a stay-at-home father and from the running The Inquisitive Meeple where he performed over 300 written and podcast interviews within the board game industry.