10) Looking for a new shape on an old classic? Tri-onomos are the three sided dominoes that are definitely worth a try!
Race to 400 with Tri-Onomos! Special bonus points for completing hexagons and making bridges, this game is deceptively simple and tons of fun for people aged 7+ (although we seem to sell this more to adults). Add-in some addition with regrouping with everyone adding their own score, and suddenly you have a great (sneaky) math game!
9) Sequence is an ever-so-slighty addictive strategy game for up to 12 people.
Part strategy/part luck, connect 5 in a row and win it all! Sounds simple right? Fun for kids, challenging for adults, the best part of this game is playing as a team- which makes it easy to play with much younger children!
8) Play on your own, or collaboratively as a team with Wavebreaker.
There is a whole series of these brainteaser type games from ThinkFun like Rush Hour, but we like this one the best because the waves shift with the game. This game has 40 challenges from super easy to oh-my-goodness hard, and is a fabulous addition to any game cupboard.
7) Pandemic- the ultimate cooperative game for up to 4 players!
What to do when several virulent diseases break out around the world at the same time? Become a specialist and work as a team to rid the world of infection before its too late.
6) Move over Unstable Unicorns, Llamas Unleashed will take it from here!
Llamas Unleashed plays very similarly to Unstable unicorns, except you are filling your field with 7 llamas, alpacas, rams or goats, instead of mythical creatures. Betray your friends and steal their cards- this game, like its unicorny predecessor is best for 14+.
5) Like to spell short words and play cards? Quiddler is our number one pick for word games!
This is one of our family's favourite games- we play the junior version with our two kids, and my parents play the adult version (they have a bizarre scoring system that includes salt shakers because they were getting too cutthroat). This game is quick paced, and a great stocking stuffer/christmas for the wordsmith in your life.
4) I know I know Catan is not number one on this list, and that might be a travesty to you, but this is my list and I stand by it.
I am not sure when they changed Settlers of Catan to just plain old Catan, but you can call it either I've determined and everyone knows what you mean. This is one of the longest to play games we sell, and clocks in at a solid 60 minutes and I totally agree with its 10+ age, since the trading and development aspect can be a bit complicated. With that being said, this is one of the most popular games we sell for adults, it is one of our favourite game night games!
3) Ticket to Ride (along with Catan) is one of our most requested-by-adults games in the store.
The object of the game is to see the most cities in 7 days- the longer your route the more points you get, fulfil destination tickets for extra points. It seems complicated, but its easy to learn and a total blast to play- games can last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.
2) Qwirkle is aged for 6+ so I totally thought it would be fun with our kids- and it is- but it is also a lot of fun without them!
Every once and a while a game surprises you, and this was the biggest surprise of 2019 for me. This is a simple domino style game- you start with 6 pieces and try to create qwirkles of colour or shape (but not both). Get extra points for placing tiles that touch multiple pieces, the player with the highest score wins. This can be a simple game, but the more strategic you are the higher your score will be.
1) My absolute favourite game ever is Five Crowns. This is a five suited rummy style card game, and my ultimate goal is to finish one time with a score of 0 (I've finished once with 5)
I know rummy type card games aren't everyones cup of tea, but honestly this is easily the simplest card game to learn and play- I'm pretty sure we played this when I was in labour with our first, we never travel without it, our kids love the Junior version