8 Best Board Games For The Whole Family While In Isolation

best board games 2020 2021

Isolation can be challenging for many who have broad networks and are used to socialising. Family dinners at the table are back, as everybody is home; so board games are back also!

Like TikTok, baking, gardening, puzzles and console games, board games, have become a mainstay in our current lifestyle entertainment.

Best Board Games 2020

To counter social isolation and entertain ourselves while in COVID-19 lockdown, here are our best board games, both old classics and new in the market recommendations:

1. Pandemic

pandemic best board games 2020

Relevant is the word! In Pandemic, several virulent diseases have broken out simultaneously all over the world! The players are disease-fighting specialists whose mission is to treat disease hotspots while researching cures for each of four plagues before they get out of hand.

The game board depicts several major population centres on Earth. On each turn, a player can use up to four actions to travel between cities, treat infected populaces, discover a cure, or build a research station. A deck of cards provides the players with these abilities, but sprinkled throughout this deck are Epidemic! cards that accelerate and intensify the diseases’ activity. A second, separate deck of cards controls the “normal” spread of the infections.

Taking a unique role within the team, players must plan their strategy to mesh with their specialists’ strengths to conquer the diseases. For example, the Operations Expert can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases and which allow for greater mobility between cities; the Scientist needs only four cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal five—but the diseases are spreading quickly and time is running out. If one or more diseases spreads beyond recovery or if too much time elapses, the players all lose. If they cure the four diseases, they all win!

The 2013 edition of Pandemic includes two new characters—the Contingency Planner and the Quarantine Specialist—not available in earlier editions of the game.

Players: 2-4
Age group: 8+

2. Exit: Dead Man on the Orient Express

exit the game dead man on the orient express

This game attracts nostalgic individuals. With the help of the private detective Archilles Pussot’s notes, you must try to solve the case before the Orient Express arrives in Constantinople.

This game takes place on the famous Orient Express. There are 12 spies on the train as well as the two detectives, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

The players take turns moving the detectives and the spies around the train and keeping track of their movements. Every 8 turns (8 hours in the game) they check their notes and determine which spies have been killed. A spy is killed if it is ever a) alone in a compartment or corridor square for 1 or more hours, b) a second spy enters the compartment or corridor square and c) the spy is never in the same compartment or square as one of the detectives afterwards. Since the status of a spy is not determined until turn 8 (or 16 or 24) it is possible to move a spy, which is already “dead”. This spy cannot kill other spies even if it fulfils the conditions above. Since the status of a spy depends entirely on their movement it is important for the players to keep careful notes and to be able to defend their logic to the other players.

Players: 2-6
Age group: 10+

3. Ticket to Ride: Europe

ticket to ride best board games for isolation 2020

This one takes you on a new train adventure across Europe. From Edinburgh to Constantinople and from Lisbon to Moscow, you’ll visit great cities of turn-of-the-century Europe. Like the original Ticket to Ride, the game remains elegantly simple, can be learned in 5 minutes, and appeals to both families and experienced gamers.

More than just a new map, Ticket to Ride: Europe features brand new gameplay elements. Tunnels may require you to pay extra cards to build on them, Ferries require locomotive cards to claim them, and Stations allow you to sacrifice a few points to use an opponent’s route to connect yours. The game also includes larger format cards and Train Station game pieces.

The overall goal remains the same: collect and play train cards to place your pieces on the board, attempting to connect cities on your ticket cards. Points are earned both from placing trains and completing tickets but uncompleted tickets lose you points. The player who has the most points at the end of the game wins.

Players: 2-5
Age group: 8+

4. Smart10

smart 10 best board games

This is a quiz game where the player doesn’t need to wait for one’s turn that long. There are ten possible answers to each question, and every player gets to answer every question. If the answer is correct, the player gets an answer marker. Do you answer or pass? If you don’t score, your answer markers on time (and thereby pass on this round), you can end up losing them. So if you are not of your answer – do you gamble or do you pass? This board game plays great in teams.

Players: 2-8
Age group: 10+

5. Monopoly

best monopoly game

Monopoly is one of the world’s most popular board games of all time and a classic that everyone should have in their home.

Players take the part of landowners, attempting to buy and then develop their land. Income is gained by other players visiting their properties and money is spent when they visit properties belonging to other players. When times get tough, players may have to mortgage their properties to raise cash for fines, taxes and other misfortunes.

The goal of the game is to be the last player remaining with any money.

Players: 2-8
Age group: 10+

6. Trivial Pursuit: Family Edition

trivial pursuit best board game for the whole family

This game is another classic. Like the original Trivial Pursuit, but you have both senior and junior questions in different boxes, so the whole family can play it. The perfect after-meal hangs game!

Players: 2-36
Age group: 12+

7. Diamant

diamant board game

Diamant was chosen as Årets Spel Best Family Game Winner in 2018! Also published as Incan Gold – is a quick fun, press-your luck game.

Players explores mines and paths in the jungle by turning up cards from a deck and evenly share the gems they find on the way. Before you reveal the next card, you will have the chance to leave the mine and put your gems to safety. Why would you leave? Because the deck also contains hazards like snakes, poison gas, explosions and rockfalls.

An adventure packed experience!

Players: 3-8
Age group: 8+

8. Planet

planet game

Planet game is an exciting game in 3D. It is about creating the most favourable planet. Build strategic continents so that as many animals as possible have the opportunity to thrive on earth.

This is a family hit!

Players: 2-4
Age group: 8+

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