Top 10 Board Games to Buy (Review) in 2021

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Best Board Games For Teens

• Playing board games is one way to relieve stress after a long day, especially for teens who might be stressed after a long day at school. Parents can also join them in playing the game, which captivates their attention and eases their mind of anxiety and stress. Picking a board game for teens is most times difficult, even if you’re financially capable of buying them. However, we’ve relieved you of that stress with our list of best board games.

• We mostly prefer the Catan board game, which is played by a minimum of 5 players and a maximum of 6 players of ages ten and above. It’s a game that requires tactics, logic, and logistics skills. The Catan board game is a barter game that allows players to perform clever trading with an adaptive strategy, making it unique among all other board games. 

• We also like pandemic which is played by two to four players. Even though the rules guiding the game are confusing, it’s easy to play when they have mastered the rule. The pandemic board game is the best cooperative game ever. It requires the players to have lots of tactics, logic, and logistics to play the game. 

• Ticket to Ride is also a very interesting game to buy for teens because it’s simple and easy to learn with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 players. The game is deceptive, which requires lots of thinking with lots of fun. The game, ticket to ride, has a charming property, making players want to stick to it all day. It requires players to think as it is a game of luck. It is easy and very straightforward. 

Quick Overview: Top 10 Board Games to Buy in 2021

Board games help develop children’s ability to think quickly, developing them in certain skills like trading, managing resources, tactics, logic, and many more.  Board games also give teens unique insight into their social lives and how to solve problems without stress. 

Researchers have said that board games have a lot of health benefits to teens, such as; helping the brain speed to increase the score of teens by 27-30%, a stronger sense of creativity, relief from stress and anxiety, refreshing the brain after a long day from school and peace of mind. It can also be played by grandmas and grandpas, which will help them in mental stimulation. Besides, the hidden message that the board game is passing is NEVER GIVE UP!

Some board games also promote teamwork, peaceful communication among other players, and loving one another, thereby increasing the teen’s ability to behave peacefully among other peers. Teens also learn humanity while playing board games like Pandemic, which is all about saving lives during an outbreak of disease.

Board games are also made from material, beautiful design and they are very interesting when played by people. Research has shown an increase in Germany’s board games’ sales, with a 40% increase for the past five years and over 209000 new players in the universe.

No hidden charges are attached to board games compared to online games; they are easy to play anywhere, both indoor and outdoor. Board games can be played in schools, different gaming centers. They can also be used as a present, especially as birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, etc…

Besides, board games make your teens build strong connections among other peers, as they will need more players to participate, making them invite new and old friends to their house to share the fun. This, as a result, will lead to building a strong connection among one another.

Moreover, Board games set the teen’s mind in aiming for a goal and try every possible way to achieve that specific goal. Even though some of the board games are won by luck, it will still promote the teen’s mind to have insight at aiming for their goal and trying to be patient.

Teens might have felt tired of playing games that amused them when they were kids; that’s why we’ve researched board games that are best for teens. However, certain features must be put in place before buying board games, some of which are:

Safety 

Safety should be the first factor to consider when buying board games. Interestingly, all board games on our list are safe and convenient to use. When buying a board game parents should check the manufacturers’ safety precautions.  Some board games have some hazardous parts – choking hazard, which makes it inappropriate for younger children. 

Age

Another important factor to consider is age. The children will find the game chosen for them easy to play if it is within their age limit. But imagine children playing underage games; they won’t find it exciting and will be so difficult for them to maneuver. As a result, they get bored easily, making it more or less like a punishment. They’ll find it too hard to follow up, which would eventually lead them to stop playing the game. In our list, we have listed the age range for each game to ensure you select board games within your children’s age limit.

Number of children

The number of children should also be considered. There are different types of board games on our list, with the highest and lowest numbers. But the number of players should be considered, as long as the product manufacturer is recommending it since those games are more interesting if the required number of people are participating in the games. Parents can also join in playing the game for proper guidance.

Quality content

There’s this kind of joy that’s always attached to buying quality materials. So, when buying a board game, always watch out for the ones with quality materials. Moreover, children are always fond of playing games they love, which may lead to wearing and tearing of material with low quality. It may be difficult to recognize games made with quality materials; that’s why we listed the best board games to buy for teens. 

Designs

Board games with enormous design and attractive artwork should be chosen for children when buying games. The design should be cool, simple, and easy to understand with fine artwork. Our research will also present you with board games that are well designed.

Educational Content

Board games for teens should have an educational background that will help them with their school work, like some board games that teach children about geography and studying the universe in which they live. Also, with a certain skill that will guide them in extracurricular activities. Indirectly, these games are impacting certain things in their lives. For this reason, board games with educational content should be chosen for teens.

Engaging concept 

Before buying board games, you should at least study the game’s concept – what the game is all about. It could be about traveling, saving the world from deadly diseases, zombies, etc. 

Duration

It’s not everyone that has the time or ability to play games for a long period. Games are to make fun; some people find it more difficult to play games for hours. Some can’t endure sitting all day playing games, so board games must be put in place before purchase.

Rule

When buying board games, try to figure out games that are easy, simple to understand, and easy to introduce to new gamers. We have provided you with the best board games with easy and simple rules.

Categories of Board games

The listed board game types represent the common categories of tabletop games to purchase.

• Legacy or Campaign

Legacy board games are described by specific plays with a series of linked scenarios, in which the outcome and actions of a particular scenario will normally affect subsequent ones. Campaign board games are a certain kind of campaign game where your actions and choices let you create physical or permanent changes to its components, such as attaching stickers or removing cards, thereby producing a one-time experience.

• Abstract

Abstract board games are games with no theme or a theme disconnected from the initial experience for playing. Draughts are the simplest form of abstracts, while chess, which the category standard moderately restricts its set of names, suggestions, and classical warfare pieces.

• Deckbuilder

Every player begins with their twin pack of cards but changes it while playing with stronger cards added to the pack and weaker than those substituted. Deckbuilders are often merged with deck-structured games like trading games. The contrast is that in deckbuilders, the process of customizing and creating your pack is a part of the main gaming experience.

• Area control

A board game with any form of board or map defines a space where players battle to dominate, normally by attaching their pieces to areas or regions or removing their adversaries’ pieces. Most times, domination can be accomplished by restricting access to certain regions than acquiring them yourself.

• Dexterity

A board game involves physical skill, either by engaging the whole body or using the fingers to move things around. This might entail turning discs or different objects with the fingers, stabilizing things, or throwing specific objects around.

• Deck structuring

This board game category involves players using various cards to play, structured relative to the game from various options, based on certain rules. There are two major distribution types, which include collectible or trading card games.

• Engine-building

In an engine-building game, you are required to build an engine that uses your starting actions or resources and transform them into additional resources, which transform extra resources that will turn into victory points.

• Drafting

This is a process in which players are given various options, normally dice or cards from where they select one, leaving an amount that their opponents must select from. You may select from a general pool of options or a selection of cards passed to each player. 

• Roll and move

These are board games where you roll a dice or more and move through different spaces, normally on specified space tracks or a path with a finish and start indication. Landing on specific spaces can lead to certain actions or give the player the necessary gaming options.

• War game

For war board games, players form armies to fight against one another, represented by a set of tokens or miniatures on a map, with actual distances or grid for navigation—take down your adversary’s army to win. The combat is normally dictated by card play or dice rolls.

• Social deduction

Here, more than one player circling a table have a secret, and the other team players need to decipher who. Expect wild accusations, bluffing, and lying throughout the game. Players are sometimes given hidden roles and must gain their objectives by picking out the odd one or preventing their opponents from finding you out.

• Dungeon crawler

Players must own character roles and pass through specific locations, mostly represented by a map with a shaped grid or a book page, ruling over enemies directed by another player, the game system, or a companion application. 

• Storytelling

Board games with a well-written description that is created and completely controlled by the players. This story could last throughout the gameplay or across specific or many sessions. You read from already written passages or a series of vignettes as you are challenged with describing and inventing something led by one card.

At a Glance: Top Board Games in 2021 You Should Buy

Catan Board Game: The Catan board game has a hexagonally shaped board with several pieces joined together like a jigsaw. It’s a war game that involves the use of cards that contain information that impacts the game. Catan is also a game that requires tactic skill, clever trading, strategy, and luck. It allows 3-4 players with 5-6 extensions. Start the game by finding Catan’s main harbors and regions, such as fields, hills, pastures, deserts, and forests. The players place two houses where the hexes meet as starting settlement. With five resources to collect, players will need to perfectly mix all five and trade for resources in no specific arrangement, even when it’s not their turn. You can build or elevate prevailing settlements to cities. If a clever expansion is made, you can win ten victory points and be declared the game’s winner.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 11.63 by 9.5 by 3 inches 
• Product Weight: 2 Pounds 
• Brand: Catan Studio
• Number of Players: Three to Four Players 
• Age: 10 Years+
• Duration: 60Mins

Features

Catan comprises six frame pieces, one hundred and twenty-six game cards, twenty settlements, sixteen cities, two dice, nine harbor pieces, eighteen circular numbers of a token, an almanac booklet, sixty roads, and a rule. Use forests, hills, pastures, fields, and mountains to produce lumber, brick, wool, grain, and ore as resources to build settlements and roads across Catan.

Educational Impact 

Introduce your child to a new world of trading and endless entertainment with this award-winning game by Catan Studio. Playing Catan can help children develop a piece of background knowledge about exploration, conflict, colonization, and even economics. Your child can also practice analytical and systematic skills through the depiction of colonization and settlement. Since adopting mathematical probability is required to win, Catan is an ideal platform to help your kids practice logic and mathematical reasoning. Altogether, it is the best strategy game that helps kids develop life skills and thinking abilities.

Ergonomic Design 

The board is fitted with quality materials. The artwork is eye-catching, and it takes longer periods to wear or tear. This board game is a redefined version of “Settlers of Catan.”

Maintenance and Ease of Use 

Catan is easy to maintain and very easy to use. The rule guiding the game can be easily understood by players after continuous play, making the game highly recommended by most board gamers.

Pandemic: The board game has a world map showing a network of connections to 48 cities. The game rules may seem confusing, but the game becomes very entertaining when the rules have been mastered. Only a maximum of four players can team up. The cooperative board game needs skilled members to fight the disease outbreak, so each team player performs special roles like a researcher, quarantine specialist, dispatcher, medic, and operation expert. All players start from Atlanta – the CDC(Center for Disease Control). Pandemic is very educative as it enables children to learn about countries, letting them know major cities in the universe.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 12 by 8.6 by 1.7 Inches 
• Product Weight: 2 Pounds 
• Brand: Z-man Games 
• Numbers of Players: Two to Four Players and Five Extensions.
• Age: 13-15 Years. 
• Duration: 45mins

Features

Enjoy the game with two deck cards (infection and player card), four colored cubes with twenty-four cubes representing different diseases, a pawn for each of the six research stations, and a game board representing forty-eight network cities on a world map.

Educational Impact 

It promotes teens’ geographical knowledge and encourages teamwork. And lastly, it teaches basic knowledge about public health. Playing Pandemic is a productive way to make the most of family moments. It helps kids learn valuable skills, including perspective-taking, flexible reasoning, strategic planning, and communication. This board game is also a perfect opportunity to teach kids how to interact constructively with their peers and express their emotions.

Ergonomic Design 

Pandemic is beautifully designed with attractive pieces. The six shelter blocks representing the research stations are also made of quality materials, and the colored cubes represent the diseases. The game also uses one product-specific battery to operate. 

Maintenance and Ease of Use 

The board game is easy to maintain, but the rules guiding the game are confusing for beginners. However, the impressive design and simple instructions make it easy for children to play and have endless fun. 

Ticket to Ride Board: The rules are easy to understand, which makes it easy to play. Players collect cards that enable them to claim railway routes; the longer the route, the more points they earn. Players score additional points as they fulfill their destination ticket by joining two distant cities. Furthermore, Unique sounds and music is featured in the board game. No rules are necessary after saying, ” Alexa launch tickets to ride.” The board game takes 30-60 minutes with a total of 2-5 players.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 11.75 by 11.75 by 3 Inches 
• Product Weight: 1.8 Pounds 
• Brand: Days of wonders.
• Number of Players: Two to Four Players Required.
• Age: 8 Years+.
• Duration: 30-60 Minutes.

Features

The game consists of one hundred and forty-four illustrated cars, a board of North American routes, two hundred and twenty-five colored train cars, five wooden scoring markers, and a rule booklet.

Educational Impact 

Ticket to ride is demanding, wholesome entertainment for the whole family, with the bonus of introducing players to geography and history. It is perfect for practicing flexibility as it gives a player many options to redeem when different strategies don’t go their way. The game requires players to coordinate and arrange materials to complete a task, thereby encouraging organization. Since the game demands a systematic approach to achieve goals, strategizing is necessary because lots of decision-making is involved.  

Ergonomic Design 

It is beautifully designed with high-quality materials. The small locomotive trains are colorful and of good quality, and scoring makers are made of wood.

Maintenance and Ease of Use

Read the game description on top and behind the box. Create your own stories as you note down the cities you connect while completing your destination cards, using realistic details. 

7 Wonders Duel : This celebrated board game takes control of civilization and aims at investing in science and technology or military prestige. Failing to build in technology while playing will leave your people in the dark for ages. Besides, poor investment in building defense will cause your capital city to be destroyed. A player can win in multiple ways, either by military superior or scientific advancement. The game teaches teens to learn about human history.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 2 By Eight By 8 Inches. 
• Product Weight: 0.018 Pounds.
• Numbers Of Players: 2.
• Age: 10-15years.
• Duration: 30 Minutes. 

Features

Play with a game board, twenty-three age III card, twenty-three age II card, twenty-three age I card, a conflict pawn, scorebook, twelve wonder cards, four military tokens, seven guide cards, thirty-one coins help sheet, and a rule book.

Educational Impact

Although the seven wonders duel is not designed specifically for children, it is a great way to teach them about civilization, science, and trading. It is also an abstract way to help kids understand how the economy works. Since the game’s goal is to gain scientific dominance, it boosts your kids’ confidence and helps them feel a sense of accomplishment, inspiring them to be active and take action.

Ergonomic Design:

The board game is made of thick cardboard with a cool and thematic design of similar style images.  Also, the plastic military pawn is adequate, but the cards are small. The simplified structure makes it more strategic but easy to understand and play.

Maintenance and Ease of Use:

Seven wonders duel is easy to use, but the mini cards are not of very good quality which must be properly handled by the users. You can protect your city with three drafting cards made from stylishly shaped tableaus.

Carcassonne Board Game: The game should be in everyone’s collection, as it’s full of adventures and needs lots of strategies to experience intense fun. Players take a turn by placing tiles on the route to make a landscape. Points are scored by making a perfect landscape featuring roads, cities, monasteries, and fields. Of note, the player with the highest point wins the game. Carcassonne board game is for ages 8yrs and above. Even though the rule is easy to learn, some instructions might be difficult to understand. Therefore, parental guidance is required for younger children to play extensively.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 2.63 By 7.5 By 10.75 Inches.
• Product Weight: 1.54 Pounds 
• Brand: Z-man Games 
• Number Of Players Involved: Two To Five.
• Age: 8 Years+
• Duration: 30-45 Minutes.

Features

The board game contains a rule book to guide the players, 72 land ties, one scoreboard, 12 river tiles, 40 follower tiles with five different colors, and a supplementary sheet. 

Educational Impact

Carcassonne has several instructional tools that allow active participants to engage in rigorous mental exercise. It encourages kids to learn a variety of concepts or skills in a non-traditional manner. While playing, gameplay strategies are involved, which illuminates specific geographical concepts, including religious diffusion, urban services, accessibility, and it portrays the importance of infrastructure.

• Teens gained geographical lessons from this game.
• They learn about the universe – understanding what makes up the universe.

Ergonomic Design 

The board game is made of quality materials and fine landscape artwork. It is a vintage tile-laying game incited by the medieval fortress city. With 84 tiles, Carcassonne can be configured into numerous combinations using tiles from the initial base game, the mini Abbot expansion, and the new river version. The board’s flexibility makes it infinitely replayable, as you can create tile extensions with the new features and rules to customize each gaming session.

Maintenance and Ease of Use 

The Carcassonne board game is easy to maintain, but it should be kept out of reach of children of 3 yrs to avoid swallowing the removable tiles or inhaling any choking part of the board.

Ravensburger Disney Villainous: Disney villainous is a non-technical board game with an intensive storyline, making it one of the most entertaining games to relieve stress.  The villainous line includes the expansion, wicked to the core as evil comes prepared and perfectly wretched. Each player chooses their favorite villains making each player aiming for a specific objective and goal. This strategic game is won by first achieving its objective. Disney villainous also comes with clear instructions and can be perfect for night parties.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 10.5 By 10.5 By 2.5 Inches.
• Product Weight: 2.5 Pounds.
• Brand: Ravensburger.
• Numbers Of Players Required: Two To Six In A Team.
• Age: 10 Years+
• Duration: 50 Minutes.

Features

Disney villainous is a strategic game with six different characters (villains), including Ursula, Queens of heart, prince John, maleficent, captain hook, and Jafar. The game comes with custom-designed movers, a realm board, a draw deck card, a fate deck card, and a rule book.

Educational Impact

It helps to sharpen kids’ thinking ability. Since it requires a strategic skill, it can help children develop problem-solving skills and enable them to think critically. Disney villainous helps develop thinking skills, cognition, perceptual, and visual skills, which are beneficial in several areas. Without tactical reasoning, it is impossible to win this game, so logical and systematic thinking is required. Therefore, it is a great game to enhance brain development.

Ergonomic Design 

The board game is made of high quality, thoughtful design, and also custom-design movers. There are stunning artworks at the back of the card, and the front features scenes and characters from movies.

Maintenance and Ease of Use 

It is easy to use and maintain, but the small parts have a choking hazard. Therefore, keep it away from younger kids.

Spy Alley Mensa: Spy alley is one of the best mind games because it keeps a player’s identity unknown to other players on board. A player starts with an identity that tells who they are to only themselves. Players move around to buy spy gear, while other players can make another loose by guessing your identity correctly. A player wins by being the last one on board or buying spy gear items for their country. It’s a very interesting game for the family with so much fun attached.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 9.25 By 2.5 By 13 Inches.
• Product Weight: 2.25 Ounces.
• Brand: Spy Alley. 
• Number Of Players: Two To Six.
• Age: 8 Years+ 
• Duration: 30-45 Minutes.

Features

With six scoreboards, six spy identification cards, six game makers, a scoreboard peg, money, gift card, move cards, and a game board, Spy Alley is ready for a mission.

• Game Marker: each player chooses a colored marker to represent themselves and place it on the start space.
• Spy Identification Card: shuffle the spy Identification cards and real ones to each player. Identification is meant to face down. THE CARD SHOWS SECRET IDENTITY, DON’T REVEAL.
• Scorecards: players use this to record items they’ve bought during the game. The scoreboard also must be kept in plain view for all payers to see.
• Money: Individual players start with $10 more than the number of players. 
• Characters in The Game: Characters in the game include Boris, Nicole, Rosita, Jane, Ricardo, and Wilhelm. Boris is a ruthless and cold Russian spy; Jane is a cunning American spy known for her cunning nature; Ricardo is a sophisticated spy from Spain. Play Spy Alley to discover other characters you can imitate.

Educational Impact: The game sharpens deductive reasoning, logic, body language, reading skills, and interpersonal relationships. The identity non-disclosure in the game helps kids comprehend how others think by anticipating other players’ moves and mastering how to identify poker faces. Kids learn to become more attentive to how the game is played and develop strategies based on how others are playing. Therefore, your little one can develop a general awareness and a full understanding of how people think.  Spy Alley is a suspense game perfect for family moments to reduce stress and develop mental skills in children.

Ergonomic Design: The board is made of high-quality material with beautiful design and bold details and descriptions. With a weight of 2.25 pounds, the board is reliable and can be employed several times. You can also place the game features, including scorecards, in the provided compartment for easy storage.

Maintenance & Ease of Use: The game is easy to use, but it shouldn’t be played with younger kids. Players are required to apply deductive reasoning to reveal other spies while trying to complete their mission by purchasing passwords, keys, disguises, and codebooks.

Kids Against Maturity: Is a portable board game that is easy to carry and suitable to play indoors or outdoors. There is always a blue card filled with questions. Players take turns reading the blue cards and selecting the funniest answer on the white card. The player who wins a particular round gets a blue card, and also, a player with five blue cards automatically wins the game. Luckily, the rules guiding the game are very simple and easy to teach new gamers.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 2 By Six By 4 Inches. 
• Product Weight: 2.44 Pounds.
• Brand: Kids Against Maturity.
• Numbers Of Players: Two To Six.
• Age: 10 Years+
• Duration: 30-90 Minutes.

Features

The game box contains five hundred question and answer cards with over forty thousand unique combinations, which affects the game’s outcome. A rule card guiding each player on how to attempt the game is included.

Educational Impact: Kids against maturity is the best interactive family party game to get your kid’s attention off video games and electronic devices. Hence, encouraging them to be more active. Recently, it can be difficult to spend time together as a family. Playing Kids against maturity makes it possible to play with your kids. Also, it helps children to acquire useful social skills and boost their self-confidence. The physical closeness helps them to develop strong bonds with family and friends.

Ergonomic Design: The design of the board game is simple and classic. The game set comprises five hundred question and answer cards placed in a box. It is compact; thus, easy to move around with.

Maintenance & Ease of Use: The board should be carefully maintained as the playing cards are not durable enough. Since it comes in a handy box, it is perfect for plane trips, summer camps, family gatherings, sleepovers, camping, game nights, and more. You get the most out of this game if you play three or more other players. Also, the box makes it easy to store away after use.

Doctor Activity Center Set: The board game is made with cute artwork, which offers lots of fun. The game’s main aim is to collect unicorns in the player’s stable and use the magic to downgrade and stop your opponent’s movement. But every player has different tools at their disposal. The cleverest player may find his way by playing neigh cards, getting ready to destroy the friendship in a very good and entertaining way.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 5.75 By Four By 2 Inches
• Product Weight: 12.1 Ounces 
• Brand: Tee Turtle
• Numbers Of Players: Two To Eight
• Age: 14years+
• Duration: 90-120 Minutes

Features

The game set includes 13 baby unicorn cards, 23 magic cards, 22 basic unicorn cards, 30 magical unicorn cards, an upgrade card, a downgrade card, an instant card used to hinder your opponents from playing, and a rule book.

Educational impact: An ideal board game to develop teens’ thinking ability. Unstable Unicorn encourages healthy competition in kids. It brings out their competitive and fun side in a non-aggressive manner. The game helps create good sportsmanship, enabling children to learn to lose and win graciously, applaud the winner’s victory, and celebrate their opponents’ successes. Hence, it increases their capability to handle setbacks and learn from their failures. This game was created with the aim of players to share meaningful experiences while betraying each other.

Ergonomic Design: This second edition of Unstable Unicorn is filled with entertaining arts and eye-catching artworks with flavor text. It has a box with a magnetic closure, containing 135 cards. You can enjoy the game with an Unstable Unicorns extensive pack. Introduce your child to strategic play with this edition of Unstable Unicorn.

Maintenance & Ease of Use: Although this board game is easy to use and play with, proper maintenance and proper storage are required to get the most out of it. The giftable box design allows for easy card storage.

Spontuneous: Parents who know that their teens love music can buy this board game for them, as it is suitable for those without a singing talent. This 30 minutes’ board game is played by writing several trigger words of interest. At each player’s turn, they pronounce the word and flip the timer. The first player to use the word to sing five lyrics or shout it out will get the point. The rule is simple and easy to learn so that new gamers can play it with ease.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 10 By Ten By 2 Inches
• Product Weight: 1.88 Pounds 
• Brand: Spontaneous
• Number Of Players: Four To Ten
• Age: 8 Years+
• Duration: 30 Minutes 
• Caution: Small Parts Are Choking

Features

Educational Impact: It’s good for teens who study music at school. Playing Spontuneous – The song game can promote literacy. Since the game involves reading out instructions and what is written on the hit list tablet, they also need to sing clearly while using keywords and listen to other players sing. Spontuneous – The song game involves writing down words and using random words to create a song. Hence, kids can build necessary skills that lie within the literacy group. Playing this board game helps players to learn new songs through several conversations regarding music.

Ergonomic Design: The board is made of music signs with different cool colorations. It’s simple and has a classic design and a big, eye-catching musical sign with colorful details.

Maintenance & Ease of Use: It should be properly kept as the cards may get lost, and the board may tear. It is easy to use as it comes with a rule book containing instructions on playing the game.

Indie Boards and Cards Terraforming: Terraforming Mars is all about making Mars a universe suitable for human beings to survive without injury. Players get a unique project card representing anything from introducing hurling of steroids at the surface, plant life, animal life, establishing greenhouse and cities. Over 200 projects are to be completed by the players; also, the Terraforming rating is increased each time players raise a global parameter: temperature, oxygen gas, or oceans. Likewise, each player’s Terraforming rating determines basic income as well as a raw score. Also, players with the most points wins the game.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 2.8 By 11.6 By 11.6 Inches 
• Product Weight: 0.06 Ounces 
• Brand: Indie Board 
• Number Of Players Involved:  Five.
• Age: 12-15years
• Duration: 90-120 Minutes 
• Caution: No Warning Applicable

Features

To colonize the red planet, the board game comes with an accurate map of Mars, a five-player board where players keep the money. Over 400 markers, 200 player’s marker, three board marker, 3 out of 4 great volcanos, the site where the first human-made lander touchdown, and cubes 

Also, over 230 cards representing different corporations, tiles players place on board to represent oceans, forest, cities are 80 in number and most especially, a rule book.

Educational Impact: It teaches teenagers about Mars and the structure of the solar system. To succeed in Terraforming Mars, a combination of extensive strategic planning and tactical play is required, assisting children in building and developing analytical and systematic skills. The game challenges young adults to transform Mars for human existence, enabling them to make decisions independently. 

Hence, develop a level of self-confidence. Playing this game demands a long period of gameplay, helping children master endurance useful for overall development. Therefore, Terraforming Mars helps develop many thinking, cognitive, perceptual, and visual skills, helping to train the brain.

Ergonomic Design: The game contains a map of Mars, and the player’s marker is metallic. Terraforming Mars is not aimed at kids. However, in terms of artwork and details, it looks very well presented, and the action details appeal to them. The colored cubes, map of Mars, hexagonal tiles, and theme are quite attractive.

Maintenance & Ease of Use: The game should be kept away from children under three years to avoid swallowing the cubes, and also, the game is easy to use.

Hasbro Risk Game: It is a classic board game that involves military force. Even though the game’s duration is long, it’s a very interesting game. The secret mission is allowed during the game; players aim to conquer enemy territories by building an army and engaging in battles. Controlled by the roll of a dice, a player either gets defeated or be defeated by another player. If you ever played Risk while you were younger, you will recall it being a long extracurricular activity.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 1.77 By 15.75 By 10.51 Inches. 
• Product Weight: 2.64 Pounds.
• Brand: Hasbro.
• Number Of Players: Four.
• Age: 10-15 Years+
• Duration:  1 Hour, 30 Minutes.
• Caution: Small Parts Are Hazardous To Younger Children.

Features

The board game set contains five dice, a card box, eight artilleries, 40 infantries, a five cardboard war, and a game rule. Rule the world in this interesting military game with an upgraded look that includes enhanced mission cards, appealing board art, and improved figures.

Educational Impact: It promotes problem-solving skills, logical reasoning and improves communication in children.

Ergonomic Design: The board design is awesome with colorful artwork and a colorful game guide that new players can use effectively. 

Maintenance & Ease of Use: The game is easy to use due to the simplicity of the rules. Maintaining the card is also easy as the pack contains five war pieces for easy storage. The game’s goal is really simple; players only need to rule over their adversaries’ territories by forming an army, fighting in a battle, and gathering their troops. 

The game set comes with five war crates for convenient storage. New players can easily adapt to the game speed because the game guide contains detailed explanations. The guide also contains a section of FAQs and strategy hints, which helps new gamers comprehend the cards and maps, and describes various strategies like obtaining more troops, maneuver, and the attack

Avalon Hill Betrayal Legacy, Board Game: Is a scary game with a well-written storyline. The game is played by taking a deep breath before entering; fear will always grow while moving through each tile the players place as they investigate a house filled with dreadful monsters and secrets. Fifty scenarios and dozens of danger-filled rooms will keep returning to the house again and again as often as players are, and they will never face the same again.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 10.5 By 3.2 By 10.5 Inches.
• Product Weight: 2.86 Pounds. 
• Brand: Avalon Hill.
• Number Of Players: Three To Six.
• Age: 14 Years+ 
• Duration: 60 Minutes.
• Caution: Small Parts Are Choking; Not Suitable For Kids Below Three Years.

Features

A betrayal at house on the hill comes with a rule book, two haunt books, 44 room tiles, an entrance hall, staircase tiles, six explorer figures, 30 plastic Clips, eight dice, a turning track, 80 cards that contain the event, item or omen, 149 token and also pre-painted planted figure. 

Educational Impact: Teaches children how to overcome fears and how to gain self-confidence. It also encourages social interactions among teenagers. A betrayal at a house on the hill is an intriguing story that keeps children at the edge. Therefore, they are forced to follow instructions to avoid some danger-filled rooms and spirits. Being able to adhere to instructions is a crucial skill to excel in school. While they play this game, they have to adhere to the rules, understand them, and resolve steps to take, which helps them deal with restrictions and boundaries and figure out ways to adjust. 

Ergonomic Design: The board is full of beautiful artwork and design, plastic clips, explorer figures, and pre-painted figures. The game is designed for three to six players from age twelve and above to enjoy. It has a unique layout with each game and enough features to stop a horror fan’s heart with many scenarios. There are some parts of the game where you build up your game board to include fun characters like Dracula and Frankenstein.

Maintenance & Ease of Use: The game is easy to use with the rule book and should be carefully maintained because of the units. A betrayal at house on the hill is an exploration board game with a unique mechanic and eerie theme. The haunted house is built twice by the drawing tiles to have a different game on each play. Also, as players move around, they experience some events that affect their survival time or acquire useful weapons to help them get through. 

The game offers lots of replicability and a book filled with several betrayal scenes to explore. A betrayal at a house on the hill is easy to learn, and it gets challenging quickly. Sometimes the board game set might arrive with some broken pieces’ and wrong dice markings, but it is really fun.

Betrayal at House on the Hill: The Phone Phever game integrates the player’s smartphone in such a clever way that it involves learning and laughing, making teens have a great time. Also, the game uses the natural capabilities of any smartphone to power the game. It also teaches teenagers how to use a high powered smartphone for constructive reasons. Cards offer 1200 unique trivia questions and challenges across six different categories of which are; Music, TV, movie history, and also technology. Players take turns to answer questions and complete the hilarious challenge.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 10.3 By 10.3 By 2 Inches.
• Product Weight: 2.1 Pounds.
• Brand: Phone Phever 
• Numbers Of Players: Three. 
• Age: 13 Years+
• Duration: 30-60 Minutes.
• Caution: Small Parts Are Choking; Not Suitable For Children Below Three Years.

Features

You will find included in this set,  eight colored game pieces, no applicable application, twenty-five green Phever challenge cards, a die, twenty-five red phacts ,150 yellow phun phact, or phiction questions.

Educational Impact: It teaches teenagers how to be productive with a smartphone. This board game can help to improve communication skills. It creates more interactive fun. As children advance in age, they may start to shy away from conversations. The Phone Phever enables them to interact and talk about more topics concerning the game. It can help kids who find it hard to interact in certain situations while playing with this board game. This board game helps to enhance hand to eye coordination, reaction time, and agility.

Ergonomic Design: Cards are of different colors like green, red, and yellow. The game comes with 1200 trifles of challenges and questions across six different categories. It is also compatible with different smartphone versions.

Maintenance & Ease of Use: The game is easy to use so far that the player has a smartphone. Players join smartphone wits and skills to respond to interesting stories and complete funny stories. Phone Phever requires a minimum of three players to enjoy. It does not require any application, and a smartphone and internet access is required to play.

Phone Phever Board Game: It requires full attention and thinking, good communication, creativity, and logic. Four different escape room adventures, and each has three parts. Players start by opening an envelope and read through the mystery; the mystery is self-explanatory. Besides, the envelope is a different attribute necessary for finding the final part of the code. The player must find a code consisting of four keys that they will enter into the decoder.

Quick Facts

• Product Size: 10.3 By 10.3 By 4.5 Inches 
• Product Weight: 1.85 Pounds 
• Number Of Players: Two To Five.
• Age: 16 Years+
• Duration: 60 Minutes. 
• Caution: Small Balls And Marbles Are Not Suitable For Kids Below Three Years.

Features

One electronic decoder for counting time (the count downtime and sound effect let the player know if they are on the right track), eight hint cards per adventure, four different adventures (prison break, Nuclear countdown, the temple of the Aztec, virus). Three AAA batteries are also required to make the game come alive.

Educational Impact: Escape Room: The game encourages problem-solving, as players need to predict several steps, including making decisions on what to do and other subsequent steps to take. Children with special needs and learning difficulties would find this game helpful—especially children with autism that struggle to pay attention and communicate. 

The game can be used to tap into their strength and help them feel relaxed. Creativity, logical reasoning, ingenuity, good communication, and teamwork are very important to get through different stages, thereby helping children acquire useful brain development skills.

Ergonomic Design: The board game is well designed with a well-crafted puzzle. For each player, there is a personal puzzle that one can solve immediately. There is a digital timer in the Chrono Decoder that helps you maintain the right track. The application adds a fascinating soundtrack to every scenario. You can also purchase expansion packs to continue the challenge.

Maintenance & Ease of use: The game should be properly maintained to prevent the loss of a removable puzzle card. The rule sheet makes it easy to play.

Conclusion

Children need their parents’ attention mostly when they are teenagers because they are advancing from being kids to adults. So, they’ll need to learn about life, what it entails, the skill needed to survive, how to adapt, and many more. Board games are among the best ways to bring the family together, share fun, and share love. As a parent, when you engage in this kind of game, you will also feel relaxed, making you forget about the long hours you’ve spent at work.

Moreover, in the 21st century of ours today, there have been many inventions, including smartphones. Teens nowadays are addicted to their smartphones, which most parents detest. Board games have been said to keep those children away from spending long hours with their phones, as a board game is so much fun, it makes them forget about anything while they’re playing the game. 

As a Christmas present, board games can be presented to children as gifts on birthdays to encourage them for their hard work and obedience. But the kind of board game to be presented will be based on the likeness of children. Some children love anything that has to do with science fiction, some like Disney, while others will prefer games that have to do with military forces. Our list will help you with the best games you can give to teenagers, relating to their preferences.

Also, board games have an educational impact on teens, including learning about geography, history, and more. Some of the games on our list help children who love music. It also teaches about public health like the Pandemic board game that is all about saving lives during a disease outbreak. Trading skill is also one of the educational impacts children will gain from playing games like Catan. Though not only trading skills but also the management of resources.

Another reason why a board game is good for your teens is creativity. Some games require players to be very creative. A very good example is Terraforming Mars. However, the game is scientific-fiction; it involves a player transforming Mars into a planet that supports human existence. The player with the most transformation wins.

Talking about board games’ impact on health issues, a board game’s effect can never be underestimated. It helps children free away from the anxiety that is toxic to the brain—relaxing and refreshing the brain after a long day at school. Exercising some part of the body as most board games involve the movement of the hands, legs, or both. While most of the games will require players to think cleverly, it will quickly promote their thinking ability. Some of the games require team-work; just like A betrayal at home on the hill, this game’s main aim is to build a haunt and try to escape. This kind of game will contribute to the child’s social interaction with peers and psychological advancement. Teens can also make new friends from these games since they’ll need to play in the group, thereby lengthening the teens’ connection. In conclusion, board games are very good for not only the teens but also the parents.