Father’s day is fast approaching, and we all know that fathers have sacrificed a lot. If you're stuck for gift ideas or need a little bit of suggestion, do not fear! We got you covered. This year’s day of dads, you can surprise him with a board game (or if you are a dad, you can heavily hint at your kids what you want to get). Whether you are a new dad and you want to get your kids in your hobby, or if you want to bond with your own pops and play board games with the family, here are our top 10 board games for dads to enjoy!
(PS: This is definitely a subjective list, based on the preferences of the authors.)
1. Sequence
“Choose wisely to get 5 chips in a row. Play defense to slow your opponents down.”
Sequence is a board and card game, and uses 2 standard 52-card decks (with all the jacks removed). We think dads will like this game because it is relatively easy to teach, plus it is familiar. It is like a cross between connect four and solitaire. Players compete to create rows, columns or diagonals of 5 connected checkers placed on the cards that the player has laid down.
- Designer: Doug Reuter
- Players: 2–12 Players
- Playtime: 10–30 Min
- Age: 7+
2. King of Tokyo
“It's a fight to the death when giant monsters battle over Tokyo in this dice-roller.”
Love Godzilla and Pacific Rim? Love a monster vs monster battle flattening a city? Did you just watch Godzilla vs. Kong and want to recreate it in your living room? Then, King of Tokyo is perfect for you and your family! In King of Tokyo, you play as a kaiju, and battle it out against other players until one reigns supreme! You roll some die, heal, generate energy cubes, collect victory points or punch other monsters. You win if you’re either the last monster standing or the first to reach 20 victory points. It’s all super simple, yet so much fun.
- Designer: Richard Garfield
- 2–6 Players
- Playing Time: 30 Min
- Age: 8+
3. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
“The game is afoot as you and your irregular friends search Victorian London for clues”
If your dad is a fan of Sherlock Holmes, and solving puzzles, then this game is perfect! In Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, you are presented with a mystery to solve, and it is then up to you to follow the threads of evidence through the streets and mansions of 19th century London. You will interview suspects, search the newspapers for clues, and put together the facts to reach a solution. This makes for a great family bonding time and can recreate the intensity of popular escape rooms in the comfort of your own homes.
- Designer: Raymond Edwards, Suzanne Goldberg, Gary Grady
- Players: 1–8 Players
- Playtime: 60–120 Min
- Age: 13+
4. Skull
“Does the token hide a flower or skull? Bid, bluff and laugh with striking components.”
This game is beautiful, easy to learn and play, and super fun for the family. Skull is light on rules, but heavy on the tension and has an art-style reminiscent of old school tattoos. Playing this bluffing game takes a lot of guts, a good poker face and a ton of luck. On your turn, you either put a flower or a skull face down in front of you. Then the next player does the same, until someone starts a bid for the number of flowers they can reveal. If you reveal all the flowers, you are successful. If you reveal one skull and you lose 1 coaster/life. Do you push your luck? Or should you lay traps for the other players?
- Designer: Hervé Marly
- Players: 3-6
- Play time: 15-45 minutes
- Age: 10+
5. Pandemic
“Your team of experts must prevent the world from succumbing to a viral pandemic.”
A bit of a controversial choice (with the ongoing pandemic), but stay with me. Pandemic is a great game. In Pandemic, not one, not two, but four virulent diseases have broken out simultaneously all over the world! You play as disease-fighting specialists whose mission is to treat disease hotspots while researching cures for each of four plagues before they get out of hand. Yes, very thematic! With teamwork, some skill and a little bit of luck, you can cure the pandemic in less than an hour. A family that works together, saves the world together.
- Designer: Matt Leacock
- Players: 2–4 Players
- Playtime: 45 Min
- Age: 8+
6. Power Grid
“Bid, network, and manage resources in a race to supply the most cities with power.”
I chose this game because my dad is an engineer, and I think non-engineer dads will enjoy this game as well. In Power Grid, you play as an energy corporation that supplies the electricity to cities. You have to outbid other players for power plants, and you have to buy fuel sources (coal, oil, garbage, and uranium) for said power plants. There are also renewable energy power plants that run essentially for free! You also need to connect cities, but laying down transmission lines is a bit expensive. You have to balance bidding for newer and better power plants, buying resources and expanding your network to become the most successful energy corporation.
- Designer: Friedemann Friese
- Players: 2–6 Players
- Playtime: 120 Min
- Age: 12+
7. Quoridor
“Either move your pawn or place a wall to cross the board first.”
Playing one on one with your dad is a fun bonding experience. Same goes if you are already a dad. Playing one on one with your kid is priceless. Quoridor is a perfect place for you to match wits. The abstract strategy game Quoridor is surprisingly deep for its simple rules. The object of the game is to advance your pawn to the opposite edge of the board. On your turn you may either move your pawn or place a wall. You may hinder your opponent with wall placement, but not completely block them off. Meanwhile, they are trying to do the same to you. The first pawn to reach the opposite side wins.
- Designer: Mirko Marchesi
- Players: 2–4 Players
- Playtime: 15 Min
- Age: 8+
8. Blood Rage
“Ragnarök has come! Secure your place in Valhalla in epic Viking battles.”
Life is Battle; Battle is Glory; Glory is all! Do you ever want to be a viking, commanding an army and fighting monsters, all to be chosen by Odin to dine in Valhalla? This game might be the heaviest game in this list, but man, oh, man, this game is amazing! In Blood Rage, each player controls their own Viking clan’s warriors, leader, and ship. You can invade and pillage the land for its rewards, crush your opponents in epic battles, fulfill quests, increase your clan's stats, or even die gloriously either in battle or from Ragnarök, the ultimate inescapable doom. This game also has awesome miniatures; miniatures you and your dad can paint.
- Designer: Eric Lang
- Players: 2–4 Players
- Playtime: 60–90 Min
- Age: 14+
9. Onitama
“Assert your martial prowess as you harness the power of the Animal spirits.”
I have fond memories of my dad and I playing Chess (although I don’t think I have ever won a chess game with him). Onitama is very much like chess, but it adds more variety in the movement of the pieces. In Onitama, players control a small army of monks on a 5x5 board. Taking the opponent's master monk, or moving your master monk into your opponent's main pawn's starting space, wins you the game. On a player's turn, he/she chooses one of his/her cards, moves one of her pieces according to the chosen card, then replaces the card she used with the fifth card. If you can’t beat your dad in Chess, maybe you will be victorious in Onitama.
- Designer: Shimpei Sato
- Players: 2 Players
- Playtime: 15–20 Min
- Age: 8+
10. Arkham Horror LCG
“Investigate the horrors of Arkham while courting cosmic doom.”
I chose this game because one of my close friends, who is now a new dad, loves this game. In Arkham Horror LCG, you become investigators within the eerily quiet town of Arkham. You have your skills, sure, but is it enough to solve the mysteries and otherworldly evils that haunt Arkham? The best part of this game is that you can play this like a story campaign. There are a lot of stories (called Mythos packs) and for sure you will create a lot of memorable moments with your family.
- Designer: Nate French, MJ Newman
- Players: 1–2 Players
- Playtime: 60–120 Min
- Age: 14+
There are more games that you can give to your dad that we didn’t include in this list. The most important thing is to find a game that your dad would love and spend quality time with your pops.
How about you? What games would you recommend for your dad?
About Gaming Library
Gaming Library aims to be the go-to resource for board games, providing not only titles that can be enjoyed by families, but also to be enjoyed by friends both newcomers and veterans alike. By pulling from different resources from all over the world, we at Gaming Library curate an impressive collection of games for consumers to choose from, suitable for anybody from casual players to hardcore hobbyists. In doing so, we hope to provide the best means to foster activities that strengthen family ties and friendships, while teaching relevant skills and practical critical thinking that can be applied to your everyday life.
