Shop the best board games for all skill levels
The American Tabletop Awards highlight each year's top picks.
Board games share a unique ability to foster memories, create bonds and flow competitive energy. A favorite family and friends pastime, board games play an integral part in vacations, date nights and down time.
As such, the The American Tabletop Awards began awarding the top board games starting in 2019.
"The American Tabletop Awards Committee is made up of 10 members bringing a diverse set of perspectives from various parts of the board gaming and tabletop communities," reads the site for the organization.
Awards handed out by the group are diverse so as to highlight the many qualities a well-rounded game may possess. The awards are separated into early gamers, for younger players, casual games, for a wide range of experience levels, strategy games, which are more complex and may take more time to play and complex games, covering games for the more experienced players.
Here are the top picks from the American Tabletop Awards as well as some options for the most popular games on the market.
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Award-winning games
WizKids Blob Party | Party Game
This active game, for ages 8 and up, incentivizes teamwork as group members attempt to become a large blob.This took home the Early Gamers award this year.
- $29.95
- Amazon
Pandasaurus Games Sea Salt and Paper Card Game
A 2024 Casual Games winner, Sea Salt and Paper is a strategy focused game where players attempt to create an ocean.
- $14.99
- Amazon
The White Castle Board Game
This game, for ages 12 and up, won the Complex Games category in 2024, and focuses on a search for power in a Japanese castle.
- $39.99
- Amazon
Scorpion Masque Turing Machine
Turing Machine, for ages 14 and up, which won the Casual Games category in 2023, asks questions of logic to bring the player closer to a secret code.
- $39.95
- Amazon
AEG & Flatout Games | Calico
Calico won the 2021 award for strategy games and is designed for ages 10 and up.
- $29.55
- $39.99
- Amazon
Classic games
CATAN Board Game (Base Game)
This classic board game, for ages 10 and up, invites players to compete against neighboring comunities looking to expand their society.
- $43.97
- $59.99
- Amazon
Hasbro Gaming The Game of Life Board Game
For ages 8 and up, Life offers opportunities to seek out different life paths in a competition format.
- $21.60
- Amazon
Scrabble Game Deluxe Edition Letter Tiles Board Game
Scrabble deluxe, for ages 8 and up, offers all the classic fun of Scrabble with a rotating board and and carrying case for convenience.
- $35.98
- $44.99
- Amazon
Hasbro Gaming Connect 4 Classic Grid
Connect 4 is a classic game for all ages. This box comes with 21 discs of each color.
- $9.49
- $11.99
- Amazon