Great Board Games For You And Your SO To Play While Stuck At Home

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Ticket to Ride: Europe

If you miss the days when you could travel or you simply dream about places you’d love to visit someday, try Ticket to Ride: Europe . You’ll travel around the Continent, from Edinburgh to Berlin, from Constantinople to Pamplona, via train routes, tunnels, and ferries. Bonus: If you’re not burned out on technology, you and your partner can ask Alexa to help you play, or one person can play against Alexa to while away the hours. Price: $44.50 .

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Tsuro: Phoenix Rising

In Tsuro: Phoenix Rising , the game board is constantly changing because the individual double-sided path tiles can be rearranged. You’ll want to collect seven star tokens as you play. Even if things go wrong, each player has one chance to rise again—like a phoenix. Price: $29.95 .

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Eggertspiele Camel Up

Maybe you’ve been thinking lately that there just isn’t enough camel racing in your life. Well, happy day! Place your bets! The colorful squiggly camels stack when necessary, and sometimes they run the wrong way. Camel Up , which sounds sillier than the actual experience, is an updated version of a game that won the 2014 Spiel des Jahres, or Game of the Year, award. The game board’s three-dimensional pyramid and palm trees add to the Egyptian flair. Price: $34.95.

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Mancala

Mancala is a classic board game, and it’s as lovely to look at as it is fun to play. Many variations exist, but the well-known two-player game involves moving pieces into holes or pockets and capturing the opponent’s pieces. The word “mancala” comes from the Arabic word “naqala,” which means “to move.” Consider this beautiful solid rubberwood Mancala that comes with 48 polished quartz pebbles. Price: 31.99 .

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Fifteen-Dot Dominoes

You’ve probably played dominoes before, but have you played dominoes with fifteen spots ? It’s a lot more challenging! Don’t worry, though—you won’t see spots before your eyes because you don’t have to count them. This set features a different pleasing color for each number. The spots or dots are technically called pips, by the way. Price: $19.92 .

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Exploding Kittens

If you’re into kittens, cute drawings, and somewhat dark humor, Exploding Kittens is for you. Players take turns drawing cards until someone draws an exploding kitten card. At that point, they explode, die, and lose the game—unless they can play a card to distract the kitten with a catnip sandwich, a laser pointer, or perhaps a belly rub. Cuteness trumps violence! This game is easy to learn, suitable for ages 7 and up, but so much fun. Add expansion packs, including Barking Kittens (with a wearable cat crown) and Streaking Kittens , to increase the fun. Exploding Kittens Price: $19.99 . Barking Kittens Price: $14.99 . Streaking Kittens Price: $4.99 .

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Strawberry Sunset

Strawberry Sunset plays sort of like dominoes, but with beautifully illustrated cards that are played atop previous cards. Your goal is to create a garden with more strawberries than your opponent’s—before sunset. Of course, you’ll want to add landscaping to your garden, such as koi ponds and gnomes. This card game is relaxing yet deceptively strategic. Price: $12.95 .

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Azul

Azul is a strategic mosaic tile game that is beautiful to look at. You and your opponent compete to arrange tiles in certain ways. You’ll earn points for collecting sets of the same color or creating specific patterns. Azul won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres—Game of the Year—in 2018. Price: $26.57 .

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Mille Bornes

Mille Bornes is a classic French racing game, played with a special deck of cards. But wait—it’s more fun than it sounds! Just when your partner finally gets a green light card, you’ll eagerly (but respectfully) play a flat tire or out of gas card on them. Ha ha! They’ll need to play the spare tire or gasoline card, followed by another green light card, before they can rack up any miles. Price: $14.99 .

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World’s Fair 1893

Go back in time and help plan the 1893 World’s Fair, which was held in Chicago. You’ll organize exhibits in Manufacturing, Agriculture, Fine Arts, Electricity, and Transportation, and along the way you’ll gather supporters and Midway tickets. It’s all about earning the best reputation by the end of the game. While you’re playing World’s Fair 1893 , enjoy some authentic 1893 Midway treats in real life, such as Cracker Jack and Juicy Fruit gum. World's Fair 1893 Price: $50.00 . Cracker Jack 3-Pack Price: $5.29 . Juicy Fruit Price: $7.14 .

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Node

Node is a strategy game, specifically for two people. You and your SO will have to play for years, or perhaps for many lifetimes, to experience all of the 20 billion starting board possibilities. Plus, the game pieces look great when arranged on a coffee table in a pleasing array of jewel tones. Price: $19.99 .

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Latice Hawaii

Latice Hawaii is one of those games that is easy to learn but challenging to master. It is appealing to the eye and satisfying to the touch, with colorful acrylic tiles and stones. The tile racks are deep blue and gracefully curved, reminiscent of ocean waves. There’s also a sand timer, so no player can lag too long before making a move. Price: $34.99 .

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Scrabble and wall décor, all in one

Sometimes it’s hard to find a time when everyone can sit down together to play a game, whether it’s just you and your SO or everyone in the household. And maybe you have wall space that is crying out for a unique piece of art. Resolve both issues with this impressive hanging Scrabble board. Everyone can play when they have a few moments, whenever they walk past this stunning piece. You’ll place magnetic letter tiles on a matte metal board to score points (or maybe leave household messages). The letter pouch and players’ racks hang from the game board in an artful arrangement. Consider the Scrabble XL if you’re feeling extra fancy. Scrabble Wall Décor Price: $179.00 . Scrabble Wall Décor XL Price: $949.00 .