When the weather outside is not favorable, or you are simply looking for a fun way to spend time with friends indoors, there are plenty of good games to choose from.
Whether you are looking for something competitive, cooperative, or just plain silly, there is an indoor game for everyone.
Various types of indoor games include classic board games, party games, card games, cooperative games, and strategy games among others.
Best Indoor Games to Play with Friends
Classic Board Games
Some of the best indoor games to play with friends are the classic board games. These games have been enjoyed for many years.
These games are easy to learn and play, and people of all ages can enjoy them. Here are a few of my favorite classic board games for friends:
- Codenames: Codenames is a fast-paced word association game that’s perfect for large groups of friends. Players are divided into two teams, and each team has a spymaster who gives clues to their teammates. The first team to guess all of their words wins.
- Ticket to Ride: Ticket to Ride is a board game about collecting train cars and building railway routes. Players try to complete routes between different cities, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
- Pandemic: Pandemic is a cooperative board game where players work together to stop the spread of deadly diseases. Players must travel the world, build research stations, and share information to prevent the outbreak from getting out of control.
- 7 Wonders: 7 Wonders is a card drafting game where players build civilizations by drafting cards from three different decks. Players can collect resources, build structures, and develop scientific knowledge to earn victory points.
- Carcassonne: Carcassonne is a tile-laying game where players score points by placing tiles that feature roads, cities, and monasteries. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Party Games
Party games are designed to be fun and easy to learn. They are perfect for a casual gathering with friends.
These games often involve elements of chance and humor, and they are a great way to break the ice and get people talking. Here are some of my top choice for party games:
- Codenames Pictures: Codenames Pictures is a variation of the classic Codenames game, but instead of words, players use pictures to give clues to their teammates.
- The Resistance: The Resistance is a social deduction game where players try to figure out who among them are loyal members of the Resistance and who are secretly working for the Imperial Order.
- Secret Hitler: Secret Hitler is another social deduction game, but this time players are trying to identify the Secret Hitler who is secretly trying to undermine the government.
- The Chameleon: The Chameleon is a word association game where players try to guess who the Chameleon is. The Chameleon is trying to blend in with the other players, but they can’t give any clues about their true identity.
- Telestrations: Telestrations is a drawing and guessing game where players take turns drawing a word or phrase, and then the next player tries to guess what it is. The results are often hilarious, and the game is sure to get everyone laughing.
Card Games
There are also plenty of great card games to play with friends. These games are easy to pack up and take with you, and they can be played almost anywhere. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Uno: Uno is a classic card game that’s easy to learn and play. Players try to get rid of all of their cards by matching them in color or number.
- Skip-Bo: Skip-Bo is another classic card game that’s similar to Uno. Players try to build stacks of cards in ascending order, and the first player to get rid of all of their cards wins.
- Phase 10: Phase 10 is a more complex card game that requires players to complete different phases to win. Players can play cards in sets, runs, or pairs, and the first player to complete all ten phases wins.
- Sushi Go!: Sushi Go! is a fast-paced card drafting game where players collect sushi dishes to score points. Players take turns drafting cards from a round, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Cooperative Games
Cooperative games are a great way to bond with friends and work together towards a common goal. These games are often challenging, but they’re also very rewarding. Here are some of the best cooperative games for playing indoors:
- Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters: Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters is a cooperative dungeon crawl game where players work together to explore a haunted castle and defeat ghosts. Players must use their unique abilities to solve puzzles and defeat enemies, and the first team to reach the treasure wins.
- Hanabi: Hanabi is a cooperative card game where players work together to play fireworks cards in the correct order. Players can’t see their own cards, so they must communicate with each other to figure out which cards to play. The first team to play all of their cards in the correct order wins.
- Pandemic Legacy: Pandemic Legacy is a cooperative board game that tells a story over a series of games. Players work together to stop the spread of diseases, and their actions will have consequences that affect future games.
- Forbidden Island: Forbidden Island is a cooperative board game where players work together to escape a sinking island. Players must explore the island, collect artifacts, and find the hidden escape routes before they’re all drowned.
Forbidden Island
- Flash Point: Fire Rescue: Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a cooperative board game where players work together to put out fires and rescue people from burning buildings. Players must use their unique abilities to move around the building, fight fires, and save lives.
Strategy Games
Strategy games require players to think ahead and make careful decisions. These games can be complex, but they’re also very rewarding. I like these strategy games:
- Settlers of Catan: Settlers of Catan is a strategy board game where players build settlements, collect resources, and trade with each other to earn victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.
- 7 Wonders: Duel: 7 Wonders: Duel is a two-player strategy board game that’s based on the popular 7 Wonders game. Players build civilizations, develop scientific knowledge, and wage war to earn victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.
- Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico is a strategy board game where players build plantations, produce goods, and trade with each other to earn victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.
- Terraforming Mars: Terraforming Mars is a strategy board game where players work together to terraform Mars and make it habitable for humans. Players must raise the temperature, create oceans, and introduce plant life, and the first player to achieve certain goals wins.
- Agricola: Agricola is a strategy board game where players build farms, raise animals, and harvest crops to earn victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.
You may also read: Best strategy board games
Closing Remarks
These are just a few of the best indoor games to play with friends. With so many good options to choose from, you are sure to find a game that everyone will enjoy.
From experience, some of the best indoor games to play with friends include Codenames, Secret Hitler, Uno, Forbidden Island, and 7 Wonders among others.
So gather your friends, grab one of the games above, and have some fun!