This Christmas, you can’t go wrong with giving the gift of board games. It’s really a win-win present. You get to introduce someone to a cool, novel tabletop experience – and if you’re lucky, you get to join the fun. Buy someone a board game and you’re really buying yourself a present too.
The only challenge is deciding what board games to gift, and which games suit which person. While there’ll always be a board games curmudgeon, it’s fair to say most people enjoy board games. They’re all about sitting down and having fun with your friends or family after all.
But is your giftee someone who’s experienced in tabletop board gaming? Do they want the latest, best releases of the year? Are they a more casual board games player, or someone looking to get into tabletop games for the first time? What if they’re a younger player?
There’s so many options to consider. If you’re looking to get started on your quest for the perfect Christmas board games gift, read on with this ScreenHub gift guide. With hands-on, curated picks for multiple types of players, there are plenty of ideas ahead.
Board games 2025 gift guide – quick links
Gift guide: The best board games for young players
If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for a young board game player – perhaps one that hasn’t played board games before, or is just looking to expand their horizons – here are our picks of the new 2025 releases, plus some classics.
Oh My Pigeons!
- Players: 2-5
- Where to buy: Amazon
Oh My Pigeons! is a very funny, very silly casual party game for two to five players that is all about competing to collect the most pigeons (represented by tiny, adorable tokens). Playing in rounds, you use special cards to corral pigeons to your crew, and you can also roll or flick die to add maximum chaos to your gameplay.
What’s best about this particular game is that it’s very light-touch and easy to learn so anyone can join in. It’s also got just the right balance between slapstick humour and satisfying gameplay, making it a lightly competitive but always enjoyable experience. Should this make its way to your Christmas table, you’re in for a blast of joy.
Villainous: Unstoppable!
- Players 2-4
- Where to buy: Gameology
Disney Villainous: Unstoppable! is a board game that invites players to embody a classic Disney villain, complete with a nefarious goal and the cards to complete it. While some of the rules can be a bit complex, requiring very young players to work alongside an adult, most young players will be rapt by the excellent Disney theming and how the action plays out.
There is a sharp learning curve to get started with this game but once players understand how gameplay flows, the turns become much easier. Then, the focus can turn to being competitive and figuring out strategy.
Knitting Circle
- Players: 1-4
- Where to buy: Amazon
Knitting Circle is a cosy board game all about knitting garments, with the help of roaming cats. Playing in rounds, players pick and choose yarn from a basket and use it to create cosy clothing, adding various accessories along the way. The goal differs based on the rule sets you choose but ultimately, this game is all about creating cool clothes under the watchful eyes of tiny calico cats.
The theme and the slow-moving, simple-to-understand gameplay make this particular board game perfect for younger players. Not only is it very cute, it also teaches valuable skills, like strategy and rational decision-making.
Once Upon A Time
- Players: 2+
- Where to buy: Amazon
Once Upon a Time: The Storytelling Card Game is a simple, imaginative card game that lets you create a story with folks of all ages, but in a gamified fashion. Playing in rounds, you draw particular cards, each of which features traditional elements from fairy tales. You then make up a story, sharing a few sentences inspired by this prompt.
This game is a particularly good gift for young kids as it teaches storytelling skills and encourages their imagination. It’s also a game that can be played together and the holiday season feels like the perfect time to do so.
Unlock! Kids: Irish Folklore Trilogy
- Players: 1+
- Where to buy: Amazon
Unlock! Kids: Irish Folklore Trilogy is an escape room-style game where young players work together to explore various stories, solving puzzles along the way. If you’re looking for a board game gift for young players that allows them to learn new skills, this is the sort of title you should be looking at.
With this particular box, players are able to self-guide their exploration through three different tales, each charting new realms. Very young kids might need help to solve some of the puzzles, but these adventures are specifically designed for all ages so that everyone has a chance to discover solutions.
Gift guide: The best board games for casual players
If you’re keen to buy a board game for a player who casually enjoys board games, or just someone who doesn’t know much about tabletop gaming and wants to learn more, start with these lighter titles that allow them to experience the magic.
The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game
- Players: 1-4
- Where to buy: Amazon
The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game is a light-hearted adaptation of the Lord of the Rings story that sees each player picking a character and setting off to complete their individual quest. Across multiple chapters, players work towards their goals by competing in trick-taking games, where they must play high cards in set suits, a bit like bridge.
Because this game is inspired by classic trick-taking mechanics, it’s very approachable and easy to learn. Early-stage board game players will appreciate the snappiness and how well gameplay flows.
Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons
- Players: 1-5
- Where to buy: Zing Pop Culture
Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons is the newest variant of the Horrified gameplay system, which allows groups of up to five players to travel across a board, defeating monsters. In this case, players are working together to save the citizens of Waterdeep from the encroachment of Mimics, beasts and dragons.
If you’re buying a board game for someone looking to get into tabletop gameplay, this version of Horrified (or any version of Horrified) illuminates the magic of tabletop gaming very well. It invites you into a vast and imaginative world, with well-designed mechanics allowing you to become part of the action.
Parks (2nd Edition)
- Players: 1-5
- Where to buy: Gameology
For a more calming board games experience, Parks (2nd Edition) makes for a fantastic Christmas gift. This is a cosy strategy game where players follow park trails to behold natural vistas, inspired by iconic national parks in the United States. Not only is this game very pretty, it also features strong, exploratory gameplay that engages all the senses.
Parks invites you into a paradise, and lets you get lost in its world. It’s beautiful and compelling, and a perfect demonstration of why board games are so good.
Everdell Duo
- Players: 1-2
- Where to buy: Gameology
Everdell Duo is a resource management game for one or two players that be played either co-operatively or competitively, making it great for players of all kinds. In rounds, you’ll place workers in your own little animal-filled village and work towards making it harmonious. If you’re looking for a cosy game with elements strategy, this is the one you’ll want to consider.
With its lush, colourful art style and easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay, it’s also a wonderful title for players looking to get into board games, and to experience an engaging, inspiring world.
Azul Duel
- Players: 2
- Where to buy: Amazon
If you’re looking for the perfect two-player board games experience, then Azul Duel is a great option for Christmas gifting. This is a tile-laying game where you take tiles from a shared pool and compete with another player to create special patterns. There are layers of strategy in this game but it’s not particularly hard to learn – which makes it great as a first board game or for folks who just want a casual, competitive experience.
While you’re picking and laying tiles, you can sit back and appreciate how well-designed and minimalist the game’s boards are, and admire how your patterns coalesce together.
Gift guide: The best board games for experienced players
If you’re buying a Christmas gift for an experienced board game player who frequently enjoys board games and is looking for their next challenge, then read on. These are some of the best board games released in 2024 and 2025 that your Christmas giftee might not have played yet.
Finspan
- Players: 1-5
- Where to buy: Amazon
For the strategy-loving board game player, Finspan is a wonderful Christmas gift. This is a management board game all about discovering fish in various underwater locations, while also creating the perfect circumstances for them to lay eggs and create offspring. Once your menagerie of fish is primed, it’s all about watching your collection grow.
This is a relatively competitive game, with layers of strategy behind creating the biggest and most impressive collection of fish, but there’s plenty of opportunity to sit back and appreciate the game’s many beautiful sea creatures too.
Dorfromantik: Sakura
- Players: 1-6
- Where to buy: Amazon
Dorfromantik: Sakura is a wonderful tile-laying game that’s buoyed by a lush art style and inspiration from traditional Japanese design. The goal here is to create a beautiful landscape that adheres to the desires of the populace, meeting all their set criteria.
As with other games in this gift guide, Dorfromantik: Sakura could also be great for a more casual board game player, but veterans will appreciate the layers of strategy baked in. That’s not to mention the opportunity to sit back, relax and watch a gorgeous world come to life with each new tile placement.
The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
- Players: 1-5
- Where to buy: Amazon
The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is an intriguing adventure board game that adapts the gameplay system of Pandemic. You play as members of the iconic fellowship, and must work towards defeating the forces of Sauron by travelling to various locations and completing quests. While anyone can play this game, it fits neatly into the veteran board gamer gift guide as it requires complex strategy to successfully complete a round.
For players familiar with Pandemic, this will be much easier to pick up, at least. It’s all about understanding your surrounds and figuring out how to maximise your moves in order to make the most progress each turn.
The Dark Quarter
- Players: 1-4
- Where to buy: Gameology
The Dark Quarter is a lush dark fantasy adventure that lets you roam a magical version of New Orleans in the 1980s. This is a game guided by an app, with deep storytelling allowing you to fully embody a special agent attempting to solve crimes of a mysterious nature.
This is a fairly heavy adventure board game so you’ll want to gift it only to an experienced player but for the right person, it’s an absolutely enthralling journey. As one of the best new games of 2025, it would certainly make for the ideal Christmas gift.
Critter Kitchen
- Players: 1-5
- Where to buy: The Gamesmen
Critter Kitchen is a wonderful, heavyweight management game where you’re corralling creature chefs to gather ingredients and cook hearty meals. There are multiple moving parts in this game but the friction of learning how to play is eased by just how gorgeous and cute its entire world is. Each part of this game is high quality and well-designed, from the various chefs to the food tokens, restaurant locations and beyond.
Critter Kitchen rewards your patience very well with satisfying, moreish cooking gameplay, and an endgame that pays off the entire experience. It’s delightful, and certainly earns its place on this Christmas gift guide.
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