Kristin’s Favorites: GAMES

One thing you may or may not know about me is that I am obsessed with games. We have quite the closet full, along with those in Mazy’s room as well. We have everything from board games, card games, to old school classics. Like literally, old school classics that I’ve found at thrift stores because the newer versions only made me wish I had the old. It seems that it’d be wise to downsize, but we truly play almost all of them at some point in a given year, with more being added to the stack every year.

And winter is coming, so wouldn’t ya know, I’ve gotta find some new ones! So, if you have any game suggestions, please comment below because I’d love to hear your family’s favorites!

I wanted to share a few games that have been a hit in our family as of late, and also games that I would play everyday if I could. All of these games Mazy, who is 9, is able to play too! Here are my top 6 at the moment:

Match Madness: https://amzn.to/46YZf1a

• You may have heard of the game, Uzzle, which is quite expensive in my book. I’ve been on the lookout for it for the past couple of YEARS, and it hasn’t really gone down in price. Well, there is now a “knockoff” to this game, that’s almost the exact same, called Match Madness. It is a bit of a brain-tester, but is fairly quick, and I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t enjoyed this one. Great Christmas idea! It is for 4 players, but you could buy two of the same game and be able to play with more players!

Qwixx: https://amzn.to/4geqHME

• This is more of a “classic” for us, since we’ve had this one for a bit. It’s maybe a bit hard to explain at first, but once you play, you’re going to forget that there was a day you didn’t remember. If the directions are confusing, watch a YouTube video and it’ll make sense. There are 15,000 reviews of this game on Amazon, giving it a 4.8, so if that says anything, it is a must-buy. Plus, it’s small enough that you can take it anywhere! Dan and I played COUNTLESS rounds of this while I was in the hospital and going to doctor’s appointments 3x a week. This is for 2-5 players.

Qwirkle: https://amzn.to/3z9boUT

• This game debuted back in 2006, but it’s still just as fun today! We take this game on every family vacation. It is all about creating a row of either the same color with different shapes, or the same shape, but different colors. For those who are more visual, this is a fantastic game and doesn’t require TOO much thinking. In fact, Dan and I will often play it while jamming to music at the same time. The box says 2-4 players, but we’ve played with more than that.

Splendor: https://amzn.to/3z5lWnW

• I get it, the box doesn’t necessarily sell this game. But when some friends taught us how to play, I was instantly hooked. Every round you play is so different and I could play this game 5x in a row and not be sick of it. It looks complicated, but it is actually really easy to learn. Don’t let the box steer you away…your family will love it – Mazy does too! Made for 2-4 players.

SkyJo: https://amzn.to/4g9SiPc

• This is another game that can come anywhere. If you’ve played the card game golf, it has a similar idea, and is VERY easy to learn! Mazy caught on very quickly and this too, is a game we pull out often. Just don’t get 3 negative 2s in a row, and it’ll cancel out all of them! Lowest score wins. It’ll be a guaranteed hit! You can play with 2-8 players.

Azul: https://amzn.to/4dQ1tTf

• This is maybe one of the more “unique” games we own, just because when you pull it out of the box, you’re going to wonder what in the world you have to do. This is a game where you may want to find another person to teach you to play or watch a YouTube video, but once you learn, it’s easy peasy, and again, you’ll forget that there was a day you didn’t know how. Trust me, one round won’t be enough, and you’ll be asking to play this one over and over! Even though it’s a 4 person game, it’s still definitely worth it – you won’t regret it!

I love new game ideas and thought we have several, there may be a game we don’t have, but should have! Please comment below with your family’s favorites!