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11 board games you should be playing as an adult

You won’t regret it.

So you’ve played Monopoly, and Clue, and Candyland. Those games are great — but there are more fun, innovative, and intellectually challenging board games out there to try.

This list dates from spring 2014, but I stand by all these game recommendations. If you want to branch out from the list, since I wrote it I’ve greatly enjoyed Pandemic, Twilight Struggle, Mysterium, Eclipse, 1960: Making of the President, and Android: Netrunner. I’m still in the middle of a Gloomhaven campaign, and while it’s ludicrously expensive, it’s worth the investment; if you’re a more sensible person than me and want to save money, you can wait for the video game version coming soon. I’ve been meaning to get around to trying Pandemic: Legacy and Terraforming Mars, and while I can’t vouch for them personally, they come highly recommended.

So, keeping in mind that this is just a brief sampling, here are 11 titles to try if you’re just getting into board games.

Dylan Matthews