When the holidays roll around, many of us romanticize the idea of a cozy game night—only to remember the part where someone has to read the rules, explain them, and keep the vibes going while everyone tries not to flip a table. If you’ve ever sighed at the sight of a board game box (or struggled through a four-hour strategy game you didn’t sign up for), this episode is for you.

James Austin, Wirecutter’s staff writer covering games and hobbies, shares how to host a game night that actually stays fun, how to pick games that match your group’s vibe, and which games work best for kids, adults, mixed-age families, multilingual gatherings, or friends who are already a few drinks in.

If you crosswords and other NYT games, check out Puzzle Mania! from The New York Times Games editor Joel Fagliano.

James’s favorite resources to learn new games:

If you don’t want to read the rules, Watch It Played and Good Time Society have videos explaining how to play many board games
BoardGameGeek can tell you how to play a game your interested in
Board Game Arena is a great resource for playing digital versions of board games
Pagat.com explains the rules to every card game

Games for kids

Rhino Hero (age 5+) and Rhino Hero: Super Battle (age 5+)
First Orchard (age 2+)

Games for mixed-age groups or families

A Fake Artist Goes to New York - especially good for avoiding awkward conversations
The Gang - cooperative but silent play
The Crew - no talking!
Sushi Go! - adorable and easy to play
Monikers - great for big groups
Anomia - a great starter game
Dixit - a visual game without reading, good for kids and non-english speakers
Carcassonne - interactive and easy to understand
Coup - quick to play

Party Games for adults (including boozy groups)

Codenames - match words by meaning
Wavelength - opinion-based fun
Anomia - lots of shouting!

Strategy games

Catan - the original “Euro” style game
Bohnanza - if you like the interactive trading of Catan
Brass: Birmingham - if you want a complex strategy game with a lot going on

Games you can play with just a deck of cards

Oh Hell! - James’ family-favorite, trick-taking game

Two-player favorites

Splendor - can be played with more than two as well
Star Realms - build decks of cards that become more powerful as you play

Games for solo play

Final Girl - a horror-movie themed game
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - solve challenging mysteries just like a famous detective

James loves:

The Stormlight Ring by Thorum (his wedding ring)

Additional reading:

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The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel.Engineering support from Maddy Masiello and Nick Pitman. Episodes are mixed by Catherine Anderson, Efim Shapiro, Rowan Niemisto, Sophia Lanman, and Sonia Herrero. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Diane Wong. Wirecutter’s deputy publisher and general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Frumin is Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief. Hosted by Rosie Guerin, Caira Blackwell and Christine Cyr Clisset.

Find edited transcripts for each episode here: The Wirecutter Show Podcast

A Game Night Survival Guide

The Wirecutter Show

A Game Night Survival Guide