Trying to find a fun board game like Taboo that will bring the party to life? Then you’re going to love these 12 other options that we found.
1. Scattergories
- Players work separately or in teams to come up with words that start with a specific letter
- There are different categories that players have to be able to fill out
- Due to the timer, players have to work as quickly as possible to fill out their cards
- Points are awarded to players who came up with original answers that the other players didn’t list
- Double points are awarded when players choose an answer that has two words that start with the given letter
- There are more than 3,500 different category combinations, thanks to the high number of categories, as well as the different letters that are used in the game
- Players are rewarded for being able to think outside of the box
- Because players can vote on whether or not words are acceptable, this game can get very exciting at the end
2. Catchphrase
- Players split into two teams, which means that very large groups can play together since team play is required
- Each team has a turn trying to describe phrases and words that are on the timer without accidentally saying the word itself
- The automatic time will sound when the round is over
- With multiple categories to choose from, it’s fairly easy to find one that everyone is familiar with
- There aren’t any problems with keeping score, as the buzzer will do all of the work for you
- Teams pass the buzzer back and forth as they play, and the team holding the buzzer when it goes off has to give a point to the opposing team
- The first team to reach seven points is the winner, and play is generally very fast
3. Articulate
- Players work in pairs and try to get their partner to guess as many words as possible from a specific category on a card
- There is a 30 second time limit for each round and players can only pass once, which means that they need to be prepared for thinking on their feet
- Teams get to move their pawn forward an equal number of spaces to the answers that they got correct
- Pawns that land on red or orange spaces will have the opportunity to either move themselves forward more spaces or to move their opponents back some
- Landing on spade spaces involves a speed round where players try to get their teammates to guess a word before the other team is able to
- There are six categories of cards: random, action, world, nature, object, and person
4. That’s It!
- One player draws a topic card and reads off the categories listed while others try to guess the answer
- The player who is able to guess the answer correctly receives the card or token and is one step closer to scoring the most points and winning the game
- With 200 cards, it’s easy to play this game often and for long periods of time without repeating the same cards
- Players can split into teams if they are worried about how well they will be able to play the game
- The fast pace of this game prevents players from feeling bored
- Thanks to the fun and diverse categories, there are answers that everyone will be able to come up with
- Playing time only takes around 15 minutes, making it a great option when you’re in a hurry
5. Rollick!
- Players split up into teams, which helps to reduce the stress that players may feel on their own
- Team members have to collaborate with each other without being able to talk
- Includes 60-second timer, 756 clues, and a scoring sheet
- One team plays at a time and chooses a card for their whole team to act out together
- The other team has 60 seconds to try to guess as many clues as possible to score points
- Since there are so many cards, as well as variations for smaller or larger groups, this game offers a ton of replay action
- Each card has an easier and a more difficult side to choose from
- Encourages people to work together to act out the card and to be able to guess correctly
6. Heads Up
- Players put on a headband and they have to put cards in it from four possible categories
- Other players then provide clues so that the player wearing the headband will be able to try to guess what cards they are wearing
- Great game for two or more players to play, as it’s easy to split up into teams to compete with larger groups
- Players who are able to guess the most words that they have in their headband based on clues from others are the winner
- The timer provides enough time for players to guess, but adds a lot of pressure to the game
- There are 200 cards available, which means that you can play the game over and over without getting the same cards twice
- Game is a lot of fun for players of all ages
7. Codenames Pictures
- One player is the spymaster while the others are the agents who are trying to contact their secret agents
- The spymaster has to provide clues to the other players so that they can guess the codenames of their agents without accidentally contacting foreign agents, civilians, or the assassin
- Spymasters have to be able to come up with clues that will help the player fin
d their agents without accidentally uncovering other agents in the process - The first person to find all of the agents without uncovering the assassin is the winner
- The game is easy to set up and is designed so that the spymaster can run it quickly and without a lot of problems, although they do have to get creative with code names towards the end of the game
- Ideal for two to eight or more players
8. Midnight Outburst
- Players split into teams and then pick a card for their teammates to guess
- Adult-only game
- After choosing a topic, all members on a team have 45 seconds to yell out as many answers as they can
- The more that a team is able to match the answers on the card, the more that they are able to score
- There are 562 topics with a total of 5,620 answers on the cards
- There are bonus points that can help you quickly improve your score
- Since there are plenty of different cards to choose from, games can go on for a long time and this game can be played over and over without players repeating the same cards
- Can be played with only two players, but it is more difficult
9. Pictionary
- Classic quick-draw game where players must try to draw the clues on a card for other players to be able to guess
- Even players who aren’t very artistic can enjoy this game, as it is fast and fun, and doesn’t require a lot of skill to enjoy
- Players can choose from two levels of clues so that they will have the best chance of their drawing making sense
- For each correct guess, a team can move their pawn on the board
- The first team to get enough correct guesses to reach the end of the board is the winner
- Included white boards make it easy for drawing and erasing without wasting any paper
- There are 120 adult cards and 80 junior cards, which means that this game can have a lot of play before repeating
10. You’ve Got Crabs
- Players work in pairs and have to try to collect four cards of a kind
- By coming up with a secret method to clue in their partner that they have collected all of their cards, partners set themselves up to win
- After a player has four of a kind, they signal to their partner, who then has to yell “you’ve got crabs” to win the round
- If a player from another team sees the secret signal and yells it out first, then the winning team doesn’t get a point
- There are 78 cards, a foam turn indicator, 28 crab points, and clear instructions for fast play
- Great for children as young as seven, as the rules are basic and easy to understand
11. What’s Yours Like?
- One player per round has to try to guess what the other players are all describing
- Players choose a card and try to describe what theirs is like so that the player can guess what the card is
- The more descriptive the players get, the better the chance the person in the hot seat has of guessing correctly
- The person in the hot seat tries to guess the answer with as few clues as possible
- While the items to be described may seem mundane, the fun and elaborate descriptions make this game a lot of fun
- There are 248 cards with 496 guess words included in this game
- Great game for larger groups of people, as everyone is involved in each round of play
12. 5 Second Rule
- There are more than 150 cards to choose from when playing this game
- Players choose a card, read the topic, and start the timer
- There are only five seconds on the time for players to name three things that fit the topic
- Because there is such a short period of time to name three items, players often get tongue-tied and start laughing instead of being able to continue the game
- Great for players 10 to adult
- The more people who play, the louder and more exciting the game is
- While the categories are basic and seem like they would be easy, they make it very difficult to come up with an answer
- Because players can pay in teams, it reduces the stress