Are you trying to find board games that start with Y? In this article, you’ll find some of the most fun choices that begin with this odd letter. Why is it odd? Well, it’s both a vowel and a consonant, so that’s reason enough!
Yahtzee
- This game can be played by as few as two players, but sizes up easily, making it a great game for larger groups at parties.
- Five dice are needed to play Yahtzee, and each player takes a turn where they roll the dice between one and three times as they attempt to fill in one of 13 categories on their sheet.
- Some category examples include four of a kind, five of a kind, full house, and straight.
- While players try to fill in scores for each category, this isn’t always possible.
- After every player has a score or a zero in each of their categories, then the game is over and the scores are added up and compared.
- While turns can take a while, there is a social component to this game that makes it very enjoyable.
Yeti, Set, Go!
- Every player puts meatballs in their yeti’s reservoir and then hits the yeti on the head in an attempt to make them kick the meatballs across the board.
- Players compete to try to land their meatballs on the ledges located in their quadrant of the mountain.
- While this game is a lot of fun and does require some luck, it also takes skill as players learn how and where to aim their meatballs for the best chance at a high score.
- Great for between two and four players, and doesn’t require batteries, unlike many games for younger children.
- Each player has to stop and pick up their meatballs if they fall off of the board, which adds to the hilarity and the overall fun of the game.
- Players also learn how hard they must hit their yeti’s head.
Yinsh
- Players in this game each have five rings on the board, and as they move their rings across the board, it leaves behind a marker.
- Each marker is black on one side and white on the other, and will flip over from one color to the next when they are jumped by a player.
- Flipping over the markers means that the colors are constantly changing, as is the ownership of the marker.
- Players try to form a row with five markers featuring their own color face up.
- When players form a row of five, then they remove a ring showing that they have done so.
- The first player who is able to remove three rings from the board is the winner.
- While each row brings a player close to winning, they also weaken a player.
Yeti in My Spaghetti
- Thanks to how easy this game is to set up and to play, it’s ideal for younger children who are age four and up and who may not be reading yet.
- Because the rules are basic and easy to explain, it’s simple for most children to understand how to play.
- Noodles are set across the top of the bowl and the Yeti is placed on the top of the noodles.
- Players remove pieces of the spaghetti on their turns, taking care to keep the Yeti from falling into the bowl.
- The player who makes the Yeti fall into the bowl is the loser of the game.
- The spaghetti are high quality and durable so that they won’t get damaged during normal play, and they are all different shapes to mimic the appearance of real spaghetti.
You’re an Idiot
- This game is only for players who are 17+ due to the content on the cards, but makes for a great party game with older players.
- All players get to laugh at each other and make fun of each other as players match together cards that say mean things about their friends.
- Includes 400 cards, a spinner, and rules, which make the game easy to understand and ensure that it has great replay value.
- Each player is dealt four orange and four white cards, with one player acting as the judge for each round.
- The judge spins to see if players can pass cards or trade them or continue with the game.
- The spinner points to the person who will be judged, and then all players play a card to make sentences about their friend, and the best one is the winner.
Yikerz!
- Every player is competing to try to get rid of all of their pieces first.
- Players put their pieces down on the board and try to stay far enough away from other pieces so that they don’t accidentally attract them.
- If the pieces connect to one that a player has played, then they are added to their hand, which can set them back from winning.
- There are some ways to make the game more difficult for opponents to win, including setting the pieces upright on the board.
- The interchangeable game board can be redesigned in many ways, ensuring a new and different game each time it is played.
- There are more than 20 different layouts for the game, and choosing one that matches the players’ skills makes the game very enjoyable.
You Gotta Be Kidding
- Designed for younger children who are age seven and up, this game works perfectly with at least two players.
- Each player has a turn to answer a question that is from a deck containing 400 questions.
- Each time a player answers a question, they get to decide between a goofy and a wild option.
- Players who are able to guess their friends’ answers correctly will win.
- Contains 400 questions, 15 challenge cards, a game board, toy, tokens, and pawns.
- Players compete to move their pawns closer to and then across the finish line, and the player who is able to get their pawn across the line first is the winner.
- Requires players to wait and take turns while keeping everyone involved in the game.
Yeti
- Unlike other family games, this one is very fast, takes minimal setup, and is great for when players don’t have a lot of time for longer and more involved games.
- Each player represents an adventurer who is looking for proof of the Yeti’s existence.
- Players try to find footprints from the Yeti to get points.
- If a player is able to take pictures of the Yeti, then they can earn even more points.
- To take pictures, players must hire Sherpas to help them move their gear, hope for good weather, and move quickly up the mountain.
- This game requires some luck and some skill, making it a great introduction to board games for younger players who don’t have a lot of experience with turn-based games.
Yspahan
- In this game, players are merchants who trade with the city of Yspahan.
- Each player can earn the most points by placing their goods for sale in the correct and best shops by comparing which ones are busiest and which ones will get the most business.
- Players are also able to score points by sending goods to the caravans and by constructing new buildings.
- While players can draft their action during their turn, rolling the dice is what will determine what actions a player can take, as well as how powerful the actions will be.
- Not only can players earn points in the short term by laying claim to certain shops, but improving infrastructure and getting bonus cards will help, as well.
- Seven turns constitute a week, and after three weeks the points are totaled and the game is over.
Yeti or Not!
- This is a very fast-paced game that requires players to be able to count quickly and to have fast gross motor skills so that they can easily grab the right number from the table.
- Because of how easy this game is to learn, it’s a great game for younger children who are seven and up, and it is perfect for groups from two to eight players.
- Players each get their own Find Board that they place in front of them, and then there are nine yetis on the scoring board.
- Each of the nine yetis have a number on them and players have to be able to recognize that number, match it to the number of yetis on their board, and then grab the correct piece.
- There is very little strategy in this game, as it relies mostly on speed and counting.
Yangtze
- This game is set on the Yangtze River, and players all are trying to make money.
- During each turn, players can take two actions – selling bundles or goods and purchasing a commodity, if desired.
- Goods on the river become less expensive as they drift away and get closer to Shanghai.
- Players who are able to wait a longer time before purchasing goods can buy them at a less expensive price, but risk another player trying to snatch them away first.
- Not only can players rely on trade to get the items they need, but they also create business branches that will allow them certain advantages.
- In addition, players all have special cards dealt out at the beginning of the game that they can use for certain advantages throughout the game.
Yellow and Yangtze
- All players work to build their own civilization through the correct and strategic placement of tiles.
- There are five different leaders in the game: artisan, governor, trader, farmer, and soldier.
- The leaders must be used to collect victory points, but they can only gather points in their own category.
- Rather than counting up all of the victory points that a player has at the end of the game, scoring is according to the lowest score in a category.
- This means that players must focus on all categories equally and not let one become weaker than the others.
- Connecting civilizations on the board can result in conflict, and players must not only survive the conflict, but also calm revolts and build the largest and nicest pagodas to win.