Top 5 best board games you should make sure you've got installed on your phone or tablet this Thanksgiving
Updated: Original list by Harry Slater, Updated by Jupiter Hadley on November 25th, 2020.
Thanksgiving is coming up, which normally means a lot of Americans are going to be spending a lot of time with their families. And let's be honest, family time is the best time to play digital board games. Even if your uncle has misplaced the meeples for the game, or if your younger cousin has stolen a particularly pretty card, there are all of the peices in digital games!
So we've gone right ahead and suggested the five you should stick on your iPad or iPhone before you start travelling out to the homestead. This way, you will come prepared to ignore the football match going on, have a great excuse to not help peel an ungodly amount of potatoes and maybe score some brownie points with your grandma for keeping the other children entertained.
And if you've got any suggestions of other games people should be having a crack at, stick them in the comments at the bottom of the article and we will give them a look!
1
Colt Express
A brilliant game about robbing a train. Each player takes control of a robber who needs to loot a bunch of gold from a speeding train. It's turn-based, but everyone plays their moves at the same time.
So you might play a punch card, only to find out that the person you were trying to punch has moved into a different carriage.There's a surprising amount of depth here, but it's pretty easy to pick up and play as well. Plus you get to be a cowboy, and quite frankly who doesn't want to be an awesome cowboy?
2
Ticket to Ride: First Journey
There's a good chance that if you're hanging out with your family, you're going to be hanging out with some younger people.
And you should whip out Ticket to Ride: First Journey to keep them entertained. It's like a shrunk down version of the classic board game, and it's really easy to pick up and play. You're laying track to send trains to different locations. But the other players are trying to do the same. The first to bag the set amount of victory points wins.
3
Catan
Catan is one of those board games where everyone has heard the name at one point or another. It's easy to pick up, simple to explain, and doesn't take much time to start. Players are challenged to manage resources, while building up cities, towns and roads connecting them together. Building the world together, you want to make the best impact so that you can win!
Catan digital has the sea expansion, which is pretty nice if you like the base (physical) game but haven't played the expansion!
4
Root
Root is a more complex board game, probably best for your older cousins and members of your family. In Root, you are trying to keep control of the woods, using different factions to play to your strengths. Managing cards, moving characters, and keeping track of everyone else in the forest (and how they play) is ideal for this game - so people who have a good pocket of time to fill will enjoy this one.
5
Pathfinder Adventures
Let's not beat around the bush here – there's a reason you don't see your family all the time. And if you want a bit of peace and quiet on your own, Pathfinder Adventures is a great way to get it.
It's essentially an RPG distilled into a card game, and it's an awful lot of fun. There's a huge amount of content to smoosh your face into as well. Sure, your mom might be carving the turkey, but that doesn't mean you can't be carving up some goblins on your phone or tablet as well.
