Disclosure: Games were received for consideration and this post contains some affiliate links.
Our family loves playing board games and we try to have game night at least a few times a month. I think games make great gifts for the holidays and the boys always get a few new ones on Christmas morning. I’ve shared about our favorite games and games that make great gifts in past gift guides so this year I’m sharing more new games from the Chicago Toy & Game Fair along with other games I’ve been sent to check out!
Utter Nonsense! (Family Edition) – Ages 8+
With Utter Nonsense! The Hilarious Accent Game-Family Edition gather the family around the table and get ready to laugh. You don’t have to be good at accents and the combinations don’t need to make sense, that’s where the fun comes in! Players combine silly accents with even sillier phrases to create sayings and actions that are just plain ridiculous. Players are encouraged to improvise too. Chock full of family fun, you and your family will be rolling on the floor laughing in no time.
Buy it here.
Break Free – Ages 6+
You are locked up in handcuffs, how fast can you Break Free? Use your lock-picking tool to escape and collect most points if you Break Free the fastest. Break Free is a super secret spy mission with challenging action skills. The objective of this fast-action game is to find the exit of the maze to open the handcuff the fastest.
Break Free is a table-top game full of urgency, suspense and tons of fun for one to four players and it includes four handcuffs with twelve unique mazes with three difficulty levels. Each color represents a different level of difficulty, making each round unpredictable. Players must handcuff themselves together and insert an equal difficulty level into each handcuff. Using the lock pick, moving up and down, twist left and right and Break Free first to win!
The fastest to break free from their handcuff receives a token that corresponds with the maze color. There are points on the back of each token, the player with the most points after playing all three rounds, wins the game.
Buy it here.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Card Game – Ages 8+
In the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Card Game, you will be on a top-secret mission to recover the greatest treasures known to mankind – The Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty’s Torch, and more. Get ready to jet set across the globe. Your assignment is to apprehend CarmenSandiego, track the location of her hideout, and determine which loot she stole. Can you catch Carmen?
Buy it here.
You Gotta Know Chicago – Sports Trivia Game
You Gotta Know Chicago is the addictive sports trivia game made just for Chicago sports fans. Teams. Players. Coaches. Buildings. Mome
Buy it here.
Ice Cool – Ages 6+
Penguins are running through the school in the first flicking game ever to have pieces which curve and jump!
The fun run begins – the rascals are running everywhere and trying to snatch up the fish on the way, but the Hall Monitor is trying to catch each one of them to have some order in the school. Who will be more successful?
It’s not just cool, it’s Ice Cool!
Buy it here
Top Trumps – 5+
Everybody loves Top Trumps. They’re fast-paced, super competitive, and easy for anyone to pick up and enjoy. They’re also a great tool for teaching and learning; whether it’s teaching kids the size of jungle predators or introducing them to the history of the USA through the US Presidents pack. Whether your friends and family are into Volcanoes or Star Wars, US History or Harry Potter, there’s a pack for everyone on your list!
Discover all of the themed packs and buy them here.
Simon: Star Wars Darth Vader Edition – Ages 8+
Introducing a sinister twist on the Simon game! The Simon: Star Wars Darth Vader Edition game features a game unit designed like the legendary Star Wars character, Darth Vader. Players need to watch, remember, and repeat the patterns, but they will have to follow along with the sounds and colors, and repeat in the correct order by pressing the pads on Darth Vader’s mask.
Buy it here
Ultra Dash – Ages 6+
Move fast when the colors flash! Set out the targets to design your own course however you want! Use the tagger to choose from 3 game modes: beat the clock, target tally and relay race! Whatever color your tagger flashes, race to that color target and “tag” it; tagger detects targets and scores on accuracy!
Buy it here
Safe Breaker – Ages 6+
Use your memory and spy skills to crack the code on the exciting game of safe breaker. Electronic safe has diamonds and gold inside; use the fingerprint scanner and spy gear ear piece to listen to clues. To play, pick a card from the pack and turn the safe combination to the corresponding number. Next, use the fingerprint scanner to test the number. If the light is green you have cracked the code and the safe will burst open to release some coins. No luck? use your spy gear to hear the clue and help you deduce the correct number. Is the correct code higher or lower than the number already tried? make sure you keep a straight face and don’t give anything away to the other players. The player who collects five golden coins is the winner. But beware of the “alarm bell” coins – they will alert the police and the player must return all their coins to the safe!
Buy it here
Soggy Doggy- Ages 4+
Soggy Doggy is the action-packed, suspense-filled board game of bath time fun! Race around the board and take turns giving Soggy Doggy a bath. But watch out! He loves to shake himself dry! Get soaked and you’re sent back to start. Make it around the bathtub and you win!
Buy it here
What games are on the top of your wish list this year?
Oh cool! I had no idea Carmen San Diego was still around! I LOVE all these picks. Woo hoo!
I want that Carmen SanDiego game! When I was a kid that was probably my favorite computer game. I would love to show it to my kiddo.
Soggy Doggy looks like a game my son would have asked to play over and over when he was little. This is a great collection of gift ideas for all those who like to game.
I can’t believe there is a Darth Vader Simon game, how awesome is that? My son would love it.
My girls are all about the Shopkins! They totally have hundreds of those little things.
Soggy doggy is on my daughter’s list. I was wondering about the Carmen Santiago game, I saw it at Target.
These are all great ideas. My family loves playing games. Soggy Doggy is on my girls list too.
This post was super helpful! I’ve been looking at game ideas for my nephews. That Utter Nonsense game looks like so much fun!
Love these ideas! I’m still trying to find stuff for my nephew, these are great ideas.
What a great selection of family games. I was always good at Simon.
I love family game night and am always looking for new games to add. Utter Nonsense sounds like it would be a hoot.
This sounds like an amazing selection of games to play with your family. I can’t wait to try them all out.
I love playing games as a family. These would certainly make family game night that much more interesting.
All the games are amazing. My kid will love the break free..
These all look like fun games. I will have to get the Simon: Star Wars Darth Vader Edition for my little niece and nephew.