27 Stupendous Board Games For Adults That'll Take Game Night To New Heights

Avast, ye swashbuckler, are you brave enough to join the fleet, or maybe even captain one, and traverse the high seas waging war against other pirates? Find out in Plunder, A Pirate's Life, a game of wits, wonder, waves, and of course, treasure. The rules are easy to master but the strategy required is what you'll have to pracitce.

If you don't recognize the Batman Who Laughs, that's good, he's one of the DC Universe's most sinister characters. It's up to you and your friends to bring him down. Assume the identity of your favorite super- and anti-heroes as you make your way through the game.

It's Clue, but more murdery. This murder mystery involves death on the high seas and is built in an escape room format. It's incredibly dynamic, with a gameboard that builds and changes as you progress and puzzles that unlock as you reach new levels. Up to 10 can play at once, so it's a good fit for a dinner party.

You're a secret agent and you're tasked with contacting all of your agents before your other players do. The only problem is that they're trying to do the same thing. Engage in secrecy, deception, and mystery with the game, which only takes 15 minutes to play.

Spend game night on the edge of your seat by seeing if you can survive Resident Evil 2: The Board Game. In this co-operative horror game you and three of your friends will see if you all can survive the nightmarish zombie-riddled streets of Raccoon City.

See just how well you’d handle a worldwide health crisis by sitting around the table for a rousing game of Pandemic. You and your fellow players must play to your character’s strengths to develop and implement a strategy for eradicating the disease.

Do a little misbehavin' on game night with your buddies by playing through Firefly. The massive board game has expansion packs available to introduce more characters, challenges, and objectives to the cooperative or competitive mode (yes, there are two modes of play!). You're a captain at the edge of the 'Verse, have some fun with it!

A game that turns you into an artisan is a particularly entertaining jaunt. Azul has subtle depth, a lot of beauty, and a simple strategy that all will enjoy. The play is totally randomized, so you'll never play the same game two times over.

If you haven't played Sequence before, you're missing out. The game is one of simple strategy and a little luck and is played with nothing more than a deck of cards and a mat. Try and match 5 in a row, but watch out for the Jacks, they cause trouble.

Do you get bonus points by starting this game at 4:20? Only you can find out as you make your way through a magical mystical world of green. The adventure game is all about friendship, good vibes, and having a good time together.

Kids of the 80s and 90s might remember playing Civilization on the computer but the board game is bigger and better than that ever was. Create a culture, engage in conquest, make friends, defeat your enemies, build a city, and so much more as you play as one of the competing nations in the game.

As brainy games go, Mensa called this one of the best. Forbidden Island challenges you and your teammates, it's cooperative, to channel your collective strategy and problem-solving. The mission is do-or-die so the stakes are high and it'll light a fire under you to find the four treasures before the island floods.

Dark Souls is regarded as one of the most challenging video games ever so you better buckle up for the board game. You'll play as one of the character classes from the game and use miniatures, challenge cards, tokens, tiles and terrain and more to build the world that you'll traverse.

You'll plot your moves in secret, making small advances to grow the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance so you don't tip off your fellow players to your plans. The minute moves are in stark contrast to the massive game, which has you adventure through the galaxy on two boards with 150 miniatures.

The city of Arkham is under a shadow and it might be under attack soon, it's up to you to stop it. Join your fellow players in this cooperative game based on the readings of H.P. Lovecraft and stop occult activities, defeat aliens and Elder Ones, and gather clues to keep the city of Arkham safe.

You're on a ship and your crew has just awoken from hibernation to find the ship is failing. One crew member is dead, though, so you've got two mysteries to solve. Work together to find the murder, find the saboteur, and make it back to Earth safely. With over 500 components, Nemesis makes for an excellent game night jaunt.

Depending on when the polls close, you and the people at your election party could have a lot of time to kill before the official winner is announced. Declare your own winner playing a game of political glory with the aptly named Election Night!

Invite some pals over for game night and plunge into the chilly depths with the Reign of Cthulhu. The board game is built for 2 to 4 players and challenges you to seal the gates before the realm is taken over by Shoggoths. The gameplay lasts about 40 minutes but it'll feel like less because it's so much fun.