These 15 Black Friday board game deals will save you from boredom this winter

Perfect for: Everyone

Okay, I know this isn’t discounted, but $7.97 is so cheap for a great game, who cares? This game is super quick to play and learn, as it’s basically Blackjack. Each player is dealt a card, then takes turns either sticking with what they have and banking their points, or twisting and adding a card to their pile. If they are dealt a card they already have, they bust out and score zero.

The deck is built with 12 twelves, 11 elevens, and so on (plus 1 zero), so there’s the risk-reward that higher numbers are more likely to make you bust, and there are a few special bonus cards that can mix things up.

The Flip 7 of it all is if you flip over seven unique number cards, you end the round and get a bonus 15 points, which is a massive help as you and everyone else race to 200 points.

There’s also a Grinch version that’s the same price if you want one that’s more Christmas-themed for your winter game nights.

Perfect for: Large groups who love to lie creatively

Sounds Fishy is one of my new favorite party games because it’s a delightful combination of trivia and lying to your friends. The question asker doesn’t know the answer and must find it amid a sea of lies concocted by the other players. Games are super quick, and the game is super accessible for big groups with a diverse age range of players – the questions are so weird that adults aren’t more likely to know the answer than the kids.

Target’s Big Potato Games Sale ends Saturday, so you’ll want to hurry to nab this deal.

Perfect for: Players who want a proper board game

Catan is THE board game for a reason. Its only downside is that the number of players who can play it at once is either 3 or 4 unless you get an expansion. But when you sit down to play Catan, I know you’ll have a blast because it offers the quality of trading and tactics we all wish childhood classics like Monopoly did – while still offering some fair element of luck to keep games interesting and varied.

Just get this game and thank me later.

Perfect for: The young at heart

Whether you’re young or simply young at heart, Poetry for Neanderthals is a delightfully silly game that is half-price at Target until Saturday.

Like charades, you take turns to describe something to your team, but rather than actions, you must only use single-syllable words to help your team guess what’s on your card. While you talk a player from the other teams waits with a big inflatable club to *bonk* you if you try to use longer words, and they’ll steal your points too. Why wait, go play now – cheap for Black Friday!

Perfect for: Strategists
This approachable strategy game has players racing to expand their rail network across the board so they can achieve travel objectives and score the most points. Ticket to Ride is one of those all-time classic board games, a title that everyone should own because while it does require strategic thinking there aren’t a lot of moving parts – so it’s very accessible to younger players and board game novices, while also being fun for veterans of the board gaming space.

Also it has trains in it! Who doesn’t love trains?

Perfect for: A board gaming duo

Couples will know that playing a board game together can be tough, as a lot of games are simply designed for groups of three or more – even if they say two-player play is possible.

There are some excellent two-player-focused titles, though, and 7 Wonders Duel is frequently touted as one of the best examples for a good reason. It brings 7 Wonders’ ancient civilization theming and strategic development to a really compelling one-vs-one format that is hard to beat, especially at this Black Friday price.

Perfect for: Casual board gamers

I’ve previously described Carcassonne as a competitive jigsaw puzzle, because players take turns to take a tile at random and place it onto the map you’re creating, where roads, city walls, and other landmarks must align with the other tiles placed. By claiming and successfully completing roads, cities, etc, you score points, and when the tiles run out, whoever has the most points wins.

Without any expansions, there aren’t too many ways to seriously disrupt your opponents, but this can create a more chill vibe for a game, which I’ve found works best with more casual gamers.

If you’re looking for some expansion advice, then I’d suggest The Princess & The Dragon, The Tower, and Traders & Builders as the best places to start.

Perfect for: Social gamers and breaking the ice

If you’re looking for a game to help you break the ice with a new group, or to inspire conversation with any group, rather than a game that will utterly dominate all other chat, then this is the one for you. Here, you score points by thinking like the group and giving an answer that matches up with what other players have written down.

If you are the only player to give an answer, you’ll be punished with the Pink Cow – a little model which will prevent you from winning the game if you’re still holding onto it. So remember to always think like the herd, and that this deal is only live until Saturday!

Perfect for: Any group gaming night

Codenames might be the perfect group game because it works with basically any group size above four. You split the group down the middle to form two teams that can each see a 5x5 grid of cards with random words on. One player from each team is selected as the Spymaster, and they alone can see a card which highlights words on the grid as either red, blue, beige, or black.

By giving single-word clues (I also allow proper nouns) and a number, the Spymaster must guide their team to guess all their team’s words (either the red or blue ones) before the other team can do the same – while avoiding the black assassin word that causes a team to instantly lose if they guess it. I’ve played this at rowdy parties and at more chill family game nights, and it always works. This is the quintessential group game, and everyone should own it.

Perfect for: Social deduction sleuths (aka fans of The Traitors)

There aren’t too many social deduction games on sale for Black Friday, but I did see this niche favorite of mine, so I’m flagging it here.

Hollywood 1947 portrays the teams as members of the film industry who are either Patriotic or Communist, making movies to instill their values on the general public. Every player is also given a role to play, such as the Director, Writer, Lead Actor, Costume Designer, Script Supervisor, etc. This gives you different ways to control the film and try to spin it to your team’s needs.

What I quite like here is even if the Communists are discovered, their game isn’t over if they can wrestle enough control over the creative process, and the Rising Star – a third-party player who simply wants to have as many movies made as possible – can always lend them a hand to keep the game going.

Perfect for: Liars, cheaters, and backstabbers

We all know that in social deduction games, the best role is as one of the Impostors, Traitors, Werewolves, or Insert Bad Team Name Here. In Sheriff of Nottingham, you can all flex your ability to lie and bribe as you take turns to smuggle wares past the Sheriff.

If your lying is caught out, you’ll get fined and lose your contraband; if the Sheriff accuses you baselessly, then they must pay you.

If you love social games, then this is a really fun alternative to the usual recommendations, and just such an awesome game (and after writing this, I’ve already put it on my list to play on my next game night).

Also note this is a Lightning Deal so the discount extra won’t be available forever.

Perfect for: A co-operative experience

I know some never want to hear the word pandemic again, but this game is one of my favorite co-operative games ever. You work as a team of medical experts, trotting the globe in order to fight and cure diseases on a rampage, and either all succeed, or all fail.

My only advice is, after a few games, modify the rules so that players can only communicate with the person who took their turn just before them. It’s very easy for a group leader to emerge in Pandemic and railroad the team into their game plan especially if they’ve played it more, this way it continues to feel like a team effort.

Also note: This is a lightning deal, so the discount might sell out before Black Friday is over.

Now for a trio of deals that aren’t technically board games, but are some discounts I don’t want folks to miss on my favorite TCG: Magic: The Gathering. This first one is a complete Commander deck from the Final Fantasy collab headed up by Cloud from FFVII. A solidly powerful deck filled with cards featuring iconic characters from the beloved Final Fantasy entry, it’s usually a lot pricier than this, so if you’re keen to get into Commander, don’t let this deal pass you by.

Final Fantasy fans should also consider this Starter Kit for Magic: The Gathering, which includes two premade decks that fare well against each other and feature iconic series characters, including Cloud and Sephiroth. While not all the cards are great, these decks are the strongest in other formats. The decks serve as an excellent starting point for new players to try Magic: The Gathering, so they can learn the rules without investing too much out of the gate.

Alternatively, grab this Beginner Box for the incredible new Avatar: The Last Airbender set. I’d argue it’s even better at helping new players come to grips with Magic: The Gathering than the Starter Kit above, as it includes more cards so you can explore different strategies, and the decks are ordered so your first game will play out in an easy-to-follow, semi-scripted way that’s approachable for complete newcomers.