To me, there is truly nothing better than when our house turns into a game parlor. Somebody lights a candle, somebody puts the kettle on, and somebody else digs the deck of cards out of the junk drawer. That’s the definition of fall to me. Cozy evenings with everyone home and nowhere to be. 

To help you with your very own family game night,  I made you a whole library. Six downloadable lists, sorted by the kind of night you’re having. Guys I WISH I had this earlier. I knew it was something that would be soooo nice and something that I needed to create. 

Tuck them in the game cupboard for when you need some ideas. And then actually PLAY. This will literally change YOUR family game nights!

Classic Card Games

One deck of cards. That’s all you need for about a hundred nights of fun. This list has twelve of the classics, from Hearts and Spades to Cribbage and Euchre, plus the ones that get everybody yelling, like Spoons and Speed.

If you’ve got little ones, start with Old Maid or Crazy Eights. It’s ridiculously simple and they’ll beg to play again. If you’ve got teenagers, teach them BS. You’ll learn a LOT about who in your family can lie with a straight face.

Poker & Casino-Night Games

Throw a casino night at home this fall. I mean it. Dim the lights, put out a bowl of popcorn, and use pennies or dried beans for chips if you don’t have the real thing.

This list covers Texas Hold’em, Five-Card Draw, and Blackjack for the card sharks. Liar’s Dice is the one I’d start with if your crew has never bluffed before, because it’s all about keeping a poker face. And Left Center Right is perfect for a mixed crowd. No skill required, just luck and a lot of groaning.

Quiet, Cozy Strategy Games

These are my slow-living favorites. The ones you play by the fire with a mug of tea. Nobody’s shouting. Everybody’s thinking.

You’ll find the old-world classics like Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, and Mancala, plus Mahjong and Dominoes for when you want something with a little more clack to it. For the word lovers there’s Scrabble and Bananagrams. And if you want a game that can eat up a whole Sunday afternoon, Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride are on there too.

A chess board left out on the coffee table all season long is one of the coziest things you can do for your home. Just saying.

Social Deduction & Mystery

October is made for a little murder. The pretend kind, obviously.

These are the games where somebody at the table is secretly the bad guy and everyone else has to figure out who. Mafia (or Werewolf, depending on who taught you) is the big one. Murder in the Dark is the one half of us played as kids with every light in the house turned off, and it’s still the best thing to do closer to Halloween. Wink Murder is perfect for a dinner party because you can play it while you’re still sitting at the table.

For game-night people who want something in a box, Clue, The Resistance: Avalon, and One Night Ultimate Werewolf are all on the list.

Big Group Games

Thanksgiving weekend. Twelve people in the living room. Pie is gone and nobody wants to go home yet. THIS is the list for that.

Fishbowl is my top pick. You play the same clues three rounds in a row (describe it, then one word, then act it out), and by the last round everyone is crying laughing. Telephone Pictionary is a close second. Write a phrase, draw it, pass it on, and see how badly it gets mangled by the end.

You’ll also find the party staples here: Charades, Pictionary, Taboo, Catch Phrase, Celebrity, Password, Heads Up!, Scattergories, and Two Truths and a Lie. Plus Psychiatrist, which is the one game I’d tell you to try if you’ve never heard of it.

Games That Require Almost Nothing

Literally only people and maybe a pencil. These are the ones for the road trips or when you are all gathered by a fire pit. 

These games literally have saved my family’s sanity at times. Printing this out and keeping it around will literally bring a whole other vibe to your family! 

Now Go Play

And if you’re worried that you won’t know how to play some of these games don’t worry instructions are included!

That’s the whole Family Game Night Library (Fall Edition of course, there will be more for sure). Six lists, more than fifty games, and enough to get you through this beautiful fall season. 

Pick one tonight. Put the phones in a basket, turn off the TV, and playa game together. I promise nobody will remember the show you watched, but they’ll remember the night Grandma won at Liar’s Dice.

Click below for all the games and products that I use to help with game night!

Tell me which one your family loves. I want to know!

Xoxox, Abi