Game night’s coming and you’ve had RSVPs for 10 people. But when you check out your game bin, you realize you’ve not got enough options for that many players. Playing with a large group can be incredibly fun and dynamic, so it’s time to consider fleshing out that collection to include some of the best board games for 10 players – and that’s exactly what we’re here for. We encourage you to read through the entire list below before clicking the “buy” button – you just might find new options that surprise you. Be sure to consider the themes that would best please your group as you read along and cater to your crowd.
What are the Best Board Games for 10 Players
Really Loud Librarians
Age: 8+ Players: 2-12 Time: 15-20 minutes
Bizarre trivia knowledge? Check! Shouting like there’s no one to shhhhhh you? Check! In Really Loud Librarians all the fun elements come together in useless knowledge, shouting skills, and cooperative silliness. Think fast as the cards are drawn – and start shouting out words that fit the category that’s played at the beginning of each round. Caveat: you’ve got to keep to the letters on the racetrack as you go. Move along the track and score points each time you get a word right and race the other team to get to the end.
Really Loud Librarians is perfect for any large crowd, like that group of 10 players you came here for, or could be played by just 2 competitive souls. The word association game comes from Exploding Kittens, one of the top creators for silly, outrageous, and hilarious fun – so you know you’re in for a treat with this bonkers, inexpensive game. The game comes with a game board, 2 librarians, 20 letter tiles, 2 score markers, a chain, 14 tokens, and the timer needed to keep you on pace for the rounds.
Nerd Words: Science
Age: 10+ (Community 12+) Players: 2-12 Time: 15-30 minutes
Even if you’re not a huge science nerd, if you love words, you’ll love Word Nerds: Science. The game pits players against each other in competition of wits and science knowledge, including things you’ve long since forgotten you knew in high school. In each round, the lead scientist chooses a term from the collection of hidden words and reveals one-word clues associated with the term. But the clues are double clues. Each one starts with a letter that’s different from the word you’re going for – so, combining that knowledge with the actual clues, you’ve got twice the chance of remembering that old term you thought you’d never use.
If your team in Word Nerds: Science guesses the answer, you get a point. Whichever team has the most points wins the game.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Age: 8+ Players: 5-10 Time: 20 minutes
The Japanese game A Fake Artist Goes to New York works perfectly for a quick game night or icebreaker for 5 to 10 players. The fantastically fun game goes in rounds, with the Question Master switching up each turn. At the start of each round, the Question Master sets a category writes words from the category on a dry-erase card, and hands the cards out. But one player gets an X on their card, and they’re the fake artist that round. Similar to classic card games, this game relies on foundational elements of strategy and player interaction.
The bluffing and deduction game continues: Each player draws a contiguous stroke to attempt to sketch whatever their word is. Now, the players must guess which was the Fake Artist – and if take artist doesn’t get caught, both the Question Master and the fake artist score a point. But if they get caught and the artist can’t guess the word, the others win the points. The players with the most points at the end win.
Get the MacGuffin
Age: 8+ (Community 6+) Players: 2-11 Time: 5-10 minutes
What is a MacGuffin? Well, it’s the thing everyone wants, everyone seeks, the Holy Grail (literally). Think of the Maltese Falcon or the Ark of the Covenant. It’s that one treasure sought above all else – and that’s what Get the MacGuffin is all about. This fantastically funny deduction card game for 10 players uses card management and player elimination to get down to the last player still holding cards at the end. And the fun twist? The one holding the MacGuffin might win, but it’s not guaranteed.
23 cards come in the deck, but an even number of cards is always dealt, so there’s going to be some missing. The trick is figuring out which ones – and which player holds what. Take on various roles to play out this madcap race to the prize: from Garbage Collector to Thief, Assassin to the Crown. Get your trickster on and try to find the prize, keep your cards, and Get the MacGuffin.
Wavelength
Age: 14+ (Community 10+) Players: 2-12 Time: 30-45 minutes
Ready for a super social game? Check out Wavelength, the ideal-for-parties game that’s all about guessing, teamwork, and getting silly. Split your crew of 10 into two teams and see who can read each other’s minds most accurately.
In each round, teams take turns rotating the dial to where the hidden bullseye must be – at least according to those wavelengths they’re passing back and forth… One player from each team, known as the Psychic for the round, knows where the bullseye is located based on two cards they’ve drawn and paired Then, through concepts only, they must communicate where the bullseye should land between the two binary points on the dial. Their team must then guess the clue, er, rather read each other’s minds to find the position, with guesses and tiny tweaks to get as close as possible to that target. The closer to the bullseye the team gets, the more points they earn that round, and the team with the most points wins.
Snake Oil
Age: 10+ Players: 3-10 Time: 20-30 minutes
Head to the Wild, Wild West for some Snake Oil cures and hilarious fun. The short, fast-paced game lasts 20 to 30 minutes and welcomes 3 to 10 players to test their snakey skills to see who can sell the oiliest products. As an added twist, players can earn bonus points by betting on the accuracy of another team’s guess, adding a layer of strategy and excitement to the gameplay.
How to play? Well, that’s easy, pardner! Craft a two-word title for your product and sell, sell, sell! There are all kinds of wacky customers coming your way, and they’re all looking for magical cures. Grab six purple word cards at the start of the first round, pair the best two, and pitch your product to the customer of the round. The customer will then decide which of the Snake Oil remedies they want, and they’ll pay the inventor with their cards as the prize. Inventors then discard all their used word cards, draw two new ones, and repeat the gameplay in the next round, except for switching out who’s the new customer. Once everyone has played the customer one time, the game ends. Whoever has the most customer cards in the end wins.
Linkto Travel
Age: 10+ Players: 1-10 Time: 30-45 minutes
Looking for some cooperative fun? The cooperative trivia game Linkto Travel, originally released as Links Voyage, offers loads of fun for players to connect, cooperate, and giggle over. Players team up to find the right solution amid the 99 cards. With 50 cards with words and 49 cards with clues, you’ve got plenty of options to keep the game going. In most cases, though, it takes folks about 30 to 45 minutes to play through a game of this travel-themed fun. Future expansions could explore themes like fantasy races, adding even more variety to the gameplay.
The cards in Linkto Travel feature unique travel art and cards with travel-related words on them. You sort through all the word cards and image cards, pairing one picture with the right word card at the chosen difficulty level (there are five). Once you’ve done this, there will be only one remaining picture card. Now, it’s time to check the answer code and see how you did. This super fun, super easy game is great for travel, killing a little time between other games, starting a game night out, or just playing for fun whenever you feel like it. The game is ideal for players 1 to 10, but most folks say the bigger the number, the more fun the game.
Werewords
Age: 8+ Players: 4-10 Time: 10 minutes
Werewolves and humans collide in the game of Werewords, wherein players must guess the secret word using yes or no questions – and guess who the werewolf among them is. The sneaky werewolves want to kill the humans, of course, but the mayor of the village has learned there’s a magic word that can save you. The problem is, that the mayor can only say “yes,” “no,” “maybe” or “so close” along with using the “correct” tokens. One player among you is the Seer, though, and also knows the word – but can’t play their hand too quickly or too obviously, else the werewolf will take them out.
All of this means you’ve got a hilarious guessing game on your hands when you get together with your 10 players. The better you know each other, admittedly, the easier the game gets – unless the werewolf among you wants to get super devious and really throw you off. Which, of course, they will! Add the free iOS or Android app to include thousands more words in hundreds of categories for even more challenge and fun to keep the gameplay going for years to come. This great game will keep you entertained and engaged, making it a staple for any game night.
Exploding Kittens Party Pack
Age: 7+ (Community 8+) Players: 2-10 Time: 15 minutes
For an easy-to-learn, fast-paced, and ridiculously fun gameplay, grab a copy of one of the most-backed Kickstarter games ever: Exploding Kittens Party Pack. Perfect for 10 players, this wacky game, filled with purfect kitties gives you all the fun of the original game, along with the expansions of Imploding Kittens and the Exploding Kittens App.
The stand-alone card game offers all the excitement and terror of Russian Roulette without any actual gunfire (much safer!), as players take turns drawing cards until the exploding kitten appears. Whoever draws that booming card loses. But, if you’re lucky, you can peek at cards before they’re drawn, shuffle the deck, or force your opponents to draw extra cards to avoid being the one to explode. Mostly, the game is made up of luck, but there’s definitely some strategy, too, which is amazing since you play the game so quickly – often in less than 15 minutes. It makes for the perfect quick game, game night filler, energy explosion, travel game, or family night fun moment.
Pick Your Poison
Age: 10+ (Community 16-18+) Players: 3-10 Time: 30-60 minutes
Good things always have a downside – so does playing Pick Your Poison in which players must choose which good outweighs the bad. That is – what will you tolerate to get the best perks in life and will you poison your fellow players? The game is versatile and can be enjoyed with up to five players, making it ideal for various group sizes.
In each round of play, Pick Your Poison players choose a judge, then play a perk card face-down that they think that judge would choose, followed by a poison they lay face-down on top of their neighbor’s perk card. After the cards are all played, the judge must make some decisions: which “poison” will I drink to get to the good stuff? The winning perk earns a point, and the hot seat rotates to the next judge. You never know what you could draw: wearing a zombie mask for the rest of your life, getting trapped in a mine, or who knows what else! You’ll get to know your fellow players’ fears and quirks quickly in this outrageously fun board game for 10 players.
Conclusion: Even a traditional board game is a party game at 10 players
All right! You’ve seen them here – the top ten best board games for 10. Which will you choose to bring to your next game night? Poison and Explosive Kittens? Mind-reading or scam artist fun? For quick play times, bring your new copy of Really Loud Librarians, Word Nerds Science, Pick Your Poison, A Fake Artist Goes to New York, Get the MacGuffin, Exploding Kittens, or Werewords. For a little longer play, pick from Wavelength, Snake Oil, or Linkto Travel. They’re all good fun for pretty much all ages.
Board Games for Large Groups ->
FAQ
What age group is suitable for these board games?
Most games listed are suitable for ages 7 and up, accommodating a wide range of players. Each game has specific age recommendations listed to help you choose the most appropriate game for your group.
How many players can participate in these games?
The games vary in player count but are designed for groups of 1 to 10 players. Be sure to check the specifics for each game to see the optimal player range.
How long does each game typically take to play?
Playtime varies from game to game, ranging from as little as 10 minutes to up to 60 minutes, making it easy to fit into your game night schedule.
Are these games easy to learn for beginners?
Yes! Many of the games mentioned are quick to learn and offer enjoyable gameplay, making them ideal for both seasoned players and newcomers alike.
Can these games be played while traveling?
Absolutely! Several games, like Exploding Kittens and Linkto Travel, are compact and portable, making them perfect for family trips or game play on the go.