There are very few people who don’t love to play board games. A fun activity for roommates, family, or friends, a board game can turn an uneventful evening into a hilarious one. Most people are familiar with the traditional Candy Land or Shoots and Ladders, but what about games geared more towards adults and college students? For this post, we’ve put together a list of the most popular board games played by young adults today.

Cards Against Humanity

While not technically a board game, this fast-paced card game will have everyone rolling with laughter. Cards Against Humanity is a more grown-up version of the favorite Apples to Apples, and it is targeted specifically toward college kids and adults. In Apples to Apples, players pair nouns with adjectives; in Cards Against Humanity, players pair questions with preposterous answers. The game is also perfect for college kids on a budget, as it can be downloaded online for free.

Scrabble

As a classic board game, Scrabble is a favorite among those who are competitive, love words, or simply want to have a good time. Large groups of people can play together by pairing up in teams, making the game even more fun. For an academic twist at a study group, challenge players to only play words related to the subject at hand, i.e., biology.

5-Second Rule

Perhaps the fastest board game on the market, 5-Second Rule means exactly what its name implies: players are presented with a question and have 5-Seconds to list three answers to the question. For example, a card might say, “Name three NFL teams.” If a player is unable to answer the question within 5 seconds, the card is passed to the player to the left, who must come up with his own original answers. You’ll be surprised by how quickly 5 seconds pass by and how difficult it is to answer a simple question under pressure!

Catch Phrase

One of the best games for adults and young adults alike, Catch Phrase is a version of charades that allows you to speak. Better when played with a large group, each team should consist of at least 3 players. Teams pass the word-providing device back and forth, with each team attempting to guess what the word is. Players can give as many clues as they like (within a time frame!), as long as they don’t say the word itself.

Battle of the Sexes

In this traditional man vs. woman game, players take turns answering questions about the opposite sex. For example, the women may have to answer a question about car parts, and the men may have to answer a question about stockings. While definitely staying true to traditional gender roles, the game is a hoot nonetheless and will get a laugh out of even the most politically correct people.

Balderdash

This game is best for the creative type, as the object of the game is to convince other players that your made-up definition of a word is actually the correct definition. For example, an obscure word is given, such as magniloquent. One player acts as the “guesser” while other players are challenged to write a convincing definition of magniloquent. Each player then submits their definitions, and points are awarded to whoever wrote the definition that the guesser picks. The correct definition is also provided, and if it is picked then no player is awarded points.

Frederick Banks writes on board games, movie trivia, geek conventions, Star Wars memorabilia, video games, comic book lore, magic the gathering cards and other related subjects.

Image credit goes to evileggo8.