11 Classic Board Games You Should Have (Perfect for Vacation Rentals)

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You’ll love these popular board games and classic board games for a lifetime!

hands holding dice with yahtzee board game in background

Looking for the most popular board games? These classic games are the staples everyone should have in their game closet, Airbnb rental, or they make great gifts too!

Score great deals year-round by bookmarking our board games deals page!


Here are the top 11 classic board games every home should have:

collage graphic of various classic board games


1. Test everyone’s vocabulary skills with the classic board game Scrabble.

woman placing letters on top of scrabble

Scrabble – $19.94 

Scrabble is a classic board game that the whole family enjoys, and it’s also at the top of the must-have list on Dicebreaker. It’s a fun way to test everyone’s vocabulary skills. You can even make this classic board game more challenging by picking a topic and every word played has to follow suit.

Splurge on a Scrabble Deluxe Turntable Edition to make playing even easier and keep every letter in its place. This makes a beautiful gift for Scrabble enthusiasts!


2. UNO is fun for all ages and quick to play. 

hand holding blue card holder with uno cards

UNO – $6.99 (regularly $7.02) 

Fast-paced and such a fun card game, as long as you know your colors and numbers, UNO is a great game for every age. Since all you need is a deck of cards, it is also a great game for traveling.

Hip Tip: Playing with kiddos? Grab some card hand holders to make playing easier for little hands!


3. The Clue classic board game is perfect for people who love solving mysteries.

clue classic board game box

Clue$9.97 (regularly $11.99) 

In this game, there can be up to 6 suspects, but there’s one murderer, and your job is to figure out who it is! Grab the whole family or a handful of friends to find out the who, what, and where of this mystery.

Want the classic version? Grab the Retro Series Clue 1986 Edition Game for around 20 bucks!


4. You’ll be saying Sorry! often with this competitive game that’s perfect for every age. 

Sorry! Board Game

Sorry! – $9.49 (regularly $11.99) 

Love to get some sweet, yet innocent revenge when playing classic board games? Sorry! will be the quick-playing game for you and it’s suitable for all ages. Simply be the first to move all your colored pawns to your home base to be the first to win!

Have even more fun with this Giant Sorry! Game that can easily be played outdoors!


5. Monopoly is a family game night staple that can keep everyone occupied for hours. 

family classic board games on store shelf

Monopoly – $18.99 (regularly $21.99) 

If you don’t have Monopoly yet, it’s going to become a family game night staple in your home! You can play the fast-paced version for a quicker game or start from scratch with your property trading and play over a long, rainy weekend.

Shop all of the different Monopoly game themes on Amazon from Disney to National Parks and everything in between!


6. Battleship is a naval combat game that’s easy to take with you on the go.

hand holding battleship game in store

Battleship – $16.84

You only need two players to enjoy this popular board game of naval combat, and all you have to do is sink the opponent’s ship to win. Even better, all of the pieces fit in each battle case, so it’s easy to take with you on the go.

Shopping for more popular board games? Check out Amazon’s top list.


7. Operation is a fun and fast game that’s harder than it looks.

operation board game in store

Operation – $18.99 (regularly $19.99) 

In this classic board game for kids, you’ll use tweezers to fix Cavity Sam’s ailments. This is a fun game for anyone with a steady hand, and you can even play by yourself!


8. Pictionary will test your drawing skills and is sure to make everyone laugh. 

pictionary classic board game in cart

Pictionary – $19.25

This popular game has been around since 1985. This classic quick-draw game includes two erasable markers, erasable boards for drawing, and an updated category of clues. Your group of friends will have a blast taking guesses at each drawing, and they may be just as hilarious as the sketches themselves.


9. Yahtzee will have you ready to roll for game night in no time.

hands holding dice with yahtzee board game in background

Yahtzee – $8.54

If you don’t have fond memories of screaming “Yahtzee!” as a kid, you’ll be ready to roll soon! It comes with 5 dice, a shaker, and 100 scorecards for endless game nights. The player with the highest grand total at the end of all 13 rounds wins!


10. Parcheesi is an old board game from the 1800s for up to 4 players.  

parcheesi board game spread out on couch

With this Royal Edition, you’ll get the same cherished look of the original Parcheesi game, yet this one also includes dice cups for every player. Similar to Sorry!, your goal is to be the first to get all your pawns to the home base.


11. Scattergories is a Hip reader favorite and is best played in larger groups. 

holding Scattergories board game

Scattergories – $17.49 (regularly $21.99) 

How fast can you think?! This fun game will test your ability to think fast and come up with categories after rolling the 20-sided dice. Depending on the letter rolled, you’ll write down one word for each of the 12 categories on your card. May the most creative win! 👏🏻


Need more game ideas? We rounded up the best board games for kids and some for adults only.


About the writer:

Jenna has a Bachelor's Degree from Lycoming College and her Master's from Penn State, holding 4 years of writing experience between a variety of publications and Hip2Save.


Join The Discussion

Comments 3

  1. smhartford

    Thanks for this, I run a long-term stay hotel and am looking to open our breakfast dining area up as a social room during the evening hours. I plan on offering board games and puzzles, so this is perfect!

    • Jessica (Hip Sidekick)

      You’re so welcome, smhartford! Glad this post was helpful for you for planning future events! 🤗 Hoping your guests enjoy these games! đź’ž

    • Lo

      That sounds so fun! I suggest having a high score board.
      Definitely get scrabble! And UNO but maybe be prepared to explain games to ppl.

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