In case you hadn’t noticed, we love a good game around here. Card games, board games, dice games, videogames, we are equal-opportunity gamers here. We love them all, whether they fit in our stockings or barely fit in the trunk of our cars. Here’s a selection of some of our current favorite games to share with your friends and family this holiday season.
Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. This means that the GeekDad/GeekMom contributor may make a small amount of commission if you click through and purchase the item at no extra cost to you. We may have also received the item for review from the manufacturer.
Giant UNO
Suggested By: Dakster
Mfg: Mattel
Price: $10
Purchase: Giant Uno
Description: Giant Uno is a fun family affair with cards larger than the average hand. These oversized cards are great for those who like to supersize their fun with more laughs as they try to hold all their cards while defeating their family and friends in this classic game. Also available as Giant Uno BTS and Giant Uno Jurassic World.
Uno Quatro
Suggested By: Dakster
Mfg: Mattel
Price: $10
Purchase: Uno Quatro
Description: Uno Quatro is what happens when Uno and Connect Four hang out too much. This portable game is perfect for 2 to 4 players. The movable trays make it more fun with an added challenge for players to beat their opponents.
Cascadia: Landmarks
Suggested By: Jonathan H. Liu
Mfg: AEG/Flatout Games
Price: $34.99
Purchase: Cascadia: Landmarks
Description: Cascadia was one of our top 10 tabletop games of 2021, with an easy-to-learn ruleset about building a landscape in the Pacific Northwest and populating it with various animals. The new expansion, Cascadia: Landmarks adds new scoring options for the different habitats, and also allows you to play with up to 6 players.
Chicken!
Suggested By: Jonathan H. Liu
Mfg: Keymaster Games
Price: $20
Purchase: Chicken!
Description: Roll some dice and press your luck, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch! This dice game is cute, easy to learn, and great for on-the-go gaming. Read the full review.
Dune: Imperium – Uprising
Suggested By: Paul Benson
Mfg: Dire Wolf
Price: $60.00
Purchase: Dune: Imperium – Uprising
Description: A sequel to the GeekDad 2021 Game of the Year Dune: Imperium, Dune: Imperium – Uprising follows the events of the soon-to-be-released film Dune: Part 2. While much of the gameplay will be familiar to players of the original game, Dune: Imperium – Uprising introduces many new features including spies which can allow you access to spaces other players occupy, and sandworms which provide bonuses in the conflict. The game also allows you to expand the player count with a new 6-player team mode. I’m still in the process of reviewing it, but it’s a ton of fun so far. If you’re a fan of the original Dune: Imperium or are just looking for a great mid-weight strategy game, then you should pick up Dune: Imperium – Uprising.
Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
Suggested By: Paul Benson
Mfg: Restoration Games
Price: $59.95
Purchase: Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
Description: The latest entry into their popular Unmatched game series, Restoration Games brings cooperative play for the first time with Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze. Playing as new characters Nikola Tesla, Annie Christmas, the Golden Bat, and Dr. Jill Trent, you will team up to take down villains Alien Invader and Mothman. With new characters come new abilities, and with new villains, new minions, such as the Jersey Devil and Tarantula. And as with all the other games in the series, you’ll be able to mix and match characters with other Unmatched titles. Look for a review soon on GeekDad!
Heroes of Barcadia
Suggested By: Paul Benson
Mfg: Rollacrit
Price: $60
Purchase: Heroes of Barcadia
Description: A tile-based, dungeon-crawling party game, Heroes of Barcadia has 2-6 players competing to reclaim the Drink Hoard. Everyone gets a character card and a matching cup, which they fill up with the beverage of their choice to represent hit points. Moving around a randomly-generated dungeon built from tiles, players will collect Power-Ups to advance their character’s abilities, fight monsters, and play Loot cards to slow down their opponents. Filled with really fun components (including waterproof cards!) and a great sense of humor, this is a game that is great for adults but can also be enjoyed by families as long as you use juice or soda for your hit points. Just be aware that there are pun-filled references to drinking throughout.
Disney Illusion Island
Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Disney Electronic Content
Price: $39.99
Purchase: Disney Illusion Island
Description: While I was skeptical that you could make a fun, robust Metroidvania game without any direct combat, I’m happy to say Disney Illusion Island proved me wrong. Join Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald on a world-spanning adventure full of color, mystery, and humor as they outsmart fierce enemies and collect scared tomes to save Monoth Island. Eschewing much of the violence found in similar titles, Disney Illusion Island is perfect for sharing with those you love during holiday get-togethers—even the family’s resident Donald Duck. [Review materials provided by Disney Electronic Content]
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Nintendo
Price: $59.88
Purchase: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Description: Suffice it to say that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is on my personal shortlist for video game of the year. While I’ll spare you the full, exhaustive breakdown from my original review, I simply must state that it represents the ultimate platforming experience from the franchise that practically invented the genre. Wonder‘s visual style is impeccable, its soundtrack infectious, and its new power-ups, level types, and gameplay mechanics all serve to elevate the game in ways sure to please even the most hardened gamer. Best of all, it’s perfect for family gaming, whether that means couch co-op or sharing the experience across great distances thanks to Super Mario Bros. Wonder‘s unique take on online multiplayer. [Review materials provided by Nintendo of America]
PowerWash Simulator w/ SpongeBob Special Pack
Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Square Enix
Price: $19.99 (plus $7.99 for the SpongeBob DLC)
Purchase: PowerWash Simulator
Description: Though it only arrived on the Nintendo Switch earlier this year, PowerWash Simulator has been a much-loved title on Steam since 2021. Bringing the frustration-free “cozy gaming” phenomenon to the simulation genre, PowerWash Simulator‘s single goal is to… well, clean things at your own pace and with minimal fuss or distraction. Previous free DLC took your meager cleaning operation to fantastical locales from the Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy franchises, and this summer its first paid DLC pack transported players to the undersea world of Bikini Bottom. Why are you pressure-washing homes and businesses made famous on SpongeBob Squarepants? It matters not! The only important thing is that you clean that pineapple under the sea and collect that sweet, sweet cash to buy more upgrades. [Review materials provided by Square Enix]
Click through to read all of "GeekDad/GeekMom Holiday Gift Guide – Games" at GeekMom.If you value content from GeekMom, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!