First strategy games for tweens (10+)
By ten, many kids love games where planning pays off. These games have more choices and a little more to learn, and they reward thinking a few turns ahead.
They’re also genuinely good games for adults, so nobody is just "playing along".
We pick games on their merits. Links go to Amazon, and we may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you.
1.Cascadia
Build a Pacific Northwest landscape of habitats and place wildlife tokens in scoring patterns.
Parent tip: Calm and puzzly, with almost no direct conflict. Good for families who dislike "mean" games.
Check price on Amazon2.Forbidden Desert
Dig through shifting sand to find the parts of a flying machine before you run out of water.
Parent tip: The step up from Forbidden Island once your family wants more of a challenge.
Check price on Amazon3.Forbidden Island
Explore a sinking island to recover four treasures and escape before it disappears under the waves.
Parent tip: A gentler introduction to co-op strategy than Pandemic. Younger kids can play on a team with an adult.
Check price on Amazon4.Horrified
Work together to rescue villagers and defeat classic movie monsters before terror overwhelms the town.
Parent tip: Choose how many monsters to face, which makes the difficulty easy to adjust for kids.
Check price on Amazon5.Mysterium
One player is a silent ghost sending dream-like picture cards. Everyone else works out how the ghost died.
Parent tip: Lovely spooky atmosphere without being scary. Great for creative families.
Check price on Amazon6.Splendor
Collect gem tokens to buy mines and shops, building an engine that earns you prestige points.
Parent tip: Heavy poker-chip gems make this feel special. A good first "engine-building" game.
Check price on Amazon7.Catan
Gather and trade resources to build roads, settlements and cities on a different island every game.
Parent tip: The game that started the modern board game boom. Try Catan Junior first with kids under ten.
Check price on Amazon8.Wingspan
Attract birds to your wildlife preserves, each with real facts and abilities that chain together.
Parent tip: Kids who love animals learn real bird facts. Teach it to older kids first.
Check price on AmazonTips
- Let tweens teach the game to the rest of the family. Explaining the rules is a great way to master them.
- If a game is new to everyone, watch a short rules video together before the first play.
Looking for something else? Try the game picker to filter by age, players and time.