Do you know which cooperative board games are the best to play with your family?
As a result, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best cooperative board games on the market. What family doesn’t enjoy a good board game to play together?
Board games are an excellent way to bring your family closer together. You can form a team with a family member and devise a strategy to win the game. If you have siblings, these games are also a good way to work out sibling rivalries.
Children can participate. The children can join forces with an older family member to participate in and enjoy the game.
So, without further ado, let us take a look at the list below.
5 Family-Friendly Cooperative Board Games
This list was compiled with the assistance of reliable internet sources such as Happierhuman.com. But, before we get into the details, take a look at the table below.
| Board Games | Release Date |
| 5. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle | 2016 |
| 4. Defenders of the Realm | 2010 |
| 3. Forbbiden Island | 2010 |
| 2. Pandemic | 2008 |
| 1. Castle Panic | 2009 |
5. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
- Players: 2-4
We’ll begin our list with cooperative board games, which are sure to please every Potterhead out there. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle is a cooperative deck-building tabletop game.
This board was designed by Forrest-Pruzan Creative, Kami Mandell, and Andrew Wolf, and it is published by USAopoly.
The players in this cooperative board game will have to go through all seven books in the series. As the player progresses through the stages, the difficulty increases. Each player can select one main character (Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Neville).
Each character has its own set of abilities, and their roles will change as the game progresses. However, the first couple of books gameplay is quite simple.
The number of villains in the villain deck varies depending on the book being played. There are also cards that, when combined with the villain’s special ability, have an effect on the players or reduce their health.
In this game, the player cannot die, but they can be stunned. If a player’s health reaches zero, they lose half of their hand.
Similarly, if the villains gain control of all of the locations, everyone loses. If the players win the game, they are declared the winners.
The game is one of the simplest deck-building games, and young players will enjoy it as well. As players progress through the books, some surprises emerge.
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4. The Realm’s Defenders
- 1-4 players
The Defenders of the Realm is the next cooperative board game on our list. The board game takes place in a fantasy world, and players must collaborate to protect Monarch City from evil generals.
The board is a game of strategy and adventure. Richard Launius created it, and Eagle-Gryphon Games published it.
The game allows players to choose one of eight heroes. Throughout the game, enemies and their minions spawn and move constantly. As a result, players must devise strategies to avoid being overrun by enemies.
The opposing Generals begin with three of their minions in the same area. The remaining minions are then placed at random based on the Darkness Spreads card drawn.
To fight the minions, the players must roll dice, use their character’s special abilities, or take other actions. Each character has unique special abilities that assist players in making certain actions easier.
Similarly, when taking action, the players always have the option to use the cards in their hands. The player will lose the game if the enemy Generals reach Monarch City.
Similarly, if the player does not have enough minions to put on the board, if all tainted crystals are on the board, or if five minions are at the Monarch City at the same time, the player will lose the game.
The board game will undoubtedly provide the player with hours of entertainment. It is a strategic but enjoyable puzzle to solve. So, why not give it a shot with your family?
3. Forbidden Island
- Players: 2-4
Forbidden Island is ranked third among the best cooperative board games. The game is a cooperative survival game in which the players must collect the treasure and flee as quickly as possible.
The board game was designed by Matt Leacock and published by Gamewright.
The board consists of 24 island tiles. The island itself is unstable and sinking. Some titles include treasure symbols that require the player to go find the treasure once they have collected enough treasure cards.
Similarly, the players can select from six distinct roles. Each role has a distinct ability that can alter the player’s strategy throughout the game.
During their turn, the players have three options: move, flip flooded tiles, or share cards. Furthermore, certain action cards will allow players to take helicopter rides to different parts of the island or file any tiles.
The tile is considered sunk if it is flooded and the corresponding card is drawn. If a player is on a sinking tile, they must change to another. If the player is unable to move to the new tiles, they will drown and lose the game.
Similarly, if the Fool’s Landing tile sinks, the player loses the ability to collect one of the treasures, or if the water level reaches the Skull and Crossbones level, the player loses.
Forbidden Island is a simple game with rules that can be learned in under 10 minutes. As a result, this game is ideal for beginners and young children.
2. Pandemic
- 1-4 Players
This cooperative board game is all about dealing with the pandemic, as the name suggests. The players will have to eradicate four diseases that have spread around the world before they infect too many people.
This board game was created by Matt Leacock and published by Z-Man Games.
The board game is simple to learn and tells a different story each time it is played. The tension rises as the player becomes immersed in the game. As the disease spreads, the players must make sound decisions.
The board includes 48 cities, player cards, infection cards, four sets of disease cubes, research stations, and a pawn for each player. Players can select from a variety of roles, each with its own set of abilities that can be used as the game progresses.
In their turn, the player can move between cities, share cards, treat diseases, and use the special ability. Similarly, to cure the disease, the player must collect five cards of the same color and travel to the research station.
The player should be able to tell when to treat diseases and when to get the cards to cure them during the game.
The player cards also include epidemic cards that spread the disease all over the world. The player will lose the game if there are more than seven disease outbreaks.
Similarly, if there are no more cubes of a disease color when needed, or if there are no more playing cards, the player will lose the game. Finally, the game is won when all four diseases are cured.
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1. Panic in the Castle
- 1-6 players
We have ranked the best cooperative board game as number one. And at number one is Castle Panic, a game created by Justin De Witt and published by Fireside Games.
The game is a cooperative castle defense game in which the player and teammates must complete the construction of a castle in the woods surrounded by fire, water, and forest.
After completing the castle, the players must defend it against goblins, trolls, and orcs. The castle’s grounds are divided into three arcs. These three arcs have three zones that your archers, knights, and swordsmen can attack.
In their turn, the players can choose which area to defend. The players must then draw and trade cards for the active player to have enough resources to defend the tower. When each player’s turn is over, the monsters will approach and two more will appear.
Similarly, special monsters are a little tougher, but common monsters also take 1-3 hits to destroy. Similarly, drawing one of the special effect tokens can change the state of the board.
All of the players will lose if the monsters breach the walls and destroy the castle. To defeat the monsters in this board game, all players must work together. As a result, everyone benefits!
Honorable mentions include:
- Fire Rescue
- 5-Minute Dungeon
- Spirit Island
- Robinson Crusoe: Cursed Island Adventures
- Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Conclusion
These enjoyable games will undoubtedly provide you and your family with a good time. Although some of these will require players to think strategically, they will be extremely entertaining.
So which cooperative board game on the list has piqued your interest? Why not give these cooperative board games a try the next time your family gets together?
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