Board Games for 10 Year Olds: 8 Games Grown Ups Want to Play Too
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Good board games for 10 year olds have to hold up when the adults join in. Ten year olds can handle real strategy, longer rules and a little trash talk, so the games that win at this age are often ones grown ups enjoy too.
We matched eight games to eight kinds of 10 year old. Every one is rated 10+ or younger by its publisher.
Quick answer: For a kid ready for a real strategy game, CATAN is the classic next step. For quick rounds on a school night, Monopoly Deal takes about 15 minutes. For a big family holiday, Herd Mentality plays up to 20 people.
Pick the Player, Then the Game
| If your 10 year old… | Try |
|---|---|
| Wants a real strategy game | CATAN |
| Loves weird creatures and card combos | Doomlings |
| Makes deals on the playground | Monopoly Deal |
| Can’t resist one more try | Flip 7 |
| Is the life of the party | Herd Mentality |
| Reads everything in sight | Scrabble |
| Likes puzzles they can do alone | ThinkFun Gravity Maze |
| Is a Pokémon trainer at heart | Monopoly Pokémon Edition |
Board Games for 10 Year Olds at a Glance
| Game | Players | Time | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATAN | 3 to 4 | 60 to 90 min | 10+ |
| Doomlings | 2 to 6 | 20 to 45 min | 8+ |
| Monopoly Deal | 2 to 5 | About 15 min | 8+ |
| Flip 7 | 3 or more | About 20 min | 8+ |
| Herd Mentality | 4 to 20 | About 20 min | 10+ |
| Scrabble | 2 to 4 | About 40 min | 8+ |
| Gravity Maze | 1 | Your pace | 8+ |
| Monopoly Pokémon | 2 to 4 | About 45 min | 8+ |
The Big Step Up: CATAN (6th Edition)
Trade Sheep for Wood
Players gather brick, wood, wheat, ore and sheep, then spend them on roads, settlements and cities. Trading with each other is a big part of every turn, so a lot of the fun is the bargaining.
The 19 land tiles get laid out differently each game, so the board never looks the same twice. A robber piece lets players block a rival’s land and swipe a card. First to 10 points wins.
The First Game Runs Long
Plan on an hour or more. Some reviewers found the rules tricky at first, so the first round goes better with a grown up who has read them.
Future Strategists
A kid who likes plans, deals and outsmarting the adults at the table.
Doomlings, for Kids Who Love Weird Creatures
Build a Species, Survive the End of the World
Each player plays trait cards to build a goofy species of Doomlings. Every card has its own power, and catastrophe cards shake things up by making players steal or discard.
After the third catastrophe, the highest score wins. All 167 cards are different, and reviewers love the cute art and how many ways there are to play.
Lots of Cards to Read
With so many different abilities, the first game includes plenty of card reading. It goes faster once everyone knows the cards.
Card Combo Kids
A kid who likes creatures, silly art and building something clever one card at a time.
Monopoly Deal, the 15 Minute Monopoly
Three Sets and You’re Out
The first player with three complete property sets in different colors wins. Action cards charge rent, swap properties and pull off Deal Breakers that change the game in one turn.
Reviewers say they like it better than the board game because it doesn’t drag on for hours. They also like how easy it is to bring along.
Properties Can Vanish
One Deal Breaker can wipe out a whole set. Kids who take it hard may need a round or two to laugh it off.
Playground Dealmakers
A kid who’s always trading snacks, cards or chores to get a better deal.
Flip 7: One More Card or Stop?
Push Your Luck
Players flip cards one at a time and try not to show the same number twice. Hit a match and you lose the round’s points.
Cards like Freeze, Flip Three and Second Chance mix things up. First to 200 points wins, and reviewers like that it sneaks in a lot of adding.
Needs a Group of Three
It’s a 3 or more player game. It’s not the pick for a quiet night with just two.
Thrill Seekers
A kid who always says “one more” and loves the gasp when a card goes wrong.
Herd Mentality: The Family Party Pick
Answer Like Everyone Else
Someone reads a question, and everyone writes an answer. If yours matches the most common answer, you get a cow.
If you’re the only odd one out, you’re stuck with the pink cow until someone else earns it. This version comes with 20 bonus questions, and reviewers call it hilarious with mixed ages.
Best With a Big Group
It needs at least four people, so it’s made for holidays and big family dinners.
Crowd Pleasers
A kid who loves a full house and can’t wait to see what Aunt Linda writes down.
Scrabble With Wooden Tiles, for Word Lovers
Wooden Tiles, Real Racks
Players build words crossword style and score extra on the double and triple squares. This edition has 100 wooden tiles and four wooden racks.
It works head to head or in teams. Reviewers like playing it as a family and love the feel of the wooden tiles.
A Thin Board
Some reviewers say the board feels thin or doesn’t always lie flat.
Bookworms
A kid who reads cereal boxes, road signs and anything else with letters on it.
ThinkFun Gravity Maze, a Solo Brain Teaser
Build the Path, Drop the Marble
Each of the 60 challenge cards shows a few towers and a target. Kids place the rest of the nine towers so a dropped marble falls all the way to the target.
The cards go from beginner to expert, and reviewers say the harder levels challenge adults too.
A One Player Game
This one is played alone. Some reviewers find the later cards complicated.
Quiet Puzzlers
A kid who likes figuring things out alone on a rainy afternoon.
For Pokémon Fans: Monopoly Pokémon Edition
Catch Them on the Board
Players move as Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly or Pikachu and use Poké Balls instead of money. Land on a spot another player owns and you can pay to explore it and try to catch a wild Pokémon, or battle the owner for it.
The first trainer to catch one Pokémon of each of the eight types wins. You can also win by being the last trainer with Poké Balls.
New Rules to Learn
It plays differently from regular Monopoly, and some reviewers found it confusing at first.
Pokémon Trainers
A kid who knows every type match and wants Monopoly with a Pokémon twist.
Board Games for 10 Year Olds: Questions Parents Ask
Which games are best with just two players?
Doomlings, Monopoly Deal, Scrabble and Monopoly Pokémon all play with two. One Doomlings reviewer says it works well with just two people.
Which games are quick enough for a school night?
Monopoly Deal takes about 15 minutes. Flip 7 and Herd Mentality take about 20.
Is CATAN too hard for a 10 year old?
CATAN is rated 10+, right at the starting age. If it feels like a big jump, Doomlings or Monopoly Deal make a gentler first strategy game.
Do any of these need batteries?
No. Every game here is cards, tiles, boards or marbles.
Looking for more ideas?
For a younger player, see our board games for 8 year olds. For gifts beyond games, try our gifts for 10 year old boys, gifts for 10 year old girls , LEGO sets for 10 year olds and gifts for 11 year olds. Shopping for a 12 year old? Try our gifts for 12 year olds.
