The Best Adult Board Games for a Festive Season Full of Laughs

This festive season, forget the awkward small talk, instead use board games as the ultimate ice-breaker - setting the scene for laughter, connection, and good-natured chaos. While your drinks stay chilled, these games will warm up the room in no time.

According to Philip Galliford, spokesperson for toy and game distributor Solarpop, certain titles have earned cult status among grown-ups thanks to their quirky humour, wild artwork, and unapologetically silly gameplay. “Games like Horrible Therapist, Exploding Kittens, Unstable Unicorns, and Poetry for Neanderthals strike the perfect balance between wit and whimsy,” he explains. “They’re designed to get people talking, laughing, and letting their guard down.”

Ready to bring some energy to your end-of-year gatherings? These are the top board games for adults—hilarious, unpredictable, and guaranteed to make your holiday season one to remember.

Horrible Therapist

Therapy can be horrible so we made a game about it. Playing is easy. You’ll make 3 panel comics about it with your friends. You’ll laugh. You’ll gasp. You’ll be mildly offended (in a fun way). But ultimately, you’ll feel great when your intrusive thoughts help you win the game!

RRP: R699.00

Exploding Kittens

With a name like Exploding Kittens, you can almost guess the type of game inside! It offers a warped sense of humour and light-hearted fun, but what it ultimately requires is cold, hard patience, and strategic thinking.

Exploding Kittens is a feline-powered version of Russian Roulette. Players take turns drawing cards until someone draws an exploding kitten at which point they figuratively explode and they are out of the game. But here’s the twist, if a player holds a Defuse card, they can defuse the exploding kitten card with a selection of cat distractions that include laser pointers, belly rubs, and catnip sandwiches.  

All other cards in the deck are used to move, mitigate or avoid the Exploding Kittens. Players are able to stall for time using the various effects of the other cards in the deck, allowing them to take cards from other players’ hands and take a peek at the next cards in the deck. Winning depends on skill and successful bluffing.

RRP: R749.99

Poetry for Neanderthals

So, you think it’s easy to talk like a Neanderthal? Those who’ve had a go at Poetry for Neaderthals will tell you that it’s a lot harder than it seems. From the same crazy creators of Exploding Kittens, this game is loads of raucous fun. The rules are straightforward and the game is easy to play – players need to give clues by speaking in single syllables, which is not as simple as it sounds.

If the word to guess is “broccoli” a person might say something along the lines of: "green thing you eat for live long and have good health." If instead they use a big word like vegetable, the person on the other team can bop them on the head with a giant inflatable club called the NO! stick and they lose points.

The goal of the game is to score the most points by correctly interpreting words and phrases. The chosen Poet starts off the game with a Poetry Card and tries to get their teammates to say the listed word within 90 seconds. The team with the most points wins.

RRP: R699.99

Unstable Unicorns

This game turns the docile, magical concept of unicorns on its, well, horn! The unicorns in this game are unlike any you’ve ever encountered, fictional or otherwise. The game requires players to build a unicorn army and learn how unstable their friendships really are.

Players begin with a Baby Unicorn in their Stable, but don't get too attached because even Baby Unicorns aren't safe in this game. There are over 20 Magical Unicorns to collect, and each has a special power. The army should be built as quickly as possible or risk destruction. Players can seek revenge or protect their stable using their Magic! This may sound easy, but it’s far from it as another player may have a Neigh Card that sends the game into madness. The first person to complete their Unicorn Army is named The Righteous Ruler of All Things Magical... at least until the next game.

RRP: R599.99

For more on quirky, irreverent, fun and laugh-out-loud games for adults visit www.solarpop.co.za and follow @solarpopsouthafrica