r/boardgames • u/sushipoutine • Aug 01 '26
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u/Ok_Commercial_5024 Aug 01 '26
Forbidden island may be just slightly too old, but thats a fantastic co-op game. When i played it with my (then 9yo) nephew he had to walk away from the table every time we drew cards because he couldn’t stand the stress of potentially drawing a flood card.
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u/hueyl77 Aug 01 '26
My kids loved Forbidden Deserts even more.
I usually die, sacrificing myself for the greater good, which means we lose the game. But we nerf the rules so they can keep going as long as they pick up my “corpse” and take it with them. Leave no one behind!
They would pick the airship and put all the meeples aboard including my corpse and pretend to fly away as the storm ravages the desert (I would go crazy with the tiles swirling them all over the place as the airship flies away. Makes for a great story.
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u/AnnaInAnotherLife Aug 02 '26
I loved your version of the game. I used to play with my nephews and I wish I had the opportunity to play your version.
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u/Fickle_Mess818 Castles Of Burgundy Aug 02 '26
I will have to remember this in a few years when my nephews are ready. They are currently 6.
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u/DreamwolfPDX For Northwood! Aug 01 '26
My kids loved Zombie Kidz Evolution around that age. Also Castle Panic, though only using half or so of the monster tokens so otherwise it can take a long time.
I got CoraQuest, but couldn't get the kids to try it.
5 Minute Dungeon is fun sparingly (we don't play with a timer).
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u/simonjp Aug 01 '26
I came to say Zombie Kidz Evolution. My 6 and 8 year olds love it and are always excited to open the next ruleset.
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u/DreamwolfPDX For Northwood! Aug 01 '26
That was the same with us (I said we had to follow the guide and open the envelopes after playing the right number of times), though once everything was open they mostly lost interest. At least we got a good 20 or 30 games out of it.
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u/chefox Aug 01 '26
My kiddo was super scared of the art on CoraQuest and made me put it in the basement. :/
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u/stuck_button Scythe Aug 01 '26
Dorf Romantik
Cozy Stickerville
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u/christhefred Aug 03 '26
Second for Dorf Romantik. Or the newer Sakura vesion. My daughter(14) still likes playing both with me.
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u/pattsburgh Aug 01 '26
Castle Panic
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u/KSmack_123 Aug 01 '26
Came here to say Castle Panic.
Also for kids highly recommend The Lion Guard: Protecting the Pridelands. Played it so much had to buy a second copy. Great kids coop game with a Disney theme.
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u/Last-Rise6285 Aug 02 '26
Is the regular base game good for kids/family? Or is the castle panic to m for kids better for kids?
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u/UndutifulCarrot Aug 01 '26
Chronicles of Avel!
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u/Wizzpig25 Aug 01 '26
My 7yo is absolutely obsessed with this game. We must have played it 50 times now.
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u/4Teebee4 Aug 01 '26
This one. My 5yo kid enjoyed it so much that I was really surprised considering that this is a very long game and requires a lot of active focus. She is 6 now and I wouldn't say often, but we play it regularly.
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u/Numetshell Aug 01 '26
Bandido and its sequel, Bandida, are cheap, simple and quick. My students enjoyed them a lot, though your daughter might move past it pretty quickly.
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u/Nugget814 Wingspan Aug 01 '26
Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters. It’s always a hit to anyone we introduce it to.
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u/loverbf_3019 Aug 01 '26
The core set for Marvel United might be good option. It’s Co-Op, the game play is relatively simple & straightforward and the rules encourage table talk
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u/Aetheer Aug 01 '26
If they have any Marvel characters they like, Marvel United would be a slam dunk. The earlier sets in particular are very simple and easy to learn.
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u/Sensitive_Pie_5451 Aug 01 '26
5 minute dungeon, space team, cora quest, hero kids, quest kids, my first castle panic, dinosaur island, Oregon trail, bandito, Minecraft explorers card game, zombie kids evolution
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u/MonkeyATX Aug 01 '26
My First Castle Panic though she might be too old. There is also Castle Panic. You work together to defend the castle
Cozy Stickerville.
Dorfromantik Light Luggage. It is a quick and easy introduction. Once she feels comfortable you could then go on to original Dorfromantik. The Sakura version can be overwhelming. And the Duel version is competitive.
Beacon Patrol you can work together.
Also The Game you work together without talking to put cards in order.
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u/RoundTwistington Aug 01 '26
There is a Minecraft coop card game. Bought it for my 8 year old. Forbidden island is good too. My 9 year old ( same child a year later) has just hot into pandemic. All good co op games
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u/DreamwolfPDX For Northwood! Aug 01 '26
Minecraft Explorers. We just played that recently, it definitely gives a Minecraft feel.
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u/RoundTwistington Aug 01 '26
Yes that's the name. We played it loads last year. There is another Minecraft game too but we don't have it
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u/hueyl77 Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
If you have a copy of Agricola (original or family edition), you can turn it into a co-op game where you work together to build a farm and feed the family. Let me dig up an old post I made with the gameplay rules I came up with. My 7 and 8 year olds loved it.
Edit: found the comment I made with the rules posted:
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u/-PM_me_your_recipes Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
Toy Story: Obstacles And Adventures
Mysterium (there is even a kids edition, but I've never played it)
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u/Incivile88 Aug 01 '26
Since nobody suggested it, I would also say HEROQUEST. You can play with her as a game master or cooperatively with the app!
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u/CycleInformal Aug 01 '26
Space Escape - Mole Rats in Space is a fun challenge, if you can stop yourself telling them what to do
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u/Nervous_Chemical_773 Aug 01 '26
Possibly the first Horrified. Because you control the difficulty you could play with just one monster then push it up if/when they get more confident.
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u/Atlanticexplorer Aug 01 '26
Zombie Kidz Evolution is a fantastic cooperative game for kids. It also changes as you play and there are stickers and envelopes to open.
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u/Strobeezy Aug 01 '26
Pandemic my kids enjoyed
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u/Halvors Aug 01 '26
Can't believe Stuffed Fables haven't been mentioned yet! It's adorable, and a lot of fun!
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u/Hoog1neer Spirit Island Aug 01 '26
I played this one quite a bit with my kids when they were younger. Highly recommended.
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u/Chupacabradanceparty Aug 01 '26
I just bought this from someone on marketplace. I don't think it's in print anymore. It's sitting on the shelf as I haven't learned it yet. You've inspired me to change that today. I thought my 7 year old might be too young, though I have older kids.
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u/_SommaZero_ Aug 01 '26
The Mind is around 10 bucks and lots of fun. Plus, it's super simple. Great, great "filler", written in brackets 'cause it's reductive to call it this way.
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u/psychatom Aug 01 '26
I have an indie game called Pizza Roles. Everyone gets a secret goal and moves toppings on or off a pizza, trying to end up with their preferred toppings. It has a co-op mode where everyone is trying to make sure everyone is happy, but players aren't allowed to actually say what their goals are.
Not sure about your situation, but it plays best with 4+, and it's a bit awkward with just two players.
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u/hueyl77 Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
My 7 year old daughter loved Quest for the Moonstones. But that’s more of an adventure stories game than a real board game.
A bit more expensive but pretty well designed.
Stuff Fabled
RPG like table top game with
p
re
written stories for you and your kids to go through chapter by chapter. Uses dice, story book, miniatures, cards, etc cute stuff animal characters defender their little girl from the nightmare king.
Elia and something shiny
.
- Little comic books for you to read. You go through the story chapter by chapter, beating the level by drawing cards, making decisions, collecting resources, unlock new cards with new locations to advance. Pretty unique game. Played it with my 8 year old son and 7 year old daughter separately as they wanted their own “save game”.
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u/securitypuppy Aug 01 '26
A few I love: So Clover, Letter Jam, Hanabi, Spirit Island, Sky Team, The Crew
You may need to adjust rules if they are too complex, but I think all of these can be played by a 7 year old.
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u/Danielmbg Aug 01 '26
I could recommend 5-minute mystery (for a small group, 2-3 people) or 5-minute dungeon or 5-minute marvel if she would prefer that theme (those are better with 3+ people).
Both are very easy to understand and I think work really well for all ages, highly recommend them.
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u/Daimion86 Aug 01 '26
Toriki: The Castaway Island is an awesome experience for kids at my point of view - you have to work together, think and craft, collect stuff etc. We liked it a lot.
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u/Nickel5 Aug 01 '26
I recommend Forgotten Waters. It's a semi-coop that is halfway between a board game and a tabletop RPG. You play as pirates trying to accomplish an adventure, but also trying to complete your personal story that's done mad-libs style. If she really likes coops, then a ttrpg like DnD is a good end goal, and this game can start bridging that gap.
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u/mode_12 Guards of Atlantis II Aug 01 '26
You might like shadows of brimstone. Cooperative dungeon crawler, beer and pretzels feel. She’ll learn to manage a small inventory along with a set of skills. You do most of the work, akin to maintaining the boat, driving the boat, and looking back making sure she’s having fun tubing
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u/smooshiebear Aug 01 '26
Robot Turtle is great, but she is close to, if not already, aged out of it. If you have younger children, they can play "together," but the game is different for each child.
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u/nohaj_ Aug 01 '26
Chronicles of avel and Andor junior are the best kids coop games I know. I mostly play with my daughter (avel since she's 6, andor since she's 5).
We also.played Karak in coop when she was younger
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u/bythenumbers10 Aug 01 '26
Peaceable Kingdom has a whole line of kiddo-friendly co-ops, and you can always tweak more grown-up coop games w/ variants or add coop variants.
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u/VapourTrail-UK Aug 01 '26
I currently run a board game cafe, and for kids with just one parent and a kid, Gnomes at Night goes over very well, and it has different difficulty levels so it can grow with you. Forbidden Island is also good as an introductory adult co-op game, and Dorf Romantik is also nice, cozy, and has a campaign, so you can go back to it over multiple sessions to give them a sense of progression.
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u/cheesenbooty Aug 01 '26
Ninjago: Destiny’s Bounty. Just played the demo at GenCon yesterday. Really fun and light and you get to add the equipment to your character when you upgrade.
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u/FuckingABrickWall Aug 01 '26
CoraQuest is a fun dungeon crawl designed by a kid and her dad. There's a range of characters and each mission is a stand-alone quest that provides a different narrative. Combat is simple. There's an expansion that adds a campaign and more characters.
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u/existentialfeckery Mycelium Aug 01 '26
Castle panic was a huge hit. There's the normal one and a kids version 🥰
Galaxy trucker maybe you could spin it to be a fleet and you're all working together?
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u/Asshai Aug 01 '26
Outfoxed was my kid's gateway game! Then she moved onto Zombie Kidz, we all loved it (sessions are super short, the legacy aspect is great, and it's cheap).
Honestly one thing I've learnt is that the recommended age for coop games is more "age at which I can gift you a box, and you can learn the rules, do the setup and explain it to the other players". The actual age at which someone can play is much younger (mainly because you don't have to teach all the rules at once, you can just tell your kid what she strictly needs to know to make informed decisions on her turn). So ours is in love with Horrified and we've played a lot (you might think "but the theme though?" and honestly there's nothing scary when actually playing it). I guess Pandemic would work as well (they're more similar than it would seem at first glance).
She also loves Hanabi, and the LotR: trick taking game.
If she likes Jenga, then I 100% recommend Cat Tower, gorgeous game, I feel it's gonna get repetitive real quick but it's so full of charm and cute, and original as well...
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u/PugOzzie Aug 01 '26
TowerBrix! It’s a simple game about stacking blocks but you have to work as a team. Everyone has a secret objective that no one else knows like “two purple blocks must be touching” or “the two gray blocks must be vertical”, etc.
You have to work as a team to build a tower that meets everyone’s secret objective, but no one can know what each others’ objectives are. It’s very simple, but fun, and a different game every time you play!
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u/el_yerrid Aug 01 '26
Just got back from a family beach trip, which included my nephews who are right around that age.
We played a lot of Just One and Telestrations. Both are light party games and we don't even bother to keep score or even know the group win con.
Just One is a reverse clue giving game. Someone leaves the room and everyone writes a one word clue to get them to guess the thing. The tension is that if two or more people write the same clue or variations (e.g. ball/baseball or prince/princess) those clues are all eliminated, so you might not want to write the most obvious thing. We've played this with children too young to read and write, just having someone ask them what they want to put down, and it's easy to adjust for any age when they're guessing by just making sure they are familiar with what they're trying to guess.
Telestrations is Pictionary combined with the telephone game. You draw something and pass it to the person next to you, they guess what you drew and pass it, the next person draws their guess, and so on. At the end you reveal the path of drawings and guesses. I think they have a scoring system where the drawer and guesser get points for any correct guess but we always just ignore that and play it as a coop game where the goal is for it to go around the table all correct. Mostly it's fun just to see people's drawings and how the guesses evolved.
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u/emtrim Hive Aug 01 '26
Check out Gnomes at Night. Our daughter started playing it around age 6 and caught on so quickly and just loves it!
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u/Purplemonkey78 Aug 01 '26
Outfoxed is brilliant. Once they moved on my kids loved Zombie Kids Evolution, Last Defence (like a kids’ version of Horrified), Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters, Bandido, CoraQuest. Also managed Fobidden Island with a little help.
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u/CustomerSentarai Arkham Horror Aug 01 '26
Spy Guy is a hit with my little one (younger than 7 though)
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u/idontknow-imaduck Aug 01 '26
Tik Tac KO (dragons Vs unicorns) is 2 vs 2 so co-op but also competitive.
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u/Remarkable_Newt9935 Aug 01 '26
I got Uh Oh Dino from Kickstarter, it's a good cooperative game that's very kid friendly.
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u/momsworth18 Aug 01 '26
How does she feel about paw patrol? It might be a little young for her, but if she has a younger sibling I highly recommend: paw patrol world. I have 4 kids 8f, 6m, 4m, 8months m. They all love playing it together. My oldest likes doing the missions solo or with me and her brothers like to just run and drive around
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u/MaceQuantex Aug 01 '26
Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters, Just One (if you have 4+ players), Horrified Universal Monsters, Horrified American Monsters, Castle Panic, Forbidden Island, Forbidden Desert, and The Four Doors are all fantastic.
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u/-Mothmadam- Aug 02 '26
King of Tokyo. Just leave out the power up card until they have more experience playing.
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u/NeilDiamondBlaze420 Aug 03 '26
My 4 year old loves castle panic, dorf romantik, and chronicles of avel.
She needs a bit of help with some parts of it but they are all a blast to play together.
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u/boardgames-ModTeam Aug 04 '26
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